Here in Your Arms

2009.

I fell in love, in love with you suddenly now there's no place else I could be but here in your arms. 

Dan's 1st Birthday Session in Dallas

You may remember this cutie from November, when I photographed him and his parents for their very first family portrait session. Back then, he was only five months old and here we are now, looking at a one year old! I got to photograph him on his exact birthday too! So Jen & Bryan will always get to remember that he was exactly 365 days old in these photos. 

Congratulations, Jen & Bryan, on your first year as parents!

Isabella's Newborn Session in Rowlett + Tales From My Mother

Last weekend my mom saw me importing the images from Isabella's newborn session.

"What a beautiful baby girl," she said, "how did it go?"

I told her it went fine, and that I got a few really sweet portraits and some nice moments because the baby really only wanted to be in her mother's arms.

"Is her name Cristy?" my mom asked.

"No! Why?"

"Because I couldn't put you down when you were a baby. All you did was cry and cry unless you were in my arms. If I let anyone else hold you or try to put you down, you'd start crying immediately."

Hmm. That definitely wasn't telling of the next seventeen years. I was a brat. A mean one too. A horribly belligerent girl to my mother, even as her only daughter. And then something changed. Sometime in my first semester in college I was finally able to understand her. In the four years since then, I've gotten to actually know her, and admire her. And when the summer and winter breaks were over and I'd move back to my apartment near my school, I'd cry while driving away, not wanting to leave my mom's reassuring embrace.

Funny how you can be mama's girl at two weeks old and 22 years old just the same.

Nicole, I hope the next 22 years of Isabella's life go by slowly for you and your husband! Congratulations on this wonderful beginning. I hope you'll look back at her newborn photos and remember just how tiny, how sweet, and how beautiful she is today. I bet she'll realize how lucky she is to have great parents like you a lot earlier on than I did ;)

Jennifer + Paul's Colorful Dallas Engagement Session

Jennifer and Paul are HAPPY and they share the kind of love which can only be illustrated in bright, bold, vivid and HAPPY colors. So we picked out a few locations and prepped for the engagement session. I had it all planned out and had posing ideas in mind. And with the first click of my camera, I knew I was lucky. Lucky because the couple I got to photograph was so honest and proud of their love. They laughed and hugged and held onto each other, and every smile showcased how excited they were at the idea of sharing the rest of their lives together. 

It's easy for that kind of happiness to rub off on you. 

So to my beautiful cousin Jennifer and her soon-to-be husband, Paul:

Thank you for reminding me to cherish what an amazing thing it is to be in love. I'm so glad I'll be in the audience next Spring when you marry each other, on what I'm sure will be the most exciting day of your lives!

Hope you love these pictures. :)

Baseball-inspired wedding in Garland

It was sometime in March 2011 that I got a call from Andi. She had been referred to me by a friend (shoutout, Yoamy!) and she was going to be married the following March and was interested in my photography info. When I got the call, I was in the middle of writing a news assignment for class while at work in the Maclab.  It was the spring of my junior year of college and even though I knew working toward my degree was important to me, all I wanted was to devote more time to my photography. I was hoping and working and hoping and working to book another wedding. It's basically all I thought about (still do.)

So I printed a copy of my contract and forced confidence out of my voice to prepare for my meeting with Andi. I was nerrrvous! And when she sat down at the table across from me for our meeting, she described her ideas for her wedding, shared with me about herself and her fiance, and we talked details.  But really, we just had a great conversation! She was open and easy to talk to, she was funny, and we shared so many commonalities in our style! AND, she was a fellow Garland High School alum! I was so excited about the idea of working with her. And when she decided that yes, I would be the right fit for her big day, OMG. A year could not go fast enough for me. But it did! Six-months-later, we were shooting a fun engagement session at a replica Texas Rangers ballpark. A little while after that, we shot her bridals at the Dallas Arboretum, and soon enough, it was the big day.

I told Andi over and over on the day, that I was in AWE of her decor. I mean, there was not a single thing I would have changed, had it been my wedding. They are detail by detail, the exact things I would have chosen. Totally my taste, my style. I lovvvvvveeeeddddddd her centerpieces, her roses, her hair accessory, the lights, her cake! And guess what. Her entry table, her candy bar, her centerpieces...decked out with detail after detail, was all her handiwork. Everyone congratulated Andi on making her wedding day beautiful! It was obvious she put so much hard work into it. Among others who helped put together their awesome wedding day were:

Floral arrangements: Buds & Blooms in Garland

Cakes: Stephanie & Sabrina at Simply Sisters in Keller
Dress: Terry Costa in Dallas by designer House of WuHair: by Franchesca at Yolo Salon in Garland - also owned by a fellow GHS alum!
Venue/Lighting: The Atrium in Garland by Mark & Matt
Popcorn at the candy bar: Popcorn Papa at Firewheel in Garland.
DJ: Eddie Renz

I'm waiting to find out who the exact Ebay seller was for the awesome baseball cufflinks! :) (Check back later) 

Anyway, here we go!

The engagement & bridal photos I shot were used for decor around the reception! I loved it. ;)

Andi's mama was so sweet! When I  saw this expression,  I clicked before the moment was gone! I love this one.

I thought this was cute. They went down the aisle after Andi & Josh. Aren't they adorable?

Chris was definitely a fan of the cufflinks! He wants some too now. 

See? She had every detail covered! From the frame, to the peanuts, the baseball, and all of those candles. Beautiful. 

Simply Sisters did a great job. The cake matched the style of the room perfectly!

As Chris and I were leaving for the night, we spotted the jersey Andi & Josh set out for guests to sign. Look at how many people love you guys!

I'm Back! + Newborn Portraits

It has been more than FOUR months since I've blogged! In the last four months I finished up my undergraduate career and walked across the stage to celebrate earning my bachelor's degree from the nationally accredited Mayborn School of Journalism at UNT! I also began an amazing internship, where I am still learning everyday.

I've second shot  a whole lot of weddings (like SIX in the month of April) and have had a busy few months with portrait sessions on my own. Chris and I also shot two weddings with some awesome couples! Overall, I have a lot to be grateful for, but I'm excited to put more effort into growing this business, now that I am no longer a student. I have so much to share! But for now, I'm going to post just a few of my favorite shots from a session I did a few weeks ago.

I met Carolina back in 2007 through a friend of a friend. We've stayed in touch and at the end of her pregnancy, she told me she wanted to get newborn portraits done. Timing was a little difficult, but we were eventually able to meet up for a session, one day after her baby girl turned one-month-old.

I love how baby Camila is looking at her beautiful mom! I just feel like it's one of those moments they'll be able to cherish forever! 

Camila looks so sassy here! She's so pretty. :) I also love the red and gold tones coming in, backlit! This is why I love shooting just before sunset, y'all!

First family portrait <3

I'm going to try to get back in the habit of blogging regularly... right now, it looks like it'll probably be every Friday. So, keep checking back for posts on recent:

• weddings
• bridal sessions
• mother & daughter sessions
• family sessions
• senior sessions
• newborn sessions