sommer • morton senior

Sommer was the winner of my 2011 Senior Giveaway back in December! After my shoot with her I feel like I had been given a gift, too. It was one of those shoots where I really felt to freedom to go with the light and experiment. I had so many favorites! It helps that Sommer totally knows who she is- which is a super nice, interesting, cool girl! She's heading to LCU next year and I can't wait to see what great things are in store for her. 

She found a diamond in her pocket! 

Love, love, love this pretty dress.

The overcast light gave way to a buttery yellow sunlight. 

trae + rachel • engagement • lubbock, tx

I have known Trae for a few years now, ever since I did some promo photos for his band. When he emailed me to setup and Engagement Session, I knew it would be a great shoot- because Trae has always been so trusting and easygoing. But when I found out who his fiancé was, I knew it would be an super great shoot! Trae + Rachel = total AWESOMENESS! Lubbock has been producing some yummy light and nice weather- and I was soaking it up like a sponge! Here are some of my faves from their session:

dax • newborn • lubbock, tx

Here he is! Mr. Dax Dietz. Dax is the brand-new son of our very good friends, Zach and Shanna. He arrived just 10 days after we shot Shanna's Maternity Session- 2 weeks early! So we actually ended up doing his newborn shoot one day before his due date. This guy spent about a week in the NICU and has proven to be one tough little man! (Plus, he has some pretty amazing, God-trusting parents.) Now that he's home, he's quite comfortable...and I'm sure he and Knox will be up to no good before we know it! 

After going through the images from this session, I selected my favorites...there were only 43 of them, haha! So, here is the very narrowed-down selection of favorites I have from this session!

I think you can see a little of Dax's cousin, baby Atlynn, in this image on the right. Red hair runs in the family- on both sides!

I love that when babies cry, they cry with everything they've got...and I still think it's cute...so I take pictures.

braggin'

I thought I'd do a little bragging on my sisters today. I made a very quick trip to Borger last weekend to see Lauren, who was in town, and photograph some of her artwork. Though most of what we photographed was 2-D, she had a few new pieces that needed to be shot- a.k.a. our Christmas gifts! Lauren made Layne this pretty lace blouse, which she modeled for us like a pro.

She gave me a beautiful blanket for Knox- it is the perfect weight and the detail is amazing!

I'm blessed to have pretty and talented sisters! My sister-in-law is also in this category- and she creates some beautiful work as a hairstylist as well. Maybe one day we'll put together a fashion shoot!

molly • lubbock, tx

Molly's boyfriend contacted me about setting up a surprise session for his girlfriend while she was in town from Nebraska. (Very thoughtful, no?!?) We had such a good time shooting- and Molly is one sweet, gorgeous girl! Here are some of my faves from her session:

It's been a tad windy lately (we are in West Texas)...but I'm beginning to embrace it. :)

Here is Sterling, the uber-thoughtful and also super nice boyfriend. I'm not going to say what I made them do to get the image on the left, but I will say I would want them on my team in a relay race. :)

Friends...

And another gif for my readers...only because Sterling is so graceful..

emily • amarillo senior

Meet Emily. She's a senior from Highland Park in Amarillo. Miss Emily is not only at the top of her class, she's athletic, gorgeous, and most of all- really, really nice and easy to talk to. Go ahead, be jealous. :) This girl has such a bright future and is looking to become a dentist, which means she may be cleaning my teeth one day (yikes!). She and her family drove in for her photoshoot and we had a great time. Thanks so much, Emily, for being fantastic to work with! 

alan + emerald • engagement

Alan + Emerald. They just sound like they go together- and they do. These two have been together a long time and are getting married in Cancun this December. It's photoshoots like this one where I leave loving my job- I have an excuse to meet people like Alan + Emerald! They both had terrific attitudes and were so much fun. Plus, Emerald had some rockin' shoes. :) We did a little mini-shoot to get some images for their Save the Date cards- here are some of my favorites:

I promise I made zero color adjustments to Emerald's eyes in this one- there is a reason her name fits her so perfectly!

the bishop family

This is a bittersweet post- SWEET because I love this family and had so much fun with them during their photoshoot, BITTER because this means they'll be leaving us soon. The Bishops were some of the first people we met at The Heights Fellowship, our church here in Lubbock. They welcomed us in and have become some of our best friends here- time after time they have taken care of us, met our needs, and have always been up for an adventure! I got to journey with them to Asia last year- and now they're embarking on a whole new journey in Europe. I'm so excited to see how God will use them there, just like He's used them here! We had a quick session, but there are so many images I love- here are a few of them:

This next one was Jeremiah's idea- love it!

we got shot! • things i learned from the other side of the camera

I've been a bad blogger lately, and I'm sorry for that. Hopefully the posts I have planned will make up for that!

The past couple of weeks I have been lamenting the fact that as long as I am the one photographing my little one, I won't have any pictures of myself with Knox while he is so tiny. I'm pretty sure I asked Shawn about doing a family photoshoot 3 times in one day- the problem is, we are still pretty busy people! Finding the time for a shoot was becoming a difficult task...and all the while he was growing bigger! 

Then one day last week, Lauren Clark posted about having a mini-session open up while she was here in Lubbock. I thought, "Perfect! Let's do it!" Sadly, since it was so last minute, Shawn had to be at work- but his time in front of the camera with us will come, for sure. Frequently. For the rest of his life. (Sorry honey, you did marry a photographer. Love you!)

Thankfully, Lauren squeezed us in and captured some beautiful pictures for us. Here are a couple of my favorites:

During my short stint in front of the camera, I learned a few things that made me very appreciative of my clients and for professional photographers. Here they are:

1. The hardest part is getting there.

I used to pride myself on being able to travel well. Now, with a baby, things are a little bit more complicated. We have so much stuff (and backup stuff)...thankfully Knox is a pretty chilled out little guy. The day of our shoot, I had a meeting with a bride, which ended in plenty of time for me to get home and get ready for the photoshoot. Little did I realize that I had locked myself out of my house! My Mom and sister, who had been looking after Knox, weren't far away, so I just had to wait. Then, when we finally got to our meeting place, Mr. Knox made a HUGE poopy. I was super lucky that it didn't get on his white onesie- although it did get all over everything else, including me! (The fact that I was wearing a yellow shirt was a convenient coincidence, if you know what I'm saying.) I have a new respect for my clients who arrive on time- especially for those with little ones.

2. It's about the people.

 As a professional photographer, I see a LOT of pictures. I take a lot of pictures. I think about a lot of pictures when I'm not looking at them or taking them. And it can all lead to a bit of image-overload. There are times when the picture can become more important than the person. And let's face it- the whole reason I am a photographer at all- or have a business at all- is the people. Photographing a 2 month old is not an easy job- Knox couldn't hold his head up and is just now beginning to crack a smile every now and then. I still have my baby weight and I'm not sure if I combed my hair before we got there- but when it comes right down to it- these are pictures of us, and just to have some documentation of us-right-here-and-now is priceless. The day that I care more about the picture than the people is the day I'll know I'm ready to quit. Because, after all- that's what it's all about!

3. Put yourself in good hands.

I knew this before, but I was reminded once again- hiring a professional photographer is totally worth it. Shooting with Lauren was easy, relaxed, and fun! It felt SO GOOD to just trust someone else with the picture-taking for once, and I'm sure I'll be doing it more and more as our family grows. When Knox was born, I figured I'd just capture him through my own lens (which has happened)- but far less frequently than I'd hoped. I didn't make a point to have a professional come over in the first week of his life to capture his tiny newness- instead, I left it up to myself- and I was not only tired, my creative juices just weren't running. From this point on, I'll be making an effort to have our family photographed frequently. It's such a fun experience, and the images that come of it are priceless to me. So, although you'd expect me to say it, GET YOUR FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHED BY A PROFESSIONAL. 

Click HERE to see Lauren's blog post about our mini-shoot!

shanna • expecting

Babies, babies everywhere! It was so refreshing to head out and enjoy the warmer weather for a very special photoshoot with my sweet friend Shanna. You may recognize her from most of the weddings I've shot- not only is she my friend, but my main second shooter as well! (That's right- this past year we were the preggo photo team and shot 16 weddings! It was pretty hilarious at times.)

She is expecting baby Dax in early March (though I think he'll make his appearance before the due date). Knox is very excited to meet his new little friend! 

Shanna, you are gorgeous- and one hot mama! Here are some of my favorites!