Texas Notebook Moment at Tyler State Park

Sometimes you just envision something in your mind and want to create it. I envisioned a Notebook Moment at this beautiful state park in Tyler, and lucky for me, a friend and her husband obliged :)

I had been to this park a few times since I have moved to Dallas, and I really fell in love with it. Wether for a relaxing hike around the lake, or a dip in the lake, or just a picnic, the two hour drive from Dallas is totally worth it for me, and it definitely feels like another world, don't you think?

And don't worry if you got seasick just looking at the above photos, or if a canoe and rowing isn't your vision of a relaxing photoshoot (it does take some arm strength), the park is full of beautiful scenery you can walk thru while staying nice and dry on land :)

Thanks again Brian and Conan for modeling for me. Your love shines thru the photos. And your kiddo was the most fun assistant ever :) He was not in the mood for photos, but he was super fun to hang out with and helped carry the blanket and pillows and some of my lenses too.

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Kelly + Dave's Big Bear Adventure

Kelly & Dave live my dream life ... or should I say one of my dream lives ... I have a few!!

One is living on a farm with a horse, or maybe 2 horses, who's counting?

The other is being a full time traveler and living in an airstream, a camper van, whatever allows us to travel full time and still have a little home ... I could go on, but I won't bore you.

Let me know in the comments below what your dream life is, but for now, let's get back to Kelly & Dave and their love story.

Kelly & Dave are full time travelers who built their own van and travel all over the United States and Europe as well. We took these photos in Big Bear, a beautiful small city in Southern California sitting on the banks of Big Bear Lake, that I adore, as they were passing by it during their California adventure. Big Bear is famous for it's ski resort, but I love it during all the seasons, the views are beautiful, the little cabins are adorable and the hiking is great.

For this session, we didn't do much strenuous hiking, because I was 7 months pregnant and Dave and Kelly were extra sweet and wanted to make sure I didn't take any chances, but as you can see from the photos, you don't have to always hike 10 miles uphill to get pretty views.

And yes I aways recommend at least two looks for pictures if the session allows it. It doesn't have to be two completely different outfits, it can be as easy as adding an extra layer to outfit number one, a sweater, a different hat, and voila, you have two outfits, two looks, and basically two different sets of moods in one session. It adds variety to your final gallery and if you are using the photos for decorating different rooms, it gives you a bit more choice.

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Nicole & Matt's Engagement at White Rock Lake

Getting engaged is really a special moment, a moment you want to remember. Yes getting married is when you officially say I do, but getting engaged is when you are on cloud nine, you aren't thinking about guests lists and logistics yet, you are just thinking "WE LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH and WANT TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER" and that's so EXCITING!!!! And should be celebrated and remembered as the special time it is. And what better than photos to remember?

Matt proposed on Christmas with Nicole's family in attendance, and we took their photos a few weeks later. Dallas weather cooperated, so we were able to be outdoors and hit two locations.

We started at the Dallas Arboretum, which I love shooting at. Not usually on the weekends though, because it gets very busy, and who wants to wait in line to take pictures? That's why I try to always give clients the best advice when it comes to when and where to go for photos and have a ton of location recommendations. These pictures were taken on a weekday, about 45 min before closing time, when the arboretum is least busy. Thanks for trusting me Nicole and Matt!

We then moved on to our next location, White Rock Lake, a quick 15 min drive. We got there right in time for the famous golden hour, that moment before sunset, where there is still enough light to have beautiful photos, but the sun isn't harsh either.

We had the whole place to ourselves, which is always nice, especially when I am asking couples to kiss and show PDA :) right? But don't worry, I will make sure I don't ask you to do anything that you aren't comfortable with, and if I mistakenly do, your safe word is "NEXT" and I will get the memo and move on to the next prompt or pose.

So how exactly do I pose and prompt?

Every session is different. Some couples come to me and ask to be posed and prompted a lot. They aren't comfortable with cameras, and need a little extra help to loosen up or know what to do with their hands etc ... Others want candid moments only. In my experience, most people are somewhere in the middle. I usually will pose you for some, and have some silly prompts to create some candid moments if they don't happen organically. Basically, don't worry about it, I will. That's what I am here for :) For you to have a good time and for me to capture it,

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