Tiana and her boys in beautiful Carlsbad

When Tiana and I first started out planning these family photos, she was mom to two adorable twin boys. By the time these photos happened, she was mom to three boys, and no I am not counting her husband :)

In between my pregnancy, her pregnancy, moving from California toTexas, Covid, let's say it took a lot of juggling and a lot of patience to make these photos happen, but we made it happen and the views at this Carlsbad Beach were so worth the wait.

Of course in true toddler fashion, the kiddos weren't exactly jumping for joy at the thought of sitting down for photos ... so guess what? We didn't do a lot of sitting. We mainly had fun, running around, splashing in the water, playing with the sand etc .... and even though looking at the camera wasn't their favorite activity, they were so sweet to me and it was a blast watching them have so much fun.

In conclusion, as I said before, if you are a go with the flow kind of person and want your family photographed in the most natural way possible, pick a location that your kiddos can have fun in, have extra snacks, and go with the flow. Also I'm your girl, I love candid with a lil mix of posing.

And yes I will always trying get some photos with no kiddos, but sometimes the kiddos are faster than my shutter:)

PS: Tianna also designed my website :) so if you are reading this and needing a website designer, reach out to her, she is talented, creative and patient https://www.tiannamarie.com

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Tasha's Family at Arbor Hills

When friends contract me for photos, my first thought is EXCITEMENT ... followed by deep anxiety, followed by more excitement, mixed with fear that they will hate their photos and disown me as a friend after I deliver their gallery, mixed with 'they are only booking me because they feel they have to." Basically it's a rollercoaster of emotions, but mainly excitement and gratefulness that my friends trust me to create memories for them.

So to all my friends reading this, thank you so much for choosing me, yes I get a lil stressed out, but I am mainly happy. And your support means the world to me.

Tasha and I met in Dallas at a random neighborhood girl's night out, and as soon as she told me she was building a pool, I obviously decided we would have to be friends given how brutal summer is in Texas, and by summer I mean May to October. Just kidding, it wasn't the pool, it was the challenge. She said "I don't really have room for more friends right now." Well I made her make room and now she is stuck with me.

Tasha has three kids: two beautiful daughters and one handsome son, and I love that she coordinated all of their outfits. Outfits don't have to be complicated or super elaborate, but they do matter. You do not have to necessarily match colors, even though it works perfectly for the above trio, but I recommend at least staying in the same family of color, or sticking to neutrals and definitely avoiding prints and symbols to have harmonious photos.

Also make sure you find yourself a husband who smiles for photos too :)

Last, but not least, if you like the outdoors, but don't feel like driving far from Dallas or hiking a lot for your photos, Arbor Hills is an awesome location wether for family photos, or couple photos, or solo portraits. Or just for a fun little hike too :)

Thanks again for trusting me Tasha and family

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Jummy + Chris's Ten Year Wedding Anniversary at Eisenhower State Park

I met Jummy thru a friend at a boat party. We immediately clicked, so when she mentioned in conversation that her 10 year wedding anniversary was coming up, I had to highly -highly- HIGHLY - encourage photos to celebrate.

Jummy and Chris are avid travelers and also share a love for national parks and nature, so they chose to have an outdoorsy anniversary shoot. They were traveling to Zion earlier in the year, but my traveling calendar didn't work out to meet there, but luckily Texas is such a large state with such a diverse eco system, from desert to forest, to mountains, to swampy lakes, that if you are willing to drive a few hours, you can experience a lot.

We met at Eisenhower Park, a Texas state park that overlooks Lake Texoma and the state of Oklahoma . I had been there once and loves the mix of wooded areas and rocky beaches.

Jummy and Chris didn't mind getting a little dirty, even in their fancy outfits. We hiked a bit, we explored the beach, we listened to music and danced, and ended the day at Fossil Ridge Drive enjoying sunset. It was a really fun way to celebrate their anniversary and create memories.

Does it mean you have to wait until year 10 to take anniversary photos? Nope, not at all, there is no magic number to celebrate. Sometimes the first year of marriage is tough, and you want to celebrate getting thru it together. Or maybe that first year felt like 12 months of honeymoon and you want to celebrate that. Or Maybe year 3 is special to your marriage.

I mean, if you have the budget, and a partner who loves photos, TAKE PHOTOS EVERY ANNIVERSARY :) I would, but then my husband might leave me 'cause he doesn't love photos like I do :) Marriage is compromise, right?

Happy Anniversary Jummy and Chris !!!

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