Jennifer and Chris and Munch in Seattle

Hiking shoes and/or barefoot are my favorite states of being, so when I met Munch, let's just say she is my dream client. Wearing a cute beach dress, climbing trees and twirling without me even asking her to, she was basically the perfect 6 year-old. And so sweet!!

This entire family session was really fun and relaxed. I always get extra excited when the parents are chill and let the kids be, because trying to pose kids for an hour is just not fun for anyone involved, especially not the kids. But lettings the kids be and doing very little posing leads to these cute photos, a lot of candids, a lot of smiles, a lot of cuteness overload.

It also allows me to have some fun with the parents on the sidelines while the kiddos are busy playing. Yes we are parents, but we are also still a couple and it's nice to have a few shots sans kids. Wether for a cute Valentine's Day photo collage or to print on a mug.

So next time you are thinking of booking family photos, always think of "what is a good spot where kids can have fun and where the whole family can relax and just be without it feeling like a stuffy photoshoot?" or ask me: I love location scouting and I have a long list of suggestions, not just for Texas, but also California, New York, South Dakota, Florida, Tunisia and the list goes on because I have the travel bug :)

I mean, how cute are they?

And then to top the cuteness, Seattle graced us all with a beautiful sunset at the end of the shoot, so of course as any other photographer who says "One Last One" ten times before it being true, I had to continue to shoot !!

Thank you Seattle, and thank you Jenn for trusting me with your family photos and your parent's 50th wedding anniversary celebration. I had a blast and cannot wait to meet at a national park next time :)

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POSIE and her COOL Parents

Meeting a photographer can be intimidating for clients, just like meeting new clients can be intimidating for photographers, and this is why I like using a questionnaire for my clients to complete before a shoot, kind of a way to get to know each other a little more, and make sure I understand their vision for the photos.

When I sent the questionnaire to this sweet couple for their family photos, it was evident that location and accessories were not the priority, Stephanie cared about capturing love. That's all!

So even though there are a lot of state parks in Texas that have incredible scenery and fun hiking, and Stepanie and her hubby love hiking, that wasn't exactly the point of this shoot. It was just about being outdoors and capturing their growing family. So instead of driving 4 hours away, we met at this beautiful preserve in Garland 20 min from their house and had a super chill afternoon, laughing and taking photos. Photos below were the warm up to the cute fancy outfits Stephanie handpicked.

And VOILA the fancy outfits. Yes you can be stylish outdoors!! And you don't have to wear neutral colors if you don't want to :) I do send a free guide out, if a client wants direction when it comes to what to wear and how to style a photo session, but that's all it is, a guide, not directions to follow. If bold colors is what you like to wear, BRING IT ON !!

Then for their "casual outfit", the whole family still looked super cute and stylish. I was half expecting jeans or leggings, but instead it was a tutu, a pretty dress, and cool sunglasses and I was all for it!! Wear what you want to wear. Don't feel the need to follow trends or Pinterest!

Thanks again for trusting me Ullah Family!! Cannot wait to road trip for the next shoot!!!

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PRETTY ELENA TURNS 1

The first time I photographed this adorable little girl she was still in the womb, carried by her sweet surrogate, yet she already had a better wardrobe than mine.

A year later, nothing changed at all :) besides her looking extra ADORABLE, she still has a better wardrobe. That's one of the advantage of having two stylish dads.

All three braved the crazy 100 degree weather to celebrate Elena's first birthday and cake smash, and they looked fabulous doing it. You cannot even see the sweat dripping, but we definitely had the AC blasting in our cars as soon as the session was done!! Totally worth it though, don't you think? Check out her crown and her vintage car :)

This was her first outfit, a beautiful custom dress by Olive & Elvie.

This was outfit number 2, SO PRECIOUS!

And finally the cake smash!

Thanks again for trusting me Erik and Corey to capture this milestone, and thanks Elena for cooperating so well throughout the heat.

Remember to always pack your child's favorite snack for photos. Animal Crackers is what got us the most smiles for this session:) And a fun toy to ride or play with. The vintage car got us a lot of smiles too!

What is your favorite snack?

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