Ahhh…I’m so lucky to have such a beauteous sister who is always a very willing and fun model!  She always brings extra fun clothes and accessories when she visits and when we actually find the time to have a photo shoot, it’s such a great time!

She had recently found this dress at a vintage store and it was just PERFECT-o for this location.  Very woodsy-chic!  I love how her red hair just blends in with the leaves, too.

This little sis of mine is getting married in September and I definitely need to share some of the engagement portraits we did over the holiday break.  Trying to keep some a secret until their Save the Date cards go out though.  It’s been fun combining our visions and I love how involved her fiance has been during the whole process.

Hope you have an incredible day!  ~mm

When I got an email from this client requesting a junkyard location for her holiday session, I literally squealed with excitement.  It even surpassed the day another client asked if I’d like to photograph her family at their family dairy…i mean, YEAH!!!  Dairy, junkyard…a photographer’s paradise!!! 

Anyway, back to the junkyard…I had locations already chosen for my holiday mini sessions, BUT made an exception for this family because I just KNEW the whole experience would be out of this world!       And it was.

Amazingly behaved, smiley, spunky adorable boys…CHECK.

Snazzy attire…CHECK.

Pizzazzzzzz…CHECK.

Musician hubby WITH guitar…CHECK.

Drumsticks for boys to do a little drumming…CHECK.

An in-love hubby and wife wanting some couples pics…CHECK.

Oh do I LOVE this pic!!! 

*****  What made this session really work (besides the location and an amazingly organized stylin’ mom!) was the open line of communication between us!  We chatted several times about outfits, ideas (guitar, drumsticks, vintage chairs), and discussed images that the mom was drawn to (SO important!).   When it was time to shoot, I knew exactly what she wanted from our chats.  We merged that with my style & some on-the-fly ideas from everyone and it was TONS of fun!  Knowing what my clients want on their walls and desktops is SO important.

After all the images were processed, I put some texture on favorite portraits and the texture REALLY complimented the clothing, location and the style that my client wanted displayed in her home.  And wait until you see what she chose….several canvas, gallery mounts…can’t WAIT to share once they’re all up and looking amazing. 

Have a super day…and better yet…a SUPER Thanksgiving.  I’ll be back after Turkey Day.  Lots of fam in town (SO excited) and we’re going to be BUSY.  Going wedding dress shopping for my sis, eating lots of turkey, taking our family portraits…it’s going to be fab!

Be on the lookout for the announcement of a special December giveaway for a family in need in the Dallas area.   More details coming soon, but IF you refer this family, YOU get a mega print credit for your own session…yahoo!!!  Everyone gets something wonderful out of this…ME…a family in need…and YOU.        ~mm

I’ve been designing an album for this beauty and thought I’d share a possible page. I get goosebumps when I look at these…what an incredible, beautiful young woman. We decided to head on over to a junkyard at the end of our session and I’m SO glad we did. The bold colors and her sassy style look amazing here!

Have a super day…
~mm

A couple more from the vintage photo shoot. I’ve been having fun experimenting with texture & different processing on these.

I plan on posting some more on Facebook today so all the models can see! If you’re not my Facebook “friend” yet, request me! I’ve been having fun posting pics on there the last few days.

I’ll be out of the “office” through Monday — we’re off to visit family in Colorado. I plan on doing a couple blog posts while we’re there, but will be out of touch via phone. I have a super fun family shoot scheduled while we’re out there + we’re planning on having some fun in the snow again with the kiddos.

Have a great day. ~m

A couple days ago I was part of an awesome photography shoot — I think it’s incredibly important to just shoot for fun, and this is what we did! I met many super sweet photographers, models, AND an awesome makeup artist. We met at a nearby farm and had full access to animals, buildings, props, etc.

{As you can see, I was like a kid in a candy store}

Yup, that’s a bath tub.

And an orange grove.

And a leaf-filled ground.

And lastly, a coolio carport.

I have SOOOoo sooo many favorites it’s killing me! Today I decided to just put one in of each model –all with slightly different processing. It’s always fun to experiment!!!

Tomorrow, you get to see more! Wahooo.

Have a spectacular day! ~m

This younger sis to two older brothers is soooooooooo cute. Aside from just being incredibly adorable, the one thing that always sticks out to me is her gorgeous skin. It’s this lovely, flawless light olive, and I just can’t keep my eyeballs off of her.

Have an awesome Monday! ~m

Isn’t the sign just perfecto??? Love the mood, setting, perfect belly, gorgeous prego gal…it just all fits.

Okay, now you’ve got to change gears. No more workshop. Think calm, peaceful, slow-moving stream, the sound of water passing over rocks, leaves on the bank, rustling in the wind…

And lastly…

You are such a beauty, T, and just radiate with that gorgeous belly of yours! Thanks for trusting me and workin’ it for the camera…can’t wait to meet the little fella.

Have a lovely day. ~m

What a holiday weekend! My sister (aka the AWESOME model that lets my creative juices flow!!!) was in town, so, of course, we planned a photo shoot.  She’s into all things vintage, so she brought an assortment of outfits with an older feel.  We were going for different colors, textures, etc.

We had an awesome day on Saturday, getting her hair cut, make up done (we were going for a pin-up sort of look!) by the lovely Brooke at MAC, shopping, and then lots and lots of picture taking.  Our mom even stopped by for the actual photo shoot and fixed Bib’s hair and such. 

It was SO much fun…I think that during the holidays, it’s often hard to get creative and shoot for myself when I feel like I should be home editing sessions or not taking any more sessions at all (I had to turn away several families this season because I just couldn’t fit everyone in!).  Anyway, these last few weekends have been really refreshing as I have been able to just relax and spend lots and lots of time with my family.  Lovin’ it!!!

These are some of my faves even though we were just WARMING up!!! Wait till you see the rest! TONS of outfit changes. More to come this week…as well as some pics of my last holiday card kiddos tomorrow.

In the next two weeks, I’ll be photographing another wonderful Celebrating Adoption session, some cute older babies, AND an ULTRA creative engagement session. My photographer pal Jen is coming from Washington and we’re gonna get a little cooky creative!!! Wooo hoooooo!!!

Have a super day and a big thanks for stopping by. ~m

Really, my memories of this beautiful, carefree, sweet young woman have to do with fresh blackberry birthday cakes.  My family spent many summers in Seattle when we were younger and C’s birthday just so happened to fall during our visits.  Her mom, an amazing cook, would always make these elaborate and delicious birthday treats (and meals, for that matter). What fun — we even picked the delicious fruit for her cakes! 

I can’t believe that C is old enough (aren’t there some people that you remember as little 5 year olds?) to be embarking on her own journey…moving away from the beautiful state of Washington to pursue her dream of becoming an actress in Los Angeles.

She wanted some headshots…I told her she needed to “work it” for some shots for me, too.    And BOY did we have fun!

Can’t wait to hear about your adventures, C!  Best of luck to you and thanks for choosing me for your headshots.  LOTS more!!!  {mwah!}

Have a spectacular weekend!   ~m

^ My fav.  Love her hair, the angle, her hands & expression.

^ My sis with the kiddos — this is just a sweet image to me.  Everyone just seems so at peace. 

Gorgeous……………………………………………………check out that killer jump!!!

These images show her quiet side and a bit of her craziness.

Peach’s rendition of Bib’s jump.   Makes me laugh. Only a couple days until we get to see Bib again!  Wahoo!  Cali here we come!

Have one incredible day!  ~m