I had a seriously WONDERFUL time with this family of four.    Time flew as we explored, played, talked about trains, sampled delicious lollipops, and even did some arm swinging.  :)  We were lucky to have a more mild-weathered day with a slight breeze, too.  A big YAY for the last day of August!  :)

The boys were sweeter than pie and cuter than cute…

and the parents?  AMAZINGLY fun!

I LOVE that they wanted to celebrate their lives with current portraits, so the boys could look back on these pictures and see how much they love them (that’s what mom told me!!!).  The boys’ grandparents even came along so that mom and dad could have some couples portraits, too.   Speaking of mom and dad…they met when they were 16 in high school!

I loved this candid shot here…SUPER comfy/natural in front of the camera. I have a kazillion stunners of them!

Seriously love these!

And this one…

definitely a FAV.  Look at his cutie pie smile.  :)

Have TONS of faves I couldn’t even show you because they changed into equally adorable outfits in a totally different color palette…stay tuned!

Hope you have one super day…and thanks SO much D family for trusting me to capture your love.  I think it’s crazy CRAZY evident.  Thanks for being “you”!

~mm

Thrilled to photograph this simply stunning teen in Florida this June. She was sweeter than Florida sweet tea (and WHOA it’s sweet!) and just such a natural beauty. Her golden hair blew in the beachy breeze as we talked about her plans for the future (loves to dance) and explored the gorgeous setting. A perfect afternoon!

I’ll let her portraits do the talking…

Hope you’re having a spectacular day!
~mm

P.S. Phoenix HOLIDAY MINI SESSIONS are totally booked! If you’d like to be on a wait list, email me asap! Dallas peeps still have some MINI SESSION slots available, but they’re going quickly! {click here} for info!

So, pretty much the summer has flown by and YUP, I’ve been a terrible blogger!  We’ve been vacationing AND when we’re not away, I’ve been shuttling the pumpkins to various camps around town.    And believe it or not, I’ve actually been having some sessions in this crazy TX heat!   I seriously can’t believe that next week, I’ll have one in school again…and the other kiddo the following week.  I miss ‘em already.

I’ll be sharing some peeks into our summer, but wanted to put this storyboard up from a *FUN* farm session at the beginning of the summer.

I love tractors.   Tractors and kids = a guaranteed awesome time!

These active cousins kept us on our toes!  It was fun watching them discover together and separately!  The little lady was tentative at first, wanted nothing more than to be holding her grandma’s hand, while her older cousin was off to the races, with a big smile on his face.  They would keep checking in on each other with quick glances throughout our time together — too cute.

I’ll be back SOON — first up, pics from Long Boat Key, Florida!

Have a lovely day,

~m

P.S.  Grandma got this storyboard as a stunning 20×20 Museum Mount (portrait mounted on a 3/4 inch board, ready to hang!) — it looks INCREDIBLE!!!!

Holiday Sessions??!!!  I realize it seems WAAAAY too hot to think about the holidays, but the end of September will be here in a flash, then we’ll all be busy with trick-or-treating…Thanksgiving…and then Christmas!  You’ll be SO glad you scheduled a session and designed your fabulous cards ahead of time!  :)

Check it….  ;)

Included with each session are the items clients *love the most* for the holidays:

• Gift Prints (your choice of an 8×10, 5×7, 4×6 portrait or 8 wallets)

• Three web-sized, Facebook files (with a small logo) for sharing online

AND

• Custom holiday cards created for you with your stunning portraits OR 4×6 prints to include in your own cards OR a high-resolution digital file for those that would like to create a card on their own (top two packages).

And…2011 holiday card choices are currently being designed/purchased.  They will be displayed on the blog in late August/early September.   I always LOVE to give clients variety and can’t wait for you to see this year’s cards!  Gorgeous.

If you’ve decided you’d like to reserve a mini session, please email me at maggiejmcd@msn.com and I’ll send you a link to the holiday session booking form. Payment is due at the time of booking (I’ll send a PayPal invoice) to hold your spot.   Last year there was a wait list, so don’t wait too long!

Hope you have a lovely day — I’m excited about the prospect of working with so many gorgeous families again this year and sure hope yours is on the list. 

My best,

Maggie

I love a golden field just before sunset, especially when there’s a dear, sweet, smart beauty to take it by storm! This cutie did a spectacular job hunting for flowers, bugs, and doing lots of spins for me in her mom’s First Communion dress. This dress was made by a family friend in the 70s and we all smiled HUGE when C put it on. What fun! ***I’m dying to see pics of her mom in it — hint, hint! ***

The bell sleeves, eyelets, and big yellow bow are such incredible touches!

A natural beauty, inside and out.

I am incredibly honored to be asked to capture this special time in C’s life, as she prepares for her First Communion. We started our day out at her family church in Colleyville, where we took many traditional portraits and details of her dress (see below), a beautifully beaded flower girl dress from her parent’s wedding. Then we headed to Fort Worth, to the church where this little lady’s mom and dad got married. I absolutely love it when families tie in parts of their past with the present and future. It truly makes sessions more meaningful as familiar places, and items from the past are are revisited and celebrated.

Truly a magical afternoon.

Hope you have a lovely day!
~mm

{Gorgeous kiddos!}

This three-session smile marathon with four couples and their families was speedy, yet SO awesomely productive. These family members drove down from Mississippi and Ohio and I was thrilled to be able to be there to preserve their family history! I have so many portraits of our family growing up, especially with grandparents, and I adore them.

I absolutely love capturing family love. I know I’ve said this before, but ever since my father-in-law passed away a year and a half ago, I see SO much value in extended family portraits. I always wish we had just one more portrait with Jay and our family, or Jay and my kiddos.

It was an honor to be asked to capture this sisterly love, too!

Hope you have a fantastic day!
~mm

When we FIRST moved to Texas, I met the momma of this family via a fun Parks and Rec course for our older kiddos.  It was fun to see a familiar face daily and because we were both “fresh” to Texas, there was lots to talk about — favorite restaurants, preschools, classes, kid activities, the latest LeapFrog movie.  :)  I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph them twice now!  This time, they had loads of family in from out of state, so we worked together to get some extended family portraits, as well as individual family and child portraits.  We zipped straight past the getting-to-know you stage and right to this :
{LOVE those missing teeth}

The M kiddos are SOOOO adorable with an extra dose of sweetness.  We see them quite often (softball, Daisies) and it’s always a running hug for me from one little lady, and big grins with “hello, Miss Maggie” from the others.

I can’t WAIT to show them the rest of their portraits…ALMOST done editing.

Hope you have a lovely, sunny day!
~mm

{SWING TIME! — love little sis in the background}

I had fun meeting these three siblings and their mom at home last week.  Mom wanted casual portraits with her children doing what they do best  – being themselves.  :)  That involved relaxing, jumping on the trampoline, sliding, swinging, AND some bubble play.  :)  Sessions at home are easy-peasy for kiddos that might not be comfortable in a new setting and for this fam, it worked out great!

{Big Brother was ready to go — so easy to photograph!}

{BUBBLE TIME!}

and lastly…oh man is she cute!!!

What a beautiful family!  Thanks so much for choosing me to capture these at-home moments…it was FUN!

Hope you have a lovely day!

~mm

:::::  Glorious morning sun + a field with bluebonnets + handsome little 8 weeker = total bliss!!!  :::::

I had a lovely time yesterday with little S and his beautiful mom.  I was SO fortunate to be able to capture her pregnancy {here} so take a look!

Isn’t he the most precious little guy?  He was on his very best behavior and was perfectly content hanging out in mom’s arms and watching the leaves move in the trees above him.  Couldn’t have asked for a better session. 

Spring photo sessions are booking quickly!  Make sure to get on the calendar before it gets too hot around these parts. 

Can’t wait for all the upcoming sessions!

Hope you have a lovely rest of your day.

~mm

I am fortunate to be part of a {fun little group of gals} who are shooting creatively, for us, once a week for the next year.  We have a word a week and it’s been awesome to brainstorm, to shoot, to process & to see what each person reveals!  I’m having a blast, using lenses I don’t normally shoot with, and using light and settings in ways not typical for my style.  It’s fun to learn and grow and it’s only WEEK TWO! 

So this week’s word was :: addiction.  I have this thing about glasses.  Annnnd it must be an addiction if I feel like I need a new pair (or three). 

I have to admit that before the shoot I had a flashlight out. looking under the couches for a couple pairs that I hadn’t seen in a while…and SCORE…found a pair!  

Hope you have a lovely week!

~mm