Final Session: Coons Family, Ft Worth Botanic Garden

Ft. Worth, TX - I shot my last session today as Agile Images. Tomorrow, I take over Ivey Photography in Midlothian. We already have a VERY busy week planned, and I haven't even moved into my office yet. Today I spent time with The Coons Family in Ft. Worth at the Botanic Gardens. Therese, Jim and their 3 kids were fantastic, even after their little one took a tumble in the parking lot just as we were getting started. She was a trooper and got over her boo-boo quickly. Here are a few of my favorites from their session. We'll see you all at the studio in Midlothian.

The Allen Family

Waxahachie, TX - I spent the afternoon in the park taking photographs of the Allen Family. Josh, Ben and Peyton had a blast playing in the leaves, swinging, and generally running crazy. They hardly ever knew I was there. I've known their Dad since we were little kids, so we caught up a bit while the kids played. I did manage to get them stopped once so their mom could send out a Christmas card. Here are a few shots from their session.

Mr. & Mrs. Shemberger, Clyde & Jag

Dallas, TX - After a photo session with the Shemberger Six last month, Mr. & Mrs. Shemberger wanted portraits with their dogs for their Christmas Cards. I loved the idea and we met on Turtle Creek at a great little park. Here are a few of my favorites from the morning session.

Mabra Girls, all Dressed in Brown

Waxahachie, TX - I took the 3 Mabra girls down to Waxahachie this weekend to shoot for their Christmas photos. They looked fantastic in these beautiful brown dresses. It took a while to get what we needed, but once I got them settled, we had lots of fun. Here are few of my favorites from the day. I actually liked about 25 shots from this session, which is more than usual because I am very picky, but I can only show you a few here. I guess that's a good problem for their mom to have when she picks her favorites.

One of the last shots of the day was a classic...
I found some beautiful light near an old building . . .
On point from the moment we got the camera out, and loved every second of her shoot. . .
Just adorable. There were too many of Paisley to include here. . .
This one reminded me of an OLD photo you'd see in the archives. Love the vintage feel of the dresses with the abandoned railroad . . .

Dolive Family in the Park

Waxahachie, TX - I'm growing attached to a couple of great shooting spots in Waxahachie. My sister is expecting another son in January. She and her husband came over with their son Cash (seen here before) to do some family shots for a Christmas card. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Cash needed a nap, so he snuggled with mom . . she loves this one!
A photo to show the new baby . .YOU ARE HERE..
These three never stop having fun . .
Easy to get this when Cash was enjoying the leaves under his feet and giggling . .
Same easy shot, minus Dad.

By the way, if you are in the Waxahachie, Midlothian, Ennis, or surrounding Ellis County area, please look me up. There isn't much time left for gifts this year, but don't let that stop you from spending time out with your family, and allowing me to tag along and shoot some photos of it all.

The Brigman Family - Camera Shy? Not anymore!

Frisco, TX - As I explained in a previous post, the weather in Dallas this past weekend forced me indoors for my last two shoots of the week. The wind was blowing 30 and it was cold out. On top of that, my last shoot with the Brigman Family presented an interesting challenge. You see, Malyn, their 3 year old daughter, is scared of cameras. Her mom, Ami, does not know why she is scared, but only that a flash magnifies her fear by 10X. Remember that part about me having to shoot indoors? Yeah. Usually indoors means dark, requiring a FLASH. Mix that with a girl who runs at the sight of a camera, and you see my challenge. Luckily, I'm pretty creative, the house had a FANTASTIC north facing window, and Malyn had two small dolls to distract her. OH, and I almost forgot, Tatum is their 3 week old daughter, and we needed new shots of her, too. SHEW . . Here's what we came away with. Enjoy.

Wind, Cold, and a Mobile Studio for Christmas

Allen, TX - As you may know, I am primarily an outdoor, on location, natural light photographer. I prefer the freedom of a location so I can be creative, and I prefer not to use a flash since there is already a big giant flash bulb in the sky. The problem with that is when the bad weather hits. This weekend brought some nasty weather to the Dallas area. On Sunday I had two shoots scheduled and if we had to get outdoors to shoot, we were likely going to have to reschedule. Since my clients need these photos for cards and gifts, we can't reschedule. So, like any good Scout would do, we IMPROVISED. I met Jada and her family at her mom's beautifully decorated home in Allen. I set up my Speedlights and a couple of soft boxes, and we went to work. Luckily the front side of the house was shaded and out of the 30mph North wind, so we managed to get in a few minutes outside, too. It was cold, but we did it. Here are a few of my favorites from the day, with commentary:

Morgan was lovely in her red dress. This is my improvised studio work in the lobby of the house. Notice the great scraped wood floor, too. Just beautiful.
This is Mason inside staying warm, looking at me out on the porch scouting the light and the wind situation.
This is grandpa and grandma in a great naturally lit room in their house. Look how great the kids did for this shot.
This is more like it. Perfect light, beautiful baby, FANTASTIC colors, if I do say so myself. This was on the porch after we decided to go outside.
Mason thought the porch offered more entertainment, too. He was tearing up grandmas Christmas displays.

Schaefer Family v 2.0

Frisco, TX - Today I spent time with the Schaefer Family. We had a great session last year at a Nature Trail in Plano. This year they wanted something more modern, so we made our way through an office park in Frisco. The shots came out great. Here are a few of my favorites. Thanks to Conner, Carsen, and Camden for hanging in there in the wind and cold. See you guys next time.

Twice the Baby Fun

Dallas, TX - Saturday I was invited to photograph two-month old twins. Olivia and Carlos were born as Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and are now home with mom and dad, growing like weeds. We captured a few sleeping moments between feedings and, well, you know what else babies do. Here are a couple of my favorites, including one that is a composite of an art piece that was hanging in the Twins' room. Their grandmothers are called "Nana", and I think Nana will be very happy with the new design.

All Aboard: Bottkol Family

Waxahachie, TX - Friday afternoon I had another chance to photograph the Bottkol kids. We hung out on an abandoned train track and found some shade against an old rusty feed store. Waxahachie has great historic spots with lots of color and texture to shoot against. Where ever you are in Dallas, its worth the trip to come see me. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot on Friday.