DFW Baby Photographer

It's Baby Smash Cake time again!! Ellie Sapio turned one this past week, so we got to do one of my favorite things in the world...a Smash Cake Session.  One Year Old Baby Photography Sessions are some of my very favorite, but especially when it is one of my favorite little people.  Eliana is a little slice of awesome!

Some babies take the eat every morsel approach.  Ellie favored the popular finger painting option.  

Whatever babies do with their cake it is adorable.  

Smash Cake Images are my favorite way to capture the One Year milestone.

I find my self wondering when I am taking an image like this, "Are my clients going to think I suck or be mad because I've just cropped their babies head out of this image?"

Oh well.  Perhaps, but they are still some of MY favorite images.  Not sure why...just seems even sweeter for some reason.

Who doesn't like baby bum's? (Unless it's your turn to change them of course!)

...and why does crawling in a tu tu make me so happy?  "These are a few of my favorite things." 

...and even the back of your head is so adorable, I feel like I better capture that too!

The obligatory "It's my party, I can cry if I want to!"

I often get asked how I can do what I do.  Even during this shoot Ellie's Mom, Melissa, voiced that wonderment.  I understand the sentiment, because I feel that way about teachers.  I thank God for teachers every day, because I know I do not have what it takes to do what they do.  ...but what I do?  Sure it takes a fair amount of patience when babies and kids, and sometimes even adults don't want to follow directions; But then something amazing happens, like Ellie decides to take her first consecutive steps right there in my studio, and I'm thinking "What's the opposite of FML?"

It brings me great joy to be able to capture some of the happiest moments in peoples lives.  My life is Awesome.  Thanks for sharing it with me. 

Newborn Photographer

The holidays have me running so crazy that I have trouble finding the time to blog about my photography sessions.  It's ironic, because that is the time of year that I am shooting the most portraits and events, and also the time that I share the least about.  It's unfortunate, and I intend to have someone helping me post blogs by the next holiday season.  

Here's an attempt to make up for it.  This is one of my favorite holiday family portrait sessions from this season.  It is a combination newborn photography and family photography session.  Perhaps it was my favorite because it happens to be my brother, my sister in law, and my nephew welcoming my newest nephew.  I adore newborn photo sittings, but it is infinitely more special when the baby is family.

Welcome Atticus "Vaughn" Mrnustik.  What a gem!

Check out this wing span!  Basketball for sure.  No boxing young man!  Your mug is too cute!

I love the juxtaposition of Mom laughing and baby crying.  Marvelous.

Um, this may be one of the sweetest Daddy/Baby pictures ever...oh wait...look at this next one!

Oh how I love this image...let me count the ways!

Just a sweet sleeping 6 day old!  Have I said I love my job lately?

"This is my baby brother!"

Little cowboy in training.  How delicious.

Frisco Event Photographer

Jessica Sterling had her Sweet 16 Masquerade Ball this past weekend, and I had the pleasure of shooting the event.  Her mom, Tammy, taught my oldest son 4 years ago, and I fell in love with their family.  If Tammy wasn't one of the best teachers on the planet, I would say she needed to consider a career in party planning.  This Event was better planned than many of the weddings that I have shot during my career.  

This is the amazing cake by Frosted Art Bakery and Studio in Dallas.  Believe it or not, it tasted as good as it looked.  I thought it looked like something out of a Tim Burton film.  Not only was it genius and delicious, but the company seemed like amazing people too.  When they delivered the cake, there was a problem with it, and they drove all the way back to Dallas and back.  They were only a few minutes late, and their attitudes were quite gracious.

The Event was truly a Masquerade Ball...fantastic!

Jessica had a dance with her Dad, Sam, to kick off the evening.

Had to catch a photo op of the happy family in front of the tree...tis the season.  

This is a small sample of what Jessica's Candy Bar looked like.  More edible Art!

Candids from inside the Photo Booth.

Back of the cake overlooking the dance floor.

I don't think Jessica thought it was very cool when they started to take apart her beautiful cake to cut it for her guests.

Beauty.

Spectacular center pieces!

More Photo Booth fun.

So many kids participating and having a good time, it looks like Prom!! 

Happiest of happy Sweet 16th birthday to you Jessica!  Thanks for letting me be part of such a fun time in your life.  I was thrilled to get to be there to celebrate you.

National Senior Portrait Photographer

Favorite Senior Portrait Session to date!  (No offense to my other Seniors!)

Last weekend, I traveled to San Saba Texas to have a Senior Portrait Session with Alex Baker.  All the stars aligned for this to be one of my favorite shoots.  We had good weather, good light, cool locations, and a good looking subject to boot!  On an average shoot, I usually end up with 25-40 images to choose from.  This one rings in at over 100!  It was tough to pick out my favorites, but here are the ones that made the cut:

Our first location was Harry's boots in downtown San Saba.  I have NEVER seen a selection of boots and hats of this magnitude, and I was born and raised in Dallas!  Their store takes up 5 buildings, and every bit of them are jammed with boots!  If you can't find your perfect pair of boots in this place, then you just don't want any!  Check them out: Harrysboots.com

This one was taken in the upstairs hall of the "Hat Room."  Same rule applies.  If you can't find the right cowboy hat at Harry's, then you just don't want one!

The combination of the hard woods, leather furniture, boots, and great light made for an amazing location.  Best of all, they were super gracious about letting us shoot in their store, even during business hours on a Saturday!

Here is Alex with his proud mom, Dawn.  

Alex's girlfriend Kristen also joined us for most of the shoot.

No need to adjust your monitors...they have boots in every color of the rainbow.  I wasn't exaggerating.  This is about an eight of one of the boot rooms, and there were at least three!

Pure Country.

Howdy Ma'am.

Mostly I am impressed that Alex scouted this location for us.  He says Kristen is due some credit with the idea.  This is the best luck that I have had with a client picking a location for a session, with the exception of Weddings.

Next we moved out to the ally behind Harry's.  There were some cool old doors and corrugated buildings to use for backdrops.  Perfect.

Looks like the sunset, but it is actually just my reflector.  Nice.  Thanks to Alex's mom Dawn for being my assistant with the reflector.

The next location was a stockyard during a cattle auction!  The smell was not awesome, and when the cattle ran we got coated in dust, which I'm sure wasn't just dust...but hey, it looks cool!

I wouldn't want to encourage Alex to smoke, but it looks to me like he could be the next Marlboro Man.  

...or the next Gunslinger!

After the Stockyards, we went to a park next to a river.  Lots of big beautiful trees, and my favorite...Train Tracks.

If you had any issues with heights, you kind of had to ease your way out on the tracks for these shots.  The Trestle  was about 30 feet in the air, and you could see the ground through the ties.  Stomach dropper!

Mom again.

Hangin' out under the Train Trestle.

The End!

Or the Ends, as the case may be.  Loved this Senior Portrait Sitting.

I'm happy for you, and proud of you Alex.  Congratulations!  Thanks for letting me be a part of such a monumental time in your life.  I'll let you know when I have more images to see...but, it's gonna take a while!

Dallas Wedding Photographer

jenX had the honor of shooting the Bowling vow renewal last weekend.  Jeff and Daniella celebrated their 10 year anniversary by saying their "I do's" again.  I love to shoot weddings, and there is something even better about renewing vows.  Somehow the words are more meaningful 10 years into a marraige.  

The ceremony was held on top of a building off of McKinney Avenue in Dallas, so the skyline was the backdrop.  It was absolutely breathtaking!  I love the images of their kids.  They could pursue a career in modeling, were they so inclined.  Here are some of my favorite shots from the blessed event.