Arbor Hills Engagement Session: Mallory & Alan

You know what takes any engagement session from "pleasant" to "YAYSOMUCHFUN"? A ridiculously cute pug. A ridiculously cute pug with a purple bow tie. I'm more of a great dane gal myself, but few shoots have ever been more fun to capture than this one with a snuffly little pug puppy following us around. I had to restrain myself from making Neville the only star of the shoot, but thankfully Mallory and Alan are a treat for my camera too, if less furry and snuffly (which is probably for the best). It was also probably the prettiest weekend of the year at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano, so I had ample beautiful backdrops to choose from. As a bonus, I've known Mallory and her sister Morgan (who was there on pug-handling duty) since I was about 13, so we easily fell into telling bad jokes and generally having a good time. I'm glad I finally got to meet Alan, and I'm looking forward to photographing their wedding next year!


P.S. That last photo is 1000% intentionally over the top, and we had great fun with it.

Plano Picnic Engagement Portraits at Arbor Hills

I loved hearing that one of Laurie and Michael's earliest dates was a picnic, so I encouraged them to run with that idea for an engagement session. They brought along their usual picnic gear including a beautiful quilt and a classic picnic basket (I couldn't resist making a few bad Yogi Bear impressions regarding pic-a-nic baskets) as well as some tasty treats. The weather and sunlight were amazing that day, and Spring was really beginning to put on a good show with chartreuse leaves popping out everywhere and trees blooming. Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano has been my most popular location this spring for engagement portraits, and I've loved watching the changes in the park every week. I think Laurie and Michael caught one of the very prettiest days. I can't wait to photograph their wedding in a few weeks! I hope the weather is every bit as wonderful that day.

Bluebonnet Family Portraits in Plano

Last weekend, I met up with this adorable family at a bluebonnet field on the border of Plano and Frisco, Texas. I was delighted to see that there were some bright red poppies growing among the bluebonnets for a little extra festive Spring color. With a 4-year-old and an almost 2-year-old running in opposite directions (and not super keen on the Being Photographed thing), I had my work cut out for me, but I captured some very sweet photos of the whole gang.

A Washington Vacation

Last month, I took advantage of the slower photography season to sneak up to Washington state for a week to visit my family. I'm a native Texan, but my parents and my sister all migrated up to Washington over the last 8 years. My parents have a spare bedroom, a large supply of tea, a scrabble board, and plenty of chairs for reading and relaxing, so it was exactly my kind of vacation. They have a serious lack of Blue Bell ice cream, but somehow I survived.

On one of my first days in town, my parents and I ventured up to Mount Rainier National Park, and of course my camera came along.

In between visits to coffee shops, restaurants, and antique stores, I walked the Rails to Trails path in Puyallup with my parents, and got a few photos of the happy couple. They're celebrating their 39th anniversary this week!

The backyard is a beautiful haven at every home my parents have owned in my lifetime. Their cat Allister sure enjoys exploring the yard. [Side note: Allister is my cat Calypso's brother. They both started life as stray kittens born in my sister's carport in Washington.] I enjoyed the unseasonably beautiful weather while Texas was being hit with sleet and snow. 

I arranged a portrait session with my sister's beautiful family on one of my last days in town. We tromped around an abandoned dairy farm, working around several other photographers with the same great idea.

I've still got quite a bit of family in Texas, but I sure do miss these Washington transplants!

Dallas Arboretum Maternity Portraits: Stephanie & Michael

Back in the summer, I photographed Stephanie's maternity session just days before her little girl was born! I'm certain that she and Michael are amazing parents, and I hope their first year of parenting is going well. I have to say that I was impressed that Stephanie was willing to tromp around the Arboretum in the summer heat so close to her due date!

Arbor Hills Family Portraits in Plano: The Siadatis

I'm always grateful for referrals, because they bring me clients every bit as awesome as my referring client! A big thanks to Sepideh for sending the Siadatis my way. We had a lovely late Spring session at Arbor Hills in Plano.