Downtown McKinney Family Portraits with the "A" Family

It was literally freezing on the "A" family's session day. It was also raining and freezing when we were originally scheduled to start, so we pushed it back a few hours to let things warm up and dry off some. It was still ridiculously cold, ridiculously windy, spitting a little rain here and there, and on top of that, soon-to-be one-year-old Ben was teething and had a cold. Needless to say, we cut the session short. We got enough good shots for them to put together their Christmas card (thanks again Libby for giving me one of them! I love seeing my photos in print) and Ben's 1st birthday party invitation, but we went ahead and scheduled another mini-session for a few weeks later. It was overcast and wintry still, but SO much more pleasant.

I'm so glad we did a second session, because Ben was understandably in much more of a smiling mood that second time! This was my second time photographing the "A" family. You might remember Ben's 6 month session; that big, adorable grin of his has been on a lot of my marketing materials this year. This was my first time photographing Ben's big brother Dylan though. He is so good with his much younger brother. I see the gamut of sibling relationships in this job, and I'm extremely impressed with Dylan. Also? He's a teenage boy who's willing to participate in a portrait session. What's your secret, Libby?

Couple's Portraits in Allen, Texas: Will & Terri

My parents moved out of state last summer. Talk about a bummer for me! Unless you count the year that I was going to school about 40 miles north of home (and really, I don't, since I was still coming home every weekend to work), I have never lived more than 2 miles from my parents until now. My husband Opie and I even bought our first home here in the same neighborhood where I grew up. We're about 2100 miles away from my parents now, which is obviously a big change that's taken a while to get used to. My parents rank among my very closest friends, and I was hanging out with them on average at least once a week. Quadruple that when Opie's out of town on business travel. We talk on the phone several times a week, but of course it's not the same. I'm coping. ;)

Before they moved, I insisted on doing a portrait session with my parents in their backyard and at a park down the street from their home of the last 16 years. Here are those portraits. Here are two of my favorite people in the whole world. Here are Will & Terri, AKA Mom & Dad. I love y'all!

Kelly: Bridal Portraits at Adriatica in McKinney, Texas

Back in July, I did something a little different with one of my 2012 wedding clients and captured her bridal portraits about a year after her wedding. Kelly was in town for her sister-in-law Jen's wedding that week (which I also photographed), had her wedding dress handy, and was regretting never having done bridal portraits. We remedied that! Kelly was a gorgeous bride on her wedding day in 2012, and looked every bit the beautiful bride again for her portrait session at Adriatica in 2013. I'm kind of coveting her wedding dress too, even though it could hardly be more different from my own beloved wedding dress that I wore in 2009!

Amy & Landon's Bella Donna Chapel & Chestnut Square Wedding

Last May, Amy and Landon had one fun and gorgeous wedding in McKinney, Texas. Their ceremony took place at the Bella Donna Chapel at Adriatica and their reception was at Chestnut Square. Those are two of my favorite wedding venues, so I was pretty pumped. It doesn't hurt that it was a daytime wedding either. Photographers love daytime weddings, because daytime = beautiful natural light! These two met at college, where they played on their school's baseball and softball teams. Look for a baseball/softball theme to pop up here and there throughout their day. I love when couples incorporate their personal interests and relationship history into their wedding day. I think the ringbearer's mitt might have been my favorite unique touch.

With a 90°F high and wind gusts of almost 40 MPH creating waves on the pond that surrounds Bella Donna Chapel, the weather was a little bit exciting that day. We kept indoors for portraits, and thankfully it was much more pleasant by the time their mostly outdoor reception started. I was hired for a half day at this wedding, so I left before the sun went down and before the party really got going, but a good time was being had by all already. This was my first time to capture beers being shotgunned at a wedding, after all. I tip my hat to you, groomsmen and friends, for that achievement!

Here are some of my favorite photos from their day, but many more can be viewed here. You can also order professional quality prints and digital downloads at that link. You can also see Amy's bridal portraits here!




































































Head over here to order prints and view many more photos from Amy & Landon's wedding!