Featured on my blog today is one of the cutest little boys I know. This was such a fun and adorable session. Of course, with a face like that, how could it not be! This was my first time doing a baby-cake-smashing and it went so well. It can be pretty messy but it is totally worth it ;) This was my first time making a flat top cake as well. It was simple and turned out really good so yeah…I will definitely be making more of those cakes!
I love photographing kids because you never know what you’re going to get from them. Sometimes it’s really easy and other times it might be tough. But there are always these beautiful, candid, spontaneous moments that when you capture it, it makes your heart explode. I think it’s pretty obvious what those moments are in these photos.
It is my pleasure to share with you the most recent session I did at Rosemary & Rust’s open house a couple Saturday’s ago.
“Wow” is the only word I can think of to describe Rosemary & Rust. Actually, other’s I can think of are rustic, authentic, and unique. Rosemary & Rust, if you don’t know already, is a floral and event design business owned by two amazing ladies named Shea Mack and Megan Connors. They do an outstanding and professional job! Megan and Shea are just the sweetest and coolest girls around. They just got their own place to feature their work, setup their workshop and even hold design classes that anyone can sign up for. How….cool!
It was such an honor and incredible experience to be there at their open house in the beginning of April. Their studio is the most beautiful place and is wonderfully decorated. I really enjoyed being there and honestly did not want to leave! The whole place is filled with flowers, amazing signs, and tons of rustic decor that brings a homey feeling to it. What is really awesome about Megan and Shea is that they believe in supporting community, encouraging creativity, and connecting. >>> 1. They get all the flowers and plants from local farmers and growers. 2. They host & teach design nights, special occasion gatherings and quarterly events with local vendors. 3. AND they even open their studio up to visitors just to hangout on certain days. So awesome!
I REALLY recommend going there and checking it out! You won’t be disappointed. Not only will the whole studio cheer you up, but Megan and Shea’s personalities will leave you smiling :) If you are interested in hiring Rosemary & Rust for an event or wedding, check out their website below and contact them for more information!
Hey blog followers! Finally “dead season” for photography is over, so more sessions will be hitting the blog soon!
To start off my 2016 blog posts, I am sharing my parents band photo shoot I did at the end of 2014…. I had to wait a whole year before I could share all of these!
But it was worth it :)
I am so excited that my parent’s finally released their first album! Unfortunately, this album has been a LONG time in the making. Let’s just say a good couple years…or so ;) If you haven’t seen my Facebook posts, I have been involved a lot in the making of this album. When my dad came to me about taking their band photos for the cd booklet and promotional use, I wanted to make sure I found the right scenery for them and create the right look we wanted to portray the album. The main message for their album is that we would be one with God’s heart and that as we stay near to Him, we would be changed as well. The location we used is in Lancaster and it was an open space with broken walls, pavement and junk laying around. But I loved it because even though it was a mess and falling apart, nature was still growing there and it created a really cool look. It reminded me how God takes our brokeness and turns it into something amazing in our lives. That’s what we wanted to photos to show for the album, so we did the shoot there. ( This location is now changed and doesn’t look this way anymore. )
I also dressed the band so they would look good and color coordinate with each other haha. We did a classy, rock look and a more casual look. This was at the end of 2014, so of course it was FREEZING out! Like below 20 degrees….So I wanted to make sure they would be somewhat warm too. Right before I would take a shot, they took off their coats and then put them back on after I got the shot I needed. I don’t blame them! It was so cold, I couldn’t press the button fast enough to take the photos!
The other thing I included in the session was my dad’s old guitar amp road case. My dad has had this case since 1976 and my mom stenciled the band name on herself. So it’s definitely original! I really loved how it looked though and how it fit who they are as a band. The one shot ended up being the back cover of the cd case. Only some of these shots are actually on the cd booklet and the others will be used for promotional purposes.
Lastly, the photo of the heart below is the cover of my parent’s album called “The Rhythm of Your Heart.” It took me probably about a year to draw on my Wacom tablet. It only took that long because I still had to take care of other responsibilities like photography, music, different events and daily life things at the same time as I was taking my time drawing this. I also don’t get to practice drawing on my tablet in Photoshop or Illustrator too often, so it took me a little longer. This is what I envisioned the cover to be when I knew they were going to name the album “The Rhythm of Your Heart.” I wanted it to be a very sketchy, messy heart. It represents our hearts when we come to Jesus broken and messy. The colors black, gray and white obviously create the depth and realism of the heart, but also represent the light and the darkness in our hearts. The key represents Jesus unlocking our hearts because He is the key and the answer we all search for! It is gold and elegant to portray a heavenly, royal key that holds our true identity and the beauty of Jesus. The cracks in the heart around the key show the impact God has in our hearts and that His love is so strong, He will never leave us. That is a simplified explanation of the cover art.
Thanks for checking out this post! I am always honored by every one of you who follows my blog and my journey. Enjoy the photos!
If you’re interested in checking out their music, go to www.toddeckhartband.com to hear some songs or purchase their album!
I had the opportunity to photograph these awesome siblings right before Christmas, so they could use the photos for their parent’s as a present. Even though the wind was super strong and freezing, they braved the cold and had fun. It was still a fun and amazing session.
I couldn’t share the photos right away because they were a present, but I’m sharing them now! So here’s the last session of the year I get to share with you.
Well here it is. My last fall session I get to share from this year.
Meet the Trevino’s! // Ramon, Abbey, Espe, and Gabe
I love this family! I have known them for a long time. I used to babysit the kids when they were very little. Also, Ramon used to be my youth pastor years ago and is now my tattoo artist. He does an excellent job! But he has always been a graffiti artist and you’ll see some of it included in the photos :)
We had so much fun at their session! Laugh after laugh. We even saw deer running by when we were shooting in the field! Also, they included their cute little dog, Houston. I loved getting to see them all again and catching up. They’re so sweet and these photos really highlight the joy they carry.
In case you were wondering, the location we used is Abbey’s parents farm property. It is beautiful and they were so many cool spots to use. The tree they’re sitting on, in the first couple shots, has been used generation after generation to take family photos. How cool!
Christmas to me is a beautiful season of laughter, spending time with family and friends, and giving to others. I really wanted to portray that feeling into my Christmas mini sessions this year with vintage white Christmas decor, blankets, presents and more. I wanted my clients to not only receive great family photos for Christmas, but also have a fun time and remember the experience when they look back at the photos.
THANK YOU SO MUCH to all my amazing mini session families this year! I truly enjoyed photographing all of your beautiful faces and personalities :) I had so much fun that day! It was such a blast for me to see the kiddo’s faces light up when we used the fun props like books, snow globe, etc. It was also a beautiful day and I am so thankful for that.
A big THANK YOU to FAMILY TREE FARM for allowing me to hold my sessions at their location and helping me out. They are the nicest people and have a really great selection of trees! Funny story: my parents came to visit me that day and we ended up buying a tree for our family. Which we haven’t had a real tree since I was born! Score!
I am so thankful for all my clients I had this year and can’t wait to see what next year brings! Until then, here are some of my favorites of each session :)
I’m thrilled to share this family session today! It was nice to edit these pretty fall colors even though Christmas is quickly approaching. The autumn scenery was so breathtaking…. I had no idea it would look like that on that day. I’m so glad I was able to capture it!
The Yinglings are such a sweet family! Thank you guys for an awesome session! Even though it was a little bit chaotic with 4 dogs, I completely enjoyed it! I love animals and I love involving them in photo sessions. So if you want some pet photos, email me :)
Hey guys, I’m so excited to share this session with you!
I had so much fun photographing Ally + Rob. We laughed so much, I could barely take any photos! I have known Rob since we were little, so it is great to be a part of this special time of his life. Ally is the sweetest girl and I’m so happy for them! I can’t wait to shoot their wedding next year :)