Father's Day Surprise

This next mom is really on the ball and I need to take a lesson or two from her. I recently photographed her oldest during school pictures & she called me soon after to arrange a sitting in hopes to give her husband a gift of images for Father's Day. She has managed to keep it under wraps (& I got her permission to post here so just in case you know the dad of these beautiful boys keep your lips zipped until late June) & we met yesterday coming up with what would be the best gift for him & she decided to go w/ 2 square canvases. I am so excited for her to share the surprise with him & then get to enjoy the gift every day after as she walks past the wall they will hang on.
We started at their house & I immediately fell in love with the family as their home was fill w/ color & to-die-for design & art. I learned that mom founded Thrive Art School which I a friend had recently told me had incredible camps for kids and her daughter LOVED it, so that at least explained how the color palette was so spot on for her home...I wish I had that designer/creative gene for decor! Anyway, as soon as I met her youngest son I fell in love again...the first image was taken w/in seconds of seeing him, you would have fell in love too I am sure!!
We had fun around the house and then headed to the neighborhood park. The oldest was not up for many shots w/ his brother but as soon as his toy dog came out I realized who was number one in his life...the dog that trails him. I loved capturing with him as you will see by how many pictures I am sharing of the dog. But it is such a cute moment in time of his life which I'm sure will pass in just a few months. These boys are just too cute!!
And I had to add the last 3 images. They may not be the best photographically but I LOVE them in combination. The sweetness of the giving and the smiles that both boys had following.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. And in the midst of all the fun you hopefully will be having do not forget to remember all the wonderful men, women & children who have touched your life and left a great print on your heart & of those you have not met but gave their life in hopes that yours can remain free and continue to get better.

These family's have had to wait longer than most of my clients given the workload of school pictures and the volume of families from El Paso. And when I finally was able to work on them it brought back thoughts of how much I enjoyed photographing them and seeing how much the cousins loved being together. There are many states that separate these families but they have managed to maintain amazing bonds.

The mom of this next little guy has been anxiously, but patiently awaiting her first peak at what I was able to capture from their sitting. They were my last family in El Paso so I know the wait has been long but hopefully seeing these pictures will make it worth while. This was my first time photographing this family and I had so much fun with them. Their little guy was so easy going & I could have photographed him all day. Look at all the smiles he gave me. And I love the one of him sneaking away from mom and dad. I love the adventurers & I hope to see how this one grows and changes in the future!

Another great family that I have been lucky to document as they have grown and changed. You will see that these kids are as beautiful as can be but what you don't know is that they have personalities (and manners) that even exceed their looks. Dad was sick the morning of the shoot but hopefully he will get to enjoy these for Father's Day that is just around the corner.
And I decided to start with a different image than usual. All boy and I LOVE it!!

More and more I am finding myself amazed at how long I have photographed some of my clients and I think back to when I first meet them. On my recent trip to El Paso I returned to the back yard where I first photographed this family and I remembered their youngest was just learning to ride a tricycle...and now look at him. I really commend my clients who document their family annually. I know it is not easy to gather your family & get everyone excited about having their pictures taken or set aside funds a sitting but I have learned throughout the years from families who shared with me their regret for not make photography a priority when their kids were young it is something that can never be recreated. It makes me happy that many of my clients will not face that dilemma when their kids are grown and gone. It is so fun for me to see the changes over the years & I hope each family will look at the images for decades to come and they will continue to smile at their beautiful family.
The first two images are for this mom. A little late for Mother's Day but she deserves the love you can see in these two pictures because I know how hard she works to document her beautiful family. I hope these make it all worth her efforts!

As many of my followers know I LOVE boys. But I think most parents who bring them for a sitting are not sure how it will go. I love them because they are always full of energy & on the go. A parents' nightmare for a photography sitting but my dream. I think my photography is better when I am challenged, this is why I could never do studio work. Getting kids to sit still & look "pretty" would get tiresome. Kids on the go is so much more fun. A ways into the sitting I am sure the parents had given up hope for a full family picture as the kids had their own ideas of what they wanted to do in the open field. But I didn't loose hope & sure enough the boys came around and gave me great smiles with both mom & dad. These two boys are stunners & so much fun. They were on the go and full of laughs and that is why I am starting with the first image because it is my favorite because it is more rare to see these two w/o smiles. I love the thoughtfulness you can see in them in the first two images. I think inside and out these two are incredible!