To make a really long story short, Donica's sister is one of my favorite people in the universe, even more so now that she's set me up to photograph an amazing ceremony with amazing light and one of the best brides around. I mean, Michael is probably pretty great too, but I don't talk to him *quite* as often as I do to Donica.

The day of this engagement session, the weather was glorious. I was still reeling a bit from a maternity session that was INSANE with winds, and I was anxious all day to get out and shoot in the calmer weather. It is, of course, my luck that while driving to the shoot, clouds rolled in, winds blew, and rain fell. 

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! (Mama Mia, mama Mia, let me go....)," I yelled, while high fiving my nod to Freddie. 

I pulled up to the shoot, gave it my best (unconvincing) "Everything is fine." And we hauled... booty... across the field to knock these out while there was a break in the rain. Gradually we all relaxed, as the weather stayed dark and windy, but the precipitation passed. We laughed at my terrible jokes, how long I made them hold poses while I adjusted light every three seconds, and at the cruelty of the wind ruining EVERYTHING. 

In the grand scheme of things, the shoot came together beautifully. It broke the ice well, and I couldn't be more excited to shoot this wedding in July!  

Cason

Remember that amazing maternity session from a few months back? Stunning blonde in the red dress? Adorable bloodhound? Seemingly clever photoshop effects that were actually the result of the grand Texas wind? 

I have amazing news. About a month later, sweet Cason was born, and in doing so, melted me to my core. We had grand hopes for a fresh 48, but as fate would have it, the stars never aligned. However, Two weeks later, I nestled a fluffy haired boy in my arms and we shot the most adorable newborns. 

I never would have pegged Brooke as a first time Mom. She trusted me to do my job and take care of her sweet boy. She didn't hover, she didn't panic when he cried... just sat quietly in her rocker and said "Let me know if I can help." It was a dream. 

It's kind of a given that peace accompanies looking into the face of a sleeping newborn, but to keep Cason asleep, Brooke had a worship playlist in the background. We hummed along, and there was such a special presence in the room. It reassured me that Jesus will always come down to meet us. No matter where we are. Physically or spiritually. One line of one of the songs jumped out at me while we were shooting, and I had the song on repeat while editing. 

"Let us become more aware of Your presence. Let us experience the glory of your goodness..."

I honestly can't think of a better way to approach parenthood or life in general. I also know that I'll never hear that song without thinking of this sweet boy ever again. Even 50 years from now. 

I love you, Brooke! Thanks for letting me love on that boy! 

Also, see that portrait of Merle? Her brother DREW IT WITH HIS BARE HANDS... I mean, there was probably some form of art utensil involved, but I am AMAZED every time I look at it.

Fresh 48s

I've had a lot of inquiries about my Fresh 48s, and most of them inquiring as to what they actually are. Hence, a blog post dedicated SOLELY TO FRESH 48S. And contrary to popular belief, this has nothing to do with the first 48 hours following a murder.

First and foremost, a Fresh 48 IS NOT a newborn session. I don't bring any props. No baskets, blankets, suitcases, or equipment outside of my camera. I don't trapeze through your house looking for the best light. I don't sit on the couch and wait for your baby to fall into a deep sleep. Every single picture is taken in the hospital, while your baby is still pink and Milia free. This almost always guarantees a shoot within the first 48 hours. See where that catchy title is coming from?

Most of these images are black and white. The main reason for this is that I believe these images are meant to tell a story. They're made to be raw and vulnerable. Black and white allows a certain conviction that I can't be swayed away from. Another reason is that while some babies are perfectly pink, other babies can be yellow like sunshine, or red like roses, and black and white photos are very forgiving of these tendencies.

This doesn't mean that I don't allow color in every now and again. And it doesn't mean that EVERY IMAGE will be black and white.

I know what you're thinking. "I'm going to be so exhausted and I'm going to look like crap." Maybe you will. Maybe you won't. I've had Moms go all out and put all of their make up on. I've had Moms wear their exhaustion with pride. I've had Moms throw on mascara and leave their hair a mess. Want to know the common ground? The images are still breathtaking. No matter what. The baby steals the show every time.

That bottom one is me. I was an exhausted and proud mom. Still my favorite image of all the newborn shoots we did with our first. That picture is actually what inspired these sessions that I'm so determined to get off of the ground. I love the image. I love the intimacy, exhaustion, and pride all wrapped up in one picture. It's motherhood in a nutshell.

These pictures always end up being so romantic and worthwhile. The hospital euphoria that accompanies a newborn reminds you of how deeply you love your spouse and how committed you are to this covenant vow, especially now with two little eyes watching you. I love capturing that renewed promise in the hours following the birth of a baby.

Geesh, I could share pictures of these shoots all day. I'm so passionate about them, but really there are a few things that I need you to know about them.

• These take thirty minutes, TOPS. I'm not there to do a newborn session. I do them as quickly and efficiently as possible, and I don't do anything you're uncomfortable with. I've captured truly stunning images of Moms nursing their babies, but I've also waited in the hall while they wrapped up a feed.
• You'll do your best to talk yourself out of them when you get to the hospital. I know better than anyone how exhausting birth is. But I can also guarantee that you will not regret letting me come and capture the calm before the storm. Every client that I've done these for has either 1. Opted out of actual newborns because they love these so much, or 2. Still loved these more than the newborns. These are the pictures that get printed first.

I feel like this covers the gist. If you have any questions about packages or how the whole process works, feel free to email or message me on Facebook. I'll be happy to answer any additional questions!

Baby Russo: Part Deux

I love it when my friends call me to take their photos. Not specifically Jake and Jess, but in general. It takes pressure off of me, there's usually a lot of laughs, and more often than not, they end up being my new favorite photos. Enter Jake and Jess. We tentatively planned their maternity shoot, because Jessi's water broke super early during her first pregnancy, resulting in a month long hospital stay, ON BEDREST, NEVER LEAVING THE ROOM. Hud was born at 33 weeks, and today, you would never know he was born a second earlier than full term. In spite of all the muck of the first pregnancy, we have all remained cautiously optimistic about the new baby making it full term. So far, so good! Once we realized Jess was going make it past 33 weeks, we scheduled the shoot for 33 weeks, 1 day, which is when Hud was born!

Much of the shoot involved Jessi alternating rolling her eyes between me and Jake for our hysterical, albeit sometimes terrible jokes. Attempting to pose them was the bane of my existence, as Jake kept saying things like "I feel like this pose makes us look like we're just friends..." or "Does this pose showcase my mustache?" Eventually, I figured out that if Jacob was in the photo, all I had to do was wait for him to do something natural, then yell "DON'T MOVE."

Jessi is a natural and I didn't have to coach her at all. This shot was actually totally candid, as Jake hopped in the shot to be funny and she was relaxed and waiting for me to set light. I don't know why, but it's one of my favorites from the entire shoot. 

The recent rains gave this shot an illusion of water, which was more than dreamy for these dock type shots. I loved the overcast sky, partnered with the red foliage and creepy shack in the background.

Candid black and white photos. Few things bring me more joy.

I would summarize this shot as 95% of the pictures on the card when I uploaded them. Get it together, Jacob. 

To Summarize: You are Beyonce. Always.

I love you guys. I can't wait to see that sweet boy and capture your "Fresh 48!" Which, contrary to popular belief, is not a shoot based on the murder show. 

Life in the Fast Lane(s)

It is sincerely the utmost compliment to my work when client's call me for repeat photos. You kind of come to expect people use you once, then see another photographer's work pop up the next holiday season. I don't necessarily find this to be a bad thing, either. A different photographer is going to catch different sides to your family. I love that aspect. I love celebrating #communityovercompetition. But if we're being honest, it will always thrill me when you message me for another set of photos.

When I met Cody and Grace last year, she was annoyingly tall and had the sweetest little baby bump. I took one of my top three favorite maternity photos to date that blistering July day, and when her name popped up on my phone in January, I jumped up and down with glee. Because despite the fact that they're both devastatingly beautiful, they're genuinely good people. They're hysterical, and their bloopers are almost always better than their portraits. They are welcoming, humble, and an example of the friends I try to keep around me. And as if that wasn't enough, Grace just gave birth to the squishiest, sweetest, most precious baby in the land, Weston.

I love you, Lanes. I'll take your photos for as long as you'll let me. Also, here's a side-by-side of that famous photo, and sweet Weston in his Mama's arms. Can't handle it.

Sara is FINALLY engaged!

Let me tell you a little story.

Once upon a time, in a tiny town in Texas, there lived one of the sweetest little country boys around...We'll call him Gustin Jarrett. Gustin was in love with a girl named... Fara... and dated her for literally ten million years. Eventually, their beloved friends and family began to tease about when the two would get engaged. A year or so later, the teasing became legitimate questioning. Then the questioning became righteous anger. 

Eventually, a certain number of months later, a certain photographer... let's call her Baylea... intervened. She started viciously harassing Gustin about proposing, and exactly five hundred years later, he text her one day. "Hey, it's going down on Sunday. Wanna be my picture taker?" and then Baylea fell down dead in the floor. May she rest in peace.

Of course, none of this story is real. It was just a short story.

Except it was partially true. I'm still in total shock that SARA IS FINALLY ENGAGED! I was so happy and elated and blessed to capture the whole thing. That Justin. You made it all worth the wait. You little charmer, you. 

This was the set-up. This question mark was made by Justin and I get weepy each time I look at it. One of their family members remarked that the same question mark could be used at a gender reveal for a future baby Garrett. And I'm basically still in a puddle on the floor. 

Because what is life without a ring shot? On a bible. In a horse shoe. STOP IT, JUSTIN.

Sara saw me and instantly started crying. She knew what was happening. We've both informed Justin over the past ten million years that if he didn't call me when he proposed, she would say no. Fortunately for us, he didn't call our bluff. 

Sara had no chill, and it was adorable. 

About this point, Sara looked up and into the barn and saw her ENTIRE FAMILY there watching the whole thing go down. It's my very favorite picture of the night. 

Hi, family!

Then we of course took some portraits with the world's most photogenic horse, the sunset, and her man's handy work. It was the perfect proposal. Done at just the perfect time. Despite our grumblings. Stay tuned for more of these two! Their engagements will be stunning... cause, I mean, look at them.

Rainey Maternity

You really never know what you're going to get when you meet someone for the first time at their shoot. Sure, anybody can make conversation over Facebook messenger, but what does that mean for your face-to-face? If you don't know me, it might surprise you to learn that I'm a crazy introvert. I don't like starting conversations, small groups, or socializing for fun. Sometimes this makes it hard for me to build a relationship with a client. Sometimes, there's a special magic that occurs between a photographer and a client. Well... Brooke and I had that magic. The day of her original shoot, she text me and said "Rain." and I said "Let's take these!" and attached an awkward rain modeling picture I found on google. After a bit of banter back and forth, we rescheduled and hoped for better weather, because Baby Rainey was NOT waiting around for us to get these done. He's huge. The day of her rescheduled shoot, the wind was blowing in 44mph gusts. Like, what? I text her and said "I understand if you want to cancel." "Nah, let's just get it done," she replied.

I was dreading the shoot. How could I possibly work with these winds? Well, Brooke wasn't taking another minute of Mother Nature and her malarkey, and she WERKed that wind. I was blown away at how cavalier she was about chewing dirt, having her dress practically blown off of her, and how graceful she was about letting me get a shot, as the wind was literally blowing so hard my camera couldn't focus. The good news is that there was nothing awkward about our communications outside of social media. We laughed and bantered over the roar of the winds, and I dare say that a new little friendship formed. 

Her sweet husband, Shelton, and her PRECIOUS Basset Hound, Deuce, tagged along for the shoot. I could have given Deuce a session all on his own, but I refrained and kept the focus on the beings with two legs. Deuce modeled perfectly for their first family photo, and if the rest of the shots had been blurry and gross, I think Brooke would have been content for the ones with Deuce to be the only pictures worth printing. I always love people who love their dogs well.

The winds didn't let up for us, but they also didn't stop us from capturing my favorite set of maternity pictures to date. Well... one of my favorite sets. I just love capturing baby bumps. They're the same and unique all at once, and I'm nothing in this life if I don't have a love for juxtapositions. 

I loved this amazing couple, and I am beyond thrilled to meet sweet Cason in a few short weeks for his Fresh 48 shoot! Fresh 48s are my ABSOLUTE favorites, so I feel like you should probably book one... oh, immediately.