Happy New Year friends! I just realized as I was going over all my photos from the past year to choose these very special 150 that this is my 6th year to do this! That makes me so happy! I do want to say that this is a totally subjective grouping in that these are my favorites… and have not been chosen by voting, or an impartial panel or anything even remotely like that. Some of the photos were taken by my daughter Celeste, which I must note because darn it I didn’t get to go to New Zealand where a couple of these were taken. I love every one of my clients and every wedding, event and portrait session is so important to me. But there is something about certain photos that just jump out at you, either aesthetically, or emotionally, or compositionally… and sometimes because of what they represent or say. And every year I do this it gets harder… I mean to tell you it’s difficult to choose just 150 out of over 100,000 photos. This is just something I do to reflect over my past year of work and to celebrate my clients and to celebrate creativity! A lot of lot of love went into each and every one of these photos and it was such a joy and honor to work with each of you and to be a part of your lives in this way. Here’s to more photo adventures in 2018!
NAT AND NICOLE SO OBVIOUSLY IN LOVE!
Some couples just make marriage look good… and Nat and Nicole absolutely do! They are so obviously crazy about each other and truly enjoy each other’s company that it is infectious… and there was a lot of laughter the day of this shoot. I shot this session some time ago in one of my favorite spots… downtown near the AT&T Performing Arts Center. So many great nooks and crannies… architecture and greenspace… but Nat and Nicole outshone all their surroundings. I mean Nicole’s smile is a stunner! They brought their adorable dogs along and the four of them are so cute together I can hardly stand it!
I had so much fun with you guys!
AT HOME WITH THE WENZEL’S
This adorable family is a favorite of mine… I mean one look at these images and you will see that they just radiate happiness. They are their own party all by themselves. We always have a ball! I have shot this family several times before, and you’ve seen them on this blog. We did a wonderful mother’s day shoot with both Kelly and Brent’s moms and the kids… and I have captured both Cooper and Hadley’s birthday parties. Kelly is a heck of a party planner, on top of being a business woman and mom… and any party she throws is going to be creative and fun. This time Kelly wanted to do a different kind of shoot… one in the place they are most relaxed… at home. I just love this idea and hope to do it with more families… people’s personalities are reflected in their surroundings and this beautiful, stylish, colorful family have a beautiful, stylish, colorful home to match.
Those of you who are familiar with my work know that I absolutely love color… and Brent, Kelly, Cooper and Hadley never disappoint. I love the bright, cheerful aura that permeates this family and their home. The following photos, shot in the back yard, are some of my favorites. These kids are absolutely brimming over with personality!
Being an only child myself, I have always envied people with siblings… and these two are pretty sweet together…
Celeste and I had no problem finding something colorful and fun in the Wenzel home to bring some pizzazz into these photos. Honestly, these kids don’t really need any added pizzazz, but we threw some colorful tinsel and colored lights into the mix anyway and I’m pretty crazy about the results. I.just.love.these.photos!
One of the things I like best about this family is the way they play and laugh together… the family that is silly together is the best kind… don’t you think?
Every time I finish a session with this group I am excited to get home and start editing… and just looking through the resulting images makes me smile and look forward to the next time. Happy happy 2014 to you guys!
SO BEAUTIFUL TOGETHER… NICOLE, EVA AND JAMES
I am officially calling this gorgeous mom day on the blog. One look at these images of the stunning Nicole Atzbach and her twins Eva and James and you will see why. Nicole is not only beautiful, but she is the epitome of the cool mom. She is beautiful, wicked smart, funny, and an a great dancer too! She is the curator at the Meadows Museum, she speaks several languages, has fabulous taste in shoes, does an amazing tango and probably any other ballroom dance you want to throw her way, she knows a lot about music, and she is liable to break out in song when you least expect it. She and I have been friends for some time. I met her when I was on staff at the Meadows Museum and we have been close ever since. I count her unequivocally as one of my treasures so I’d like for you to get to know her a little better. I wanted to do this post today in honor of Eva and James’ birthday… I mean can you believe this lady had twins? 10 years ago today they were born, and actually I took these shots a few years ago, but I thought it was the perfect time to revisit them… time for some new photos my friend!
The day I photographed these three I noticed the gentle, loving way Nik was with her children… and today on their birthday I am stealing a quote from her birthday Facebook post about the kids… but I don’t think she will mind. She wrote: “They are two of the most empathetic, funny, and smart souls I’ve ever known; and I appreciate all the slack they allow me. I am so proud of them and very lucky to be a part of their journey; Eva hopes to be an artist/art teacher someday, while James goes back and forth on being a comedian or perhaps a ‘lawyer who also plays in a rock band and sells kittens on the side.’ They are my two very favorite people in the world, big or little.” There is no way I could have said it better. I just think Nicole looks so beautiful in these photos… like someone in a spread in Vogue or Town and Country. Wow lady, could you be any prettier?
These two kids are filled with so much personality and we laughed a lot on this fall day… I can’t wait to do it again.
There’s nothing I like better than photographing people who love each other… and it’s even better when it’s a dear friend. Love you Nik… and Happy Birthday James and Eva!
BEAUTIFUL MOLLY… AND HER DAD … IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS
Molly Thomson is beautiful, that’s obvious. What you may not know at first glance is that she is one of those girls who just rolls with things, and with such grace and good humor. Molly’s dad, Chris, surprised her with a photo shoot after she had driven three hours to Dallas for a visit from Norman Oklahoma where she was in school at the University of Oklahoma. Now those of you who know anything about girls, especially girls her age, might guess that having a surprise photo session with no time to plan or get ready might throw a girl for a loop… but not this girl. Just look at the images and you can see that she wasn’t phased a bit.
Molly talked her Dad into being in some photos with her. I loved the idea because I don’t have any other Father/Daughter shots except those at weddings… and I think there is such an amazing and tender relationship between fathers and daughters. You only have to be around these two for a very short time to observe how close they are. Chris was such a good sport. Any man willing to blow bubbles in photos for his daughter is a great dad in my book.
I love shooting in this area around the AT&T Performing Arts Center… it’s one of my favorite spots… and it was the perfect backdrop for Molly’s session. A few interesting facts about Molly: She is very close to and devoted to her family, she is a great cook, she loves Whole Foods, she was on the OU women’s rowing team, she loves yoga, and she graduated this past May from OU with a degree in journalism. She is a lady of many talents… not the least of which is looking great in photos. Wouldn’t you agree?
I love incorporating cool architecture and artwork in my images whenever I can… and Molly and Chris were more than willing to interact with the local art.
I had so much fun with these two and I think they would agree that other Dads and Daughters should have more photos taken together… well maybe with some advanced notice. Not everyone is as cool and adventurous under pressure as Molly!