I learned how to use my camera properly when my youngest son was about 5 months old. This means while I have plenty of photos of the boys while they were infants and babies, they are mostly an assorted bunch of out-of-focus photos with horrible composition. No biggie but now that I am much more into photography I am wishing I had a new baby to take photos of with my improved skills. I just have to live vicariously through my friends and clients!

So today I wanted to share a Five Tips on Photographing Newborns. These are things I would have done if I knew better back then...and what I would do now if I was able to convince Brad to have a fourth baby. Whether you are shooting with a cell phone or a DSLR, these tips are applicable to everyone!

1. Capture all those sweet baby faces...including when they cry!
If you didn't know, babies cry. A lot. So I love taking photos of crying babies and kids. I think their little pouts are just precious! Each of my kids had their own distinct look when they cried. Even now, if I know my kids aren't in pain, then I snap a photo of them crying because it is such a normal characteristic of babies and kids (and thankfully happens much less often as they get older!). So, yes- be sure to capture their first smiles, yawns, and all their sweetness, but don't forget about when they cry too!

2. Photograph all the teeny tiny parts!
While your baby is still itty bitty, photograph their tiny fingers, tiny toes, belly button (with the umbilical cord attached too!), ears, wisps of hair...you get the point. They grow SO fast and I really wish I had all those details captured when my oldest two were born. 

5. Learn how to use your camera!
Hands down, the best thing I did to improve my photos was learn how to shoot in manual mode. It literally changed my photos overnight. As I continued to practice and learn, I figured out how to get my photos in focus consistently (not just by chance!), how to make the photo look prettier than a plain 'ol snapshot, and how to shoot in a candid way (which for me is imperative with three uncooperative boys who don't like to look at the camera!). These are all things I teach in my Mom & Her Camera Workshop! This class is geared toward any mom wanting to take better photos of their families and is not exclusively for newborn photography. Everyone is welcome! I would love for you to join us on the next class (taught in the DFW area). Click the link to be notified when new classes are scheduled. Since these class are small in size, they typically sell out. Don't miss out on getting first dibs on newly scheduled classes. Click HERE!

As a former math teacher, I like to crunch numbers. As a self-proclaimed cheapo, I like to save money. So, let's chat about how signing up for a Mom & Her Camera class will save you money!

First, let me assure you that taking this class will be worth the small investment. In the class I teach how to use your camera in manual mode, thus quickly improving your photos. We then discuss how to take photos of daily life, real life, big moments, small moments...all without posing your children or asking them to say 'cheese'.  We discuss quick ways to make photos more pleasing to the eye with simple composition tips that can be implemented immediately. The class is ended with a quick practice session on a 'model' so students walk away feeling confident they can take photos of a moving subject.

How can this save you money?
Let's add it up!

Option 1
Camera: $400 (based on quick observation that most participants have entry level DSLR & kit lens)
Workshop: $95
Upgraded lens: $130 (50mm entry level lens)
Personal Memories Captured: priceless
TOTAL: $625

Option 2
Camera: $400 (because you already bought it and kinda use it but aren't happy with photos)
Christmas card minis: $200
Bluebonnet minis: $150
Back to School minis: $150
Family Session: $400
Vacation Minis: $150
TOTAL: $1450*
*sessions are ballpark figures because we all know session prices vary from photographer to photographer 

Now, let's also note that when investing in several mini sessions throughout the year, you are getting pretty photos. No one is going to deny that. However, are you capturing memories? Are you preserving real life as it happens? Is your child's personalities authentically captured in a 20 minute photo session in which you get 10 photos? 

There is a place certainly for posed portraits. In the past three years I have had my photos taking by other photographer 3 times simply so I can be in the photo without the hassle of a tripod. But if I had to pick between capturing memories in my own home or a family portrait, personal memories will win out every time.

After you take a Mom & Her Camera class, you can take photos to your heart's content and keep the wallet out of sight! My goal for this class is for the students to be able to take all these kinds of photos on their own so they can document their own lives. They know their families better than any other photographer, so it makes sense to equip them to capture memories as beautifully as possible.

​Bluebonnet photos. Done.

Back to School photos. Check.

1st Birthday Cake Smash. Super easy to do in your own home!

The 'Grandma' Photo where everyone looks happy. Perfect for Christmas cards and gifts!

Plus all the many many in between moments throughout our lives.

Bringing home a new baby is always an exciting time in parent's lives. With my first baby I felt a little frazzled and basically lived in pajamas for the first month. However, Alyssa & Zeid were cool and calm as could be for their in-home newborn photo session! Not only that, their house was immaculate. They looked rested. They were like seasoned pros after only one month being parents! I have said this before, but one of the neat things about photographing documentary style sessions is learning about how other people live, how they interact with each other, and what their family dynamic is like. In just a short hour, I immediately saw everything they did for Baby S was as a team. Not much seemed to throw the new parents for a loop. Even when he cried, both parents had a smile on their face and as soon as one of them picked up the baby, he immediately calmed down in their arms. That sweet baby already knows his parents are a great source of comfort. Zeid is the fun dad who already wants to be playing with the baby- propping him in a chair by Mommy and then trying to give him a ride on the rocking horse. None of which was amusing to Baby S at the time. :) Alyssa is super sweet, soothing, and apologetic for Dad's antics. What a lucky little baby to be born into this family!

Don't you love the sweetness of newborn photos?! I really wish I had done this when my babies were born. If you are expecting a new baby soon, let's talk about a documentary Bring Home Baby session for you! Click the button to get started! 

I met Julie through our local MOMS Club in Flower Mound. She recently moved here from Canada and was expecting a baby boy to add to her sweet family. For her maternity photo session, we decided to document what a typical Saturday morning was like with the family of three before it expanded to include a precious newborn...which will of course consequently will throw a big ol' wrench in current typical plans! I arrived early in the morning to catch a quick bottle for Big Sister, getting dressed, a wagon ride to the local pond to feed ducks, and then a stop at the park before heading home. The whole family was so laid back and a pleasure to photograph! These are my favorite kind of maternity photo sessions- showing real life and special memories to look back on later and share with Baby Brother. 

Adding a new family member? Then let's take some meaningful maternity photos to document this phase of your lives! Click the button to contact me so we can start discussing the perfect maternity photos for your growing family.

This weekend I am headed to meet a new baby for an in-home documentary style newborn photo session. So I thought I might share a couple of the maternity photos of these precious couple. They live in Fort Worth but we found out that they had just moved from Flower Mound...more specifically my street in Flower Mound! We were on opposite ends and never saw each other. What a small small world that we met in Ft. Worth just a couple weeks after living down the street from each other! I wish I had met them when we lived near each other because they seem like the sweetest people. So here are some photos from their session. Anyways, this maternity sessions was very laid back and captured what it is like with just the two of them before their family became three. 

I am sharing my top three ways I get my kids to smile for the camera. These even work for the more grumpy who kids to refuse to smile, like my oldest son! So I promise the tips will work! Don't forget to also check out how I edited a photo of my son in the garage (yes, a messy garage!) and got a perfect portrait for our house without setting foot in a photography studio. Click the photo below and start getting natural smiles for your children!

A couple weeks ago we took the boys to visit Walt Disney World for the first time (and based on the cost, it might be their last time for a while!). The trip also included the first time the boys were on a flight (which is rather ironic considering Daddy works at Southwest Airlines!). Overall, we had a blast at Disney. It surpassed my expectations and even with long days spent at the parks and being part of a group of 13 family members, everything was smooth and relatively easy the entire trip. No major melt downs, no complaining, no 'Why could you possibly be crying in the happiest place on Earth?!' comments...the boys did amazing! For the first time EVER I quickly culled and edited the photos (all 400 of them) AND made a photo book. Disney really is magical even after the trip! :) If I lived in Orlando, I would be all over having Day in the Life Disney photo sessions. I LOVE how mine turned out!! I will spare you from looking through 400 photos, so here are just a couple favorites from our trip.

Last year I photographed Trisha's family to document her baby turning nine months old. Those photos are some of my favorites from an in-home family session. I even noted on Facebook that older daughter, Adrianna, was the muse of the family. Fast forward a couple months and I notice the photos on Facebook are showing Adrianna usually with a bandana and eventually noticing she is losing her hair. I nervously asked a mutual friend if this precious little girl I had just met was sick. Come to find out that Adrianna was diagnosed with alopecia and even was just fitted for a custom wig. Being that I can't do much to help, I offered Trisha to take photos of the day she got her wig because even though this probably isn't how Trisha imagined life with a 4 year old, it is still worthy of being photographed and preserving those memories for when Adrianna is older. 

One of my favorite things about being a documentary photographer is being able to see how different families act and witnessing those family dynamics. In the hotel room while Adrianna was getting her wig adjusted, I certainly saw how much Trisha and Derrick love their little girl. Every time I looked at Derrick, he had a smile across his face as he looking lovingly at his little girl. Trisha diligently paid attention to every detail of how to put on the wig, what products to use, and how to take care of the new hair. She seemed to have the same 'mom worries' but on a different scale: 'does this wig match what her hair used to look like?' 'what WOULD her hair have looked like now?'...all things that a mom would think about when trying to provide the best for their child. Of course Adrianna was a typical 4 year old- sweet, funny, fidgety, and seemed to care more about her reward of Chick-fil-A than the new hair. 

The wigs were from a company in LA, called Farrell Hair Replacement, and the lady who helped Adrianna was the sweetest and most patient lady. She was amazing! Here are some photos of the big day!

A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine was bringing her new daughter home from China. She asked me to photograph the homecoming at DFW Airport as the rest of family (including Dad and brothers) met her for the first time. I was very nervous about this session because it was so important and a once a lifetime type deal. There are no re-shoots if I screwed it up! What an honor it was to be trusted with such a momentous occasion. I was able to document the excited vibes as family and friends anxiously waited, checking their phone for arrival updates. I witnessed raw emotion of a father meeting his daughter after months of waiting. I fought back tears as Ashley immediately broke into tears when she was embraced by her husband. Everyone went through all kinds of emotions in the span of an hour at the baggage claim. :) What struck me was how similar this was to a family waiting at the hospital for the birth of a newborn. Family members wait impatiently to love a precious newborn that no one has met yet.  It didn't matter that Morrissey wasn't a newborn- she had a whole group of family and friends in matching shirts impatiently waiting for her arrival so they could love on her as soon as they set eyes on her. What a lucky girl she is to be in this family surrounded but such supportive loved ones.  Congrats to Ashley & Matt on their new baby girl!