LET’S PLAN THIS THING, BABY!

first things first - what location do you have in mind?

option 1 - in-home shoot

the heart here is to time-stamp the era. the year. the walls where your toddler learned to walk and the couch you sit on when you read books to your babies. your home wasn’t featured in Elle Decor? don’t worry about! the point is capturing where you do life - not making your home look pinterest worthy. your kid’s memories won’t care about that; they’ll care about you holding them in the space that you hold them. I like to show up and do a lap around your house and pick my favorite spots. and yes they are always by a window.

option 2 - my field

I shoot here all the time for a very good reason - it’s one of my favorite places in the world. it never lets me down. it brings something new each season. I love it when it’s sunny and I love it when it’s rainy. it’s my happy place.

Option 3 - city vibes

It feels so vogue here and I adore this look beyond words. I have a favorite rooftop parking garage for the best views of downtown and the textured cement is so photogenic. and I live for a crosswalk that I will absolutely make you run across a few times.

option 4 - activity based session

One of the best ways to timestamp an era - what do you and your people love doing together? skateboarding. chickens. baking. swinging. chess. climbing the Zilker rock. playing in the springs. your hidden spot. your first choice of a way to spend a Saturday. get weird! make a list and we can chat about the best way to document it!

NEXT DECISION - WHAT DO I WEAR?

Styling has a massive impact on how your images will look and is a lot of the creativity that YOU get to bring to the table to reflect yall! Put a lot of love into it - it will show that you did!

WHAT TO EMBRACE -

your personalities! cowboy vibes? blazer type of girl? channeling the french aesthetic? run with it! the more personality you bring to the table the more ‘styled’ and unique your images will feel. don’t be scared of color or patterns!

flatter yo’self! love being leggy? show it off. I love clavicle bones and shoulders and have been known to tug some sleeves down to show off some shoulders.

texture! linens. denims. knits (done in a flattering way) are all super photogenic fabrics.

the weather! make sure your kiddo’s are comfortable. layers are sooo photogenic - peacoats! scarves! pretty hats! if your babes are chilly for the sake of fashion then they will likely end up just…cold

WHAT TO AVOID -

-for boys - hard no to stiff collars or tucked-in shirts like they are going to work or golf. they should look relaxed - henleys, t-shirts, sweaters. lighter can photograph better than darker.

-black is hard. it doesn’t show texture the way other colors do so it can really take away the shape and texture of a look. the way it works best is if it’s really fitted and your silhouette is the look you are going for. and if it is the look you love - it works best outdoors where the light is brighter.

-chunky sweaters. I know they are cozy and I know we love the texture but we want to see your shape. the bulky shoulder aspect of it doesn’t give us what we want. anything too boxy would fit in this same category.

-logos! athletic fabrics! overwhelming/large prints! being bland!

Still feeling lost?

If this wasn’t specific enough and you want even more hard and fast opinions - you are always safe with a white dress! they are always, always photogenic. just enough fit to see your shape and just enough flow to show the movement. go order something from Doen or Sezane or Christy Dawn - nothing on any of those websites will let you down.

OH NO! There is rain on the forecast! What do we do?!

my friend opinion is to follow your heart - not everyone dreams of being rained on in their photographs and I get that. while we don’t get a say between a sunny day or a cloudy day - rain-outs do exist and that is just fine to want to reschedule. I like making this call the night before because the forecast changes so much.

my professional opinion? i live for these shoots. there is no type of photograph I love more. I would do every shoot in the rain if I could. when the elements (rain, wind) come in and throw us off - it creates a carefree-ness that nothing else brings to the table and that shows in photographs. it adds interest and wildness that I am always THRILLED when people are down to embrace!