Archive for the ‘{Children}’ Category

Another bittersweet session for me. I made the drive over to this sweet little girl’s house knowing it wold be the end of our every-3-month gatherings. Baby girl is 1 year old this week. It was time to embrace it, and she embraced it… the cake that is. Miss {V} is the first baby to actually pick up her entire cake (cakeboard and all) and bring it to her face. Lol!!! So cute!

Happy birthday baby girl!!! Here’s a look at her over the past year.

Babys first year

Now onto her 12 month session. ;) It took a lot of distracting to get her to let go of this duck. Every time I would try to grab it, she would squeeze him as tight as she could. So cute! I had to stick one in there, Mom. You will forget the little things like this.

baby girl holding duck

baby girl in tutu

smash the cake baby girl

baby girl smashing her cake

cake smash

 

We originally had plans to meet up somewhere out 290 to do an urban session ending in the Bluebonnets. Well, an hour before the session I got a call saying that it would be better to change locations, so we found something very last minute and I couldn’t be happier that we did! We didn’t come across any Bluebonnets at our new location, but found plenty of wild flowers to play in.

I sneaked a sneak on Facebook earlier today. Love that kid! He is such a mess. Plenty of running around, jumping around and insisting on throwing some baseballs to me at the end of the session. I missed way more than he did. :)

I had such a hard time picking pictures to show on the blog, but think I have narrowed it down enough. Lol!

Enjoy the peak!

Mom and son walking in the wild flowers

dad and son in the wild flowers

a mom and her boys

3 year old boy

dad giving son a piggy back ride

boy kissing his mom

boy hitting a baseball

Have you spotted any yet? How many of you have pictures done of your kids in the Bluebonnets every year? It probably makes us Texans look like a bunch of nuts, hopping fences, randomly stopping off on the shoulder of the freeway. All for some pictures in the Bluebonnets. Lol!

boy climbing fence in bluebonnets

I don’t see a lot of profile pictures changed, yet, so they must not be in full force yet. Two of the things I look forward to the most during Bluebonnet season is 1.) Spring clothes and 2.) the Bluebonnet Festival in Chappell Hill. Love it!!!

As we are getting further and further into Spring and rounding our way into summer, I thought I would take the time to talk wardrobe. When preparing for a great photography session, whether it be a child session, family session, or engagement session, one of the most important things to get into place is your wardrobe. Sure, the location is a nice one, too, but honestly, a really good photographer can make even the craziest of locations work.

Let’s start with a Bluebonnet session. What comes to your mind right away when you think of your kids sitting in the sea of blue flowers? Let me guess, white dresses for the girls and something white coordinating for the boys. No. Yes, I said it, no. When wearing white, the eye will naturally be drawn to the bright white instead of the faces. Let me challenge you to get a little more creative with your wardrobe this spring.

Think coordinating, not matching. It doesn’t all have to be the same colors/shades, as long as the colors blend and flow. The purpose of having your portrait session is to focus on the subjects, not the clothes. Make sure at the very least that the children are comfortable in what they wear. For Mom and Dad (especially Mom) wear something a little more dressy than you normally wear. A dress or skirt paired with sandals/heels. How often does Mom get to be in the picture when doing family candid shots at home. Mostly never. Take advantage of the session and take time to pamper yourself. Paint your toenails, wear jewelry. Spend time on yourself.

I have put together a few outfit choices. This is a small example of how you can coordinate the family. You can search for more ideas on Google, there are plenty of resources out there.

We’ll start with the Fab 5.

wardrobe idea for photography session

Then, with Mother’s Day coming up, here’s a sweet Mother/Daughter example.

mother daughter wardrobe ideaHere’s another with, yes, you guessed it, 3 boy outfits. How could I refuse?!

wardrobe idea for 3 boys

Also, with summer around the corner and beach sessions among us… here is a shot of my boys last summer. Rolled jeans, barefoot and neutral coordinating polos. Ace’s shirt isĀ  an off-white. Had it been any whiter, it would have been too bright. This is a good example where I feel the eye is naturally drawn to the white. Shame on me. ;)

beach photography session

So get shopping!!! A few stores that I absolutely love if you are willing to splurge a little is J.Crew, Anthropologie, Boden and Vineyard Vines.

Want to book a session? Weekend sessions through April are getting scarce. Go to my Calendar to select a date and email me at info@stephanieshirley.com so we can get you on the schedule.

This post is very bittersweet for me. :) I have been photographing {T}Man since he was still in his mom’s belly. How quickly they grow! It is so neat to get together with a client every few months and see each of the babe’s milestones.

From being so young, snuggly, sleepy and vulnerable:

sleeping newborn boy in a wash tub

To being aware of their surroundings, recognizing faces, and really speaking to you with their eyes:

2 month old baby boy

To sitting up and understanding they are able to do things on their own:

6 month old baby boy

To, crawling, standing and being way more mobile than sometimes their parents can handle:

9 month old baby boy standing

Then out of nowhere, in one short year, you have a baby near toddler-hood who is walking/running, climbing, feeding themselves, and so on.

I am so blessed to have witnessed you grow this past year. You are full of energy and so much fun to be around.

Happy Birthday {T} Man! Hope you enjoyed your cake!

Take a peek at him now, the cake smasher that he is!

baby boy smashing cake

1 year old boy smashing cake

baby boy eating cake

mom and baby boy

family portrait

family feet

baby boy in wash bin

What great weather we have had yesterday and today. Just makes me sing inside to think we are closer and closer to spring. Bright sun, fun rainy days and warmth!!! With Spring brings back lots of fun, bright and cheery sessions filled with play and laughter. I CANNOT wait. February is going to prove to be a very busy month for the Shirley family as it does every year. I am not really ready for it to come especially since I will be turning the BIG 3-0 ((Gasp)), but I am so, so ready for flip flops and sun-kissed skin.

I am gearing up for a great season and some great offers. This year I will be offering quarterly newsletters to my subscribers. This is your chance to hear about specials and new products before anyone else. You will also get a first hand peak at my schedule in the upcoming months. It is quick and easy, just enter you email address below and fill out your basic contact information and then you are done! Your email address and other information will not be shared with anyone else and you can opt out at anytime. I plan on sending out the first newsletter at the end of next week, so sign-up and don’t miss it.

My re-branding process is almost at an end! What do you think so far? :)

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I know, I know. I am not supposed to be doing sessions until March, BUT I do have clients that are on a Baby Plan, so I couldn’t resist the chance to go out and see Little Miss {V} since she is now 9 months. I know I probably say this about every age, but 9 months is one of my absolute favorite months to photograph! This is the time that they are not only interactive with you, but they have become mobile. Every baby is different in their own way. Well, this little one has finally started crawling in what we call “the normal way” because before that she would scoot on her little tush all over the place. I love it! She did it during our session and it is one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

I sadly await our next session when we do her Smash the Cake session. It will be messy and blissful, but also bittersweet since it will end our every-3-month gatherings.

Take a peek!

Already committed to her studies. :)

Wow! What a busy holiday season it turned out to be! I am so pleased to have such a great clients (repeat and new). I loved getting to meet all of the new babies (and spend a few hours with them).

Here is last month in a glimpse!

First up! Here is a beautiful little boy. Mom and Dad are first time parents and I was so amazed with how natural they were and at ease, even with little {K} being their first. Congrats, Mom and Dad!

newborn baby boy

sleeping baby boy

newborn aviator

Dad and newborn son

Now on to {T}. You have definitely seen this cutie before. Here he is at 9 months, and again, WOW on his eyes! I did not do any special editing to this kids eyes.

Yes, no hands! What’s up?!

Rarrrrrr!

Then I witnessed a birth! You will see this doll-face’s newborn pics later in this post. Welcome Baby {A} and congrats Mom and Dad!

Next up was a family I had already met before. Actually I hadn’t met Dad yet. I was so pleased to take things outdoors. Older brother is so energetic and it was the perfect atmosphere for his little personality to shine though. What a fun family. Plus I have a special place in my heart for Mom as I know exactly what she is going through. Her boys are just as close in age as my older two. :)

Cheese sandwich anyone? Lol!

My next session is of a growing family. Well, I should say the kids are growing. :) Not sure there will be any new additions. Lol! I was lucky to be invited over to the {G} house to take pictures of her kids and grandkids.

Love the shocked look!

My next family session as actually of a good friend of mine. She has joined the crew of being a boy mom and I love her to pieces! Here is her family, Mom and her sister’s family. This first one is one of my favorites! Look how happy Grandma is!

The next day I headed into to town to meet Mom and Dad to take pictures of {I}. He is turning 1, so we decided to bring along a cake and do a Smash the Cake Session. One of my favorite things when doing these sessions is how the babe is going to react to the cake. They either dig right in or want nothing to do with it. He wanted nothing to do with it. Actually, the only reason he got as messy as he did was because he kept trying to get away from the cake and would stick his foot/leg in it in the process. So cute!

Life of a 1 year old is so rough!

Maybe?

Negative!

So, fast forward a week or so. I ended up doing a couple family session right before and right after Christmas since they had family in town. You have seen one of the kids from this group many times before. She has become quite tubby and I just adore her!

I love the chaos in this picture! Reminds me of my life at home with my boys. Hahaha!

Now onto the influx of more babies! These two yummy girls were actually born 2 months early, and it took a while before getting settled in before I could head over there. My first set of newborn twins.

Love, love, love tiny toes!

I promised Dad that I would capture the only way you could tell the girls apart. The nurses pointed this out to them AFTER the girls were already names. Crazy! Meet Baby {A}. Check out the shape of her ear (kind of forms and A).

Now meet Baby {S} and check out her ear!

Okay, the next day I tackled two sessions. Whew! First I got my hands on yet another newborn. He looks like such an old man!

Let me just start out by saying that before I came, older brother was still a little tripped out by having a baby around and was really reluctant to go near him once he came home. Very typical at his age. So, we started out by playing around and by the end of the session he was very goo around him. One thing he was absolutely unsure about was Baby {G}’s umbilical cord. So, here he is showing his button off.

I started playing “This Little Piggy” with Big Bro and wouldn’t you know… he starting doing it to his Baby Brother.

A brotherly poke in the butt!

Yet more tiny toes!

From that session I rushed back over to Cypress to meet up with this fab family!

Then, to put an end to a really great year in 2010… another yummy newborn. I promised I would show you her pics!

Now a glimpse of this poor mom’s chaotic life. Has to be one of my favorite’s from 2010. Dad is sneaking glimpses at the football game on the tv and Little {K} is not really wanting to be in the picture, broken arm and all.

Thank you again for an awesome year! I cannot wait to see what this year brings!

I have not laughed as hard as I did during this session in a long time. The girls were super cute and silly and such a mess by the end of the session. Not to mention Dad giving everyone, including the girls scouts that were scouting near by, a huge show. I don’t even want to mention the things that were going on. Needless to say we had a very memorable session.

I still cannot believe that Mom is 37 weeks! She looks so tiny and adorable! I am anxiously awaiting girl #3 to make her appearance. :)

Take a peek!

One of my faves!!!!

So, I got a call from this mom asking to set up a Holiday Session for her family. Com to find out she is also a photographer. (Amanda Faucett Photography ~ www.amandafaucettphotography.com) There is nothing better than being asked by another photographer to take their pictures. It truly is a nice warm and fuzzy feeling.

I met up with them Sunday evening along with about 4 or 5 other photogs that were at the location. :P I chatted it up about Spiderman and also developed quite the relationship with her daughter. She wanted me to carry her around everywhere while she pointed at random people and told me their name (or what she thought was their name, Lol!)

The weather turned out to be perfect and I really enjoyed playing around with the kids, but this is no new news.

Take a peek!

I absolutely love the colors that this family showed up in!!! It is going to make for some awesome Christmas cards!! Plus it couldn’t have complimented the location any better. I cannot express how happy and lucky I am to have such loyal clients. This family has been coming to me to do their pictures since little {C} was a mere 6 weeks old. Now he’s walking, climbing and talking (in his own language). :)

I really enjoyed getting together with you guys this past weekend!

Take a peek!