Welcoming Baby K! {Cypress TX Newborn Photographer}

I was so thrilled when Mom contacted me back in the fall about doing newborn portraits for her sweet baby due in December. After taking her engagement pictures a couple years ago, as well as bridal portraits, it was so exciting for me to then have the opportunity to capture the beginning of her first child's new life.

Look at that smile!

Kelly is amazing, E and T! I'm so happy for you!

Santa Baby {Cypress TX Newborn Photographer}

I worked with this beautiful boy's mom, dad and big brothers just a few months ago, and was so excited to hear that he had arrived! I just can't imagine a better Christmas gift than the birth of a precious baby. I'm so happy for you, L Family!

Our Personal Holiday Card {Cypress, TX Children's Photographer}

I saw a template for a Christmas card on Etsy that I immediately knew I wanted to use. I was inspired by the message talking about twinkling stars, and instantly had a vision of my girls in front of white twinkle lights.

Outfits were assembled, the backdrop was set up, and after lots and lots of outtakes we finally had our shot! Whew!


Here's what it looked like originally. I draped white icicle lights on a white background. My hubby is standing to the side hanging the stars over the girls. I shot super wide open (f/1.4) so that the lights would be blurry in the background.





After cropping to the size I needed for our card:




Our final product!




Merry Christmas, everyone!! I truly hope you all have a very blessed holiday!!

Photographing Kids in in Front of a Christmas Tree {Cypress, TX Children's Photographer}

Hey there! Check out my updated post with way more details on how to achieve this look! It's right HERE!

If you have a camera that allows you to manually control your settings, you can get a shot like this, too!

There are a variety of setting combinations that will produce similar results, but here's what I did:

Turned off all of the lights in the house except for the tree.

Set my aperture at f/1.4. (I looove to shoot wide open when I can.)

Set my ISO low, at 160. I wanted the shutter speed to have to compensate for the low light. (More on that in a minute.)

Metered for the tree, not the girls.

Because there was such little light in the room, and I wasn't allowing much more in with my low ISO, my shutter speed had to be slow. The slower it is, the more light the camera lets in. (That's when you get that long click when you press the button to take the picture instead of a quick, sharp click.) This is also what makes the lights on the tree look so pretty. Mine SS ended up being 1/15! Yes, that is crazy slow!

I also bribed my girls to stand very still for a minute. When you use a shutter speed (SS) that is that slow, movement will be blurry.

Finally, I took this image into Photoshop's Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) because I shoot RAW, and bumped up the exposure just a bit to make it brighter. Voila!!

So, here's the cheat sheet:

Dark room.
f-stop 1.4
ISO 160
SS 1/15


Try it. Play around with your settings a bit. Use a doll or large stuffed animal in front of the tree if

your kids won't be still. Have fun!!!

Visions of Sugar Plums {Cypress, TX Children's Photographer}

After watching enraptured as the Sugar Plum fairy twirled across the stage tonight, it's possible she's dreaming of the queen of all dancing queens.

But it's more likely she's sweetly imagining her fifth visit from the Tooth Fairy, the surprise she'll bring, and the magic of believing.

Barret Turns One! {Cypress, TX Children's Photographer}

I've had the absolute honor (and TRUE pleasure) of taking this little guy's photos every three months. It's been so much fun watching him grow and change. I think he is seriously one of the happiest babies I've ever met, and I just love spending time with him!

I can't thank you enough, H and T, for choosing me to capture Barret's first year!