the one with sweet Hallie Lou

That sweet little newborn is Miss Hallie Lou. She belongs to Sydney + Beau Howard of Idalou, Texas and I got to spend some time adoring her yesterday! Gosh, I think Sydney was almost this little when I first met her and now she’s a momma!

If you are intetested in having your Baby’s First Year Documented, CLICK HERE.

Love does,
Kristin

the one with Payton's belly

As I’m writing this I’m wondering if there’s a baby OUTSIDE this belly yet? Anyone? I can’t wait to meet them! Payton picked the perfect outfits to show off her belly. LOVE how these turned out! Do you know anyone expecting? Send them my way.

Love Does,

Kristin

the one where I talk about how to photograph a baby session

Meet Hadley.

We are related through some very great grandmothers. Me by marriage, him by blood. I thought it would be fun to take you through what happens when I photograph a baby session. Sort of what’s going through my mind as I approach the time and maybe use some photographs to help explain my process.

First of all, with this age, 12 months, timing is EVERYTHING. Hadley still naps. And I discussed with mom ahead of time and we worked out a plan to photograph him when he wakes up from his nap. Babies are typically super happy at this time and ready to play! When I plan a baby session, I stay flexible. I tell mom to message me when he wakes up and I’ll be there. It always works out great! If I arrive before he wakes up, I can even chat with mom about expectations, and get a good look at the space.

This photo above was take at the first part of our time together. I may have been there less then 45 minutes tops. I came inside the home and looked around for great light. That’s my number one requirement. I need good light. Remember, I’m a professional light chaser! In this case, the house was on a north/south axis. BIG bag windows are directly to camera left, so I knew this space in the dining room was PERFECT. Mom had chosen an adorable outfit with some ears and I expected Hadley to not be crazy about wearing them on his head. So, I wanted to be ready on the ground with my camera to get the photos of him responding. So, I tossed my camera bag aside and landed on the floor with this sweet little guy.

Much to my surprise…

He loved the ears! In fact, this kid uses his mouth like a 5th hand. He just put them in his mouth and moved for my camera. Note to photographers…keep your camera bag away from baby and away from the background of where you are shooting. Kids move fast and love new toys! And yes…your camera bag is a new toy.

Because he was moving pretty quickly, it was hard to keep him in place long enough to get the shot I needed. So, we moved him to a table. Don’t worry, mom was behind the table, next to the table, ducking under the table, YOU NAME IT. She was there to keep him from crawling off. And because of this, we were able to get some great shots of him in his “birthday suit”. Which was her main focus for this photo session.

BAM! Sure his suspenders are coming off and he’s go drool on his lip, but hello! HE’S ADORABLE! I love this shot! We stayed on the table and wore Momma out and then moved back to the floor and the windows. Remember those bay windows to my camera’s left above? This is them. They face the north. YES! Best light ever!

At this point, I had been with them long enough for him to get used to me, my camera, my voice and the space. He wasn’t quite walking so the window was a perfect space to pull up and capture all the fun stuff that babies do and him not move quite so fast.

I was making crazy sounds, he was blowing spit bubbles, we were having a grand time! He was really feeling good about himself and showing off all his best tricks and moves! All of this takes place rather quickly, depending on the mood and personality of each child. After photographing 20+ years worth of portraits and kids, I’ve figured a few things out along the way. It doesn’t have to take forever, moms and dads just need to be patient and enjoy the process AND expect to have so much fun playing with babies that you seriously think that’s all you want to do forever.

C U T E N E S S O V E R L O A D

before everyone thinks I have it all together, check this photograph out. Everyone makes mistakes, right?

but you keep working it and working it and then you get the keeper.

He crawled over to the front door to show his neighborhood his new Mickey Ears. I made sure to get close ups of his hands.

Be sure and work high and low and in between. And take more photos then you think you will ever need and less than a wedding’s worth and you’ll land somewhere in the 100 image range after you toss the bad ones.

That’s how you photograph a baby session. That’s also how you fall in love with everything baby. For sure!

Thank you, Abby + Hadley. Much love to you both and Happy Birthday, little guy!

Love Does,
Kristin

the one with sweet baby Cayton

I had to blog something today.

I had to blog something joyful and happy and something that would make me smile.

It’s been a tough week for many of you around our world and in our city of Lubbock. We are used to wide open spaces and being confined to our homes is tough. Necessary, but tough. Before we were social distancing, I was photographing this sweet baby girl, Cayton. She’s turning ONE. One year on this world and she’s already dealing with her first pandemic. I wonder how much of it will she remember?

Love Does,
Kristin

the one with River, a newborn

This sweet little boy was given to Tyler and Taylor from God. He smells so fresh and new and it such a joy to be around! Congratulations!

Love Does,
Kristin

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

— psalm 139:13-16

the one with a baby in San Antonio

When I had my beautiful baby girls, bows were HUGE and the swaddle blankets weren’t much to photograph. I would instead find fabric or other materials to wrap them in and photograph. I’d see Anne Geedes work, you know, the babies in teapots and such? Anyway, inspiration comes from all over and in the case of sweet baby Halston? It comes from her parent’s awesome sense of style!

I photographed mom and dad’s engagement session and hello! They are dripping in style and mighty fine looks. So, when I heard they had a baby, I HAD TO MEET HER AND PHOTOGRAPH HER! She’s gorgeous and such a sweetie and everything I wanted in a baby session. Yes, she does live in San Antonio but who doesn’t love a car ride filled with True Crime podcasts? Right?

Enjoy her sneak peek and leave some blog love for Brittany and Connor. I think they need about 10 more of these sweet babies!

Love Does,
Kristin

the one with baby Holden

We are told how precious life is. We read twitter feeds, inspirational instagram posts, facebook status and I think we are numb to it most of the time.  We tell people we are "going to pray for them", we are thinking about them, God is good, etc. 

Breathe it in.  Just once.  And let it sit inside you and really feel how precious it is.  

Breathe it in how tiny, vulnerable, and dependent life is on others. No one can do it alone.  We all need someone, something, to lean on, to learn from, to love.

We all do.

Holden is so very precious. Sweet baby precious. I AM praying for him.  For his momma and his daddy and his sweet precious life.  God is good.  Very good.

Love Does,
Kristin

the one with Baby Vivienne

If you follow me on Instagram, then you have already seen this precious baby girl!  Meet Vivienne. She belongs to Paul and Angelica.  And I'm completely smitten!  She came to visit Texas from her home in Paris and I got to spend part of the day with her.  Her eyes are mesmerizing and even at this young age, she charms the hearts.  Baby LOVE is the BEST!

Love does,
Kristin

the one with Baby Cinco

That baby hair!  Just look how fresh this one is?!?!  Liz + Richard invited me to come photograph their new precious one.  He's the 5 in Richard's family with his name, thus the nickname, "Cinco".  I adore that name!

Love Does,
Kristin

the one with sweet baby blayke

I have perks in my profession. I get to travel quite frequently and work in other states. I love that! I enjoy the process and the newness. Another great perk of my profession, especially now since my babies are grown, is photographing new wee ones. This little wee one was no exception. HELLO! She was PERFECT! And that name!!! LOVE!!

Love does,

Kristin

the one with baby Pierce

I've been traveling all week. NO BULL STOP FOR ME! But it's been good travel. The kind you take with friends with basically no agenda but good food, a few picture and good company. I like that kind of traveling! And then the end of this week took a nasty turn with some bad news, I'm afraid. Nothing wrong me me and my health. Just to throw that out there. I'm good. A-OK. But sometimes other news can drag you down and put you in a state of mind you don't like. That was me. Stuck in the middle of bad news and needing an escape. Well, enter baby Pierce. His birth day was earlier this week and once home, I got to go and see him and document his 48th hour here in our world. What a joy a newborn is. Seriously, what a joy.

Love does,

Kristin

the one with Bentley @ 1 year

At first, he wasn’t sure what to think of me. I mean, who is this lady in my house? Hello! I just woke up from my nap and she’s snap snap snapping. I met Bentley’s dad at a wedding this spring. He wanted to gift his mom some pictures of his adorable son Bentley, so when I drove back home from Katee + Matt’s FABULOUS wedding, I went up North through Electra. Have you ever heard of it? There's not much there. Or so I thought at first. But I did notice some pretty cool brick streets. I love old towns with brick streets. YES. I know they are high maintenance, but they are super cool to photograph. And they just work with a classic look. So right away, pulling up to Benley's house, I knew I was going to use the brick. BIG saucer eyes…clinging to Dad’s shirt. He’s at that age where you just aren’t sure. He was just starting to realize that he was separate from Dad and didn't know me. So, what's up? Plus, we were going outside and HELLO! Not many 1 years olds spend much time in the street, brick or not, if you know what I mean. LOL We had some issues with the shoes. Yep. As in they would NOT stay on and his socks weren’t quite jiving with the outfit. So, shoes WERE necessary. But Electra is small and a quick trip back to home, shoe recovered and we were shooting again. He's the sweetest thing! I swear he i! Just have a look for yourself.

Love Does,

Kristin

the one with a beautiful bride

I have so many pictures to show you. So many! I had 2 weddings this past weekend and 6 sessions in 2 days. I'm sitting on the couch with my feet up and thinking, I have so many pictures to show you! Every time I edit one I feel lucky. INTENSELY lucky. And then I wonder, OK. Do I blog it? DO I share it on facebook? Wait. Instagram. That's what I will do. And then I think, I should stop all of it and just go back to my blog. I love my blog. It's where I share my visual world. What I'm thinking. What I'm excited about.

I'm excited about this bride above. I wanted to share an image from her "before". She arrived a mere 45 minutes before her ceremony. It was a rushed moment, as most moments before a wedding are, and her bridesmaids, her friends since childhood, were all around her and fussing with her veil. The camera caught her in just an instant. Before she was married, that second of breathe releasing from her lips. So, many emotions during a wedding day!

the one with the Houchin Party Booth

I love the Party Booth!

And the pictures from this weekend's Party Booth are now ready for your viewing pleasure. Simply click the link below.

PARTY BOOTH PHOTOS

the one where Ky + Seneca get married at Ransom Canyon

I can't wait any longer. I have to show you the wedding sneak peek from Ky + Seneca's wedding. I've been busy PUPPY SITTING this week and between loads of laundry, and well, just LOADS, *ha, pun sooooo intended, I've neglected this blog. I'm also working on a "year since cancer" blog post, but heck, who wants to talk about that? Weddings are much more fun! So, on to Ky + Seneca's wedding!!!

It was this past weekend and my entire house was excited for it! Excited as in picking out dresses, shoes, etc. EXCITED! So much fun! Oh, and even what to drink, exciting. I'm thinking we don't get out enough? LOL I was photographing and they were attending. Everyone got dressed up, packed a cooler and headed out to Ransom Canyon to celebrate these two! They've dated since HS and have stayed together ever since. So many family and friends there to celebrate! Standing room only during the ceremony. It was outdoors, by the lake, and despite the wind, the sky was beautiful and the day quite lovely. By "lake standards for those reading from states with lakes, big puddle. LOL) I started my day with the girls. Seneca's mom had gone to bed late, she is the decorator of this event, after all. And I'm sure she woke up at the crack of dawn to cook breakfast for everyone. Including me. And I'm so thankful she did. It was completely YUMMY! As in, I got to have your chili-egg casserole recipe please. PRETTY PLEAS. Total YUM! early to cook breakfast for everyone. Totally yummy! So good! The girls hung out here all morning and then made their way to the ceremony site. Me? left early to chase down the boys and see what they were up to and left Toni with the girls. She's my 2nd and many of you blog readers know her personally AND have worked with her before. She's my BFF. My "wing girl" and a dang good photographer to boot. WIN-WIN Ky is so cute! Those cheeks? I can still those cheeks on his sweet baby face in my head. He's totally rocking, cute baby cheeks! Emily + Todd have the cutest little boys EVER. Just EVER. He was busy doing "groom stuff". Checking into hotels, taking bags, getting clothes gathered, and making signs. For wedding guests to navigate by. Everytime I look at this photo below I think, "Wide open spaces!" There's the "puddle" or LAKE. It was a gorgeous day to get married! Cloudy a bit, but that just helped with the heat. They have a bride's room at the Ranch House in RC, and when I arrived her dress was waiting. Just sitting there waiting for me to photograph it. Hello, pretty dress. They chose not to do a "first look" which is fine. I think I've written about "first looks before" on this blog before? Not sure. But honestly, I could go either way. You see, I'm a big believer in planning your day, your way. And yes, there are many benefits to having a "first look", but talk about it together and then just let your photographer know she we can plan the "picture taking time". This group? We played, "hide the bride" and started with the formal pictures of the boys. Hello, pretty stuff for the bride. So much excitement in the bride's room! And HELLO! Look how gorgeous Seneca's sisters and momma are! GORGEOUS!You too, Blair. And not just because you are holding a bouquet. LOLKy wrote an especially tender note to his bride. She read it right before her walk down the aisle. Just look at his face as he watches her!!! BAM! Yep. To quote a movie, "You think I'm gorgeous, you want to kiss me..." Bonus points to those that name the movie. Seneca, you are adorable. Completely adorable! I love that you let go and leaned in and just went with your feelings. So much fun!Check out Kutter below. He was really praying, boy! BEST AFTER KISS SHOT EVER!!!!!The light was absolutely perfect that night! I was so happy with the time they chose to get married. Many couples choose sunset without thinking about the time after for portraits. Not sure if it was a happy accident or not, but that street out by the venue? PERFECT. Hello, pretty cakes and bouquet. You deserve your own spotlight here on this blog. There you are, below. DONE. Toasting time!I shall call this wedding as "bring your kids to work day". Grant you count as my kid. LOVE this shot below! And here's two more of my kids. Summer Zoe and Sydni Nicol. Prettiest Bednarz's EVER! Wait...Mayci's missing. And Brooke. Okay, so I don't have a picture of the Prettiest Bednarz's ever. Stay tuned.And another one of my kids. Hello, pretty lady! Miss Boo is on the blog!Keep scrolling...cousins are coming!!! Um....yes. THIS HAPPENED. Daddy said when you catch bouquet's at weddings it means you have to wait 10 years to get married. Good luck with that, Kalyn Marie. Found a Patio Party going on! Below you will find the gang from THE BULL STOP enjoying a night out. Best wishes to this happy couple! I was so happy to be a part of your BIG DAY! Much love and kisses, ALWAYS!!!! To view more images from this fabulous wedding, CLICK HERE.

the one where Seneca + Ky rehearse

Seneca + Ky are getting married! Last night was the rehearsal and despite the wind, it was fun. I expect everything about this weekend will be fun. I'm leaving to meet the bridesmaids in just a bit, but wanted to share a sneak peek for you.

the one where Kelly + Justin get married in the park

Justin and Kelly were married in a park in Birmingham, Michigan on July 4th. And I just blogged the sneak peek TODAY. I know. I know. I'm horrible. I sat on this blog post for 2 full days. 2 FULL DAYS, I tell you. Wondering how to even begin to share this journey? How do I simply share these wedding photographs with you? What's worthy? Just a blog post? Should it be a slideshow? Should I only post ONE, moving image for all to see? (above) I struggled, really. I wanted to keep them wrapped up tight in my heart and mind before posting them for the couple, their family and friends. I wanted to think about it more. I was holding on because I didn't want it to end. I was still wrapped up in the nostalgia of my wedding weekend and hanging out with them and a part of me felt if I didn't ever share them, it wouldn't end. But we both know that's not true. All good things must come to and end.

There is a slideshow, posted here below at the end of all the pretty pictures. OH, how I love still images set to music! But it's like 12 minutes long and I knew that not everyone would want to sit through the slideshow to see all the pretty images. So, I posted a sneak peek on their Wedding Gallery as well. You can CLICK HEREto view those. So, you choose. Slideshow, gallery, blog post or all. Either way, it's done. I've shared. And that's all I can do.

I've been photographing the Coffey Family Weddings for quite a while. It started with Mya + Chase, then Tyler + Simon and now Kelly+ Justin. He's the last of the siblings to marry and he actually brought Kelly as his date to Tyler + Simon's wedding. So much fun thinking of all the connections. And so much fun seeing all the familiar faces through my camera lens again. Needless to say, they are like old friends you have forever and see every once in a while. But then you realize, this is the last wedding. There are no more siblings. Somewhere deep inside, it kind of hurts. It's goodbye.

So, I leave you with these images to tell the story of their fabulous day! It truly was fabulous. They were married in the park in town just a short walk from the home they bought together and completely remodeled. Home and Garden TV should be calling them soon. I'm not even kidding. And the reception? The food? The dancing? All of it, really, but especially the speeches, the hugs, the celebrating and the love. Just so much love!

Enjoy the sneak peek and HELLO! Anyone getting married in Michigan soon? I'm thinking I don't like goodbyes.

Love does,

Kristin

the one where I celebrate the 4th of July in Michigan

I'm in my hotel room in Birmingham, Michigan. I fly home tomorrow so I'm "camping out" in my hotel room working and watching bad TV. The perfect way to spend a lazy day. I wanted th share a sweet moment from last night's wedding. This is Kelly + Justin and they just got married! No fireworks to photograph, but plenty of sparklers and fun! If you follow me on instagram, you can view another sweet moment.

Of course, a big sneak peek will follow next week.

the one with a wedding at Walnut Tree, Dylan and Paige got married!

I almost fell asleep driving home from Paige and Dylan's BIG FABULOUS Walnut Tree Wedding. Almost. And no, before you "go there", I was not drinking. I always tease at weddings when offered a drink, "you do want your photos to be in focus, right? Only so many can be "artsy fartsy blurry". " I was tired from all the celebrating! You see, Paige and Dylan are HS sweethearts. And they are both nice, sweet, fun-as-hell people. And their folks are as well. So, you add all those good folks into one bunch, invite all their friends, and well, you see, that's a lot of celebrating going on right there! Me included. I first started my day with Paige and her mom at Lindsay's Day Spa. Hair to be done. Things to pick up. Talk to be discussed. It was a good morning. We then made a quick stop at her house to pick up some merry maids and we made the drive to Olton. Walnut Tree Wedding is a super place to get married! Especially is you like pretty gardens and outdoor type of feel. There is some indoor space, but it is rustic. So, ballgown, black tie affairs, nope. Good celebrating, elegant affairs? YEP. Paige is a complete delight to be around. She's shaped like a little china doll with her curves and coloring in all the right places. Throw in an enormous ball of energy and you've got Paige. She's then wrapped up in sugar sweetness you just can't keep from. Her wedding day she was in true forum. Jumping, squealing, laughing, crying. All of it and all of it absolutely precious. So much laughter in that bride's room. And yes, a few tears. But when you choose your very best friends to be your maids, they take care of you.Hello, pretty dress. And pretty day! Look closely. See the pair of mosquitos high tailing it through the ceremony site? I sprayed repellant several times that day. SEVERAL. Gorgeous! Oh, how I could photograph this bunch all day! Nothing dull about them, not one bit! Paige got to see the reception site before she got into her gown. It gets so intensely busy and crazy that day, that many times, brides do not get to see "everything put together". Here is it! And here's her reaction. Well done, Walnut Tree. Well done! She squealed!!Little people arrived to visit with the bride. Cute little people I might add. Not those green skinned ones from the Wizard of Oz. Nope. These littles were covered in sugar just like Paige.Hello, pretty shoes with pretty feet.Hello, funny moments with your favorite peeps.And hello pretty maids! If you ever need the following:

• eyelashes
• mac makeup
• pretty collarbones
• hair redo's
• meaning prayer
• borrowed earrings
• commando talk
• impromptu dancing
• fond memories

these are your girls. For sure. I grabbed these quick, relaxed family portraits in the "hen house". It's where folks got ready. It worked great to have different looks and lighting situations for "camera aware portraits". Paige and Dylan opted to not see each other before the big day. She missed him terribly, but it worked for them. It worked for me. Communication folks. That's all you need.Hello, cute groom. I wish I could offer you a bullet list of these fine gentlemen that stood up with Dylan on his big day. Alas, I'm sworn to secrecy. Sworn. Too many good stories to offer, I'm sure. One involved some gambling in another state, but I'm keeping the conversation to celebratory details today. I will say these studs photograph very nicely. And they can dance. Good traits to have in groomsmen. Paige and Dylan were married by a priest from their parish, Holy Spirit. Dang. Can't remember his name, but I adored his facial expressions and he's got a pretty good homily as well.Fun moment. Alexandra below? She's a fabulous photographer. And we've both taken the shot of the bride and groom with the door in between. As folks were coming in to visit and see the bride, she was smushed into the corner. She's my "door+ bride+groom" shot of this wedding. LOVE!And the sweetest little girls posed for me. We bribed them with grapes and cheese. It works.Walnut Tree Weddings does all the floras as well. And they are good. How pretty is the bride's bouquet? HELLO! Wedding time! I love getting grab shots of guests arriving. So much fun! And it looks like a full house folks.It was a great day. Lots of reasons to celebrate!My one artsy fartsy blurry shot. No drinking was included withe this shot below. Just saying'.These are the fine folks that work with Paige and helped me learn how to NOT freak when putting in my contacts. Reber Riley Vision Center in Lubbock. One of these days I will fill you in on my "eyesight" since cancer. Fun stuff for sure. Especially since I'm horrible with medical stuff. A big wuss. COMPLETELY. So, sticking a finger in my eye with a piece of plastic to make me see better? Not my cup of tea. But necessary all the same. Thank you, nice folks that work with Paige. Thank you.And high school friends that saw and guided you through quirky adolescence. and helped you with hair, fashion, beauty, and boys. Through thick or thin, high school peeps knew you when. Keep them close and you will go far in life. You have to. They can black mail you with all the "secrets" if you don't. I love this moment between Gina and Dylan. You blog readers know how I feel about REAL people with REAL moments. I think that's why I love this wedding so much! These peeps aren't afraid to reach out and touch each other and share how they feel. So sweet! Tugs at my heart strings.Here's another REAL one. And another.And another.Next Cooper girl getting married! Hello, Janae + Kyle. Ryan and his mom, cutting a rug. or two. One of my favorite shots of the evening. Paige's mom and dad enjoying a moment together on the dance floor. So sweet!For those of you wanting more, you can view their wedding gallery sneak peek by CLICKING HERE. Also, I put together a slide show for those that are lazy and would like to just "let it roll". It doesn't work on an iPad, but a smart phone that allows flash? Try it. Much love, Kristin

the one where Edie + David get married

I have to be fast and furious. A cute little boy is begging to be photographed. PLUS, it's Father's Day and I think Devin is barbecuing. But I just had to share a few from last night's wedding. SO MUCH FUN! Love does, Kristin