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Archive for the ‘Colleagues’ Category

A New Addition

Posted in 2013, Absurdly Adorable, Baby, Clientele, Colleagues, Family, Her Side Project, Maternity, Portraits, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 10, 2013 | 1 Comment »

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The moment I heard the news I thought, “Oh, how perfect.”

You see, my colleague Laura and her husband Michael are going to be the best parents. These two exude happiness and joy! They’re expecting their first child and this baby is already so loved!

I had the best time with L&M in downtown Austin as the sun was setting on the city. We got to photograph some areas I’d eagerly scouted out, and each place helped capture part of their personalities and relationship.

So looking forward to meeting Michael Jr. this summer. Until then, we will all have fun anticipating his arrival. :)

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Memories Made in the Texas Hill Country

Posted in 2012, Clientele, Colleagues, Current Work, Family, Her Side Project, Kids, Personal, Scenery, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 7, 2012 | 5 Comments »

After making my way down several winding country roads, I arrived at a lovely home tucked away in the Texas Hill Country. I’d been planning this photo shoot for weeks, and I was excited. Excited to capture a beautiful family on this gorgeous piece of land, and excited to see my dear friend Melissa.

Melissa and I met in 2007 as interns at the same company. We worked together on various projects until a few years ago, when she moved to Chicago with her husband to pursue new life adventures. I miss having Melissa close by, but we do a good job of keeping in touch via social networking and email. Melissa is amazing graphic designer, and the brains behind Her Side Project’s logo and Twitter background. She is such a talent and sweet soul – I’m thankful to know her!

For the 4th of July, her family rendezvoused in Wimberly, TX. As the sun set on a hot summer day, we took pictures around the property. Melissa’s nephews were so stinkin’ cute and a joy to be around. As I edited this shoot, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Just looking at these pictures reminds me how loving this family is, and how much positive energy they bring to those around them.

It was really fun to see the different generations and family units interact as a big group. Melissa’s parents were present, as well as her husband, her sister’s husband and their two children, her grandmother and her stunning youngest sister (I can’t get over how beautiful these women are!). It’s sweet to see how families grow over the years. :)

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Mist Can’t Hold Us Down

Posted in 2011, Absurdly Adorable, Baby, Clientele, Colleagues, Family, Holiday, tagged , , , , , , on January 31, 2012 | 1 Comment »

I don’t know about you, but the first month of 2012 was SO BUSY. Between getting back in the swing of things at the office, having a full agenda almost every weekend, and somehow acquiring strep throat (yuck), I haven’t had a moment to take a deep breath, much less write a decent blog entry.

All excuses aside, I’m finally sharing the results of a sweet family photo shoot I captured in December. Melody, one of my colleagues, asked me to photograph her, her husband, and their brand new baby boy for Christmas cards. From the moment I found out Melody was pregnant (through Facebook of course), I could not WAIT for her to have the baby. Melody is incredibly smart, beautiful, funny, successful and nice — and I just knew any child of hers would share the same qualities. Needless to say I was thrilled to document their first holiday season as a family of three.

Guys, I knew he’d be cute, but I didn’t expect the chubby cheeks, dark, inquisitive eyes, and keen observation skills as he carefully takes in the big world before him. I am just in awe of this little guy!

The day of our photo shoot had less-than-ideal conditions, but we made it work. It was a stormy weekend, with overcast grey skies and off and on showers. We noted the forecast and bravely stepped outside in the mist anyway. After strolling through their neighborhood, taking in the holiday decorations, passing families out and about enjoying their Saturday morning, and enjoying the quiet, sleepy streets (the best kind of qualities a street can have on a Saturday morning), we wrapped the shoot with lots of great images, and memories for a lifetime.

Melody, thank you again for the privilege of documenting your family’s first holiday season. Maybe next time, we’ll get a few more smiles out of him! :)

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Gerber Baby

Posted in Absurdly Adorable, Baby, Clientele, Colleagues, Family, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 21, 2011 | 5 Comments »

That’s really the only way I can begin to describe Blakely, quite possibly the most gorgeous, happy baby I’ve ever been around. Her striking eyes, big smile and curious disposition make her as picturesque as the iconic Gerber baby.

I’m so glad her mom, my colleague Janey, asked me to document this stage of their lives. Not only did it give me the opportunity to get to know Janey and her husband (Walker) a little bit better, but this was their first official family photo shoot! I was (and still am!) so honored to help create and preserve memories for these first time parents and baby Blakely.

Without a doubt, this girl has two wonderful parents who love her very, very much. Can you blame them? Just look at this little face!

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Sunset Field

Posted in Absurdly Adorable, Baby, Clientele, Colleagues, Scenery, tagged , , , , , , on May 20, 2011 | 10 Comments »

For months I’ve had a very clear vision for a photo shoot on my mind. A big open field with wildflowers. A pretty baby with big blue eyes. At sunset. I was determined to turn my vision into reality.

Luckily, my friend and co-worker, Sarah, has a nine month old little girl who was perfect for the concept.

I’ve taken pictures of Sarah’s family many times, but haven’t since Kayla was only a tiny three months old. After seeing how much Kayla has grown (via Facebook), I knew I wanted to do another shoot with her ASAP. After telling Sarah about my vision, she graciously let me borrow her little one. We scheduled a date and I set out to find the perfect location.

Easier said than done. After many weeks of patiently waiting for wildflowers to pop up (and practically driving to Marble Falls and back to find a spot that apparently doesn’t exist) I finally found what I was looking for. Looking at these pictures, you might think we were out in the middle of nowhere. In all actuality, we were very close to one of the busiest streets in town: South Congress. So close to home and everything… funny how that happens.

As the sun set a glorious glow took over the fields and I got exactly what I was hoping to capture.

Sarah was very prepared, dressing Kayla in her Easter Sunday best, bringing toys and blankets and a little stool to perch her on. A cute idea in theory, it didn’t really work in practice because after about 10 seconds she toppled over and landed in the soft grass (she wasn’t hurt). It might sound funny to say, but I’m glad it happened. Otherwise some of my favorite pictures from the shoot wouldn’t exist!

The weekend is upon us! Go make something beautiful happen. The possibilities are endless. :)

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Good for the Soul

Posted in Animals, Businesses You Should Know About, Colleagues, Current Work, Documented Events, Family, Katie Was Here, Personal, Scenery, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 30, 2011 | 14 Comments »

There’s something special about spending time in the Texas Hill Country. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a city girl through and through, but nothing compares to the moment I’m in a wide open space, breathing fresh air and basking in the quiet. My troubles miraculously disappear and I can simply live.

Sometimes I don’t realize when I need a break. That said, at the beginning of the month of March, I was absolutely aware I needed one. Between the rush of the city, a busy travel schedule and a series of commitments (both professional and personal), I wanted to get away – if only for a day. Before I could begin brainstorming ways to get to the hill country, my cousin Audrey invited me to accompany her to our friend Hendrika’s ranch. Two hours outside of Austin, and just seven miles from the town of Llano, H’s family homestead awaited.

We hit the road early Saturday morning, coffee in hand, blasting old favorite songs and feeling the cool, crisp air as the windows were rolled down. Part of me didn’t want the road trip to end, but as soon as we got closer to the ranch, I began to get really excited.

I mean, this is a real ranch, y’all. With horses and funny donkeys and goats and dogs and miles and miles of acreage and it was wonderful. I explored various aspects of the land with Audrey and Hendrika, stopping to take pictures of the animals, the scenery and anything else that peaked my interest.

For hours we didn’t have a care in the world as we drove around the property, listened to country music, fed goats/horses and explored a cave.

I even did a little target practice. Yes, me, who shot a shotgun once in 1999 and haven’t tried it since, handled a pistol and a revolver like a champ. I didn’t like the revolver, it was too difficult to shoot, but I loved the pistol. Hendrika’s stepfather even told me I was a good shot. I honestly believe it’s because I’m so used to aiming with my camera (which sounds kind of funny, but there’s really no other reason for me to be good at it!) PLEASE NOTE we were only shooting targets, not actual animals! I would never, people, never!

But she might… ;)

Ten thousand pictures, seven hours and one sunburned Katie later, it was time to head home. Audrey and I reluctantly loaded up her city Volvo (a big difference after spending the day in Hendrika’s truck!) and hit the road back to Austin. We made a quick detour at Cooper’s – so, so good – but before we knew it we were back in the city limits, good memories intact.

A day in the hill country was exactly what I needed, especially with good friends like Audrey and Hendrika. H – thank you so much for having me and giving me a glimpse into the life you knew growing up. It is wonderful and I sincerely hope to come back one day.

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Love & Appreciation

Posted in Businesses You Should Know About, Colleagues, Family, Her Side Project, Personal, Scenery, Stuff To Think About, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 14, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

In 2007, I moved to Fort Worth, TX. For the first eight months I worked for the weekends, when I’d jump in my 300ZX and race down I-35, (safely) two and a half hours away from my destination: friends, family and places in Austin, TX.

My spirits lifted each time I came home. I didn’t have to be doing anything special, I was just happy to be surrounded by nature, music and of course, familiar faces.

I eventually grew to love Fort Worth, made tons of friends that I will always cherish, and fostered a sincere appreciation for Billy Bob’s Texas. You really can’t find anything like it anywhere else. The following two years were spent learning to love the community I was a part of, and visiting home just occasionally, instead of all the time.

In November 2009, a welcome job change came my way. I was suddenly faced with a decision: choose to stay in DFW, or move back to Austin.

It alarmed me how undecided I was. In many ways I had grown to be a new person in North Texas, had many friends I did not want to leave and several aspects of both Dallas and Fort Worth left to explore. Would a triumphant return to Austin be everything I thought it would be and more? Was it a fantasy in my mind that would quickly evaporate as soon as responsibilities set in? Even worse still, would the photography business I’d successful built in DFW come to a screeching halt in a creative, competitive city like Austin where everywhere you turn there is another photographer? Torn, I really didn’t know what to do.

After spending time with my colleagues in Austin the choice seemed obvious. I have always made it a priority to surround myself with successful people, and these folks embodied everything I wanted to be and more. I was eager to learn from my managers and colleagues and knew the best place to foster this growth was right smack dab in the middle of the Live Music Capital of the World.

That was a little over a year ago. Moving back to Austin was the right decision. This Valentine’s Day, with messages of love, appreciation and friendship swirling around us, I stopped to think about what I care about the most. There’s so much, but here’s a small snapshot:

  1. The city for which I have unrequited love
  2. My wonderful roommates
  3. Anne’s cat, and my fourth roommate, Potamus
  4. A challenging, thrilling career
  5. My close relationship with my family
  6. My neighborhood
  7. The ability and privilege to photograph happy, beautiful people
  8. Live music, especially Alpha Rev
  9. You! My wonderful readers who I appreciate so very much

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends. If you haven’t yet found what or the place that makes you tick, I encourage you to relentlessly pursue it until it is yours.

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Puppy Love

Posted in Absurdly Adorable, Colleagues, Current Work, Family, Pet Photography, tagged , , , , , on December 31, 2010 | 1 Comment »

World, meet Laura & Michael. Mayyybe one of the cutest couples I’ve ever met – and not just because of their looks (although obviously that’s a large part of it). They’re just the type of people you want to know: kind, genuine and extremely hard-working. In celebration of L&M I must mention that they celebrated their first wedding anniversary in 2010! Congratulations, y’all.

The proud parents to two adorable dogs, they love their puppies more than you can possibly imagine.

Just before the holidays, we ventured out into the cold to take some photos of their young family: two lovebirds, two lucky puppies and a whole lotta love.

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The Proposal

Posted in Bride, Clientele, Colleagues, Current Work, Documented Events, Engagement, Her Side Project, Secret Proposal, tagged , , , , , on December 22, 2010 | 10 Comments »

I am pleased to present to you the story of Nick and Amy. There is only one place for me to start, and that’s at the very beginning.

I met Nick, my officemate, a year ago when I returned to our Austin location. He works in a different department than me, but we see each other occasionally in the hallway. I couldn’t hide my surprise one morning in October when he approached me about a “non work related” question. He explained he was planning to propose to his long-time girlfriend, Amy, on November 20th in Fredericksburg, Texas. He described his planning process from the past six months: picking the perfect venue (Becker Vineyards), preparing the menu for a picnic under a big oak tree on the property and collecting photographs to create a scrapbook of their entire relationship. The best part of the book? The very last page featured a photo of Amy’s best friends, taken at the vineyard, holding a sign that said “Say Yes!”

Amy’s birthday was the week of Thanksgiving, so this special trip to the heart of Texas wine country was disguised as her birthday celebration (with the scrapbook as her surprise present). Little did Amy know, the trip was to be so much more than that.

As if this story didn’t already have my attention, Nick hit me with the following:

“I’m not sure if you do this kind of photography but would you be interested in secretly taking pictures of the proposal from afar?”

I almost fainted from excitement. Would I? I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do! Completely blown away and honored that Nick would include me in this major life milestone, we began plotting the day.

Considering that it might seem strange for me to be by myself, taking pictures of Nick and Amy/weirding them out, I commissioned my friend Anne to go with me. Anne would be my “model” for our pseudo photo shoot at the vineyard. That way, I could pretend to take pictures of Anne, while really focusing beyond her on the happy couple.

Here’s how we mapped out the day:

  1. Anne and I planned to arrive at Becker shortly before noon, scope out the property and wait for Nick and Amy to arrive.
  2. About 30 minutes later, I would wait for Nick to send me a text message letting me know they’d arrived.
  3. I’d stalk them and take pictures while waiting for the present to be opened after they ate lunch.
  4. As soon as the present made an appearance, I’d photograph the entire proposal from start to finish.

In addition to all of these steps, I was also responsible for calling Nick’s best friend, Sam, to let him know when he and a group of their closest friends should arrive to celebrate after the proposal. Amy thought the trip was just going to be with Nick, so she was sure to be very surprised!

November 20th arrived and Anne and I roadtripped to Fredericksburg. We approached beautiful Becker Vineyards and the weather was just perfect.

It wasn’t very long before the VIP arrived too. In that moment, I morphed into a member of the paparazzi.

The Arrival

Unsuspecting Amy, Nervous Nick

Approaching the Picnic Site (Nick didn't even put that sign there!)

I spent a lot of time hiding behind a fence. This is what I saw.

For the next several minutes, we waited. When I grew tired of taking the same photo over and over, we grabbed some great ones of my wonderful assistant, Anne.

But although it felt like we had ample time to waste, it quickly evaporated as the gift appeared and it was business time.

Opening the Gift

The shutter rapidly clicked as I took frame after frame after frame. All of a sudden, thanks to my zoom lens, I could see the ring box in Nick’s left hand. The book was coming to an end, and the big moment was about to happen. Before I knew it, he was on one knee, Amy had her face in her hands and I was crying. That’s right – tears were streaming down my face while simultaneously taking pictures. That was a unique experience I won’t forget anytime soon.

Immediately after proposing, Nick pointed me out in the distance. Amy couldn’t believe the photographer she had been commenting about during the picnic (“Who is that? That model is pretty. I wonder what they’re taking pictures for?”) was actually there for her and had documented the entire thing. :) Suddenly, a group of their closest friends ran up to the picnic, completely surprising Amy.

Shortly after, Nick waved me over. I threw on my sunglasses and joined the celebration for some up close shots. From there, we launched into a full blown engagement photo shoot session (and did some group pictures too!)

At one point a ladybug landed on Amy's ring!

As we walked around the grounds taking photos, word spread around the vineyard that these two had just gotten engaged. Many people clapped and cheered as we passed by, and when a small band was playing on the porch, everyone looked on as Nick and Amy took a few moments to dance.

After awhile, we settled in the grass under the big oak tree and enjoyed a glass of wine. Amy called her mom, Nick called his dad and everyone relished in the excitement of the day. By this time, I felt as though I was part of their group, good friends with everyone. It doesn’t get much more welcoming than that.

It was the perfect ending to the most perfect day. Nick and Amy: congratulations and thank you again for inviting me to be part of your engagement. I wish you both the very best!

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The Photographer is Photographed

Posted in Colleagues, Her Side Project, Katie Was Here, Personal on December 9, 2010 | 8 Comments »

Do you have portrait pictures of yourself? No?

Hire a photographer and have some taken. Now.

I honestly believe a portrait photo shoot is one of the most self-indulgent, important experiences a person can have. While it can be nerve-wracking, seem pointless or just plain awkward, the pros definitely outweigh the cons:

  1. Capture a particular stage of your life, forever.
  2. Be the center of attention for an hour or two.
  3. Showcase your talents, personality and/or passions.
  4. Share the results with people who love you.
  5. Immortalize your favorite outfits.
  6. Show your future kids what you looked like at their age.
  7. Add a frame and it’s a gift!

To practice what I preach, I took my friend Alan up on his offer to photograph me.

Wait… what? I’m supposed to be the one taking the pictures, not the other way around! After the initial fear subsided and my friends convinced me to do it, we set a photo shoot date.

Truthfully, it was everything I expected it to be in the beginning. I was a little nervous, felt a tad awkward/uncomfortable, and definitely didn’t know where to put my hands. (Now I know what y’all are talking about!) After forcing myself to relax in front of the camera, knowing the best frames are taken once the subject isn’t so on-edge, I actually had a LOT of fun. Alan made me feel instantly comfortable and pretty, and I really believe that came through in the resulting photographs. Take a look and see for yourself. :)

*All photos courtesy of Alan Goss.

This is who I am and this is who I want to remember. Being the subject of a photo shoot required a lot of bravery on my part, but I couldn’t be happier that I did it.

If you also decide this is something you’d like to do, you know who to talk to (me!)

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