Extended Family Portraits on a Chilly Day | Cedar Hill State Park

When Lindsey contacted me for their annual portraits,  she shared that almost every member of her extended family would all be together for the first time in a looooooong; would I be open to photographing the whole crew....absolutely!!  Emails flew back and forth as schedules were compared to find the best suitable time.  We crossed our fingers hoping the unusually warm weather we’d had in January would continue, and it did….. until a few days before the shoot. 

 

Saturday morning arrived oh so chilly.  There was a little debate on if we should reschedule or not, but one family unit was in town from Hawaii, and who knew when they could make it in again???  So this amazing family loaded up on blankets, kept the heaters running in the cars and pulled together for a shoot filled with much family warmth. 

 

Lindsey & fam, you all are WONDERFUL! Thank you for braving the cold and creating some pretty special photographs.  And you know, if y’all want to do this again sometime in oh say Hawaii….just say the word and I’ll be there….umbrella drink in hand ;)

 

Can we make note of how fabulous everyone looked at 8am on a weekend???  I love the gray brown blue color scheme with accents of blush.

This little lady was actually the first to get photographed, and then was quickly returned to the warmth of a toasty car.  Judging from that smile, she enjoyed her moment with her big brothers.  

I’m so proud of these Hawaiian residents! They were troopers!

This photo right here makes me sniff just a teensy weensy bit. You see, in every shoot for the last few years, there’s a pose similar to this of these two brothers.  It’s sweet to see the maturity from year to year. Chronicling the changes in height, missing teeth, and glasses warms my heart and brings a goofy grin to my face.  

Lindsey and I spoke afterwards of how fleeting life is. You simply never know what will happen tomorrow.  Life is precious, relationships priceless.  It’s a sobering thought to think of the people we love someday not being around.  So while we have the time, it’s worth it to make the effort to document the lives of our people. 

Life is short | Love Fiercely

I started this year ripping and roaring.  Actually I barely paused from the end of last year to the start of this.  Photographing, editing, business planning, teaching, and more....all of it at full speed.

 

Until this week when I was brought to an abrupt stop. 

 

A good man and fellow industry colleague Julian Madison, aka DJ Gumbo, left this earth unexpectedly and far too early. 

I was and still am in a state of shock.  While not extremely close to him, I knew him, enjoyed working events with him, and appreciated his sense of humor and dedication to the job. 

 

It’s a sobering reminder. Life is short, sometimes far shorter than we know.  It’s important to love God, love ourselves, and love others…fiercely.  At the end of the day, that’s all we have.

 

Prayers go out to Julian’s family and friends. 

 

He will be missed.

Charlotte - the Remix | Downtown Dallas Portraits

Why do I do what I do?  Simply put , it’s the people. I enjoy the relationships I get to build with the people I photograph. Documenting their lives over the years and reconnecting at each shoot, leaves me with a smile on my face.

 

And I definitely left smiling after Charlotte’s shoot in Downtown Dallas. 

 

Charlotte and I connected a few years ago, and I got to take some photos of her before she went off to experience some pretty amazing things.  She sought me out again this year, and in between shots we took moments to catch up on all the happenings since we last saw each other.  She looked positively radiant in her purple top and pencil skirt and I was so pleased to be able to photograph this amazing beauty once again!