Rudner {family}

A beautiful family, whom I enjoy photographing year after year!

best of 2011

2011 was a blessed year! i spent the year learning how to be a mom, and learning how to scale back and balance my photography business…editing will never be the same again with a cute little gal who loves to bang on the keyboard while i attempt to be productive .  below are a few of my favorite images from the year. i’m so thankful to my sweet clients who allowed me to share in their life and love.

don’t miss the slide show at the bottom of the post (there are some crazy awesome photos in that set!) and it took forever to make.

{seriously the cutest baby i’ve ever seen.}

SLIDE SHOW! <——click it

birth photography

over the summer i had the most wonderful opportunity to document two of my good friends home-births. if you know me, you probably know i’m passionate about birth! i gave birth to harper at a birth center almost a year ago and the experience was absolutely life changing.  you can read all about it here .

i honestly don’t think i’ve ever been so moved by photos. not because of my skills, but because i got to document life. the relationship between husband and wife, the amazing endurance that God has blessed women with in order to persevere through labor. it’s amazing!

as a photographer i sat back and watched the story unfold. typically, i have some control over my work. i place a bride and groom just so, i use a cute chair for a portrait with a child. but with this photography there was no interfering. i was challenged to not only document the mother in labor, but to find details that moved the story along. i used the movement of fans to represent time, and photos of clocks to give the viewers perspective as if they were there. i used photos of a tree in color to show what time of day it was. it was so wonderful to view photography in that way. this is why i love home-births. they’re so personal and intimate. i’m truly thankful that my friends, my dear friends allowed me to witness their births.

be sure to check out their slide shows.  there’s just something about photos set to music…

audrey’s slide show

arden’s slide show

here are a few of my favorite shots from audrey and arden’s births

and arden’s

this image above might be one of my favorites of all time.

you can read audrey’s birth story here

and

arden’s birth story here

harper part 2 {9.5 months}

i had so much fun editing miss harper’s photos.  i know how much personality she has, but these photos really captured her!

harper is:

super happy

ticklish

lover of animals (especially dogs)

baby kisser

an explorer (hates sitting still. ever.)

strong

really funny

mama’s girl (the way she wraps her arms around my neck so tight melts my heart.)

a definite extrovert (loves-loves people. large crowds are her fave.)

a fan of the word “duck.” (she says it all day long and it applies to everything (obviously). and she has her own duck-word language.)

most playful with her daddy. (she can’t get enough of him tickling her.)

not a very good shopper (i’m convinced one day this will change. i about have to put on a circus show to get her all the way through grocery shopping. however, to her credit i am quite thorough in my grocery shopping.)

as her proud mama, i can’t wait to see her grow. i learn more and more about her everyday. i pray for her heart, and i pray that God would show me what He’s gifted her in so that I can point her there, and facilitate what He’s trusted her with.  i already know He’s gifted her with a sweet love of people.  i’m so thankful He’s entrusted her to me!

as it turns out, harps is much better at the self timer portraits then her ol’ mom and pops…she looked and smiled on every one. we however, were a hot mess…:)

neihoff {family}

emma {baby}

it’s always a pleasure getting to photograph the sweet roebuck family! meet baby emma…

hazel {baby}

this is sweet hazel, itty bitty tiny hazel! her mama is a talented birth photographer here in DFW, check her out keri duckett photography. also, keri’s mom, ann was my awesome midwife for harper’s birth! :: gentle beginnings birth center ::

i’m sporting a new watermark that i’m quite excited about. much better than the snooze-fest that the last one was.

our harper grace is here!

many of you know that we just welcomed our baby girl, harper grace into the world just five weeks ago! she’s a doll baby and we just can’t get enough of her sweet cheeks . i’ve just received her birth announcements in the mail and once i’m sure most have received them, i’ll post the design here!

it is sooo fun getting to photograph my own baby girl. i was super nervous to photograph her official newborn session because i wasn’t sure how she would do, errrr…maybe more how well i would do! let me tell you, i have a whole new respect and care for my mom clients especially those with a new baby, i had no idea how much effort it takes just to get out of the door with a newborn! shew! of course she did wonderfully and slept the whole way through. however, being mommy and photographer i tuckered out real quick but i love what i was able to capture!

and here she is…our sweet cheeks

i love how small this photo above shows her to be…well, as small as a 9 lb. baby can be

all three of my loves

me and my sweet baby

i dreamed of this photo above. when i was younger i vividly remember taking a photo with my mom, grandma, and great grandma and i’ve always hoped of having the same photo for myself…4 generations!

great grandma’s hands…so special to me.

harper with jim’s dad, jim jr.

with jim’s mom, janey

naaman {1yr}

this has been my 3rd time to photograph sweet naaman…the first was for the ballentine maternity session. so fun to watch him grow!

edwards {anniversary}

i can’t express enough how much i love when couples continue to get their portraits taken long after the wedding events are over…the edwards did just that, and had me photograph them for their “anniversary” shoot!

first we started in their beautiful condo in downtown fort worth…

sweet puppy