Dallas-Fort Worth Holiday Portrait Sessions: The Fogle Family

Meet the Fogle Family! These guys are longtime friends. In fact, Mr. Norris and I vacationed with these guys long before their two little ones were a part of the picture. We met Cassie and Zach almost 10 years ago on my first trip to Texas.

After meeting these guys, we all jumped on a plane and headed out on a weeklong adventure in the Panamanian rainforest. Cassie and I kayaked the Canal, Zach and Russ drank at the swim-up bar and we all hiked to the Ya-Ya Waterfall for a dip in the heart of the jungle. That trip was so fun because we all got to get to know one another in such a fun setting. It was a trip full of memories that I will cherish forever and I am so glad that all these years later, we all get to still hang out!

Cassie reached out not too long ago about booking a Family Portrait Session at their home and I was happy to oblige. I love in-home sessions because everyone is so relaxed and natural in their own setting. The bonus is that the Fogle Family Home is so awesome. These guys are adventurers and their two little ones (Falin and Finley) have a plethora of  fun stuff to do right in their own backyard.

We started out in the front yard. Cassie and Zack had built some pretty amazing Christmas decorations including a huge tree and a bunch of candy canes that would be perfect for a Christmas Card photo. Mom and Finley even busted out a little “watch me Whip, Watch me Ney-Ney” moves.

The kids were adamant that every member of the family should be in the shoot so as their cat, Boomerang and their pup, Leiney, made their way over to us, we made sure to snuggle them both for a few photos. I love that the kids wanted to take so many photos with their pets. Falin said to me at one point, “Can you please take a picture of me and my dog? Doesn’t he look so cute right now?” And yes, he did.

AND I TOTALLY FORGOT…They have CHICKENS! So, of course, we had to include them in the shoot. Popcorn made his way over and once the kids had chased them down, it was time to love on these hens for a little bit. Finley had me cracking up. She even threw the chicken at me at one point but no joke, it’s my favorite photo of the bunch!

Once I had grabbed enough photos of just the kids, we moved onto Mom and Dad. Cassie and Zach are so cute it’s crazy.  These smiles are genuine and I love that after all these years, these two still have that magic together. And yes, I may or may not have asked Zach to whisper the ABCs in her ear as seductively as possible.

After these two were done fooling around, the kids and pets all jumped in for a few more family shots around their fire pit in the backyard. We were nearing the end of the kids’ patience so we had to hurry but I just love the way these turned out. Zach and Cassie built an enormous pergola with swings all the way around their fire pit and it played the perfect backdrop to end our session.

As usual, I had a blast with these guys! I always look forward to spending a little time with them and I really look forward to watching this family grow in love! Keep a lookout for another feature because Mom, Cassie, and I did a little side project after their shoot and I cannot wait to tell you a little but more about Cassie and what she’s been up to these days!

DECEMBER ONLY SPECIAL: $100 Portrait Session Gift Certificates that you can use in 2018 towards a 30 minute session, print release and online gallery with downloadable PIN and a Blog Spotlight for sharing with Friends and Family! Email Angelina at therustienailhead@gmail.com to inquire purchasing and packages!

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Pennsylvania Holiday Mini Sessions: Ricky, Hanna & Grandpa

Ya’ll!!!!! Meet Hanna! This is my beautiful ginger haired baby cousin! I have been wanting to photograph this little lady for the longest time and we finally made it happen when I was last visiting back home in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania.

Back story, real quick. Hanna is my 2nd cousin. Her dad, Ricky, is my first cousin and his Dad, my Uncle Rick, is also my Godfather so I think it’s fair to say that my heart just exploded when I got the chance to look through these images. For as long as I can remember, my whole family has been telling me that Hanna is my mini-me. See, when I was a little lass, this girl and I could have been twins. Yep, I had that red hair, those big blue eyes and the same wild and crazy personality!

We met at Twin Lakes Park in Greensburg, Pennsylvania for a huge gathering of family photos but more on all that goodness later. Hanna and her Dad followed me down to the lake for a few quick shots of just them together. These are my favorite images because they look so natural and relaxed. Ricky is even giving her “the claw” in one of the photos. If you don’t know what the “claw” is, trust me, you don’t want to.

Soon after, the oldest and wisest of the Greece clan (9 kids in all) made his way down for a few photos with his son and granddaughter. My Uncle Rick was a surprise that day and man am I glad he came! I hadn’t seen him in so long and it was so good to see him and chat him up. He’s the same, smart and kind, just a little more gray than the last time I saw him. It really isn’t fair. All the men in this family just get more handsome with time.

I remember being a kid and looking through boxes of old photos that all those before me had taken. I loved it. I still do and it’s such a neat idea to think that Hanna and my sisters and all the younger cousins will get a chance to look through these one day and talk about how we all met at the park for photos and then we all went out to dinner at The Red Brick for pizza and then we laughed until we cried. That’s what I love most about this shoot, that I got to share it with so many of the people I love, especially these 3 looney tunes.

I had the best time catching up with my family during this shoot. I always tell everyone that it is so hard to see all of them when we come back to visit but man am I thankful that I have a family who will rearrange all their schedules in an instant just to have one afternoon being together. This family is wild and crazy, that’s for sure, but they are a group of people who love fiercely and uplift one another always and I am so thankful to be a part of it! Love you guys!

For more information on when and where The Rustie Nail will be heading to in 2018, follow along on Instagram @therustienail. We’ll be back in PA, Canada and up next, Arizona so keep an eye out for travel updates!