Fall Mini Sessions: Pretty Pretty Princesses

These crazy girls are no stranger to the Blog. They were featured a few weeks back when their Mommas chose to set up Pida’s Fall Minis and Brit’s Mommy+Me Session on the same night. See, these gals are best friends forevaaaaa and wanted to get their pictures taken together! Both moms admitted to me at one point that most of the time, these 3 are inseparable.

I literally love hanging out with these little princesses. They are stylish and love to take direction and improvise on that direction. They love to pose and they get such a kick out of my fart jokes. Every time I have had the chance to photograph them, these girls act like it is their favorite day of the year. I’m serious. I feel like I am celeb status when they are around. They wanna know what color I painted my nails, how the camera works, who braided my hair and where did I get those shoes! To say they crack me up is an understatement. These spirited little ladies have taught me a lot about whose trust you need to gain at photo shoots.

I swear, if I didn’t have little sisters I would have no clue how to talk with these mile-a-minute princessas. But, I am blessed with little sisters who taught me that you’ve got to pay attention to what they are saying and to remember what they say. Kids will test you. Don’t doubt it. They love to make sure that you were listening and you can believe, I am. I have come to learn that kids really do want to talk when you find out what fills their days. I always make an effort to just play with the kids or talk to them about school or their bikes whenever I first start a shoot. I need these little guys to be comfortable with me. And when they are, that’s when the magic happens. They’ll actually look at the camera, on purpose…I know, unbelievable. They will twirl on command or whisper that secret in Mommy’s ear. I try to show each and every client that hearing them is one thing but actually listening to them envokes a whole different style to the photos. I hope I can pass that along to the littles that grace this portfolio. I want each and every one of these kiddos to walk away from our shoot feeling like they are extra special.

Combining Mini Sessions just might be one of my favorite concepts for achieving this feel. Every time I have had the pleasure of shooting 2 friends or 2 family members in a combined session, I have gotten genuine smiles, endearing gestures and a lot of laughs. There is something so neat about seeing how the two parties interact with one other. I can only describe it as watching an inside joke unfold and not being a part of it. This factor alone is the key element in making these sessions work. As  I’ve developed this skill, I have found that my work keeps evolving. I will always try to get the families their “everybody looking at the camera” shot but I have found that the ones they love the most are almost always the candids. The natural smiles and the knee-slapping laughs are what makes a portrait stand out from the rest. I was thankful that these 3 girls have no problem telling secrets and playing hide and go seek with me in the woods. It is a quality that keeps me on my toes and has taught me to anticipate the crazy shenanigans.

So whaddya think guys? Any sisters, brothers, cousins, best friends in the mood to shoot an off the wall session? I’m thinking we head to the State Fair and chow down on fried food or we can head to the playground and let the kids run wild while Mom & Dad have a picnic? If you’ve got a vision like mine, one that pushes the traditional envelope, shoot it my way. I’d love to see what you have in mind! therustienailhead@gmail.com.

Pennsylvania Holiday Travel Dates are November 22, 23, 25 and 26! Book your Session in the Laurel Highlands today! Email therustienailhead@gmail.com for information on how to book your custom holiday shoot.

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Lainey’s Newborn Session

The Pierce Family is making another appearance on the Blog! Over the summer, I had the opportunity to meet with them at White Rock Lake and capture a few photos of them while they were still a family of 3. Though 8 months pregnant with their second child, Lori waddled around the Filter Building with her 2 favorite guys! We made sure to capture both Mark & Lori with their little guy, Xander, and we managed to get a ton of Lori’s adorable bump! To check out our day in Dallas shoot, head here. This session would be totally different! In the months since our first shoot, the Pierce Family has welcomed a baby girl, Lainey Ruth Pierce! Since I was itching to see this tiny princess, my husband and I made our way down to Austin over Labor Day Weekend to catch up with our favorite blonde headed little boy and his baby sister.

After stopping in Hico, Texas at the Koffee Kup Kafe for a few slices of pie, Russ and I meandered our way into the Live Music Capital of the World. We took our time getting through the hill country before arriving at the Pierce Family Home. First thing on our list of to-dos, give their bundle of joy as many hugs and kisses as possible and man oh man, is she a beauty or what? I was kind of glad that we had waited until she was 3 weeks old to do the shoot because I love seeing how active and alert newborns can be at that age. Lainey just kept looking up at me with those big blue eyes and giving me the sweetest smiles! Words seriously cannot describe how much I love snuggling this little bug! She looks so much like her big brother and you can tell that Mark & Lori are just smitten every time they glance her way.

Xander, though preoccupied with books and toys and dogs, is so in love with his baby sister. He was proudly showing her to me and kept giving her kisses on the cheek! We started the shoot indoors, keeping it fun and fresh while Xander played in his room. We read books and sang “pop-goes-the-weasel” and once Mommy was done feeding baby, we worked our way into Lainey’s adorable nursery. After raiding her closet, Lori explained that so many of the outfits were actually her own. Even the dress that she had brought her home in had been the dress Lori herself wore home from the hospital. I loved this little tidbit and thought how sweet of Lori’s mom to hold onto all those dresses for her! After we played dress-up with my new favorite cousin, we decided to head to the park next to their house for their Family Portrait. The cacti and bright yellow lantana were the perfect backdrop for this newly-branded Family of Four.

Though this shoot was supposed to be all about Lainey, I was excited to capture this special time for them as a whole family. Both Mom & Dad are always so kind to trust my vision and I am so happy that they get to see what we all see when we look their way. Mark and Lori are 2 people who fell in love and continue to do so everyday when they look at their children. They are 2 people who put trust in God’s plan and choose everyday to roll with the punches. Little to no sleep + a rambuncious two year old wildchild + a hungry newborn can make for some pretty crazy days but I am happy to say that these guys are thriving on the chaos. Lori actually said to me at one point, “Watching people go ga-ga over your kids is a whole other kind of joy.” As you can tell, we’re all a little “ga-ga” over these precious babes and I am so glad that they trusted me to capture these first moments with their bundle of joy.

Do you know someone who is expecting or wanting to make that Baby Announcement, send them our way. For more information on how to book your unique Maternity or Newborn Session, shoot me an email at therustienailhead@gmail.com or just give me a call 724 216 8185. We have multiple packages and prices including our Milestone Sessions, a series of photo shoots that captures Baby’s First Year! Currently shooting in Dallas-Fort Worth and the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania but we have lots of travel dates set up for the rest of 2016 and 2017. I cannot wait to fill you all on in where we are heading to next! It’s a doozie! Where would you like to see The Rustie Nail travel to next?

Fall Mini Session: Pida, Zoee & Paizlee

A few weeks back, Pida and her 2 little beauties, Paizlee and Zoee, met me in Keller for their Fall Mini Session. We have had these sweet girls in so many photo shoots now and man were we excited to have them back in front of the lens. Our first shoot with these little princesses was our Easter Minis back in 2015 and then again last Christmas for a few holiday photos! I really do love these little girls. I’ve gotten to know them over the last few years and I am so happy that they are comfortable with me. Every time we meet up, they always come running to me, wanting to fill me in on the little girl drama in the neighborhood. They wanna show me their pretty braids or which color they chose for their nails. They are just so fun to hang out with. I feel VIP when I am around them.

Their mother is a stylist, fashionista and sweetheart who I am so thankful to call my friend. One day, I swear,  I’m going to put her in charge of my own wardrobe. Her little girls always show up dressed to impress, just like their gorgeous Mama and this would be no exception. The ladies arrived at the first shoot location in white and pink dresses coordinated with matching twirly bows. They immediately began adorably dancing around the park! I knew that we wanted to snag a few pictures of the girls in the creek bed but we were chasing that sunset. After a few minutes of scaling a hillside and telling secrets, we decided that it was best to head on over to the 2nd shoot location, a secret sunflower field near by.

After a short talk with the girls about the kinds of creatures that they should expect to see in the field, we trucked our way into the heart of the field for those magical sunset photos. The girls had brought letters (P for Paiz, Z for Zoee) and decorated them so we made sure to include them in the shots. After a few minutes, the girls seemed to become a bit skittish about the field we were in. I assumed it was because I freaked them out with the “critter ” talk. Their momma, Pida, assured me that they were fine just being a little dramatic.

Much to our surprise, we were both wrong. These brave little ladies were being attacked by fire ants and chiggers! And now, so were we. It was awful!! We ran screaming and crying from the field. We grabbed some ice and rubbed it on our legs while we all cried on the sidewalk. When the burning didn’t stop, we headed back to my house. We immediately threw them in the tub to scrub them down. After changing into Ranger shirts and rubbing Benadryl cream all over their little legs, we propped them up on the couch next to my hubby, who kindly explained to them that you use clear nail polish to kill chiggers. lol While he watched the Ranger game, Zoee and Paizlee ate pretzels, drank ginger ale and watched videos on the Ipad until the itching stopped and they both fell asleep. We were all finally at peace.

It was a mess and it hurt…bad but overall, we got some really amazing photos of these girls and I got to spend a little extra quality time with some of my all time favorite friends here in Texas. Despite the disastrous end to our shoot, we managed to snag some really magical photos of these gorgeous ladies. I am thankful for their patience , their trust and as promised, we will NEVER EVER EVER do another photoshoot in the sunflower fields!

 

Fall Mini Session Information

We are currently booking Fall Family Mini Sessions. You choose the location (within DFW), you choose the style and I provide 1 hour of shoot time, 10-15 digital images delivered in an online gallery and a Blog Spotlight for sharing! These make for great Christmas Card photos! The cost is $150 during the months of September and October. if you’re interested in setting up a timeslot just shoot me an email. If not, no worries, just pass this info along to anyone who you think might be interested. I appreciate your time and hope we get the chance to work together soon! Consider following along on Instagram @therustienail or give us a LIKE on our Facebook Page!

Thanks a million,

Angelina Norris

The Rustie Nail Creative Studio

Creative Director & Portrait Photographer

therustienailhead@gmail.com

http://www.therustienail.wordpress.com

724. 216 8185

 

 

Jackson’s Newborn Session

Meet Jackson! The Moreno Family reached out shortly after bringing their baby boy into the world and asked if we might help them capture these first few moments as a family of 4. I’m not gonna lie, Newborn Sessions just might be my favorite kind of shoot. I love snuggling the little ones and capturing those first sweet moments with baby.

I had the pleasure of meeting this family a little over a year ago when I shot their daughter Paton’s First Birthday Shoot . Mom, Dad and I spent a whole morning chasing their little princess all over Bear Creek Park. Paton donned a pink tutu for her “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” themed shoot! And again, in the fall, the Moranos joined us for our Fall Mini Sessions. P kept us on our toes as she danced her way around the ranch in her kitty costume, complete with another tutu, green this time around! It’s no secret that the Mama Bear of this group is a fashionista! Everytime I see Paton, she is dressed in some adorable outfit and matching bow. I was sure that this go around would be no different. Jamie and Christian donned their little ones in Sailor outfits. The navy blue and white were the perfect contrast to their contemporary style!

After timing out feedings and naptime between kiddos, Jamie and I agreed to do a morning shoot! This would be my first time doing a newborn shoot at the client’s home and I was so excited for the chance to meet this little guy. I arrived at the Moranos to find that, like their kids, Jamie and Christian have created a beautiful space to call home. I was blown away by how they had styled their home, specifically Paton’s Fairytale bedroom and Jackson’s adorable nursery! There is something so fresh about doing a photoshoot at home. I was so humbled to be invited into their house and I could tell that they were comfortable with me roaming from room to room for good light.

Jackson is the sweetest. He is tiny with long toes and a mischievous smile when you tickle his chin.  Jackson is quiet and very snuggly. You’ll notice in all of the portraits that Jackson goes out of his way to put a hand on his mama. You could tell that he was soothed by her touch. I took turns with each parent, seeing that we had individual shots of Mom with baby and Dad with his little man. Time management was essential seeing that Paton was not very interested in having her picture taken. So while we shot photos of Mommy and Jackson, Daddy watched Frozen with P, and vise versa. It was a pretty clutch system and we ended up snagging a few of Paton reading in her bedroom and coloring on the sidewalk outside. It is crazy to see how big she has gotten over the last few months. She loves her books, Olaf and pretty much, all things pink unless you are talking about her baby brother! She loves to kiss on him and reminds everyone to “shhhh” when baby Jackson is sleeping.

What a great day with such an immensely blessed family. Congrats guys! Sending lots of love and prayers for loads of sleep your way! Thank you Jamie and Christian for inviting me into your home to capture this special time and I hope we get the chance to meet again soon! 🙂

If you are interested in booking your Newborn Session or a Family Portrait Session, shoot us an inquiry at therustienailhead@gmail.com and we’ll chat about how to set up a booking! I hope we get the chance to work together soon!