Dallas Blooms: Hannah’s Portrait Session at the Arboretum

Hey guys! I am so pumped to share this session with you because this sweet girl is literally one of my favorite people on Earth! Her little hippie heart had a vision of capturing portraits while being completely surrounded by flowers and you could say, she chose the right person for the job, Ya’ll, Meet Hannah!

Hannah is a young girl attending the University of Texas at Arlington for her Engineering degree and I could not be more proud of her. I met Hannah a few years back when she started working at Piccolo Mondo (my other side gig) and we became fast friends. It has been such a joy to see her tackle school and work and play in such a graceful manner.

For awhile now, I have been bugging her to allow me the chance to photograph her portraits. I knew she would be the perfect model and man, was I right or what?

We met for brunch that morning and began a leisurely start to our day. After chowing down on some delicious Breadwinners, we jumped in the car and began the long haul from Keller to the Dallas Arboretum. She wanted flowers and I knew that there is no place better than Dallas Blooms in April.

Hannah had brought a few outfits with her and I was so glad because each complimented different aspects of the surroundings. Her purple top worked wonders in the lilac and wisteria patches. Even the sunglasses she brought were a perfect touch.

As we walked around the park, we took time to enjoy the scenery and had time to choose which setting would provide the best lighting. Hannah was patient and relaxed throughout the shoot and I was thankful for her trust. She listened to direction and when things got a little tough, posing-wise, she would flip her hair or go totally serious on me for a completely different kind of look. The result was simply stunning.

Though playful and wild, this girl gets things done. For real, ya’ll should see her planner. It is insane how much she packs into a week and I admire her for all her hard work. She is giving 150% to her schooling, busting her butt at not 1 but 2 jobs and in her spare time, she hustles for charitable functions in her sorority. Did someone say Rockstar?

This shoot was the perfect opportunity to unwind and have a little fun playing with my camera’s settings. I owe a huge thanks to Hannah for trusting my creative vision and speaking up for what she wanted out of the shoot. She must have said ten times that her Mom was going to cry when she saw this and I won’t lie, I kinda did. But, I am 5 months pregnant and love this girl to pieces so I have a semi-excuse for the tears.

We ended the shoot by circling back around to a tree that Hannah just loved and I am so glad we did. I love this image so much. The tree was dramatic and provided the perfect backdrop for her curls and that pretty red sundress.

Our last stop was the petunia house. I’ve been to the Arboretum for Dallas Blooms before and seen some pretty amazing displays but these houses were seriously so awe-inspiring. I captured a bunch of Hannah in the house and then I let her have the camera so my sweet friend could capture my little baby bump and those images will be some that I will cherish forever. It was a joy and a pleasure hanging with my girl for the day and I hope I get to share more from her in the future. Thanks Hannah! Lots of love to you my friend!

 

Milestone Session: Jessy, Jacey & Kessa

These girls are no strangers to the Blog. In fact, I have been photographing Kessa since shortly after she born! You can check out her adorable Newborn Session here. It’s hard to believe that this little baby is already TWO YEARS OLD! So, today we’re gonna put a little spotlight on one of my littlest loves!

These girls are always so easy because they are down for whatever. We’ve hiked miles into the woods for more than one session and this would be no exception. This time, our friend, Jamie at Lonigro Photography, invited us to a farm in Marguerite, Pennsylvania for a day of smoke bombs, rusty old cars and wheat fields for days! It was a dream come true shoot and you are going to get an inside look at this awesome Two-Parter.

Kessa, was…well, two. She was all over the place and making just the funniest faces throughout the whole shoot. She is such a sweet baby and you can tell that she has her Mama’s adventurous spirit. She really cracks me up.

AND THOSE CURLS!! Her Mama has notorious long locks and it looks like her baby girl is going to take after Jess. Jacey definitely has her Daddy’s hair so I’m pleased as punch to see those baby ringlets sticking around for this little munchkin. She’s like Jess’s mini-me!

One of the greatest joys in my life is to have a front seat to these girls’ growing up. Jacey has taken on being the best big sister possible and it is amazing to see. She loves her baby sister so much and I am still in awe of how big Jace has gotten since the last time I was home. Every time I come back, I make it a point to put in some solid quality time with these girls. I make sure to listen to Jace and all her wild stories about school and Kessa. I don’t want to miss a thing.

If you didn’t know, I got to be one of the first people to meet Jacey. Right after this sweet girl came into the world, I got to shower her with a ton of hugs and happy tears. Heck, my best friend just had her first baby. I was bawling, big, fat sopping wet tears filled with so much love for this little girl. I could not be more proud of the little lady Jace is becoming!

After a quick outfit change, we made our way to the big red barn for a bunch of shots near the silos. Tell me Kessa is not the cutest thing with her little pink hat!

We had been expecting rain all day so Jaime and I had brought along umbrellas. Fortunately for us, it didn’t rain but thank goodness we brought the umbrella because these girls were just too cute carrying them around. Kess could barely hold it up!

Around this time, Kessa was pretty much over the shoot. We had played on the farm for hours. So as Jessy got Kessa ready to go, we took Jacey out for some fun with the smoke bombs. The girls were so excited and it made the shoot so much more fun once we pulled the caps. We were all running around with them giggling at one point. In fact, watching Jessy run through the field had me doubled over. She just looked so dang happy.

It was long day. Hence the photo above. But, it was the best day. We had the absolute best time munching on Red Brick pizza and enjoying the last few warm moments of fall. Thank you again to Jamie soon–to-be Lonigro for allowing us to come shoot with you for the day. We cannot wait to do it again! To check out another Shoot with the Ray Girls, head here.