Giving Back: Easter Bunny Photos - 2015

One of my goals for my Miles of Smiles Photography business is no matter how busy I get, to always do little things to give back to the Austin community and the families and neighborhood that I live in.

I think this was my third year of doing Easter Bunny photos in my neighborhood for their annual Easter Egg Hung event.  And every year, it gets more and more fun.  (As do the Santa pictures I do with the kiddos in December.  That is always a hoot!)

Here are some cute shots from our morning.  Just like the Santa event, there are usually three reactions from the children in meeting the Easter Bunny, which always keeps things interesting.

1) Total excitement
2) A little apprehensive
3) "Mommy - do NOT set me on his lap!" Fear.

Thanks to the HOA for putting on such fun family events for all of us each year.  Blessed to live here!

Giving Back: Portraits with Santa - 2014

OH how I love photographing this event in my neighborhood each year!  I adore my community, and love getting to witness the kiddos and their reactions to Santa Claus himself.

One of my goals for my Miles of Smiles Photography business is no matter how busy I get, to always do little things to give back to the Austin community and the families and neighborhood that I live in. 

Here are the 3 reactions that I see most when photographing this event.

Number one reaction: The child is SO excited to meet Santa and runs right up to him, hugs him, looks him over, tells him exactly what they are hoping for this Christmas, and acts like Santa is their best bud.

Number two reaction: The child is excited but SO shy and isn't quite sure what to think about Santa, sitting on his lap, or having a picture taken with him.  This reaction is usually calmed by Santa giving the child a candy cane, and usually, a small smile appears in time for me to snap a portrait of it.

Number three reaction: Sheer and utter fear.  Santa is such a nice man... I love getting to work with him each year at this time.  But Santa doesn't always love when parents shove a screaming baby onto his lap.  So we work together... Santa and me... as a team, to make sure the children who are super scared get a little distance and comfort while they visit Santa Claus.

My kiddos had a fun reaction this year (no tears!).  Miles climbed right up on his lap and gave him a drawing he had made, and Avah (though shyly) sat on his lap and once she got back off and into her "safety zone," she was chatting his ear off.  ;)

Here is a tiny little peek into my day with Santa.  It was wonderful serving the adorable children and families here in my neighborhood, and I am already looking forward to Snapshots with Santa in 2015!

Superhero Mini-Sessions are COMING! Calling All Superheroes...

I don't know if you're like me, but in my house, I see (and clean up) about 6 different superhero outfits every day.  My sweet little boy is just into ALL things superheroes.  And I loved capturing it for his 5th birthday invitations and party decorations that I made from images we took downtown and in my studio.

Cutest part?  After the session downtown (and 6 outfit / costume changes), he looked up at me with his big blue eyes, and goes, "Mommy - I loved that.  Can we do that again tomorrow?!"  Melted my heart, but I politely said no because that was a LOT of work for this mama.  :)

But - here is YOUR chance to capture your superhero(es) on camera!  Valued at over $600 and offered at just $250, these will fill quickly, so book your spot by emailing me here.  And note: If you have siblings, you get a $50 sibling discount, and twice the goodies, time shooting, and fun!   See bottom of this post for a sample collage.

IN-STUDIO: Saturday, Jan. 10

DOWNTOWN: Sunday, Jan. 11

Here is a sample collage.  (Collage that is included is a digital collage that you may print an 8x10 or 16x20 of.  Valued at $130... Pretty sweet deal!)

Little Levi {Austin Newborn Photographer}

Levi was a dream to work with and did so great during our newborn studio session!  Enjoy a sneak peek into our morning together.  I know his mama is enjoying her beautiful canvas gallery wrap of her little man in the "Mom" hat.  :)  What I would give to have one of those of my son when he was tiny.

Sweet Little Everett ~ 3 Months Old {Austin Baby Photographer}

Everett came into my studio space... with his big blue eyes, little jelly rolls, and so much sweetness.  I could have played with him all day!  Isn't he precious?  I adore 3-month sessions... Big smiles, chubby legs, and not yet having the ability to crawl away from me.

One of my favorite things about photography is that I get to not only capture parents' love for their baby on camera, but I get to see it lived out.  These two are so in love with their little man, and I just love how his session turned out.  He even fell asleep at the end for us!  Enjoy a sneak peek.

P Family: It was a pleasure working with you and capturing these memories for you.  Thanks for choosing Miles of Smiles Photography!  I'm so glad you're loving the wall portraits and other images from our session in your home.  Congrats on the perfect little addition to your family!  

Little Eshaan ~ 2.5 Weeks New {Austin Newborn Photographer}

When Eshaan's mom called me, her baby boy was already two weeks old.  And I am *SO* glad that I happened to have a spot available and that we were able to squeeze in a session, because the images we got are priceless.  {Please note: That doesn't usually happen on our calendar.  So if you're expecting a baby, it's always best to get on my schedule at the start of your third trimester.}

He absolutely rocked his newborn session, and is such a handsome little guy.  He was only awake during one part of our session, and looked right at the camera for his family photos with those big, beautiful eyes.  Then he smiled and went right back to sleep.

At the time of this session, I was in the process of moving into my new photography studio so we did this session in their beautiful home.   Enjoy a sneak peek into our morning together!

Someone had given E a few superhero babies, so when his dad brought this baby Spiderman out of his nursery, I was excited to use it.  What a fun image to have in his room as he grows and becomes a huge superhero fan.  (My little Miles is ALL about superheroes right now, and oh, what I'd give for an image of him like this as a tiny baby.)

And in addition to their order of prints and digital images, we also created this custom collage for his nursery.  (See watermarked version of it below.  (Their version obviously didn't have the watermark.))  Isn't it adorable?

I love getting to work with my clients and create custom artwork for their homes.  There is so much more value in getting to enjoy something displayed in your home vs. a CD of pictures sitting in a drawer.  So if you have images on CDs from previous photography sessions of your family, print (and display) those babies.  You'll be glad you did!

To E's Family: It was a pleasure working with all of you.  I'm so glad E's Grandmother could be involved in the session too... what sweet memories those images will be for E as he grows up.  Enjoy your beautiful baby boy... he is perfect.  

The W Family: Wildflower Session

I loved getting to work with the W Family again.  Last time I worked with them, little H was just a few days old.  Click here for his newborn session.

I couldn't believe how big he had gotten, and how Big Brother had grown up and how he has fallen in love with his Little Brother!  (At the newborn session, Big Brother wasn't so sure...)  He also officially gets the award for "Best Boy Hair."  Don't you think?!  It's rad.

Take a peek, but prepare for their cuteness and big blue eyes!

W Family: Thanks for choosing me/Miles of Smiles Photography to be your family's photographer!

The P Family: Emma's 3 Month Session {Austin Family Photographer}

Small, squishy, sweet and smiley babies... they are where it's at.  And Miss Emma was no exception!

She was an absolute doll to work with, and I love how her session turned out.  Enjoy a sneak peek into our morning and smiles together.  Sweet girl got so tired from "modeling" that we even got some adorable sleepy images of her at 3 months old!

P Family: I hope you're enjoying your images!  It was a pleasure working with you... Emma is just precious.

4th of July Parade - 2013

I love the community that I live in, and feel so blessed to be a part of it.  It's sort of like my "small town" in a big city, which is great to have because I am still a small town girl at heart.  

This was my third year of photographing the community's 4th of July Parade.  As always, it was lots of fun!  It is fun giving back to a place that gives so much to my family.

Here are some images from the day.