May is the Best Time for Family Portraits: Queen Creek Wash Family Session
We beat the summer heat to update this gorgeous family's portrait earlier this month. I think we start to think "May" and we assume it will be too hot for portraits. Not at all! Even on a warm day, when the sun starts to go down, the temperature really drops to be quite pleasant. And with our wonderful lack of humidity (I'm from Houston, remember) this dry heat makes even the 90s feel very comfortable in the shade!
But enough chatting about the weather....let's talk about this amazing family.
There's amazing. Need I say more? This is a super active, athletic, fun-loving, adventurous family that I met through my kids' mountain biking team. They are so incredibly kind and thoughtful and always on the go. It was wonderful to be able to capture them in action for an hour just being themselves and loving on each other as a family.
I have more than a few favorites, so permit my overshare.
Also, this was a new location for me to work with, and I really liked it. We did have to avoid being photobombed by bunnies on the wash and an abundance of cyclists on the wash trail, but I absolutely LOVE the cottonwood trees and the desert willow that was in bloom. Love the desert in the spring!
But without further ado, here is the amazing M family...
Kaylee's Senior Session: Salt River Beauty
One of my amazing neighbors put me in touch with Kaylee's mom, and we developed a vision for her session while they were visiting...from Indiana! What a fun change of scenery for your senior pictures! We had gorgeous weather for this classic Salt River session. Here's the best part: while discussing ideas for Kaylee's session I happened to throw out there that I really wanted to work with this "river location." Mom checked Kaylee's Pinterest board and, unknowingly, she had Pinned some images to her Senior Session board that were--wait for it--taken at the Salt River! Remember that they were coming from Indiana and had no idea they could get a river session in Arizona (is this starting to sound like a George Strait song?), but I had some oceanfront property to offer up, and it was too much of a coincidence that the location had already stood out to her so we went for it.
Kaylee is a super determined, kind, friendly, fun young woman. She's planning to attend a private college and become a PA. She's got a bright future ahead of her! As an added bonus, two of Kaylee's friends came with her to the session, and it was an absolute BLAST having them there. I highly recommend it! The only thing better than an amazing senior portrait session is having your friends there with you!
But without further ado...
Thank you so much for sharing your senior year with me!
Lauren's Senior Session: Red Mountain High School
You guys....(and, yes, I'm talking to you like there are a lot of you out there reading this)...
Basically these images speak for themselves.
Lauren is very chill. Very fun. Confident. Self-composed.
And super gorgeous.
What a lovely young lady with a big, bright future ahead of her.
What an honor for me to get to work with her and her mom to document this point in her life!
When we discussed a plan for her session, she indicated that she didn't want the whole desert thing. She's from Arizona and has had a lifetime of saguaro cactus. I get that. It's probably like being from Texas and not wanting anything cowboy-related. (wink wink) We chose the Riparian Preserve to start the session, and I might have had to stand in the very last parking space to reserve it for Lauren and her mom. Nothing like throwing your body in front of a car to make sure your session isn't delayed. But I digress...
We had a sweet little bunny join us for part of the session. He or she was completely unphased that we were standing right where he or she wanted to nibble some grass. So he just sauntered up and had a snack.
See? No zooming in here!
In addition to the bunny's photographic debut (or who knows, maybe this bunny photobombs all kinds of sessions) we captured Lauren's vibrant personality in several locations throughout the park.
Notice the yellow flowers? I'm bananas about yellow flowers. Thankfully Lauren and her mom trusted my vision for this scraggly patch of yellow in the parking lot. I think it turned out nicely, don't you?
Time for an outfit change and a new location. We might have had to ignore the brand new signs indicating closure for construction at Nichols Park (no construction had begun) and we took advantage of some gorgeous light and fall tones. March in Arizona is pretty amazing, I cannot lie.
These boots are adorable. It's details like these that help make senior sessions so fun.
Thank you so much for trusting me with your senior session, Lauren! You are a wonderful young lady and have big places to go!
Happy First Birthday and Family Session In-Home
I truly love this family. When we moved in the middle of a pandemic to a new state, there wasn't a lot we could do other than go to the neighborhood pool (even getting our pools tags was an issue--why is that always such a challenge?). We met a family who was there with their two young boys at the pool as frequently as we were with our four very active boys and the mom was the friendliest person in the history of ever. So I clung to her like glue. She's been such a resource to our community, promoting the local Buy Nothing site to encouraging local healthcare workers to even helping us all keep an eye out for the rogue cows that frequently roam the streets (don't even ask). So when her youngest was turning one, I jumped at the chance to capture their family to celebrate this milestone. I love how their personalities shine through, but mostly what a joyful, fun, happy family they are. Let's face it--with three boys ages four and under, there's a lot of chaos in their lives. But what a beautiful chaos it is! We had some fun snuggling on the couch and then let Mr. One Year Old attempt to escape out the front door--he's a fast crawler! Fortunately his mama is a fast runner to catch all of these boys! Then we enjoyed the surprising fall leaves and trampoline in the backyard.
Here are some of my favorites:
Emma's Senior Session: Books, Coffee, Cactus
When Emma and her mom talked about her senior portrait session, she said she wanted books, coffee, and some cactus.
These things are totally in my wheelhouse.
Earlier this year, I met Emma's mom through our homeschool co-op and we hit it off immediately. So I was thrilled to get to spend the afternoon with her and Emma to document her senior year. We started off with a super fun stop at hair and makeup with Charlene Melissa at Palette Collective. Emma and Charlene collaborated to decide on a neutral look with a bit of pop. I love when a plan comes together! Then we headed to Sidewalk Coffee and Bagel Co. in Queen Creek to keep it local and enjoy some beautiful natural light and a latte from their coffee artist after closing. Many thanks to their owner for permitting us time in the space! After a wardrobe change, we used the local area and WAIT, DOES THAT DRESS HAVE POCKETS! Pockets make everything fun. We wrapped up our time out in the desert. Remote, but not too remote! We did see some exciting "extras" and managed to embrace some pretty light (but no cactus--no hugs allowed) before calling it a day. I loved getting to work with this thoughtful, mature, beautiful young lady. She's got the future ahead of her, and the possibilities are endless! Thanks for sharing the day with me!
