Fall portrait session at North West Community Park

Nothing beats a family portrait in the fall….

As the leaves start to turn and the air cools down, there's something special about gathering your family together for a portrait session. It's the perfect time to capture beautiful images that showcase the love and connection you share with your family.

Location: For a fall sunset family portrait session, it's important to choose the right location. North West Community park was a great choice for my session with the Brown Family. Since it was a slightly overcast day we were able to create some wonderful natural light images with the last bit if fall colors in Texas. We experimented with different poses and angles to create a range of images, from full family portraits to candid moments and individual portraits of the kids as well as Mom and Dad.

Wardrobe: This family did everything right when it came to the wardrobe! Using fall colors that complimented each other and the landscape, really made everything come together. The blanket I brought to help keep the kids warm on a cool crisp fall day, really added to the whole ensemble and I couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out!

Pro Tips:

When working with small kids in the cold, the most important thing is to keep them warm! Big coats, blankets, and gloves and bundle them up between shots. We brought a wagon and filled it with blankets and snacks so the girls had a warm comfy place to rest and be carried from place to place in the park. It worked great!

Bring plenty of tissues! Kids will always have a runny nose in fall, especially if it’s chilly outside and they are running around.

If you bring a pet, make sure you have a pet handler to occupy and care for the pet when they aren’t needed for photos. It also helps to have treats and/or a toy they love that will get their attention.

Kayla and James Studio Pre-wedding Shoot

I am so excited to share this studio portrait session I did with my dear friends, Kayla and James! Since it is summer in Texas, we decided to rent a studio and stay indoors for their engagement portrait session. I knew that Kayla has a love for old shows like the Addams Family, so I reached out to my friends at Southern Wild Events to rent their Morticia Addams replica Peacock chair. This chair was giving me Fleetwood Mac vibes all day! Between the chair and the rolling matte-black background at Pink Pineapple Studio in Bedford, TX we were able to create a really fun modern look with a vintage twist. I could not be happier with how the photos turned out.

A little background on how I met Kayla: She answered an open call I put out for “pin-up” style models about 10 years ago. We became facebook friends and silently followed each others’ lives for about 8 years. Then one day I saw her post about a succulent and I had just started getting into plants myself and it sparked a conversation. Shortly after that I found out that we would be moving from East Dallas to the other side of the metroplex in Fort Worth. I immediately Kayla thought of Kayla, as I realized that she lived in Fort Worth and maybe this meant that she could be my new best friend on this side of town. She accepted my offer of friendship and agreed to meet me for a plant shopping date on my birthday, which has actually become a little tradition for us. When she got engaged to James in 2020 they booked me to shoot their wedding and I have been so excited work with them!

When we were planning the session I wanted to find a studio that had a good selection of props and furniture and I came across Pink Pineapple studio in Bedford. I really loved the rolling black backdrop and they had a great selection of other chairs and furniture as well as smaller pros to create a set. Naturally, Kayla and I both brought plants to incorporate somehow, and Kayla wanted to do some portraits to commemorate her dog, Ellie, who recently crossed over the rainbow bridge. She brought Ellie’s memorial plant with her collar and tags and a pet portrait painted by her friend Megan Doughney.

I really loved the clean look of the black backdrop against the white wall and window. I had some fun moving it around to create different shapes and lines in the photos. It was great to get back in the studio and now I want to open my own studio, but for now, I will stick to renting! If you need a studio in DFW, I highly recommend Pink Pineapple studio group. It was very easy to book online and they even let me come up before the shoot to check out their prop selection and see the space.

A message to the couple: Congrats, Kayla and James! You guys make such a great couple, and I am so grateful for our friendship! I know that you marriage will be a happy one filled with laughter, skulls, horror movies, heavy metal, .and lots of plants! hahaha I cannot wait for your wedding in October!