There are so many reasons why I love the owner of Bella Ariana – not only does she make an amazing product and have tremendous customer service, but she is so gracious and flexible as well.  These lovely images of her Firecracker tutu were supposed to be done back in May, but those of you who have been sticking around awhile know that I was put on strict bedrest after the first week of May. I was so bummed that I wasn’t going to be able to get this shoot done, but Frances was so great about the whole situation.  I really hoped that these images would turn out awesome, and they certainly did!  My usually uncooperative model turned three in the interim and decided that having her picture taken was not that bad after all!  She loved dancing around in her pretty tutu and hamming it up for the camera.  If you know of a little girl who could rock a tutu, make sure to check out Bella Ariana on the web and on Facebook!  Thanks Frances!

I was beyond thrilled when Frances of Bella Ariana contacted me about working with her for some images of her Valentine’s Day tutus.  Head on over to check them out and you will see why!  They are so well-made and so FULL.  I’ve never seen one this full, it is fabulous!  You can choose from predesigned tutus, or design your own completely – perfect for coordinating colors for a birthday party, portrait session, etc.  Emory was none too pleased about modeling for me (she is rarely pleased when my camera comes out these days), but between me, her Dot, and a red heart sucker, we managed to get a bunch of great shots to choose from.  This was also a good reminder for me about why I do not photograph children once they are mobile using my studio set-up, it is just not big enough to handle those little squirmy worms.   Look for a post very soon about the natural light studio set-up I used for this shoot – I get a lot of questions and plain old curiosity about this from photographers and clients alike, so I’m going to spell it all out for you later!  Thank you Frances for the opportunity to photograph your beautiful products!  Make sure to “Like” Bella Ariana on Facebook here - go leave her some love and let her know I sent you!

And before anyone asks, I did not make her “pose” like that … she was doing her leg exercises and I caught her in the “down-up” pause.   The things you have to come up with to make a two-year old stay still on a 5 foot space …

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve entered the I Heart Faces challenge, but I couldn’t resist this week’s theme, especially when I could use a shot of my own little sweetheart!   She was my model for a recent commercial shoot (soon to be blogged), and let’s just say that our sucker saved the day … sort of … I did get this “are you done yet?” face.  Oh well, I still love it!

Head on over to I Heart Faces to see more adorable entries!

It’s hard to believe this session finally happened!  This was the 4th reschedule I believe, from all the way back in early December.  Weather and illness thwarted us every time.  Of course, it couldn’t have ended up better – we got to shoot on a beautiful 75 degree January day!   Gotta love that Texas weather!  Sarah is looking to build a modeling portfolio, and as you’ll see below, I’m sure she has a lot of success ahead of her in that field.  We had a great time working together, the only real “downer” on our session was a clown who came into the alley that we were shooting in to smoke.  Now I’m not afraid of clowns, but sad-looking smoking clowns are pretty creepy.  I had a great time Sarah, enjoy your sneak peek!

I’m so excited to share these with you!  Emory graciously agreed to model for an awesome online seller I’ve teamed up with – Lucy Mae.  She carries the most adorable bows, headbands, and other accessories, and let’s be honest, I’m a sucker for accessories.   As expected Emory is both a total natural and a complete goofball.  Since it was still a little chilly when I worked on these, I also got to utilize my new studio set-up indoors.  Have I told you I LOVE  my new studio?  Anyways, you should go check out the Lucy Mae store and become a fan on Facebook!  She has some neat new products coming soon, and she also posts specials to her page! 

Hannah in Purple

Vivienne in Light Pink

Abigail – Strawberry Pink with Brown band

Abigail – Strawberry Pink with Brown band / Watermelon Pink with Green band

And my favorite shots … Abigail – Pink with Pink band

My favorite, what a ham!!!