"Thank you!"

The December issue of Dallas Child is actually out NOW, and I picked up an issue at my local Tom Thumb...lo and behold:

Favorite Family Photographer: Jennifer Weintraub of Sugar Photography

*blush*

I admit that I actually got 'the call' about 3 weeks ago, and sent the following email to all of my clients:

Channeling Sally Field

We received a special phone call this morning (not unlike what I assume the Academy Award nominees receive early in the morning)....only much less dramatic. We were voted Dallas' Favorite Family Photographer! What an honor!

So while I quickly try to pull together a self portrait by noon tomorrow (in which I look rested, thin, tan, and like someone you'd want to let your children play with) I wanted to also tell everyone THANK YOU!

Thank you for letting us into your homes and into your lives. Your children are all gorgeous, brilliant, and talented (truly!) and I have loved every second of the past year. What better way to spend my days than rolling on the ground, jumping in the air, and playing peek-a-boo with sweet kiddos?

So all that to say...(this is where Sally Field comes in)..."You like me! You really like me!" Thank you for the recognition! Thank you for the support and the wonderful families you've sent our way!

Thank you for everything!

Jennifer

The write-up in this month's issue:

Dallas photographer, Jennifer Weintraub of Sugar Photography, has a gift for discovering the artistic in the everyday. Her photographs capture the emotions and relationships between families with a freshness and purity - and instantly become heirlooms. A natural with children, Weintraub combines art and photojournalism to achieve unique and evocative portraits. (Jennifer is also a regular contributing photographer with DallasChild - we discovered her first!)

and my little self-portrait...(did I achieve the thin, well-rested, and like-someone-you'd-let-your-kids-play-with look?)



(don't answer that)

And to celebrate my new status as Dallas' favorite family photographer (where is my coffee mug and t-shirt, people? bumper sticker?)...I'm off to bathe two kids and slip them into bed before cleaning the house (such is my glamorous life).

Let's all hope tomorrow is a snow day...I stocked up on cookie supplies in hopes that we'll finally get to work on our family holiday card.

C'mon snow!

The art of a personal photographer

I came across this article and thought it perfectly captured what it is we try to achieve in this business of lifestyle photography.

Enjoy!

December covers...

Make sure you pick up the December issues of Dallas Child and Fort Worth Child (out on news stands Friday).

December is their 'best for families' issue...pick one up so you know where all the coolest, most kid-friendly places in Dallas are hiding!

Miss Maggie

How fast a year flies by!

Maggie's family is one that is close to my heart, and to many thousands of others across the world that were touched by her older sister's story. I've had the great fortune of photographing this sweet baby girl as she's grown from a tiny newborn clutching the picture of her older sister:



...to a feisty one year old in Ugg boots, with no time for cuddles or lollygagging around. This world is here to explore! Let's get to it!





It's time for (yet another) round of "Color...or black and white?"

You decide...





To Andrew and Jenny...Thank you! I've told you before, and I'll say it again...you gave me free reign with your precious girl and your family, and that has meant so much to me. To have been touched by your story, and then given the chance to give back to you has been such a joy, and even more than that...an honor. Your foundation, Heroes, continues to change lives on a daily basis...and Allie's spirit shines in everything you do.

This past year was a healing one. The bittersweet emotions in your home last year were palpable at our first session, and I left wiping tears of sadness from my face. To compare that to the lighthearted joy, pure happiness, and pealing laughter from our session last week is to show your family's great strength.

I am so glad to know you.

Thank you!

Action Jaxson...

Saturday we met at the Arboretum for a little walk down memory lane...Jaxson's mommy and daddy were married under the gazebo (and I married my sweet husband at the Camp House...so I always love going back there for personal reasons too!).

The key to sessions at the Arboretum is to arrive early, walk fast, and avoid the hordes of other photographers at all cost!

On Saturday I am so happy to say that we definitely accomplished our mission, walking out just as no less than ten other families with their various photographers (and piles of equipment) arrived. Bliss!

Jaxson was a doll...super happy, full of big, easy smiles, and even when he was 'done' he was still good for a few more shots.

I love this one, taken at their gazebo...what a difference a few years makes!



The Arboretum is always gorgeous...lush foliage, and this time of year, lots of pumpkins. But for me, the Arboretum is about textures...stones, benches, ironwork, paths, and stairs!

Gobble Gobble!

I am a teeny bit behind in posting recent sessions (Jaxson, buddy....you're next!)...but this time of year I think everyone understands, and when reading this is thinking "What else is new?".

Sadly, everyone that has walked into my home over the past week for ordering sessions has had to walk past our usual location and into the kitchen...as we are buried under mounds and mounds of Christmas Cards.

At last count...3,400!

The good news is that we are starting to send these out, so look for an email from us in the coming days with news that your gorgeous cards have arrived!

I need to move enough out so that we can use our dining room table again on Thursday...I'm adding office space to my list to Santa this year.

We will also be closed on Thanksgiving day as well as the weekend following, and we hope everyone has a scrumptious, family filled, wonderful Thanksgiving!

(but I'll still be posting sneak peeks from the last few sessions...so don't forget to check back!)

What every little girl needs...

a pair of shiny red shoes!


Arden had her one year session on Friday and I just fell in love with those red shoes! What a shock it was to stand inside her front door and hear tiny footsteps...Arden is walking! So many of our baby planners are turning 1...this past year has just flown by!




This time of year brings out the fall colors, the warm sweaters, and the boogie noses. I love this little outtake of Arden's parents tag-teaming her to clean her nose. Priceless!

Clara and "the dress"

On Monday sweet Clara had her third session as part of her baby plan, and this time we met at her church to photograph her gorgeous, stunning, amazing christening gown.

Not to mention the precious bonnet!


Clara's mommy is working to be ordained as a priest (not easy for a woman-I admire her dedication!), so we incorporated the church into her portraits.


At the end she slipped out of her gown and into something a little more casual (don't you want to just pinch that little button nose?)


(and in the words of her parents..."Isn't she just too 'tam' cute?")

Still here...

sort of.

The holiday season is definitely on top of us, and we are just swamped with editing, placing orders, packaging, and most of all....holiday cards!

By this I definitely do NOT mean my own (what's that saying about cobbler's children?).

I'm also behind in sharing recent sessions...so forgive me, and hang in there with me...we're almost through the hardest part of the year!

I do, however, want to take a minute to share a very important piece of information. Feel free to share this with anyone you know that is pregnant...it could save a life!

A photographer friend was pregnant earlier in the year (after years of infertility treatments), and on the morning of her scheduled c-section it was discovered that her baby boy, James, had passed just hours before.

It was tragic, in every sense of the word. But James' mommy is working hard to turn his story into one that will help save other babies...by educating mommies about kick counts and how important they are.

Click on the images below to read her story, and feel free to pass the information along.

The proof is in the pudding...

or in the picture.

I'm editing a session tonight and keep thinking "This little guy has really grown up since our session last year."

I dug back into my archives and am loving the comparisons from last year to this year.

This is why photography is so important:









This makes me want to grab my camera and my kids and just play tomorrow! Will, you're making me nostalgic!

Sweet email...

I have to admit that I save these...and this one just really made my day!

Do you mind if I share? I promise...no bragging...just want to spread the warm fuzzies:

****

Behind your back, we all talk about how brilliant you are and how comfortable your sessions are - the fact that you've never asked us to tilt our heads or put our hands under our chins. WHO SITS LIKE THAT???? And why on earth would you want a picture of yourself like that???? I digress.

Anyway, we owe a big thanks to our close friends Amy and Jamie for putting us in touch with you. Years from now when the smell of the diaper gene has faded - your pictures will be on our walls to remind us of these "fleeting moments". Sorry for mentioning your work in the same sentence as dirty diapers - but you get my point.

The truth is simple - you provide a priceless service to all of us (but Monica and I are thankful we can tell people we knew you when).

We are so grateful to you and you deserve all the accolades you receive and then some.

Sincerely,

Mark and Monica

****
Don't you just want to go hug a total stranger now?

Have a gorgeous weekend all!

Urban Baby

This morning we met with one of my favorite families (four times in nine months...we are SO buddies at this point!)

Sydney and Lexi wore their princess dresses for a few, then switched into jeans and cute shoes for that great urban feel.


I saw this great little nook off to the side, with the best green door and red brick, and on the other side was this wall of concrete and stone flooring. I thought their dresses would really stand out against the concrete, until the loan officer that owns the building we were at came out and offered to let us borrow her green velvet chair.

(No, I don't lug furniture around with me...but I do accept offers of cool, funky items that we can incorporate into our portraits!).



After playing princess, they shrugged off the tulle and slipped into their jeans and cool shoes (I think I want a pair for myself!)


Last one...this was just about at the end. Sydney does a great job of balancing, don't you think?

Another day, another donut...

I have the hardest time fighting the munchies when I sit and edit into the wee hours of the morning.

(just thought I'd throw that out there)

Another day of power editing (which I think is sort of like power walking...you swing your arms and push through the pain...only not a lot of arm swinging going on, and the only pain is in my wrist. Oh, and I don't think I burn many calories when I edit....pretty sure about that, actually.).

Finished a few other sessions that have been sitting here, looking pitifully at me, whispering 'edit me, edit me, EDIT ME!"

Okay, geez!

So we finished this session from two-ish weeks ago (I use that term loosely these days)...and I loved how these turned out:





Their mom should be opening her email anytime now, with the link to her slideshow and gallery. I wonder if I'll be able to hear her squeal of joy from here?

Fighting to keep NaBloPoMo status...

Oh, the stress of posting every day! Does it count that Blogspot wasn't letting me upload earlier tonight? And if a tree falls in the woods and noone's around...

I should just admit that I really had nothing exciting to say and was hoping inspiration would just knock me over the head.

Regardless...I had to post.

We are busy rolling sessions out right and left, and one that I just finished was especially fun. Baby Jensen! He has this rocking red chair (literally...it's a red rocking chair) in his room, and we plopped him in it and opened the door to his balcony to let the natural light just pour in. I love the red background and his big blue eyes:



His cute mom found this great knit hat and scarf...argyle, of course! (the manly version of the cuddly knit pom-pom hat). We wrapped him up the scarf (naked!) and he gave us these great "And just what exactly are you guys doing to me?" looks.


I'm embarassed to even admit that his session took place way more than 2 weeks ago...big thanks go out to his parents for being so understanding as we battle the holiday crush.

Only 17 more sessions to edit before I'm caught up!

****

Dallas Child posted on their blog about our December cover shoot yesterday, and there are some hysterical pics of me at work (yes, in my dining-room-turned-studio/office/ordering space). What's so hysterical you ask?

Well...my shirt was on backwards, and I realized it after everyone left.

It's a good thing I had bare feet, otherwise there is a strong chance that I would have worn two different shoes. Such is my life these days!

This morning we met and got a little festive for the Dallas covers of Dallas Child and Fort Worth Child magazines...I'll keep these in black and white so the covers can have a chance to shine when they arrive on newstands December 1. Gotta keep something back from you guys!

Sweet, sweet Lauren is the Dallas cover, and those dimples are just precious! Her mom had the cutest way of getting her to smile..."Dimples!". See how well it worked!?



Beautiful Toni with the amazing skin! Her older sister and brother have both been cover models for Fort Worth Child...and now it was her turn! She rocked it!



In case you think magazine work is all lattes and cool clothes...poor Laura (art director) and Lauren (style editor) got down and dirty today, trying to help pull the wrinkles out of the fabric. I love these girls!



Fashion is tough, baby!

***

Super Monday...

Today was a fun change of pace...Super Monday through the PPA, and I spent the day at Sallee Photography, soaking up inspiration and tips for designing my fine art albums.

We had a great (if not cold) time shooting on the canals of Las Colinas (Why don't I shoot there more often? It's gorgeous...but oh yeah...a drop straight into the not-so-crystal-clear waters. Exactly what every toddler's mom wants to have to deal with when at a photo session!).

Images from today are on my laptop and I'm too tired to pull them off to post here (whine, whine)...it's been a long day and I'm taking a quick break to post here before midnight.

Why?

November is NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) - and I signed up! The challenge is to post every day this month...so even though I have nothing witty or exciting to say, here I am posting (and forcing you to read my yawn inducing entry...sorry!).

Tomorrow we do the December covers for Dallas Child and Fort Worth Child...I'm curious to see what the girls have put together for this issue. It sounds interesting!

Until tomorrow!

Sunday

The weather cooperated beautifully this morning and we were able to have our park session with Claire and Carter. Seems the threatening clouds scared everyone else away, and we had the place to ourselves! This time of year is popular at the park, and other photographers seem to appear from the underbrush...so it was nice to not have to juggle locations or keep away from other people today.

Of course, that being said, just as we were finishing up another photographer arrived, and I did the high school "Hi!" wave from across the park, thinking it was my friend Diana. She didn't wave back, because she wasn't Diana...it was a little awkward, but not unusual for my cool self (ha!).

Anyway, enough of the high school flashback...back to Claire and Carter:

Claire is missing a few top teeth, and Carter is your typical big brother...we talked about bodily functions, and a little Claire-bird told me he has a girlfriend (or at least a girl who's a friend, ifyaknowwhatImean). We had a ball today!


We did a few variations on your basic leaf-throwing theme, and at the end I had them chuck handfuls of leaves right at me and my camera. Really fun idea, until I just now (three hours later) felt something scratchy down my shirt...and pulled out a leaf! My daughter said "Mommy! Dere's a WEAF down yo'h shuht". Try explaining that to your kids!

I have a feeling I'll be digging out little pieces of the park all day long!

Saturday

Busy day today, with three sessions and an auction!

We started with Gage and his family, and once again this little guy continues to light up the room with his ready smile and big blue eyes! His last session was 6 weeks ago, and this time his Daddy got to be there!



His big sister Caitlin was also there to play today, and she wins the award for having the roughest day (she took her SAT before coming home to do our session). I just love her gorgeous eyelashes...there's something here that just echoes the fact that she is graduating from high school and heading off to college soon.




Next were Joe and Caroline...aka "fast" and "speedy"!

Joe was a true sweetheart...He wants you to know he's three, and able to leap small plants in a single bound!


Caroline had the most amazing eyes:

Covers and brothers and thread...

oh my!

(bear with me, these three things really do connect)





The November covers of Dallas Child and Fort Worth Child magazines are out, and once again they feature gorgeous kids! Mason and Ashton were such professionals (you'd never Ashton was sick), and they have adorable covers to show for their hard work! (hey, it's harder to be cute than you'd think!).

This morning we played with a set of brothers, Reid and Grant. Reid is scheduled for surgery next week and his mommy wanted to make sure they had some gorgeous pictures of him before the surgery. He has a special leg due to a rare genetic occurrence, and on Tuesday the doctors at Scottish Rite will give Reid a new leg. Soon he'll be running with his friends, but until then we spent a quiet morning in his world...playing with his brother, his spools of thread, and his very favorite toys.









(little stinker had fun shooting his toy dart right at my lens...it was hysterical, and I love the gleam in his eye!)