Families By Kaley

I walked in the doorway of the cabin in Canyon Lake into four sets of curious eyes — three from the kids whose weekend getaway I was currently crashing, and one from Claire the dachshund, whose little wet nose and wiggle butt immediately made me feel right at home. While the wine (juice for the littles!) and good tunes flowed, the girls got ready with their momma while JD helped his dad gathered firewood for that evening’s pizza and s’mores. After the table was set, Whitney and Josh exchanged 10 year vows with the help of a hand picked flower bouquet and homemade cards by the kids, and spent the rest of the night deep in conversation and chocolate covered smiles under the stars.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again a million times over — The best family sessions take place right in your own home. 2022 is the year I’m saying no to generic parks and locations for your family session, because truly, iPhone cameras have come a long way, and it’s not hard to get a smiling-at-the-camera shot even if you have zero photography training whatsoever.

And maybe that’s a hot take, but static, smiling-at-the-camera shots are not my goal in photographing families in the first place. I’m interested in crafting the stories I wish I had of my own childhood — summer swing sets with laugher so big you can feel it through the screen, sweet forehead kisses, and the way that one curl you have falls perfectly over your baby’s eyelashes when you kiss them.

When I arrive at your home, I’m immediately asking myself, “How do I tell their story? What lens, what perspective can I use to convey the way I see this family?” I observe the way your daughter lights up when you tell a joke, or the way your son hugs your leg when he’s feeling shy, and I figure out how to translate that into still photography. Sometimes that comes from specifically framing a shot, or intentionality slowing down a shutter speed to get motion blur. It looks different for every single shoot I go into, which is entirely the point. Family sessions tailored to YOU and who YOU are only.

Holiday Tree Farm Minis are LIVE and filling quickly! Click the link below to book your spot. I can’t wait to see everyone in November!

https://book.usesession.com/s/6UZdLSFkN

Two things I go absolutely bonkers over? 1) Toddlers in sparkly tutus 2) Corgis that look exactly like mine. We couldn’t let Siri pup miss out on any of the birthday fun, so his parents got dog safe cupcakes for both him and his human sister so these two best friends could celebrate in style together!

Every time I photograph Valeria & Javier I think it can’t possibly get any better. I thought that on their wedding day when it was just the two of them together, and then doubled that sentiment after the birth of their first daughter. And then they added another perfect, sweet baby into their lives and I nearly lost my mind because they somehow managed to create not one, but TWO, of the sweetest, smiliest, cutest little babies I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with. V + J are in their element as parents, and I can’t imagine a more beautiful life than what they’ve created together.

It’s birthday week for the littlest members in my family! Both my sister and sister-in-law had babies less than 3 weeks apart in July of last year, guaranteeing us a lifelong of summer celebrations full of BBQs, pool parties, and reasons for all of us adult cousins to get together to drink margaritas. My sweet Murphi Mouse turned one year old yesterday, kicking off the week of celebration. While she went for a cheesecake at her actual party, she went for a shepherd’s pie for her “cake” smash photos we took earlier in the week. My sister-in-law has many talents, but my favorite one is probably her ability to make the most ridiculous cakes out of nowhere, with no recipe. Seriously — even the cheesecake she made for her birthday was 4 layers tall. Happy birthday Murphi Mouse! I love you so much!

Today is my sister’s birthday, and while I’m normally I’m not into social media birthday posts, she has always been an exception to the rules. This last weekend I took a road trip to see her and the family she created with her husband and spent the nights staying up until 3 am, laughing and reminiscing just like we did when I was 14 and she 19, when she’d take me away on a weekend stay at UNT in her college dorm with her. It’s always been that way with the two of us — lifelong inside jokes 29 years in the making and shared memories in a language that only make sense to us. She’s my ultimate confidante and best friend, and I truly don’t think I would have made it this far in life without her. She now has her own little girl to wear matching dresses in photos with, carrying on the ridiculous-yet-wonderful trend our Mom strictly adhered to for the first 10 years I was on this planet. Gotta say, I’m really glad the matching outfits have gotten cuter over time — scroll to see some of mine and Deanna’s best combinations over the years.

I met the Janecek Family on a balmy evening in Galveston, when the sun was high and the sand was warm. We started with a few key shots that were top of the list — Nan + Pop and the grandkids, and each set of parent with their baby. That lasted maybe a total of five minutes of course, and then we were off chasing toddlers in the sand, holding tiny fingers and arms to prevent them from crashing into waves larger than themselves.

There’s a magic in these extended family sessions — a memory of the beach and of sandy toes and languid air. Of Nan holding your hand as you run as fast as you can into the salty sea, and Pap gripping your waist and throwing you high into the sky, so high you see nothing but blue everywhere you look.

And here is where I find my place in the story. The sunset fades as swiftly as the memories do, but preserved on camera it’s never forgotten.

I get asked all the time what the secret to getting kids to participate in family photos is, and a lot of it comes down to the fact that there are three questions you absolutely must be able to ask yourself and answer before you ever decide to start photographing kids:

1. What is your favorite dinosaur species?
2. What’s your super secret super power?
3. What’s your favorite type of bug?

You’ll never know when you’ll need to know the answer to these questions, but somewhere, at some point, you will be asked. And you will be expected to know. Bonus points are awarded if you can give a one minute explanation for each answer on why.

Newborn sessions just hit different when you’re already the parents of twin toddlers, ya know? Welcome to the fun, Jaxon!

Baby Chase made his debut this month and he’s already stealing hearts all over. When I arrived at the Toppert Family home, I said hello to Chase, who took me by complete surprise and actually WAVED at me. And then halfway through our session he nestled into his Dad’s arms, wrapped his fingers around Mom’s, and settled into the sweetest, most content smile. Sweet baby boy, you are a dream!

Last Sunday’s Mother’s Day Minis were beyond my wildest dreams. The Oak Atelier came to slay with their incredible greenhouse set up, creating the perfect wonderland for all the laughter and fun we had loving on babies, grandmas, grandpas, and dads alike. Photographing families and their bond has become more important to me over the last year since we’ve all been so isolated from each other, and yesterday’s sessions felt like an explosion of everything we missed out on in 2020 and need more of in 2021.

Yesterday, almong the wildflowers, before the rain.

It may have been Maddie’s 1st birthday this month, but it definitely wouldn’t have have been a party without big sister Evie there too! Maddie’s 1st cake smash was a hit with both girls, even if Evie decided she preferred chocolate cake instead afterward. I photographed this sweet family when Evie was just a 1 year old herself and it’s been such a joy to watch the Zeng Family grow!

Not done showing these two off yet. How could I be? We threw this Momma + Daughter session together almost last minute and despite the original plan going out the window, we still captured some of my very favorite images. It’s not about the location, the dresses, the props, (although those are so pretty too!) it’s about the love and the in-between. The small steps, little laughs, and fleeting touches. The things you don’t realize are even happening until they’re over and simply a photograph — a moment frozen in time for generations to come.

Baby giggles beneath the blankets and a springtime showering of wildflowers for one of my very favorite Momma + Me sessions.

Mother’s Day is coming up and I still have 5 spots left for my styled mini sessions this April!

Book your spot here: https://sessionl.ink/kaleyelainephoto