Juxtapose This! by Kate Mefford

Sunkissed

It has almost been a year (around ten and a half months) since I first met these kiddos.  And here they are again...lookin' like the summer has been quite good to them.  They've got the golden skin going on and mischievous looks in their eyes combined with longing glances toward the swimming pool.  They're older, wiser, but still just as lovable as they've ever been.  Let me re-introduce one of my favorite brother-sister duos in the whole wide world...

Here's the little princess...

I love how the lighting makes her look like a surfer chick in this next one...

Here is her oh-so-cool older bro...

Check out those puppy dog eyes!

This next one may not be a conventional bro/sis portrait, but there is something about it that I love.  I can't put my finger on it...their expressions seem so thoughtful. 

Thanks for a fun shoot, my dynamic little duo!

Life-Sized Butterfly & the Bday Girl

OK...so sorry for all of these broken up, little, short, and disorganized posts on this birthday party.  Just wanted to show you guys a few more, and then I'm done!

Donning her birthday tutu, the newly crowned Princess of Oneyearoldland took a breather away from her subjects.  This was before the big cake moment, and she had to get collected and do a little self-talk.  What better place to do that than the powder room, right, ladies?

Just Another Day in Bloomers

This is from that birthday party I just finally finished proofing.  I thought this little scooting around action the birthday girl was doing in those monogrammed bloomers was hilarious.  Scoot, baby, scoot!  Get your crawl on!

The Poster Child for Juxtaposition

This little spring chicken just turned 12.  Could there be an age MORE perfect for juxtaposition?  During our shoot, she told me corny jokes, and then critiqued pieces of art.  She giggled and did cheers (she just made cheerleader!) and then told me her favorite food was crabcakes and that she would like to be an art major in college.  She loves to cook and plays a mean flute, but still has time to make funny faces and veg out to Hannah Montana.  All of these qualities make her so endearing and so fun to be around.  I would hang with her on any afternoon...forget the age difference, because she is one cool chick.  Her mom and dad have done such a beautiful job raising her...announcement, announcement, ahem, we officially have a role model for Millie!

And thanks to TypePad for giving me yet another shout out!

Cutest Group of Raggamuffins

Here are the kiddos from this post with their cousins.  The moms of these 2 families scheduled their sessions to overlap so their kids could get in some cousin play time.  It was KIDDOPALOOZA 2007!  Children everywhere, and so adorably different!

I had to post this image because I think I am still in a bit of shock that we were able to get this many different personality types and ages to sit still long enough for the shutter button to click.  I decided to play around with a vintage wash since the pic had a schoolhouse kinda thing going on.  The look is a major departure from my signature crazy colors, so tell me...You like?

A Baby Girl's BFF

Though this was taken at a client's baby's 1st birthday party, I found it to be the most wonderful moment I captured.  Yeah, the cake smashing (or lack thereof since it kind of freaked her out a bit) was cute, and her birthday outfit was to die for, but the interaction between dog and mini-owner was what stole my heart.  The little girl's mom told me that they got this dog around the same time that the birthday girl was born, and that the two have been bonded practically ever since she came home from the hospital!  How cute is THAT?

Mini-Audrey Hepburn

Don't you think?

Miss Independent

Which 2 year old wanted to walk the entire grounds of the Dallas Arboretum on Sunday SANS MOMMY OR STROLLER?  This one.  She was too cute, and was just fascinated by all of the beauty that surrounded her...she soaked it up like a sponge while having fun with her sweetheart of a mom and a fun fun grandmother.  Happy 2nd Birthday, Miss Independent!  One day, you are going to rule the boardroom, I am sure of it!

Lookin' Smashin' in Easter Fashion!

This afternoon, I met some of my fave repeat clients down at the Dallas Arboretum for a session.  There were 2 sets of sisters, a built-in posse, yes indeed!

There were two 3 year olds and two 1 year olds, and they attracted lots of attention from passersby!  As well they should.  It is really hard to find a more adorable group of mini-Southern belles.  You may recognize these little ladies from previous posts...their chocolate eyes, golden skin, mischievous smiles, and twinkles in their eyes give it away.  The camera loves them...and so do I!

All in a Day's Work

One of my favorite repeat clients/Millie's best friend just turned 2.  To mark the occasion, we had to capture her in full-on 2-year-old mode...on camera, of course.  What is 2-year-old mode, you ask?  Take a look...

Oh, to be young again!  Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

I Don't Think You're Ready...For This Jelly!

Couldn't resist.  Too.  Darn.  Cute.

Sweetness with a Bow on Top

What a doll.  What a doll.  What a doll.  I can't say it enough.  This little angel is too precious with her chubby knees and giggles and grins.  She is not only adorable, but is the kind of baby that is fun to hold.  You know...the kind of baby that is like a teddy bear...soft, plush, cuddly, and burrows into you when given the chance.  Heaven.  Pure heaven.

Lovely Little Ladies

Here are just a few of my faves from yesterday afternoon's session.  Oh, these girls were positively stunning...and lively...and yes, so, so lovely.

We had a wonderful time on our "adventure"...it was a bit chilly, so our time was cut short.  But have no fear...we shall meet again, dahlings!  Maybe next time, instead of antiquing, we will have a tea party and invite the Queen.

Party Like A Rock Star!

Last Saturday was Millie's boyfriends' birthday party.  Yes, the word "boyfriends' " is PLURAL.  They are brothers, actually, and they are in a love triangle.  One is 5, and the other is 1, and my girl doesn't want to let ageism rule her decisions, so she makes them BOTH fight over her.  I say, "Atta girl!"

Anyhoo, the mom of the little men hired me to cover their party, and boy was it a PARTY!  They had the Tumble on the Go Bus, a clown, yummy chocolate cake from The Cake Stand (in downtown McKinney), and c'mon, y'all...give it up for Chick-Fil-A.  OMG...Scrumptious.

Wanna escape a bit and feel like a kid again?  Grab a tall glass of whatever, a slice of cake, sit back, and step into these photos...

Repeat Clients Are Like...

...butter.  No, they are like family!  These kiddos were my first clients ever.  Now that we have been able to work together and get to know each other, we are REALLY able to have a blast and I can get in there and capture their souls on camera.  There are no parents leaning over my shoulder, jangling keys and yelling at the kids to "smile" and "look over here" and what not because the parents know what to expect.  They know I will deliver if given the chance to bond with the kids.  In the end, we all have such a wonderful time, and the resulting images are priceless and so telling of who the kids really are.

For example, I was able to make this shy little princess laugh and be silly, and tell me all about how she really loves red apples, but green ones are prettier.  She was so comfortable in the moment that she felt safe to hold my hand when crossing the street and to sit in my lap when we were talking about which Christmas decorations we wanted to look at next...she TRULY came out of her shell.

Her brother is an artist who I am telling you right now---I HAVE DIBS ON BEING THE ONE WHO DISCOVERED HIM!  He is a fantastic model and so creative and just has that artistic eye.  I am so proud to know this little man.  Mark my words...one day, he will be famous.

Princess or Queen?

I met these two sweet Southern sisters yesterday afternoon...equally stunning, they both shone like sparkly tiaras under the spotlight of my camera.  A funny instance from our afternoon:

The eldest girl was having a "moment".  I told her that if she waited for 2 seconds while I photographed her sister, she could be queen for the rest of our session, and I would take photos of her in her favorite costume.  She got upset, and remarked that she did NOT want to be queen...she wanted to be the PRINCESS!  She didn't even care when I told her that the queen was in charge of the princess...she had her mind made up a long time ago that Princess=Best Thing You Could Ever Be.

I got a little glimpse into the mind of a 3 year old and decided that maybe being princess was better after all...I mean, you don't have to have all of the responsibilities of queen.  No policy making or dealing with wars or anything like that.  You just wear tulle and sequins and eat bon bons and watch soap operas and go dance the night away in fabulous ballrooms.  I think the 3 year old's outlook on that situation was SPOT ON!  So...tell me again why I can't be a princess?