Troopers

No, no, not Starship... but such great sports. See this family has been on my calendar since last October hoping for spring portraits. In January mom contacted me again and we solidified a date in late March so they'd be sure to have blooming azaleas and warm weather. Well, one out of two isn't bad. The azaleas were almost as lovely as this family, but the weather... well it was... Pbbbllt. Windy and upper 50s are not ideal for sleeveless spring clothing. Oh, but this family was tough, they make it look so easy. Here's your sneak peek!

Brotherly Love

These boys were such a pleasure to photograph. Mom and Dad did have to work hard to get the baby's attention, but if that's the hardest thing about a shoot, I consider it a breeze. The baby loved playing with and tasting leaves as we all made noises and tried to get his attention. As soon as he'd look up, I went to shooting. It was so much fun! Mom and Dad were great to work with, and big brother and I were fast friends and explored my favorite places in the SFA arboretum together. Here's your peek!

The Month of April

As I was reviewing my calendar today I realized it's almost April. For those of you who were wanting to book a spring session, there is only one Saturday left available in April and two left in May. Can I just say a big thank you to all of you who have been so happy with your portrait experience that you've shared me with your friends. I purposely have limited my business marketing because my children are so young. As I prepare for each of them to go off to school over the next 3 years (my oldest starts Kindergarten in the fall... yikes!), I've been wanting to slowly encourage more business growth. It's because of you that my business has taken some big strides in the right direction. I have doubled my number of sessions this year compared to last. Wow! It's been great to set goals and see them met. So... Thank You!

Per my new rule, here's an image. I took my babies out to the peach orchard Thursday. I wanted to check it out now that it was starting to bloom. The owner warned me that the trees weren't blooming in unison this year (weird, but I'm guessing it might have something to do with the dry winter) and he was right but I was able to make it work. I took a boat-load of images, and came away with one... and even this one includes a head swap. It's so hard to photograph my own kids. *sigh* Or maybe my expectations are just too high with them. :)

Handsome, Energetic and a Red Head!

It really doesn't get much better than this. This pistol of a boy was always on the move. He's just about 9 months old and standing, crawling onto and off of everything. His mommy has eyes like a hawk and by golly, she needs 'em. Daddy was a great sport too. I mean, honestly, it's not many men who really 'enjoy' being photographed, but I come across a handful that really tolerate it well. Way to go Daddy'o! Here's your sneak peek. Enjoy!

Such a looker.
Loves to play.


A good eater too.
And oh so generous.

Beautiful Family of Four

This wonderful family was referred to me by a friend when I announced my model search. They were lots of fun and we got to know each other a little more as we explored some areas in and around downtown. Their three year old daughter and I held hands through most of the session. I just LOVE making new friends!

Gorgeous Newborn!

If (living in this small town) I felt I could make a living photographing only toddlers and babies, I totally would. I simply love working with children and most certainly newborns. I photographed this sweet baby girl at 10 days old. I'm telling you, the best time to do this type of shoot is within the first 14 days after birth. Fallon confirmed this truth so well. She let me put her anywhere and slept through 80% of the session. When she was out, she was O-U-T! Ha! You'll see what I mean, even in the last image, she barely stirred when I placed her in the bowl. It was great! Mom was a joy to work with as well. She was so relaxed and easy going. We just talked and played the whole time I was there. Enjoy your rather large sneak peek. I just couldn't narrow them down!

And The Winners Are...

Everyone... Hehee! I love announcing the winners of a contest like this, 'cause well.... everyone is a winner. However there was a definite leader in the votes this time around. The first place prize (with 21 votes) goes to Kelly Finnerud. She entered the photo of her daughter's first tooth. Coming in second (with 12 votes) is Courtney Hays with her close up of a lemon tree flower. Only two votes behind her is Dari Pierce with her white spring tree blossoms. Thank you ladies for participating and for all who voted for them. It was so much fun seeing your work for a change, instead of mine. I will be sending you all gift certificates in the mail this week for your prizes. Congratulations!

Two More Days! Cast Your Votes!

Voting for the contest will close at 12:00 Noon (CST) on Saturday, March 7th. Remember only votes that are sent through my website contact page will be counted. There are currently only 6 or 7 votes between all the contestants. It's anyone's race! Good Luck!

Here's a fun image I took about this time last year. I am pretty sure this nest and the one I posted a few days ago (Heather Beadles shot that one) when announcing the contest are from the same bird, but between cats, storms that destroyed nests, and other incidents I'm not sure any hatchlings made it to adulthood. Maybe this year she'll have more luck.

Baby Blues and Brisk Winds

I'll admit, mom and I both left this session wondering what I got, if anything. It was no one's fault. Saturday was so so cold, and very windy. Poor baby A's eyes were watery and her nose was running from the windy and cold weather. She really was a good sport considering the weather, and Mom and Dad handled the situation like pros. I must say though, I was pleasantly surprised to come home and find not one or two, but 23 great captures. It seems there will be a gallery full of images for the S family this weekend after all. Here are just a few of my faves to tease you.

Oh So Cool!

This beautiful woman called me wanting some portraits of herself for her husband's birthday. I was so excited to see a wife and mother who was confident enough, and who loved her husband enough to take a little time for herself and capture her beauty in portraits. We were freezing our tails off as it was a brisk 50 degrees on Saturday morning with 20 mile an hour winds, but as it turned out, the wind really added something to these images, and she doesn't look the least bit cold either! I am so excited about these images I just cant stand it! Here's your sneak peek Ann. Enjoy!

Voting Begins Now

I'm so excited for all the contest participants because there are only three! Everyone will win something! Everyone walks away a winner, now who doesn't like that!? So here they are in random order:

A:
B: Look closely, there's a baby tooth in there, just popping through.

C:

Anyone can vote for any image but only one vote per person please. These all represent the theme "New Beginnings" in some form or fashion. Tell your friends, parents, cousins, neighbors, or even random people at Walmart to vote. Pick a favorite then go to my website ( http://www.thornton-photography.com/ ) and fill in the contact page including the letter of the image you'd like to vote for in the comments section. Good luck to the three participants who were brave enough to play. :D