Little Miss Hadley sure is adding a whole lot of pink into the world! Stephanie, Chris, and Hudson are in for a major girlie takeover in the Artzner household. I just couldn't wait to share some of the images from her studio newborn session and at-home lifestyle. This next image...while it's not even close to "technically perfect" by any means...it's probably my favorite from the session. Don't let all these closed eye shots fool you...this girl DID NOT want to sleep. Luckily

“What do you suggest for outfits?” This is one of the top questions I get during the pre-session consultations that I have with my clients. Tons of holiday pictures (whether professional or snapped on an iPhone in your backyard) are right around the corner. So why not share what I always tell my clients when the question comes up? Number One Tip (with nine million exclamations behind it) --- Dress mom first. Who is initially contacting me because they want updated family phot

If you search #houstonphotographer on Instagram at this very moment, there are 334,482 current posts. That's exactly what Priscilla did when she began her pursuit for a photographer to document a session celebrating her and Eric's first anniversary. Of all the photos uploaded at the time, something about an image that I had posted made her click on it. And from there, she liked it enough to reach out to me and schedule a session to be shot in a very specific location even tho

Does anyone else relieve stress by cleaning and organizing? My in-home studio has become a bit of a sanctuary for me lately. It may be the comfy chairs, the Keurig that's always stocked and ready to go, the energizing window light, the sweet baby dress-up clothes or the whole combination of those elements...but it's my happy place. On the morning of a studio session, I get up early, brew a big cup of coffee, put on some tunes (Miranda Lambert's Weight of these Wings has been

Because I'm strictly a portrait photographer and have decided not to dabble in weddings, I don't get contacted all that often for engagement photos. So when Lina reached out to chat about a session to celebrate her recent engagement to Kris, I was giddy. Hanging out with a lovey-dovey couple and getting to gush over fresh bling...um, yes please! I started out the session with my usual spiel about how the first few minutes will feel awkward, and that's true for everyone, regar

Has anyone been stocking up on memory cards or clearing off phone space in anticipation of all the sweet pictures that you’ll be taking of your kiddos in the next coming months? 🙋 I can’t tell you guys how many times I hear from clients/family/friends “I have a ‘big’ camera, but my pictures don’t look like your’s; what am I doing wrong?” or “How do I get my photos to look more professional?” or “do I really need to spend a crazy amount of money on a camera to get better pict

...that was more than love. - Edgar Allan Poe Last week, I had the pleasure of photographing the couple's maternity shoot for Renata and Mehmet. They are expecting their first baby, a sweet little girl, in just a few weeks. These two could not be more sweet or fun to hang out with, even though it was sooooo hot during their session! Mehmet is already such the doting dad, and Renata is just radiant. As I was snapping Renata's solo pictures, her hubby stood off to side and just

A couple of weeks ago, I put out a model call for a couple's session. I had a very specific vision for this shoot, and I knew that it would take someone who wanted more than just "free pictures" to make it happen. A lot of people might be really confused by the concept of a model call...isn't that just working for free? Some people may look at it that way, but I see it as an opportunity to have complete creative control over a session, test out new locations, and honestly, ju

The very first session of the spring minis was a Mommy and Me shoot for Melanie and Addison. A couple weeks before the session, Melanie and I talked about themes and props and the location and the predicted weather…you know, usual photo shoot stuff. When these gorgeous girls showed up dressed up and fancy, you know what Addison saw? A big patch of grass to run around and a few things to climb on and jump off of. She had zero concerns about what we had “planned” for the shoot.

I have no idea where to even begin this post. Literal, legit, writer’s block. This is about my best friend…why is it so hard to try to find words to talk about how awesome she is. I have zero issues filling up a post about a family that I’ve only spent a couple hours with. But where do I even start trying to write about someone I’ve spent the last sixteen years with? This girl and I have experienced just about every major life milestone together, usually not from the same cit