Artisance Photography

Despite The Alligators

I always thought I wanted two kids.  When the hubby and I had our first son and started talking seriously about having another child, I suddenly got very nervous.  Our little man was so used to being our everything that the idea of taking that away from him hurt me.  I never ever wanted him to feel left out or replaced. 

 

We went ahead with plans for number 2 anyway, figuring they'd grow up to be best friends and we would do our best to show them both how head over heels in love they both had us.  And once number 2 came along, it was obvious my worries were for nothing.

Little man was the final touch we needed to our family.  The boys have been best friends ever since.  Yes, they have their moments like all siblings, but overall they are happy to be together. Most of the time. :-)

 

All in all, both of our kiddos know how much we adore them. Like all parents, we love our children more than anything and could not imagine our families any differently. They are the sunshine in our days.

That's why I love family sessions.  It makes me happy to capture that love in my photos. Such a beautiful family!

May you enjoy watching your family grow!! Always have a great time, even if it is despite the alligators tagging along for a photo shoot! :-)

Trains, Coins and Hornets

We've known this wonderful family for over 2 years now.  They are some of our oldest friends in Texas and I was very honored to capture some memories for them.

Big brother was all sweetness and cooperation.  Smiles, poses, hugs... all on command. He wanted his pictures with the trains, cows and rocking chairs and willingly showed off his beautiful eyes.

Little brother... not so much. It took some pleading, chasing and flipping up in the air, but he did willingly operate under the theory of "Will smile for money" - thanks to Dad's bribery and spare change.

Both brothers are sweethearts, though.  They had me laughing and running around and I certainly had a great time with them, as always.  The whole family is very good about enjoying life and laughing... even if it is with hornets over their heads.

May your laughs and free spirits bring you millions of great memories, wonderful family.

Pomegranates and Cheese

I wish I had 1/10 of the energy kids have.  I'd be running about just fine if I did.  Little man over here was a firecracker and a half.  He had me running up and down and left and right.  He had me cracking up laughing as well.  We had a blast!!!

We talked about cheese, pomegranates, flags, swings, trains, cows, you name it... we discussed it. 

I wish adults could keep their childhood ability to just have a great time, no matter what.  It's the best part about being a kid.  Everything is fun!  Even stinky cheese and way too sour fruit that isn't yet ripe.

Thank you for letting me have a blast with you, little man!!!   :-)

Growing Family

From what I've heard, I was not initially ecstatic about having a baby brother. I was about to turn 2 and my parents brought him home.  It was all fine and dandy till they gave him my crib. :-)  Apparently, I was a little upset about all of this.  A-hem.

Luckily, I did adapt and my brother is one of my best friends in the whole universe. Not that we don't have our "sibling" moments but still... I always wonder how other first borns will fare when they realize that cute little bundle of joy is now a permanent addition to their home. I know my own little guy missed his mommy time at first but was otherwise delighted.  My little pigtailed friend here is also taking it in stride like a sweetheart.

These bright-eyed cuties look like they were meant to be brother and sister.  She adores the little munchkin and his eyes light up at the sight of big sis.  Like I've mentioned before, I just love that interaction. The little buckeroo is just barely 2 months old and already knows how wonderful this little lady truly is.

I am the first to admit that the newborn and infant stages are hard.  Who knew something so little could require such a large amount of work?  But at the same time, who knew something so little could knock you head over heels in love just like that?  Babies just have this way of capturing your heart.  

The craziest part about these adorably chubby little things is how fast they grow.  They go from newborn to infant to toddler and up in what feels like a heartbeat.  Capture those memories, people! I look back on the photos of my kids and I cannot believe how fast it has all just gone by. 

Finally, my favorite thing about a growing family, is how quickly you forget what it was like before the new little life joined you guys.  It's always like it was all just meant to be.  My wonderful friends, may your family bond always be happily wrapped with so many loving memories. 

Mommy's Little Boy

As a very proud mommy of two very handsome little men, :-) I can attest to the very crazy in love feeling we mamas have for our boys.  Not that mamas don't love their girls or daddies don't love their boys, but mommies and boys have a very special bond.  I call my little guys my boyfriends. :-) 

This handsome little man ADORES his gorgeous mama.  He was very happy and willing to hug and kiss her for me and was very obviously having a great time with her. 

He even loves to touch her hair and snuggle with her.  He also told her that she looked like a princess in her dress.  Sigh........

I love getting photos of my boys and I because I always want something physical to document the closeness we share.  So I understand my friend wanting to get that of her and her son.  You just always want to remember those times and see the love in the eyes of our babies forever. 

To my sons and all the little guys out there: Even though one day you're going to grow up and start your own separate life, you'll always be Mommy's Little Boy. My dear friend, may you always get that special flutter in your stomach when you remember your times with your little man.

Little Buckeroo

He arrived! It's so exciting to see a friend go through the full stages of a new life.  I've known my friend for over a year now and watched her go from one child, to pregnancy and now to mama of 2.  It's so exciting to see it all come to life literally.  I finally got to meet my little buddy and had a great time with him and his big sister.

This young little man is very happy to be out of the belly and exploring the world. He has some bright big beautiful blue eyes that knock you out. He likes to show them off, too.

And the smiles! Who cares if they are possibly gas-related at this age? A smile is a smile and it's always contagious!

I had so much fun taking these photos. I know that I personally am not going to have anymore of my own babies, but these sessions always bring me back to the utter love and excitement I felt with my little men when they were finally born.

I even got to photograph big sister's baby. :-)

Looking forward to watching you grow, little buckeroo. May your entire life be filled with more love than you can ever want!

Finally Here

You're finally here! Welcome, Baby Boy L!!!  What a wonderful arrival! 

Little man was a born natural.  He enjoyed the camera.  I think he even posed for me a few times, tiny little smile and all. *wink*

This is your new best friend, little guy.  You can tell your big sis adores you already.

And I know for a fact that your mom and dad are over the moon happy to have you join them.

 

Welcome to the world, little peanut. Enjoy your family! Now that you're finally here, may you always know how loved you are. 

To see more photos of gorgeous Baby Boy L, go to

the full gallery.

 

Tank Top Glamour

 
While I still haven't quite decided what my favorite types of shoots are yet, as I truly love doing all of them so far... I have to admit that I really enjoy The Glamorous Life series.  I have a lot of fun with these. 
My favorite thing about them is the confidence it brings my clients.  I truly see art in everything and everyone. It's not me being poetic or selling my brand.  In every gesture, every color, every eye, I see something magical.  So when I say to someone "Show me that beautiful smile" or "Show off those gorgeous eyes," I'm not just doing lip service. It makes me happy to see that confidence shine through in the finished photos.

My beautiful friend here just had her second baby a little over 7 months ago. Can we say "Hot mama?" She looks fabulous.  I loved her outfit.  A simple tank top and jeans but so glamorous and sexy - just because she is.  That's my point with these shoots - to bring out the inner supermodel we ALL have inside of us.  This gal was glamorous no matter what she did.  I was just on standby to get a snapshot of it.

I'll be very honest.  I have a lot more fun behind the camera than in front of it.  I drove my dad nuts when I was a kiddo - I didn't want to be in photos or I had that "I don't want to be in photos" look in all my pictures.  Sorry, Dad!!!  So I personally can relate when people feel nervous for the shoots.  I personally like to think that it's all fun - just have fun.  Be yourself, be happy, be the way you are when you feel like the rockstar I'm going to photograph you as. 

May you always be as sweet, fun-loving and beautiful of a person as you are, my friend.  Whether it's in heels, sneakers, a gown or a tank top, may you always have all that glamour. 

3 New Blogs!!!

I am so excited to share the changes here at Artisance Photography!!!

First off, I've updated the main site to include a lot of photos in each gallery. Beautiful models, beautiful clients, beautiful photos.  I've updated pretty much every section on the site so be sure to check it out!
www.ArtisancePhotography.com

Secondly, I've decided to create my own Project 365 blog. I used to maintain my P365 on Facebook. Now I'd like to keep everything neat and in one location. I have taken a picture everyday as intended from the very beginning - just haven't always uploaded them successfully to FB.  That should change now and a journal entry should start happening daily once I catch up. I've restarted it on the blog from my NJ trip.
http://artisancephotography.typepad.com/my_project_365/

And finally, the most exciting news, if you ask me: Artisance Photography has now gone bilingual!!!  Can I get a "Huepa!!!"  You knew it was coming, it had to.  I speak, read and write Spanish fluently and had no reason to not translate everything.  It's a work in progress as they denied my request for more hours in a day, but not to worry, it shall be updated.  Now you can read both this Artisance Photography main blog and the Project 365 blog in SPANISH.  I hope it does well in reaching my goal of serving my hispanic counterparts in the Houston area, as well as my family throughout the US and in Costa Rica. Vamos ticos!!!  And who knows, maybe Farsi one day???  In the meantime, visitanos aca:
Artisance en Espanol

Mi Proyecto 365

Happy 1st Birthday!

Birthdays are always so much fun.  A day to celebrate the birth of someone you love. If you ask my kids, it's all about cake, friends, a ton of fun and a lot of presents from mom and dad.

 

With every birthday that passes, I get hit with more and more shock.  Where on earth did the time go?  I look at my kids and I still see that tiny newborn, just in bigger clothes.  I keep telling them "I don't care how old you get, you guys will always be my little babies!"

My little friend here celebrated his first birthday the same day we took these photos.  You could tell he knew it was his special day.  He was all smiles and mischief, loving the attention.  Mom reminded me of me on my boys' first birthdays... just in awe of how fast they grow up.

He's not in the mood to walk on his own yet because he still prefers to crawl like a little bullet.  It's faster that way.  I kept telling Mom to enjoy the calm before the storm... once they walk, it's a lot of running for mama. 

I had a great time snapping pictures of this little cutie.  May your 1st birthday have been a celebration to mark the rest of your celebrations!  Hope you got lots of cake, presents, and most importantly, hugs and kisses!