An Afternoon of Cute Kids | Carrollton, Farmer's Branch, Coppell, Dallas Children's Photographer

I recently met up with two ladies who I've "known" online for several years but had never met in person. They wanted me to capture their beautiful families and I was happy to oblige. We met at the Carrollton Homestead Museum which is a fantastic backdrop for family portraits (and has the bonus of being a very short distance from my house ;)) and I could NOT be happier with the images!

First up was Mary and her stunning collection of boys. Seriously, the eyes on that middle child.....







She loved this one as much as I did. Far from the "perfect" family image (lol) but it really does capture who they are right now. Which is boisterous and full of life!



And then was another fun, darling family. These two kids were such HAMS!





Model worthy, I'd say:





And the whole gang together!



Another wonderful Sunday afternoon spent doing what I love. Lucky girl I am.

Love,
Chantel

A Girl After My Own Heart | Carrolton, Dallas, Farmers Branch, Coppell Photographer

As soon as I met Amy, I fell in love with her. She hired me for one on one tutoring (email me for details!) and within about 10 seconds I knew we were going to be fast friends. She has a wicked sense of humor and she totally "gets" mine. She's one of those people I can literally say anything to and never worry the reaction will be judgmental. Come to think of it, one of the best parts about this job of mine is that my clients often end up as friends!

Recently she and I hooked up so I could bring her family to life in print. And what a gorgeous bunch of kids they have (her husband isn't hard to lay eyes on, either!) The sweetest of the bunch is little Piggy Pig who brought her Mama a lot of grief on her way into the world but has been such a blessing of joy since that moment. I LOVED this session and the images that came out of it.

Check out these boys! There's a couple who might make FINE husbands for my daughters later on down the road...





Hi, I'm a boy. I climb on everything.



And another one:



The sweetest baby girl ever made....



And my BEAUTIFUL friend (nope, did nothing to her face in photoshop thankyouverymuch) who's had a hard ride the past year. Love you friend.



Love,
Chantel

And Then She Shoots A Favorite Friend... | Carrollton Family Photographer

This is D and her lovely family. D was my doula. If you don't know what that means I'll just break it down to say that she stood by me during a very difficult labor. With twins. At home. Yeah, that means without drugs, folks. And D was there for every moment and held me up both literally and figuratively. I was delighted to capture her family on camera because I love them so very much. Her oldest daughter Ness was also at that birth and did a rockin job of her own keeping my oldest son busy while I worked my butt off to give birth to two babies. She's grown up a ton since that day two and a half years ago and my god is she beautiful! This family required a few more sneaks than normal....Enjoy...

In Which She Captures Another Photographer... | Carrollton/Dallas Family Photographer

Long time no blogging! BAD! So I'm back and I have a ton to catch up on. Keep an eye here as sessions will be pouring onto the page from my computer....

This was the first time I've ever shot another photog (not counting my best friend Elizabeth who doesn't count because....well, she's my best friend) and to say I was a little nervous would be a bit of an understatement. We planned to meet at the Addison Fountains in downtown Addison but of course it was a very cool 60 degrees-odd for an October morning in Dallas! Instead, we used the surrounding downtown landscape as our backdrop and I don't know who was more excited/pleased-me or Em! What fun we had discovering new places to shoot together. And what's better than collaborating with your client who also happens to have "the eye"??? Check these cuties out:

From Belly to Birth to Baby | Dallas maternity, birth, and newborn photography

Beautiful Danea had her baby boy! He's such a sweet little guy. And surprisingly, she had him in less than three hours from the time she woke to contractions! I was literally in the door no more than 5 minutes when Baby Erik floated into his mothers arms. Here he is, at a precious 6 day old...







Big sister Hailey wasn't much in the mood to be cooperative....til we were all done and I was in the process of leaving. Then she laid sweetly with "her" baby and snuggled him. 3 year olds. Hrumph. But I did catch a few with her in them...here's one of my faves.



Once again in awe that I get to be involved with this work. :)

Love,
Chantel

Belly+Birth+Baby- Danea | Carrollton Maternity Photographer

Beautiful Danea is expecting her second baby; their first son. I had the pleasure of booking my Belly+Birth+Baby package with her a few months back and recently we met to document her burgeoning belly. I just LOVE these B+B+B bookings, maybe only slightly second to my Breathtaking Baby first year session package. Meeting and connecting with a client during her pregnancy, getting to document all the excitement and joy of labor/birth, and then following up with a sweet-soft newborn baby? Heaven. Hmmm...perhaps I like it just as much as the Breathtaking Baby plan? Best yet, just book the whole thing and I'll stick with your family as the year twirls around and you have a toddler on your hands! ;)

Here she is--the session was so playful I did a bit of unique editing...and I LOVE how it turned out. We met in the heat/humidity of a Texas summer (her 36 weeks pregnant!) and to cool off we eventually climbed into the creek. Fun times, man.




Basking in the sun...I always felt like a cat while pregnant. Give me a sunny window and 20 minutes and I was out like a light.



Oh yeah. That's some belly right there....a little secret is that she's doing a special portfolio session with me this weekend and she's gonna be 39 weeks...LOVE IT!



Hello gorgeous, cold water....ahhhhh....



Lots of love!
Chantel

What Does Birth Photography Look Like? | Grapevine/Carrollton/Dallas Birth Photography

Would you like to know more about birth photography? Does it sound like something disgusting? I mean, who would want pictures of all that blood, gore, and pain!?

I bet you it doesn't look like what you think it looks like! ;)

Click here to see a sample of what I do when you hire me to photograph your birth.

And shoot me an email to see if your due date is available. chantel@takeyourbreathaway.net