Over the Years: The Coslin Family

The other day I was talking to my favorite person (my grandma Jo) on the phone and we ended up talking about the career paths we chose.  She was a nurse for most of her adult working years and I was an elementary school teacher for five years until I decided to resign and begin my photography business.  She told me there have been times when she thought about doing something besides nursing, but looking back now she couldn't imagine doing anything else.  She LOVED nursing!  Then she asked me what I career I would have chosen if I could start all over again.  As I thought, I honestly couldn't think of any other career choices I would have made.  

I loved teaching, but I didn't love the confines of teaching.  I loved that no two days were ever the same.  I loved having to adapt and be flexible throughout the day as different situations arose.  I loved the students and coworkers.  But I did not love the schedule.  I felt very confined.  When I decided to resign I immediately felt a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders and I could now breathe freely.  

I absolutely LOVE being a photographer!  I love nearly everything about it - besides paying taxes.  I love making my own schedule.  I love creating wall art for families that will be treasured for years to come.  I love it when clients tell me that my work captures so many emotions.  But most of all I love meeting new people and connecting with them!  I love to capture them year after year and create beautiful wall art that showcases their family!  For this reason I have decided to begin a series which focuses on my loyal clients over the years titled, "Over the Years."

THE COSLIN FAMILY

I have known the Coslin Family for several years - after all, we are family! Kelsey and Hunter live in Ennis, Texas so we only saw them a couple times of year at family functions. I had the opportunity to spend more time with them when they got engaged and later when they exchanged vows. Fast forward a few years and they are now a family of four! They make the drive from Ennis to Ben Hur throughout the year to have updated photos of their family taken at various mini session events. It has truly been a pleasure to get to know this family as they continue to grow and I absolutely love being their family photographer.

August 2017 - Hunter and Kelsey’s engagement session

Hunter and Kelsey wanted to have their engagement session on Hunter’s grandfather’s property in Personville, Texas. Since their engagement session the family property has been sold, making the memories captured here between Hunter and Kelsey even more special.

August 4, 2018 - Kelsey and Hunter became Mr. and Mrs. Coslin!

Their wedding took place at the J Bar C Cowboy Church of Palmer in Palmer, Texas with the reception to follow at the family property located near Personville, Texas. It certainly was a beautiful summer day!

December 2019 - Christmas Mini Session…with their little boy, Fisher

January 2020 - Fisher’s 1st Birthday

Fisher celebrated his first birthday at the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. He was O-Fish-ally ONE!

December 2020 - Fisher LOVES to run! And he ran nearly the entire time at their Christmas Mini Session!

As 2020 was coming to an end, Hunter and Kelsey were looking forward to all that 2021 had in store for them. Within a few months they would be welcoming another baby boy to their family. Fisher was going to be a big brother!

April 2021 - The Coslin Family is now a family of FOUR!

Westin arrived in the spring of 2021 so a bluebonnet field was a perfect location for their family session. They live in Ennis, the home of the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails so it just made sense to enjoy the view in Ennis. Fisher still loved to run and actually fell in a nasty mud puddle during the session! Never a dull moment with this bunch.

July 2021 - Fisher and Westin enjoying a day of fishing at our Summer Mini Session event!

Want to know the trick to keep Fisher from running around during this session? Make him be barefoot!

I have captured many memories for the Coslin Family over the past four years and I LOVE being their family photographer! I am looking forward to capturing many more memories for their family for the years to come.

“Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.”

— Muskan Kumar

THIS IS THE FOURTEENTH FEATURED FAMILY IN THE "OVER THE YEARS" SERIES. CHECK OUT OUR OTHER FEATURED FAMILIES!

1. The Wier Family

2. The Lopez Family

3. Tana and Layla

4. The Dale Family

5. The Craven Family

6. The Carpenter Family

7. The Leonardelli Family

8. The Spence-Waldrop Family

9. The Schmedthorst Family

10. The Milstead Family

11. The Erwin Family

12. The Cardwell Family

13. The Harringer Family

Texas Bluebonnets!

You can tell it’s spring in Texas when you the bluebonnets are lining the highways and covering the fields. Each and every year I look forward to the colorful blooms, as so do many of my clients. A few years ago I began offering Limited Edition Bluebonnet Sessions. These are simply our regular sessions with an added complimentary item and they take place in the bluebonnets. They are extremely limited!

This year I had four wonderful families that booked these sessions! They each received a 5 x 7 gallery stand as their complimentary product with their session fee.

5 x 7 gallery stand

The Hammond’s

I met William and Victoria last year at their wedding in September. It was a gorgeous wedding! When I learned that they were expecting a little boy I was incredibly happy for them! And I was honored when they booked a Limited Edition Bluebonnet Session because they wanted maternity portraits in the bluebonnets. You can read more about their session on an earlier blog post, The Miracles Grow.

The Thompson’s

Claudia really wanted beautiful family portraits in the bluebonnets. Fortunately, we were able to do just that after a few reschedules due to the rainy weather that seemed to ALWAYS fall on the weekends. I was honestly worried all those blooms would be gone by the time the rain stopped! Their session was windy, but not rainy!

The Foley’s

This session was unique due to all the rainy weather we’ve had this spring. Carmen wanted two sessions for her and her favorite little guy. She wanted an Easter Mini Session and a Limited Edition Bluebonnet Session. Unfortunately, we had to reschedule the Easter Mini Session because the weather was very cold on the original date and the second time around there was actually severe weather that caused significant damage to her property and her community. At that time we decided to just do the Limited Edition Bluebonnet Session and add a few Easter images in since they wouldn’t be back to her in time for Easter. By this time there were hardly any bluebonnets remaining sadly.

The Lee’s

There was one more family that scheduled a Limited Edition Bluebonnet Session. They reside near Houston so rescheduling for another weekend was not an option. They instead asked if they could reschedule their session for a date in the summer. We’ve already been planning their session in a new location and I’m looking forward to working with them!

Texas Bluebonnets!

“It’s not only the state flower, but also a kind of floral trademark almost as well known to outsiders as cowboy boots and the Stetson hat. The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland.”

— Jack Maguire

Every spring many central Texas roadways and pastures are covered in beautiful blue wildflowers, the Texas bluebonnets.  Many people LOVE to have their kiddos photographs taken sitting among these gorgeous blooms and for that very reason I offer Limited Edition Bluebonnet Sessions.  These sessions are limited to four per year and can be taken at any time during the bluebonnet season.  You might be asking yourself, "Why would someone pay for a bluebonnet session when they can just take their own pictures of their kids?"  While that is true, some people want to invest in professional wall art of their little ones enjoying Texas bluebonnets.

Sneak Peeks of our four Limited Bluebonnet Sessions in 2018.

If you're interested in booking one of our four Limited Edition Bluebonnet Sessions for next year, consider signing up for our weekly emails so you'll be notified when booking begins.  

Even if you prefer to take your own bluebonnet photos of your little ones, please use caution when doing so.  You can read more about this on our blog article that was recently published in the Groesbeck Chamber of Commerce quarterly magazine or you can find it on our blog

“Bluebonnet time is when the sky falls onto Texas.”

— A. L. Walker

Bluebonnets! A Texas Tradition.

I moved to Texas in the summer of 2007 so I experienced bluebonnets for the first time in the spring of 2008.  I was amazed at how beautiful all the highways became as purple flowers bloomed and lined the highways for all to enjoy.  Surprisingly, this was the first year that I offered Bluebonnet Limited Edition Sessions.  I just assumed that people just took these photos very quickly on their cell phones and moved on down the road, but I quickly realized that this was not the case.  So many people want professional photographs of their loved ones in the bluebonnets!  They want WALL ART of their loved ones in the bluebonnets!  

After three years of clients asking me if I offered Bluebonnet Sessions and me telling them that I did not, I finally decided to give it a try and I must say, I was impressed.  I only offered four sessions and they filled up quickly!  I'm in love with each of the sessions and I'm going to give you some tips to taking your own bluebonnet photos that you can use now while we still have some as their season is coming to an end.  

Tip Number One.  Photograph in the early morning or late evening hours.  I know these hours aren't ideal, but once you experience the light at these times of the day you will never go back to noon bluebonnet photos.  I've had a number of clients that are amazed at the difference this makes!  This portrait of the Loewen Family was taken around 9:00 am on a Monday morning.  Dad JUST got off work and their baby normally naps around this time, but they are very happy they adjusted their schedule for one day to make this happen.

Loewen Family at the abundant bluebonnet field at Spring Valley Elementary in Hewitt, Texas.

Tip Number Two.  Take your bluebonnet photographs when they first bloom before they get trampled down.  I prefer to take them at my husband's family ranch in Limestone County for a few reasons - the patch is on private property so I'm the only photographer that uses this area for photographs and it's safe.  It's away from roads so little ones are not going to run around accidentally run into traffic.  I encourage kiddos to have fun at their sessions and this is the perfect place because there is an abundance of area to run around and enjoy themselves to let loose some energy between poses.  This portrait was the first bluebonnet session of the season.  Notice how full and tall the flowers are!  It makes a difference, trust me.

Johnson Family at a fresh bluebonnet patch on private property in Limestone County.

Tip Number Three.  Always bring a blanket or stool to sit on.  Some people do not like to sit in the flowers.  It can be overwhelming when they are almost as tall as you when you're sitting down and they are completely surrounding you.  I always bring several different things to sit on - a blanket, a metal bucket, and a wooden crate.  Sometimes I also bring a red wagon.  Baby Caleb loved the red wagon!

Baby Caleb enjoying a wagon ride in the bluebonnets.

Tip Number Four.  Get on their level.  Often times people stand above the person/people being photographed and just snap a quick photo.  That works for a quick snapshot, but if you're wanting something a little more posed try bending down and getting on their level.  During sessions I squat, kneel, even lay on the ground to get different angles.  For a group portrait such as this one of the Schmedthorst Family, I wanted all of them looking directly at me so I could see their faces.  This meant I had to sit down and get on their level.  Since mom was in the middle, I needed to be level with her.  

Schmedthorst Family in a patch of bluebonnets at eye level.

Tip Number Five.  HAVE FUN!!  AND STAY SAFE!!  Before sitting little ones down, do a quick check for ants, snakes, and other creatures.  You can't see them all, but you can check the immediate area you are going to use.  I've learned this lesson the hard way...and continue to learn this lesson the hard way (I'm pretty stubborn apparently).  I always check for my clients, but obviously never check where I'm standing or sitting.  More than a few times I have stood in a fire ant pile to get that "perfect" shot.  One time, I even SAT in a fire ant pile!  So be mindful when entering a patch of bluebonnets and remember that insects and creatures call that patch home.  

Due to the great success and demand of this year's Bluebonnet Limited Edition Sessions, we will offer them again next spring.  Mark your calendars because we will begin booking them in February of 2018.  The best way to be notified of special sessions is by subscribing to our newsletter.  You'll receive our monthly e-newsletter, blog articles, special deals, and be notified of bookings before I post them on my page.  If you'd like to subscribe, just fill out this quick form.