The weekend of October 17th and 18th was a FABULOUS weekend for Smith Family Photography's Halloween/Fall Mini-Sessions! The weather was nice and dry...and warm and sunny. By all accounts it was a perfect weekend for the sessions!

The sessions on Saturday were held in Groesbeck at Old Fort Parker. We only had three available time slots for this location and they filled up quickly! I was SO incredibly happy when the Wier Family booked the first time slot! Last Halloween was the first time I met them at our very first Halloween Mini-Session. They kiddos have grown a lot! It really is amazing to watch them grow in front of the camera and know that I am helping their family capture their memories.

The difference a year makes! Here is one of their Halloween/Fall Mini-Session images from last year.

It's always so much fun spending time with these cuties! They have so much personality and we all feel so comfortable around each other, which really makes the photographs just that much better because they are genuine. With Kayson walking this year, we were definitely moving around much more trying to keep up with him! These siblings have so much love for one another :)

Sibling Love!  Isn't this the sweetest?? — Sibling Love! Isn't this the sweetest??

Another family I have had the pleasure of watching grow in front of my camera is the Craven Family. They were also clients from the first Halloween/Fall Mini-Session last year. They are also becoming more and more comfortable each time we have a session. This year, the youngest three participated in the session. The older ones all had somewhere else to be...as older kiddos typically do.

The three youngest Craven children...all smiles this year, 2015

Miss Emma really came out of her shell for this year's session! She was ALL smiles! Last year she absolutely refused to be in the group photo with her brothers.

We have recently started adding collages into galleries due to the amount of clients that have been requesting them. Collages are a great way to showcase your favorite photographs from the session in one frame!

We had one more client for the Halloween/Fall Mini-Sessions in Groesbeck, Miss Dixie...I mean, Wolfie. This young lady is very energetic, spunky, and full of personality all the way down to her toes! She would howl like Wolfie one minute and then want to show me how fast her horse could run the next!

Dixie was in character as Wolfie...and howled!

As we ran from area to area, posing in various positions and acting the part of many different things, her mom stated that she would like one nice photograph with her daughter. They got into position for the one photograph that mom requested and then this happened....

Dixie gave her mom a surprise when she asked for one nice photograph!

Mom finally got all she wanted...one nice photograph!

The last session on the Halloween/Fall Mini-Session weekend was held at Hewitt Park with the Senn Family. They had to have an early time due to some obligations at church that morning. I was honestly a bit worried when I was driving to the location because the sun really wasn't in the position that I hoped it would be for the session. I arrived and began setting up. As I was getting everything set up, I stood back and watched the sunrise. I realized at that moment that this session was going to be amazing! The light was going to be absolutely beautiful! I was even more blown away when I began working with the family and realized how cooperative all of them were...even the three young children!

Look at that light...and those cooperative kids!

This session went so smoothly from beginning to end! The kids cooperated so well and much to my surprise, one of the first photographs that we captured had every single member of the family looking at the camera with a happy face! Absolutely stunning!

For their session I decided to make them a fun collage which would showcase each of the children with a family photograph. Again, collages are great to showcase favorites in one frame. I personally love them!

We have recently started creating one or two collages per gallery. However, beginning today you will now be able to customize your own collage within the gallery by choosing the photos you'd like! You will simply choose the number of images you'd like on your collage and then you will choose the photos. I will arrange them in a collage and email you the "proof" for your approval prior to ordering from the professional lab. If you have a different size in mind, or a different amount of photographs, just let me know and I will do my best to build a product that you would like.

When clients contact me inquiring about sessions they most often times ask me for suggestions as far as locations for the session. As a photographer I have several favorite places to suggest, but I love it when they say they are looking for a rustic, country type setting. When they tell me that they would like that type of setting I almost always suggest my husband's family ranch between Groesbeck and Buffalo, Texas.

The family ranch has a unique setting with an array of scenery. There is an old fashioned type cabin that is constructed from wood and materials from the original farm house, a party barn, and my personal favorite...a covered bridge!

As I meet the family at the ranch I like to spend a few minutes touring the grounds with them and just talking to them. I like to make my clients feel relaxed and comfortable before we introduce them to the camera.

We begin our tour by walking past the back of the party barn heading towards the quilting house. The afternoon sunlight shines beautifully between the two buildings!

In that same area there is a beautiful flowing bush that makes for a gorgeous backdrop!

From this point we meander to the main attraction...The Covered Bridge! It is unique and full of fun photograph ideas!

The children are the focus of the parents' lives.

When the mother saw this photograph on my Facebook page as a "Sneak Peek," she immediately messaged me and told me how much this photograph described her and her husband's outlook on their family. She said, "The kids are the focus of our lives."

I really wanted to get some photographs of this amazing family on the bridge, but the sun was still too high in the sky at this particular moment. We had to wait...plain and simple. The adults talked about life and the kids enjoyed running around playing a friendly game of chase.

Sister had a slight advantage in the game of chase!

The sun finally set enough so we could take some photographs on the covered bridge without being blinded by the sun! We had to take a family photograph of course and we ended with a fun shot of mom and dad as well. It was a perfect session by many accounts! Perfect family. Perfect weather. Perfect location. PERFECT!

"Family is the most important thing in the world." - Princess Diana

If you're interested in scheduling a family session, I'd love the chance to discuss session possibilities with you!

Halloween/Fall Mini-Session Success!

Just Hangin' Out at the Ranch