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Of course, we need to start with Maria representing! And she had the coolest rhinestone bling on her Letterman's jacket.
The first part of our session was a little more formal. We found a building with some great architecture and used that as our backdrop. Maria boasted a sophisticated, elegant look and was a natural in front of the camera!
This photo looks like it came straight out of a magazine! I asked for Maria's best Beyonce walk and she totally owned it!
Just a casual close up to show off that beautiful smile!
After a wardrobe change, we headed up to the Sandia Mountains to get some nature shots. Spring has not quite sprung here in New Mexico, so I thought the mountains would be the perfect backdrop for the second half of our session, since most of our trees don't have any leaves yet! We couldn't have made a better choice.
Now it was time to get a little more relaxed and casual and just enjoy the beautiful weather and have a little fun!
Tassel in hand, ready to graduate and start her next adventure! Thanks so much, Maria, for allowing me to capture you beautiful spirit! Best of luck to your in your future endeavors. Keep reaching for your dreams!
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This wasn't one of the posed pictures we did with her puppy, but I just love the looks on both of their faces in this one!!
The beauty of shooting during the "Golden Hour" The light is absolutely dreamy!
About 15 minutes before sunset each day, the mountains turn a bright red color (Thus their name, The Sandia Mountains, Spanish for watermelon). It was perfect timing for this shot!
Nyah asked for a shot facing away from the camera, looking out onto the Rio Grande river. I am soooo in love with this one!
It didn't take long for their personalities to come out and really shine. I could instantly tell that they have a lot of laughter and joy in their lives. I found them to be so easy to talk to, as we chatted for the entire session. One of my goals in opening my business was not only to be able to provide beautiful photos to my clients, but also to make new friends along the way.
We were even lucky enough to find a spot where the fall colors are beginning to glow! Leslie and Joanne said we nailed it with this location, as they are all about the outdoors and sharing nature with their three fur babies! Hopefully, the Bachechi Open Space will be a new spot for them to take their dogs and recall this super fun photo session! Thanks ladies, I had an absolute blast!
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And if I had any doubts about how much fun this session was going to be, those were quickly erased!! Typical brother photo bomb! I think my mom has some of those with my brother doing the same type of thing!
We did this photo shoot at Bachechi Open Space, right along the Rio Grande River in Albuquerque, NM. The cool thing about this place is that there are so many different places within the open space, each providing different lighting and backgrounds. It's so nice to have a spot where you can take so many different photos with such varying back drops.
After we left the bridge, and the ducks and turtles that were swimming below, we headed to a wooded area. I wanted to get some shots of the kids walking some of the paths and also sitting on some of the wood benches that line the walking paths.
It's not easy to keep a 2 and 4 year old engaged for an hour photo shoot, but their mom had told me in my client questionnaire that both of the kids really like music, so I came armed with my toddler station on Pandora and my bluetooth speaker, and we had a mini dance contest in the woods! We played several songs while the kids danced and sang and I snapped away! Afterwards, we all shared a snack of animal crackers, because after all, what's better after a dance contest than animal crackers!
I love doing these shoots during the "Golden Hour", about an hour before sunset. The lighting is just that, golden! It just makes your skin glow and the back lighting is magical! We stopped by an open area with some tall grasses to take advantage of some of that beautiful golden light.
Before I knew it, our session was over! These kids were an absolute dream to work with, and their parents were just the nicest people! It was easy to see why these kids were so polite and playful.
Thank you so much, Stephanie, for allowing me to photograph your kids! You have a beautiful family and I hope we can do this again soon!
]]>Jeannine and Eduardo’s family were an absolute dream! They were open to anything. Jeannine had told me that she had always had studio portraits taken of the kids, but was so excited to be able to take pictures outside, with the whole family. We chose the Bosque (Spanish for “forest”) in Albuquerque. It’s an area that runs along the Rio Grande River with a high concentration of Cottonwood trees that provides a beautiful recreational area for hiking, bicycling and dog walking.
We started off with the family poses (‘cause we all know those are the ones that Mom wants, right)! I am absolutely obsessed with how Eduardo and his son are looking at each other in this photo! It's just such a genuine look of affection and love.
Then I took the kids individually to get some shots of them. These kids were naturals in front of the camera! I kept asking their son if he had modeled before because, well, just look at how handsome he is, first, but also because I didn’t even have to give him a lot of direction. He was a pro at striking a pose!
Their oldest daughter was a total charmer! She is absolutely beautiful and I had so much fun photographing her. She was more than eager to pose and look like the total princess that she is! And she kept wanting to see the image on the back of my camera after each picture!! Well of course, what girl would not want to make sure she looked her best!
Their littlest angel was only two years old but she did everything we asked her to do. She followed the leads of her big brother and sister and smiled the whole time. She was such a doll, and just look at those beautiful eyelashes!!
Of course we had to get some group shots of the kids to finish the session. These kids had such a real love for each other. You could just tell in they way they interacted with each other. I can't thank Jeannine and Eduardo enough for giving me the opportunity to capture these memories for their family!
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The colors of all the veggies spanned the rainbow! Everything was fresh, home grown and looked absolutely delicious! Based on the size of the crowds perusing the market, this food is a big hit with the locals! |
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| OK, so I am absolutely OBSESSED with colors of the tomatoes! Does that make me weird, or what?! They are just so beautiful - they almost look too good to eat.....almost! |
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It's the crown jewel of the late summer harvests here in New Mexico....tah dah!!! I give you green chile. For those of you who don't live here, the locals eat green chile with EVERYTHING! It's pretty much required. Anywhere from mild to extra hot....there's a heat level for everybody! |
| There are plenty of fresh herb and flowers vendors to go around as well. So many stunning colors of summer blooms. Take home a bouquet and enjoy the beauty of nature! |
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Did I happen to mention the baked goods? O.M.G! It took every ounce of willpower that I had to not scarf down all of those butter croissants!! |
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Be still my heart....my mouth is watering just looking at the these photos! Oh bread, why do I love thee so much!?
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Fresh pasta too! And oh, the presentation was just lovely. |
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When I was a little girl and living on a farm in rural Northeast Ohio, we used to go out to the chicken coop everyday to collect fresh eggs. |
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So many interesting and fun people working the booths! Everyone is extremely knowledgeable about their products. |
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Don't forget to bring your four-legged friends! The Albuquerque Downtown Grower's Market is super pet friendly. I think the dogs have more fun than the people, personally. |
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These beauties had their faces painted and were nice enough to pose for a photo!
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These girls were getting henna tattoos and proudly showed them off! |
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Music filled the air and young and old alike enjoyed the sounds. They even played a John Denver song, so they immediately won my heart over! |
If you live in the Albuquerque area and have not been to the Downtown Growers Market, what are you waiting for? The sense of community and friendship was so inviting. The food, jewelry, herbs, flowers and handmade soaps and lotions were an absolute feast for the senses. And the joy of seeing so many families - parents, grandparents and young kids enjoying a beautiful summer day in the park is warming to the heart.
And if you don't live here, I guarantee you there are similar markets in your town or close by. Go and check them out. Support local businesses. You'll be happy you did.
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