This was a great session. The Tollackson family never disappoints! They welcomed me into their home recently to document the newest arrival of their third boy, Henry. I had the best time joking around with big brothers Levi and Westin. They did so well for their age and our time went by in a flash. This family is just too adorable for words.
Tag: Family
Jaclyn Maternity
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to work with the Tollackson family and I’ve missed them! Levi was still a baby back then –but now he’s waiting on the arrival of his new brother or sister (it will be a surprise!). For this session (during our new COVID era), I met the Tollacksons out at their property so we could still practice proper social distancing.
Lee Family Session
Lifestyle photography at a family’s home is simply the best! I love this approach so much more than the typical studio newborn session because it gives you a glimpse into those first few months as a family together. It was really hard to pick my favorites from this one. Not only because I’m biased (James and Piper are wonderful friends of ours), but also because Miss Evelyn is so stinking adorable! I love how their fur babies also decided to join in a bit. Scroll down below to see a sampling of what we captured!
Hajovsky Family
I had a great time, as always, with the Hajovsky family this fall. This is my third year to photograph them and I can’t believe how much the boys have grown. They are getting so big! The best part of working with many of the same families year over year is getting to see this first hand. We had so much fun running around, climbing trees, running up rock piles and throwing leaves into the air. Scroll down to see some of our favorites!
Puhlmann Family
Sometimes, I’m lucky enough to meet a family that I connect with instantly and this was definitely one! The Puhlmann family met me out at our property for a weeknight sunset session right after the time change this year. We all jumped in their truck and headed to one of my favorite spots out at the back of our land. This place is magical to me because it’s where we grew up ‘exploring’ the dry creek bed and open fields. It also has gorgeous light if we are fortunate enough to have a bright day. We were blessed with sunshine and given how unpredictable November can be in Texas, we were actually feeling hot and sweaty towards the end. Fast forward just a few days and we are looking at freezing temperatures. You just never know! Scroll down to see a few of our favorites.
Latham Family
I met the Latham family out at the LaVernia C of C Hall to photograph them beneath the trees and gorgeous light out there near sunset. When the light is right, it’s truly a magical location. I love the way the sun pierces through the leaves at just the right time. Scroll down to see a sampling of our favorites!
Baby Perez! It’s a…Girl!
Congrats to new parents Oscar and Annjannete who just found out they are having a baby girl!!! Scroll down to see a sampling from their beautiful gender reveal party that ended with a BIG pop of PINK! Between the confetti and the smoke bomb, I’m not sure which had a greater impact. This one was so much fun to photograph!
Freeman Family
For my first time photographing the Freeman family, I was able to meet them on a bright Sunday morning in the little oasis of Gruene in New Braunfels, Texas. This location will always be one of my favorites because there are so many little nooks and crannies that you can find (away from the stores, restaurants and crowds) that also offer great color and textures. Scroll down to see a sampling from our session. I absolutely adore what we captured! There were a lot of silly smiles, walking around and playing–just the way I like my family sessions to go. This relaxed approach also works wonders with little ones, but you must find a few spots with nice open shade and plenty of room to run!
Calvert Family
For my first time photographing the Calvert family, they came out to our property for a beautiful sunrise session. The boys did so great! We had fun playing on the road, heading out to the tank and then ending the morning with them playing on our little swing set. I’m thankful that the sun decided to peak out behind some of the early morning rainclouds for our session. It was muggy for sure, but fall in, Texas is always so unpredictable that you never really know what the next few days or weeks will bring. As I sit here drafting this post, we have had nearly a 40 degree shift in the temperature in one day!! Thus, I feel we were truly blessed with great light and little wind for this one. Scroll down to see a few of our favorites.
Arron + Krystal
I recently had the pleasure of traveling to East Texas to take engagement photos with Krystal and Arron before their upcoming wedding this November. We started at the UT Tyler campus where Krystal and Arron first met — and, as an added bonus, I also was able to sneak in a few family and individual pictures of the ever charismatic Lilia. She’s full of sass and SUCH a cutie! After shots near the library and the clock tower, we headed downtown to The Foundry where the happy couple had their first date. We had a great time laughing and reminiscing over lattes. Not only was it a great coffee shop, but it really was a fun spot for photos. We even had the opportunity to sit at the very same table where the infamous date took place. Scroll down below to see some of our favorites from the evening.
Hollstin is 4!
I love working with the Pierdolla family! For this session, it was time to celebrate Hollstin’s upcoming fourth birthday. Although…I’m not quite sure how it was already time because it really felt like we just did his three year photos a few months ago! He’s growing so fast and is now a great big brother. Close to sunset, we met out at the Walnut Springs Park to run and play by the water for a little while. We were even able to sneak in a few family pictures along the way. Scroll down to see a few of our favorites!
Lindsey Maternity
First, let me say, how stunning does Lindsey look??! I met the Jonas family out at the Cypress Bend Park in New Braunfels, Texas, one sunny morning to capture some family photos, maternity photos and pictures of the adorable Mr. Hayden. Previously, I had only shot out there for evening sessions, but I must say, that I loved it there so much more in the morning! Even though we were in the dead of the summer, there was a nice breeze, we had some great light and it wasn’t crowded at all. I highly recommend it for portrait sessions. Scroll down to see a sampling from our session.
Olowo Twins are One!
The second time working with the Olowo family was just as amazing as the first. This family is so so incredibly sweet. They are the “V’s x 5!” – Victor, Vanessa, big sister Victoria and the twins, Valentina and Valerie. It’s hard to believe it has been nearly a year since first photographing the twins. They’ve grown so much! For this session, we met at the Synergy Park in Kilgore. The girls did great. It was sensory overload with all of us trying to get smiles from the twins, but they at least stayed in once place for a bit (which can be hard with two little ones at once). Victoria was all about the photos! I had so much fun with her taking individual images while the twins were getting their outfits changed out. Scroll down to see a sampling from our session.
Saylor 6 Months
It’s hard to believe Saylor is already six months old! It feels like just yesterday when I was taking their family/maternity photos. For this session, we met out on our property in La Vernia to take advantage of the open shade created by the large pecan trees in the field between our house and my parent’s. It was a surprisingly pleasant morning considering the temperatures crept up to near 100 later that afternoon. Miss Saylor was a bit stingy with her smiles, but in the end, we coaxed a few from her with the help of everyone and her big brother Luke. The two of them make the most precious pair with the bluest of blue eyes that simply sparkled in that morning light. Scroll down to see a few of our favorites from the session.
Benavides Family
This was a fun one! I met the Benavides family at Landa Park one sunny evening to take their first family pictures in more than eight years. We had great time walking around to find pockets of light where the sun started to set behind the trees. Although it’s crowded most of the time, there are many spots in Landa Park that you can find away from groups of people. For it being a mostly overcast day, we had great luck finding the light. This was my first time working with the Benavides crew and they were so sweet and relaxed during the whole session. I found myself telling them again and again that they were making my job way too easy! Scroll down to see a sampling from our session.
Callum’s Cake Smash
I love cake smash sessions! I met the Gault family last week to celebrate Callum turning one. We snuck in a few family shots and then went straight for the cake. In my experience, kids usually LOVE the cake or they absolutely HATE it. Callum definitely loved it!
Classen Family
Sometimes you have a family that you just connect with instantly. I knew right away after meeting the extended Classen family at their families’ ranch in New Braunfels that their group would be a blast to work with. Big group family sessions are often hectic because when you get that many people together (especially with young kids), it’s hard to maintain focus and still get natural looking smiles. This was not the case with the Classens! I truly had a great time working with the whole family. We walked around on their beautiful property and were even blessed with a few moments of sun after a mostly overcast and rainy day. Scroll down to see a sampling of the images we captured.
Spradlin Family
Thanks to my regular trips up to East Texas, I’ve had the pleasure of photographing the Spradlin girls for several years. It shouldn’t be such a surprise to me to see how much they’ve grown because they are nearly exactly the same age as my two kiddos! But nonetheless, it still surprises me to see the kids I’ve photographed change and grow over the years. This time was a little different because we actually had the whole family together! Always fun to work with, I had a great time walking around with the four of them and finding spots with pretty light around Synergy Park in Kilgore, Texas. Granted, the girls were freezing, but we made it work and it really was a lot of fun. Scroll down to see more.
Cooper Turns One
I challenge you to find something more adorable than this little man in blue overalls with eyes to match! Cooper’s one year session was so great. He did wonderful with several different outfit changes–including the A&M jersey and football. Seriously, he’s too cute for words! Scroll down to see more.
2017 Year at a Glance
I can’t begin to express the gratitude I feel for having the ability to photograph amazing families, couples and individuals near my hometown. This was a busy year! From lifestyle newborn sessions to high school and college seniors, maternity sessions, anniversaries, weddings and beyond, I was able to work with hundreds of individuals across all ages.
Carly Barton Photography 