{Tyler + Megan | Engagement Session | North Tucson | April 2012}
There is something super sweet about leaving an engagement session overjoyed for the couple you just shot. I watched eyeballs light up and laughter dance even over the silly things and left Tyler + Megan's session with a HUGE smile on my face. AND--that's EVEN after my phone fell out of my camera bag and shattered its screen in the parking lot seconds before I met up with the couple--a fantastic way to glaze over that travesty! Here are a few highlights from our time together - PART ONE. (Stay tuned for PART TWO later this week :D)
they really got into their dancing...
(song playing softly in my head "when a man loves a woman...")
Tyler's top favorite food is Pizza. And this particular parlor is one of their favorites.
these stairs were SO cool. :D
one of my absolute favorite collections of images... :)
"tyler can you just grab that woman and embrace her please."...yes, thank you.
check out her eyes!! 
PART TWO coming soon... :D
Knowlton Family | Arizona Portrait Photography
{Knowlton Family Portraits | Agua Caliente, Tucson, AZ | January 2012}
I met this sweet family at a homeschool co-op day. I set up a little booth, shared some pictures, advertised a 'bonus' promo for those who booked on the day of and came home with a grip of new families I'd get to capture memories for! The Knowltons showed up dapper and ready for an amazing session!
so much stinkin' personality!
the boys ate UP all the attention...
daddy-daughter really get to me. I've been missing my dad a lot lately. It makes me get all tender and mushy when I direct the daddy-daughter moments during a session...
Seriously, i've never had such willing candidates to whip out funny faces on the fly!
I ADORE the in-between moments when shooting families...those bite-size 'rest' times where the kids get to do what they want. You get to really snag some AWESOME faces... :)
Mom NAILED it in the 'prop' department. I really encourage families to bring a little momento that would be a special icon of who each member is... costumes are most favorite! :D
this little guy took his legos REALLY REALLY seriously. it was awesome. below are three images of about 20 as he explained how cool this particular contraption was...
Little bit on the right (below)...yea, this is what he called his VIKING costume. check out those fuzzy boots! SO. BOY.
And parents of three youngsters can still get sweet on eachother....i LOVE these moments...
My most favorite thing about the time i got to spend with the Knowltons, was watching Karen. Just in that hour and a half, I was so impressed by her constant giddyness with her kids. You could tell she had the 'im a mom of two crazy boys' thing DOWN. She wasn't faking. She wasn't pushing through to make. She let the wildness slide off her shoulders and laughed WITH her kid. Seriously. My eyes just welled up thinking about it. She challenged me, so much, to dive into my kid's fun. She did more than TOLERATE the craziness. That strikes a chord with me in so many ways... :)
Alison | California Baptist University Senior Portraits | sneak peak
{Alison Moore | Senior Portrait Session | Downtown Tucson, AZ | March 2012}
Here is a sneak peak into my senior session with Alison Moore. More golden loveliness can be seen on her gallery HERE. :D
Amos + Dulce | Tucson Maternity Photographer | Agua Caliente Morning Mini Session | teaser
{Amos + Dulce + Baby | Agua Caliente, Tucson, AZ | March 2012}
Amos is a trainer at the gym I go to down the streets. When I heard he was going to be a new daddy I gave him a huge high five and then insisted he and his wife do a maternity session! (Motivated by my own regret in not being more intentional with maternity pictures for myself. I just simply did not FEEL pretty)... I am more recently sobered by how fleeting and special pregnancy can be and gently prod expecting couples to not forget about the belly memories!
Tomorrow I get to shoot their little boy's newborn pictures! He arrived safe and sound about a week ago. It's been a special treat to be invited into this special time for both Amos + Dulce. | lkm
Dan + Erin | 'Vintage-Meets-Urban'-Inspired Downtown Tucson Engagement Session | Pt.2
{Dan + Erin | Vintage-Meets-Urban Inspired Downtown Tucson Engagement Session | Janaury 2012}
I thought that shooting in La Placita in downtown Tucson would be too cliche. But you get a couple like Erin and Dan to unleash, be real, enjoy each other, share a few inside jokes, laugh, trip, embarass themselves gloriously so--and you could stick 'em in front of cardboard boxes and still have a spread worth a million bucks. Oh the color!! My gosh, these two burst with such a raw, goofy delight in each other--my face hurts from smiling. | lkm
(above) check out their vert! they nailed the 'jump' on the first try. standing ovation please.
that pole little kiss moment there was purely spontaneous. Dan--you're so suave.
erin's grin in these middle-of-the-street/my-photographer-is-going-to-kill-us images...was favorite.
so we found this truck...
kinda random. but i'm a fan. 
'hey dan, grab erin's hand and frolick gleefully down the alley and then embrace each other in than corridor.'
i can't get over how perfectly the tones of what they were wearing meshed with the wall...
so the day was mostly overcast which is often some of the BEST natural-soft-box-style lighting you can get....but I was secretly a little bummed that we missed out on some of that golden flare when a session ends with a sunset-provided epic finale....... and yet...... 
there was a band playing in downtown that night. Just as dan and erin were getting into the car i knew i had to cease the moment. quickly. before we lost momentum. and boy did these two deliver :)
Dan + Erin, we love you guys. You are SUCH a treat. Lawson & I still can't wait for our double date. Thank you for trusting me with these memories. So so blessed to be a part of this special season with you guys! | lkm
Dan + Erin | Vintage-Inspired Downtown Tucson Engagement Session | Pt.1
{Dan + Erin | Vintage-Inspired Downtown Tucson Engagement Session | January 2012}
Planning this shoot with Erin was a blast. There was a grip of giggly emails passed back and forth with 40s hair-dos, accessories, ideas and inspirations. We planned to meet an hour early so i could plan out the 'storyboard' of the afternoon extravaganza. We assessed our collection, kept the looks softly inspired, downed a good solid cup of blond (nods to Starbucks baristas), applied (nervously) that darn long-last lipstick stuff three times before getting it just right, touched up Erin's soft curls, oggled Dan's impressive collection of caps and suspenders, and hit the road!
these highschool sweethearts are so comfortable with each other :)
I didn't even tell her to pop that heel :)
Love this reflection image...
I started to say something like...'Hey Dan, could you give me a flirty lean and-- and then I stopped talking because they just melted right into eachother. No instructions needed.
The way she looks at him...
a bit o' bliss...
this whole series made me laugh so much. Dan is just so stinkin' goofy.
Oh and this is just the beginning. Check back on Friday for part 2 of Dan and Erin's e-session... I know. I know. I'm mean aren't I. It's worth the wait though. If that makes you feel any better :)
LEO | Tucson Newborn Portraits
{Leo | Backyard Newborn Portriats | Tucson, AZ | December 2011}
I don't do very many newborn sessions. Newborn photography is a whole amazing ball game on its own. Props to the pros and mommies who patiently wade through 3 hours of nursing, coddling, nuzzling, adjusting, stripping, dressing and working in a room 10 degrees warmer to assure that the babe feels most comfortable and stays asleep long enough to get the perfect perch of the head, curl of the toes, tuck of the legs and maybe even a lil' yawn while wearing that perfect hoodie to nail that amazing newbie portrait that'll grace the walls, wallets and wedding day slideshow in years to come. (breath) now, while you recover from that rediculously insane run-on sentence, I share with you a mini backyard session I had with a local Tucson family for their first grandbaby, LEO. It was a quick session. Minimal props. And while I focused on capturing little Leo most of all, I have to admit my favorite part was mom and dad's expressions--their wonder, curiosity, fascination, anxiety, fear?? (grin. i know that feeling!)--all of it. The newness, awkwardness, sheer, absolute, unabashed, die-hard love for their new addition--it's brilliant. Such a treasure to be welcomed into these moments. | lkm
Happy Birthday Jasmine! | Tucson Children Photographer
{Jasmine | Fellowship of the Cross, House Church | November 2011}
This young lady is hosting a mighty fine birthday party tomorrow at a cool pizza place in town. And honestly, i'm really excited about going. One, it'll be awesome to see my kids eye's bug out of their sockets as they experience Peter Piper Pizza/Arcade for the first time. But more significantly, this little girl impresses me so much. She and her family are part of my FIL's house church that meets out of our home on Sunday mornings. During the 'big people' discussion time, kids shoot back to the kid's room to find new things to do with princess dress up clothes, thomas the train tracks, half naked barbies and all the mysterious games you can create with those mixed together. (note to self: work on building a more diverse toy box). She's just a wee little one, but she is so attentive to Judah & Jordyn on Sunday Mornings. Judah adores her. She's got an enormous amount of gentleness and graciousness and is, by far, the best 'share-er' I've ever seen.
(above) those were definitely Jasmine's toys that she gracious let my kids...strip. Again, note to self: get Judah more boy toys.
This is me saying 'thank you' Jasmine. (And to your mama, 'Bravo, Debbie. You have done a great job!') You are a beautiful young lady and I delight in seeing your attentive little heart grow and engage with those around you. :)
Griffith Family | Tucson, Arizona | Family Portraits
{Grifftith Family Portriat Session | Auga Caliente, Tucson, AZ | November 2011}
This family is extra special to my heart. Derek, the dad, was one of the first guys at Second Mile to chase Lawson down and befriend. Jen, the mom, has rocked my world with her testimony. She was introduced to Jesus less than 4 years ago and it changed her life. She radiates a bazillion tons of joy and belief that makes my head swim and my heart intrigue. Even Lawson has said on numerous accounts, 'Laura, you should rub up again her. A lot'...(beat) uhm, he probably said it a bit differently. that just came out weird. But point made. We would rub up against the Griffiths every day if we could. It's true Griffiths. We are so excited about getting to know you guys better! (P.S. I've never had a client plaster their home with their session's pictures as fast and as die-hard thoroughly as Jen did. It's awesome! I mean--it'd be awesome even if it wasn't my work. I just love pictures. But the fact that i took them--so cool. So encouraging. In fact, I believe an MVP award might be due...)
Miley...gosh her little smile just makes me beam :)
I had to warm Abby up a little. I warned her, 'So Abby, you will feel uber cheesy, silly -- but you gotta nose dive ok straight into this lil' project? So...i'm gonna say 'snap' and every time i do, you have to whip up a different pose, pop a hip, make a silly face...lets just play. It took 20 'snaps' and we landed some GREAT keepers :)
sisters...guh. i love sister shots. 
yes owen was genuinely gnawing on Derek's nose. he's such a beast.
Lukavich Family | Tucson, Arizona | Family Portraits
{Lukavich Family | Agua Caliente, Tucson, AZ | November 2011}
When i initially spoke to Joni about setting up the family session with her clan she hesitated before telling me she had SIX kids plus a foster baby. Three of which are red-headed triplets. I gawked and grinned for half a second and then said, 'oh please oh please let me photograph you guys!' So they showed up in their enormous white van, all kids were dressed to the nines with an extra wardrobe hanging neatly in the 'extra row' at the back of their 'bus.' The kids were great. They followed direction amazingly well and Joni and her hubby just helped the kids laugh the whole time. I was so impressed with their joy. Even the little baby (whom i can't post pictures of because of system rules) was a gem. (Its killing me not to share his little cheeks and constant 5 month old grin. His name is even Leonard. For reals. Coolest little smiling ball of pudge ever.)
i'm pretty sure this special 'father-son' set will be treasured for a long time.
It took a little urging for them to be cool with the 'hand holding' but then i told them to RACE on the count of 3 and all smiles and giggles were unleashed
no joke, the exact words were, "can we please pose in front of this cool door. It matches the girl's hair.' 
And then out came the fancy pants. I have never seen a family change so fast.
this little guy's 3 piece suit just killed me
I'm pretty sure this little munchkin could star as a model for a whole series of illustrated children's books. I'd call them 'Munchkin Maddie & Her Sweet Mollases Madness'...or something like that. 
one of my favorite from the whole day
and then there were three...
Joni... your family is delightful--one big pod of delightfulness. thank you so much for letting me be part of your family memories! | lkm