Durham & Crum Families

The day before Thanksgiving I met up with and photographed two families...at once. A little over zealous? Perhaps. If you want to get technical about it I was doing three jobs at once. Two family shoots and one business portrait shoot. Confused yet? Me too. Yet me break it down for you...

We decided to do all of these sessions downtown in Little Rock. I have been wanting to photograph at the Old State House and the Pulaski County Courthouse for a while now. And my friends were nice enough to work with me! We were terrified the weather wasn't going to cooperate, but in the end everything worked out just fine and the photos turned out beautifully.

I met Natasha about six years ago. She was my yearbook rep when I was teaching at Lutheran High. A few years later when I ended up at North Pulaski one day she walks into my classroom to see if I was interested in switching from my current company, back to Jostens. Of course I was! Duh. So...cut to today. She is a busy mom with an adorable little girl (like seriously, I don't think I have ever met a more polite three-year-old in my life) and doting husband. And her business is booming so much she has brought on another rep for the area: Amber. And Amber has a gorgeous ten-year-old, Chloe. Now you know all the players.



Ok. So how did I end up doing three shoots at once? Well, the gals contacted me about doing some new photos for all of their work publications (color me THRILLED about that). Then we decided why not do some fun family shots since we were all on break for Thanksgiving anyway. So... I was shooting Amber and Natasha for Jostens stuff, Natasha's family and Amber and her daughter just so everyone could have some lovely updated photography. Not to mention we wanted some of just the girls because they are like two peas in a pod these days. I was a wee bit overwhelmed at times, but I put my game face on and did my job.

And I really hope the gals are pleased because after so many years I definitely consider Natasha my friend first, and my yearbook rep second. And to prove it? I tried to convince Natasha to come to the National JEA Conference in Kansas City so we could go out shopping... not work. Shopping!

I am so thankful to have wonderful people in my life (both personally and professionally) and it was a true joy to get to spend some time with Amber and Natasha and the most important people in their lives. We all had a great time and I think the photography shows that. And if not...at least the girls ended up with HUGE lollipops at the end of the day. Who doesn't love a lollipop? Especially when they taste "like rainbows".

Thank you Durham & Crum Families! Happy Thanksgiving!

Micah's Senior Shoot

On Sunday I had the fortune to photograph one of my favorite students. She is also one of my favorite people, but I think in this context I should tell you she is also one of my students. Sadly, she won't be around after this year because she is going to graduate in May. I am so proud of her, and so thankful for all she does for me (she is constantly dog-sitting and house-sitting for me when I leave town).

We met up and headed to her horse stable, which is conveniently located on the Jacksonville Air Force Base. So we spent a misty morning taking some amazing photos for Micah and her horse, Dasher. The property was beautiful and I think it couldn't have turned out better... even if the sun had been out and the fog wasn't rolling in. We took some pictures with her cousins (although I didn't include them here) and generally had a lovely time. It was a lot of fun, and I didn't get trampled by a horse. So, that's aways a win in my book.

I could go on and on about what a great kid Micah is. I really could. She is a good person. She is kind, thoughtful, responsible. Dependable. You can always count on her, and I love that about her. But I guess the thing I like best about her is that she is the kind of high school kid that gives me hope in people her age. It isn't all Gossip Girl and Jersey Shore young people out there. Micah is proof that there are some teenagers out there that are going to make amazing adults. And that is a great thing. Like I said... I adore her.

So... Congratulations Micah, on all you have accomplished!



Brewer Family

On Friday I made a mad dash from Jacksonville to Maumelle in yucky traffic so that I could photograph a lovely little family. Time was of the utmost importance since dad is returning to active duty and going over seas in just over 24 hours from now (as I write this). We wanted to get some lovely shots of the family together before they had to say good bye again. What a brave family for sacrificing time together so that Cole can go serve and protect our nation!

We started our session off with a few photos of just mom and dad. They don't get to see each other very often and I thought it would be wonderful to get a couple of photos they can enjoy as a couple, away from being parents. After that we turned our attention to family shots and baby & me photographs. It was  fast and furious dash because Miss Ava is not a still baby. Adorable. Beautiful. Joyful. And a mover. A future gymnast if I had to put money down on it. And Ava is pretty much the funniest thing ever. She had to put everything in her mouth... including my camera! She was totally curious about everything. Which I love.

I had a really great time seeing this lovely family enjoy their time together. And of course Ava was the star. She is a total hoot! She was so active in fact that in an attempt to out-smart her moves we set up the best baby photo scenario ever. We put her exersaucer and put up an adorable lime green backdrop and ended up with some of my favorite shots. So ending on a good, no, great note! Thank you Brewer family for letting me invade your home for a few hours, and thank you for all you do for our country! Best wishes!

Henley Family

After a whirlwind weekend of wedding festivities (pictures to follow) in Hot Springs, I figured it would be a shame not to take some beautiful pictures while I was in town. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to photograph the Henley's. I was pleased to get the chance to capture this beautiful family on film.

I have known Billy for a few years, but this was my first chance to meet his wife and beautiful son! And the day was perfect. We had been worried about the weather because the temperature had been dropping but it was delightful. The sun was out and it was a perfect day for photographing a new and adorable family. Every little thing fell into place and we all had a great time getting to, mostly, make little baby Lane giggle.

We photographed downtown, in the park near the Arlington Hotel and in and around some of the bath houses (which are so beautiful I would gladly go back anytime to do more photos). It was really a perfect day all around and it was really wonderful to hang out with some old friends and meet some new ones. It was really exciting to catch up and see how much love this family has bursting out of them. Thanks, Henley Family, for letting me spend the afternoon with you! It was wonderful!



Haley's Senior Pictures

This morning I braved the chilly weather to photograph Haley in honor of her senior year. How exciting for her...she is just starting on her journey through life as an adult. But with her shining personality and beautiful smile, she won't have any trouble!

I have had the pleasure of knowing Haley for her entire high school career. She attends school where I teach, so I have been able to follow her throughout her ups and downs of high school. This girl does it all! She is incredibly talented and her determination are going to make her a success in everything she does. She works, she makes good grades, she is on a competitive cheer/dance team and she is a pageant winner (although she is so humble about all of it that you won't hardly hear her talk about it... ever). This kid is a star. For sure.

For our session we went to her uncle's house, which is amazing. He is an incredible wood-smith. So, maybe talent just runs in the family?! But we had a blast playing around in their beautiful yard and in his cool "man cave" which had all sorts of fun stuff to play with. Picture: jute box, pool table, projection screen for movies, slot machine, poker table... It is every man's dream.

So, we played and goofed around and in the process got some beautiful pictures. But how could we not? Haley is a peach and gorgeous so there was never any doubt in my mind that the photos were going to be just as stunning as Haley is. It was a real pleasure and honor to get to photograph Haley to help celebrate her senior year in high school. Congratulations Haley!



The Hillyer Family

The Hillyer family and I go way back. I think I have known Dustin since Ramay Junior High and Eleta since we were learning flute together in the band. (She was ALWAYS soo much better than I was. She was first chair...I was last chair. I harbor no ill-will. Promise!). And decades later...They fall in love, get married and I got the chance to visit them at their home and photograph their new baby boy, Jaxson. How cute is he?! And such a trooper! He stood the test of time and let me snap pictures for a solid two hours.

But the time flew by as we photographed the little man, and his proud parents. They each had their moments of getting to be in the spot light with their newest shining star. The love was thick in that house.

We did some shots inside with the whole set up and that was fun. They were willing to let me test-run my swaddling wraps on little Jax (PS...I still have a lot to learn) and I got to try out a few new props. Because, let's be honest. Who wouldn't LOVE to see a baby in an antique suitcase. Who's with me?! Really...

This morning was so much fun. Catching up was great. Hearing about the crazy B&N gossip was mind-blowing and getting promised a hookup for my classroom was outstanding! It was everything I could have dreamed of...and I got to photograph a lovely family. I truly couldn't be happier for the whole Hillyer clan as they finally start to get all the joy and blessings they so richly deserve. Many blessings upon this family as they start their growing brood. Hopefully I will be back soon to photograph the next installment to their family.

Ezra at 6 Months

It was about time I got see my style diva, Chelsea! And she brought along her youngest, little man for his latest photo shoot. See, originally we had planned on doing the whole family. Beautiful fields of yellow flowers and all. But then it rained... So, we scraped that idea and just decided to do a few mommy & me photos. And what a blast we had! Ezra is awesome... Let me put it this way. He is 6 months old and already learning to flirt with the ladies. Watch out. He will be a heart breaker.

Momma had this great vintage shirt that said "Stevie" (dad's name, and dad's shirt from when he was Ezra's age) and these awesome cowboy boots. He has his mom's fashion sense. Well... she is dressing him... but we will give him the credit anyway. Because, let's face it, he is adorable! So after we got some great "Stevie" photos we did some great ones with mom and her favorite baby boy.

We had an awesome time hanging out, catching up, and taking some great pictures for Ezra to enjoy for the rest of his life. And so what if we freaked out my neighbors by setting up the whole studio thing in my garage... We had a good time, and that is all that matters! And it was an excellent excuse to sweep the garage. Thanks, Chelsea for all the fun and bringing my favorite boy to visit.

If you want to see more pictures of Ezra and all my portfolios check out my website:

www.whitneyfloraphotography.com