Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke
Capturing the Joy in Life
I took these family pictures over a month ago for my dear friends, and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to share them! It was a gorgeous day, I loved the clothing they put together, the kids were adorable, and the parents had fun–yay! You may recognize my friend Staci, who helped me with the Gallery Wall in my girls fancy room. She’s also helping me with a project on my room of… Continue Reading
I recently came back from a Walt Disney World Family Vacation, and we had so much fun! Since it was the first time I’d been with my children, I had so many questions in my mind about what to do in just ONE day at each theme park, so I thought I’d put together a 5 part series with the top ten attractions and tips along with photo ops at each park we went to,… Continue Reading
Kristen has a lot of amazing qualities. One of them can be that she is very direct, some might say blunt. My first experience with her, let’s call it “straight-shooting,” came very early in our relationship.
One of my favorite memories growing up with Kristen was when she taught me how to drive. I remember that it was around my 14th birthday and she wanted to be the cool sister to show me the ropes of driving. Now, hopefully this fact doesn’t get her in trouble with the law as I was definitely without so much as a driving permit, but that is the way that Kristen likes to roll. So… Continue Reading
One of my first distinct memories in my life occurred in our house in Slidell LA. It was either before we moved in our right after we moved in and some finishing touches being done on the house. There was a balcony above the living room from the second floor. I was 3 years old so Kristen was about 6 or 7.
Kristen has asked each of her siblings to enter her blog-o-sphere world to share some memories from her life. Unlike Kristen, I’m not such an open book publicly, so even 20 – 30 years after some experiences I still don’t want to self-incriminate on past behavior or long-time mysteries too much. Hopefully, she’ll leave the gaps on anything that I’m purposefully vague. {My Junior year of high school, visiting my brother at his freshman year… Continue Reading
I’m not afraid to lay myself out there and tell some silly stories in order to get a good laugh and in the name of authenticity. I was recently filling out a little survey about myself and one of the questions was, to share an embarrassing story. I thought and thought, but ultimately, I was stumped. I’m sure there were some, but nothing came to mind. I thought, who better to ask than my family… Continue Reading
I’m so thrilled to introduce my friend Brooke to all of you today! I met Brooke last summer at the EVO blog conference, and I was instantly drawn to her. She is so easy to talk to and so generous with her time in helping me sort out a few blogging details. I even joined her on the Better Blogging Google Hangout and learned even more about this blogging biz! Her site, All Things Thrifty,… Continue Reading
I mentioned a few days ago my Blogging Goals, and wow, it’s amazing that if you actually set a goal, that early determination is like wildfire! I feel like I’m constantly working on my mothering skills, to talk sweet to my children, to apologize when I’ve gotten upset, to practice patience when they don’t come when asked (twice), to engage with them, to look into their eyes when they are telling a story, to hug… Continue Reading
After I ran the mud run with my sister in laws in September, I was on the hunt for something just as fun for my family. Though my husband and I have run many a 5k in our days, the theme races were never on our radar. I’d heard about the color runs before, but once I saw the Color Me Rad 5k was in Austin in December, I thought it would be a spectacular… Continue Reading
This is my new favorite type of portrait session. I love photographing a family in their home, doing what they love to do. When I suggested it to my friend for their upcoming session, she was thrilled about the idea, and I heard later that her husband was just as excited! They have a lovely home, and sweet children, and I simply adore the images that came out of this session. They are the orthodontic… Continue Reading
My left to right: LaLaLoopsey–Crumbs Sugar Cookie to be exact (same theme as her birthday party last spring). I’ve got a BYU football player, a warrior, and a vampire. This was from our church Fall Festival last Saturday, they’ll look this same tonight;) For myself, I got just 2 accessories to make my costume, can’t decide if I’m a kitty cat or a cheetah. I like cheetah. It is easy and fun! Now for a… Continue Reading
This sweet mama booked her session from Seattle, and they moved to Austin just days before we met up in this lovely field. Their daughter is so adorable, and enjoyed having fun with mom and dad, and the apples I brought for her! This sweet family was a delight to photograph, and I hope to continue to see this cutie grow!
I had the chance to photograph these two cute girls last spring, and was delighted to photograph the whole family this time. Loved their fall colors, and they were just happy together! The second family brought their adorable dog, who behaved quite nicely and responded well to my whistles/claps. The kids were delightful, and I loved their colors as well! With both of these families, I got to help with clothing coordination ahead of time,… Continue Reading
I’m so excited to kick off this week of planning for family portraits with Laura from Laura Winslow Photography! She’s on my list of people I’d love to meet up with the next time I go to Arizona. I love her style, and excited for what she has to say about selecting a photographer just right for you. Hello lovelies! I’m so happy to have been asked by the sweet Kristen to guest post and… Continue Reading
