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 :)

Playin' Dirty | Tucson Mom | personal

{My kids | Tucson, AZ | January 2012} Activities are a hard thing for me. Creating new things for the kids can sometimes give me stomach aches. I'm not sure why. I'm not sure what the big deal is inside of me head. Am I really so competitive or obsessive that I feel the pressure of making sure each day is impressively packed with the most amazing mommy activities so i get to brag about them to my husband at the end of the day? Seriously. I sometimes think that. 'Oh fantastic mother you--how wonderful you were to endure an hour of play-doh. your husband with smother you with lavish gifts and acolades for being such a giver.' How lame Laura. Really. What if i could just GET the fact that Judah and Jordyn just wanna let loose a little and have fun? Doesn't need a name, a structure, rules or even pictures to prove we did it. What if a mere mound of dirt would be the highlight of their day? I don't know why this toddler stage stresses me out so much. Its a conundrum. But this particular day i stifled the anxiety about an extra load of laundry, shoes full of sand and an uncomfortable dirt-filled bathtub later and tried to get down n' dirty WITH them. (after i put the camera away). ta da. | lkm

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.