Fall is in full swing here in McKinney, Texas, which means we are gearing up for all the traditional things: pumpkin patches, Halloween, outdoor cookouts with warm apple cider, and of course….fall family photo sessions. If you are finding yourself planning your own family’s session, here a few tips to keep in mind to make sure you have the most fun family session you possibly can!

Let Go of Perfection

Let me get this one out of the way upfront. If you are envisioning an entire session of perfectly posed, Vogue-style perfection, you may have come to the wrong place. While I 100% appreciate the beauty and talent that goes into these types of picturesque photo shoots, that’s not really what I offer. Of course, we will get at least one beautifully posed, smile-and-look-at-the-camera shot. I mean, you went through all that effort to select great outfits and wrangle your kids into the car, right? But that’s not where we’re going to stay, because that’s not what life with little kids is like. Over the years, I have found that when parents are worried about keeping their kid’s hair perfect and shoes unscuffed and constantly smiling for the camera, things go downhill fast. Kids pick up on their parent’s tension like a sixth-sense, so if you find yourself tense and snapping, those little guys are going to hand it right back to you. So make sure that you are ready to loosen your grip on controlling everything that will happen, because right when you do, that is when the real magic starts to happen.

Get Ready to Play

This is my number one tip to families of all ages. I don’t care if you are 2, 40 or 80 years old. You are never too old to play and have fun. For families with young kids, this one is a no-brainer. I mean, kids are just made to play, right? If you tell your kid to go off and do something serious, they’ll probably skip the entire way there. Kids just have a way of turning every task into a game. So for one single hour, I ask you to show up and be ready to bring out your inner kid. If you think you might have a hard time being silly in front of a camera, think about things you love to do with your family, times when you can relax and be yourselves. Maybe it involves a game of chess, or sitting around a campfire, or shooting hoops. Guess what…we can incorporate those things! I promise you that if you show up ready to play with your kids, they are going to have the time of their lives. And you will love the images we capture.

Show Off Your Talents

Oh my goodness, this is one that I wish more people would do! Have you ever felt like family sessions start to all look like each other after you see a whole bunch of them? Be willing to break that mold and show off what makes you unique. If you love to play guitar and sing for the kiddos, bring it along! Have a kid that can do the splits or a back flip? Let’s show that off! Do y’all love to go for evening bike rides or all have a thing for skateboarding? Please please please, bring those along!

One of the things I loved most about this particular fun family session was how they incorporated elements from their own story. The mom and dad had met in college at a swing dancing club, so they practiced some of their old moves in front of the camera. And the kids LOVED seeing their mom and dad dancing together.

In case you can’t tell, I love to show off what makes each family unique. So show up and let’s capture the essence of what makes you you!

Pile the Kids On

Okay, this one is a lot of fun if you don’t have any physical issues that prevent you from doing it. Moms, dads, grandparents…get ready to be the bottom of a kid pyramid. We can do this both sitting down or standing up, but it’s always fun to let the kids just pile onto laps, backs, shoulders. The more kids there are, the more fun it gets.

Show Affection

And my final tip for a fun family session…be ready to show affection. At some point during your session, I will typically try to guide you into some close poses where you can be free to hug and kiss. Some kids love to do it in a silly way, getting chased for hugs and kisses and tickles. Others love to sit in Mom and Dad’s lap and are happy to hide from the camera by snuggling into their arms. Whatever your child’s natural inclination may be, lean into that. If they love to snuggle, make sure you stroke their faces, move their hair out of their eyes, put your face close to theirs. If your child is a wild one, make the most out of the moments when you finally catch them, spinning them around and really teasing them with big hugs and kisses.

And of course, it’s important to catch some moments alone with just your significant other. Again, we will play off of your natural ways of interacting with each other. If you love to dance, let’s make sure we get photos of you dancing. If you love snuggling together on the couch, let’s make sure we sit you down and let you lean into each other. If you love to go for walks together alone, let’s make sure to capture that. Again, this is all about photographing what makes you unique.

Ready to schedule your own fun family session this fall? Christina Freeman is a family and child photographer based out of Anna, TX, but serving McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Wylie, Lucas, Celina and other Collin County communities. If you have loved everything you have seen so far, be sure to check out this details page for an idea of general pricing, and be sure to get in touch to start your own process of booking today!

The post How to Have a Fun Family Session appeared first on Christina Freeman Photography.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase ‘If you don’t like the weather in Texas, wait five minutes,’ and the day we held this little first birthday session really proved that phrase to be true.

If you have followed my work for any length of time, you have probably noticed that I love to photograph outdoors. I love integrating nature into my sessions–I love the changing of the seasons, the light we work get to work with, the beautiful sunsets we often manage to capture. I’ve also noticed that if we manage to photograph in a quiet area, clients (and kids especially) seem to open up and feel more comfortable where there is room to run and play. And since businesses reopened after Covid-19, I have tried my best to photograph almost exclusively outdoors.

The one drawback to these outdoor sessions, of course, is the weather in all of its unpredictability. Being in Texas, we *usually* have temperatures that we can work with, and we tend to be pretty lucky when it comes to rain (knocking on wood right now). But every once in a while, we do get torrential downpours and storms, and this happened to be one of those days.

This sweet baby girl’s mama and I had been in touch in the days leading up to this first birthday session, simply keeping our eyes on the weather and trying to figure out a few backup plans just in case we got rained out. I usually will encourage clients to wait until the day of the session before we make a call–I can’t tell you how many times we have had awful weather up until the hour or two before a session, only to have it clear up and have gorgeous weather after that. So if we can be flexible, we will usually try to wait it out.

This situation was a bit trickier, as the family was planning on driving in from the other side of the metroplex for their session. And honestly, we nearly called it off–it was still pouring off and on just right up to the hour before. But we went ahead and gave it a chance based on what the radar was predicting, and I’m so glad we did, as we honestly had one of the most beautiful evenings of light I have ever enjoyed at a session.

So when it comes to weather, here are just a few tips I try to incorporate with my sessions:

–First of all, safety absolutely comes first. I will not photograph if there is any lightning or torrential rain, as well as any heat, wind or flood advisories for the area. My priority is keeping you guys safe.
–If rain is forecast for the day of your session, I recommend trying to wait it out. As I said earlier, more times than not in the years I have been photographing, the weather forecasts do not turn out to be accurate. We will usually stay in touch and make a call within an hour or two of your session.
–If I can work weather into your session, I will try to do that. If it has rained earlier in the day and the ground is still wet, we may consider moving your session to downtown–reflections in the streets can make for some beautiful images. Fog, mist and wind may not seem ideal at the time, but can all create some gorgeously moody photos.
–When possible, try to adapt your outfits for the possible weather. For windy days, long flowy dresses in the right setting can be beautiful. For light rain, umbrellas and rain boots can be fun. When we keep our options and minds open, we can create some beautifully creative images together.
–And of course, when worst comes to worst, we will absolutely reschedule your session if the weather does not cooperate. For the time being, I am simply rescheduling sessions when possible. In the future (post-Covid), I will be able to offer indoor sessions at the studio in The Cotton Mill.

If you are looking for a photographer for your baby’s first birthday session and think we may be a great fit, please be sure to get in touch today!

Christina Freeman is a family and child photographer based in Anna, TX, serving McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Wylie, Lucas, Celina and other Collin County communities. She seeks to photograph the fun and messy moments that connect us all in our ordinary lives, from the very beginning to the very end. If you have loved everything you have seen so far, be sure to check out my details page for an idea of my general pricing, and be sure to get in touch to start the process today!

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Every year I look forward to doing a year in review, and each year…well, life hits. This year has definitely been no exception, because, you know….2020. But even in the midst of the edits, and the cleaning and the repairs of shower curtains that the kids have pulled down (yes….that just happened about five minutes ago), I am finally making myself sit down and write out my thoughts and memories of the past year. Hopefully this will be the start of an annual tradition.

So, where to begin. I started 2020 off at an all-time high. I had taken the last two weeks off in December 2019, which was so nice to focus solely on my family and the holidays. I also love to spend the last week of December reflecting back on the year and looking forward to the new one, and I had had ample time to create new goals for myself. I was so excited to start the new year and these projects I had created for my business.

And then I got sick, the very first week of January. At the time, I thought it was maybe a really bad case of the flu. High fevers that kept coming and going, absolutely no energy to do anything at all. And every time I felt as though I were getting my feet back under me, it would hit all over again, and I would be laid out on the couch with no energy, sleeping the day away. It took me nearly two months to start feeling like myself again. Looking back now, it makes me wonder if it was the flu after all or if I maybe did manage to pick up one of the early Covid strains during our holiday travels. Who knows.

But the point is, by March I finally had started to get my energy back and was so excited to start tackling some of my photography projects that I had laid out for the new year. And then Covid hit, and everything shut down.

Like many of you, I had no idea what the future held for my little business. I was certain, absolutely certain, that it was done for the year…and maybe for good. Which is why I was shocked when the quarantine lifted…and people started to get in touch with me. Not only did my photography business stay afloat, it actually turned out to be the best year I have ever had. I had the same number of sessions in just seven months that I had had the entire year prior.

So thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for turning out to (safely!) support my business. It feels so wonderful to be able to make money doing what I love. I know that sounds cliche, but it is the absolute truth. I love providing these images for you, and it means the world that you entrust these memories with me.

That is the main thing I really wanted to touch on about this year. You are what makes my business. With your support, I try to spend my down time with my family, as well as educating myself further, so that every year that you return to me, it will be an even better experience. You help make that a possibility.

And while every year is full of its disappointments and fallen attempts, and this year has seemed to have more than its share…there have been some achievements that I am also proud to share with you.

1. In March, I was thrilled to be listed by Clickin Moms in their annual ‘100 Female Photographers to Watch‘ list. I’m not going to lie, this is a goal I had hoped to achieve someday, but really didn’t expect to actually happen. I can’t describe what it meant to see my name listed amongst so many of my personal photography heroes.

2. I was also excited when Click magazine contacted me to do a very short writeup in their May/June 2020 edition. Another goal of mine that I had not expected to happen this year!

3. I decided to enter the Shoot and Share contest for the second time. I’m happy to say that I had four finalists and one top 100 that placed #29 out of 47,626 images in its category.

4. I also submitted to the Voice photo competition this year, and had 2 images selected as top 15 within their respective categories, as well as 3 other semifinalist images.

5. And on a personal note, I finished my third consecutive 365 project, which I hope to do a blog writeup about soon (crossing fingers).

Thanks so much for sticking with me in this year in review and celebrating these little wins with me. While they are so exciting, they also don’t show just how much time is spent feeling like I’m slogging through mediocre image after mediocre image. But I guess that is what keeps us going. Every once in a while we as photographers make another image that excites us and keeps us going. So thank you again for sticking with me this year and entrusting me with your memories. I can’t wait to see what is in store for us all in 2021.

Christina Freeman is a family and child photographer based in Anna, TX, serving McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Wylie, Lucas, Celina and other Collin County communities. She seeks to photograph the fun and messy moments that connect us all in our ordinary lives, from the very beginning to the very end. If you have loved everything you have seen so far, be sure to check out my details page for an idea of my general pricing, and be sure to get in touch to start the process today!

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For this portrait session, Aspynn wore a dress that I had created for my client wardrobe. I wanted to capture the feeling of long summer days spent exploring, so we left the shoes behind and stuck to the trails. The wonderful thing about photographing this age is that I can gently guide the kids to look for pretty flowers or search for ladybugs, and they honestly do the rest. Six year olds are so inquisitive about the world, and that’s exactly what I want to capture…that and their sweet little gap-toothed grins :)

So often when we plan portrait sessions, we think of just capturing your standard portraits and and headshots. But if you are planning a session with me, I urge you to go deeper. What are your favorite things about this age? What are the little six-year old details that you are going to miss when they are sixteen? What do they do that makes you laugh? Do they have undending stores of energy, and how can we channel that energy into photos? When you walk away from a portrait session with me, my goal is for you to have photographs that speak volumes to you years from now….that they won’t just remind you of what your child looked like, but what this stage of life felt like. That is my biggest goal.

If you are hoping to schedule a portrait session for your child, be sure to reach out and get in touch to create your very own customized experience. I look forward to hearing from you today!

Christina Freeman is a baby and child photographer based in Anna, TX, serving McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Wylie, Lucas, Celina and other Collin County communities. She seeks to photograph the fun and messy moments that connect us all in our ordinary lives, from the very beginning to the very end. If you have loved everything you have seen so far, be sure to check out my details page for an idea of my general pricing, and be sure to get in touch to start the process today!

The post Six Year Old Portrait Session in Anna, TX appeared first on Christina Freeman Photography.

Birthdays. If you are a parent, you know the significance of that one single word. If your kids are anything like mine, they are in full birthday mode at least three months in advance–asking how many days they have left, remembering one more thing they left off their wish-list, changing their birthday theme at least weekly. And for some reason, this excitement can be contagious. It’s fun to watch our kids grow and document just how much they change from year to year, which is why planning a birthday photo session is such a great idea. I understand it can also be a stressor, so today I want to give you 5 simple tips to help make your planning stage a breeze.

Start your planning process early

Okay, I admit, this is a super obvious tip, but for some reason this is one that I struggle with personally. I seem to always be the parent scrambling at the last minute to plan my kids’ birthday festivities, making those frantic phone calls to see what is still available and can be done at the last hour. Learn from my mistakes. If you are planning a birthday photo session for your little one, be sure to start the search for your photographer several months in advance, and ideally try to have it scheduled at least 1-2 months ahead of time. If you are hoping to have a cake smash, this goes for making sure you have your cake designed and ordered well in advance, too, as availability can often be limited, especially on weekends.

Make sure your visions align

One advantage of starting your planning process early is getting a great feel for the type of photographer you want to hire. Each photographer has their own strengths and areas of expertise–by setting aside an hour or two to do some research, you will actually end up saving time in the long run by contacting fewer photographers. Take an afternoon to look through the social media profiles and websites of several photographers in your area–most will keep up-to-date portfolios of the style of work they take on and enjoy doing. Be sure to search for specific terms on google, such as ‘McKinney birthday photo session’ or ‘Anna TX cake smash session’ rather than broad search terms like ‘photographer near me.’ (You can also search relevant local hashtags on Instagram). This helps to weed out photographers who may not specialize in what you are looking for. From there, be sure to get in touch with those photographers who specialize in the same style and settings as what you are hoping for.

Talk to your kids ahead of time

If your kids are old enough, be sure to sit down with them ahead of time and talk about what to expect from the photo session. One thing I have found especially helpful is going through old family albums and showing them photos of parents and grandparents when they were younger. Kids tend to be fascinated by photos of their parents at their own ages, and it can open up great conversations about how much we change from year to year and why we try to document these changes with a photo session. Explain that it’s important to get both serious photos and fun, silly ones that help show what they’re like at this age. And of course, letting them know that they may have a fun surprise or treat waiting for them at the end of the session is always helpful, too :)

Consult your photographer for outfit choices

Even if you already have outfits in mind, it’s always helpful to let your photographer know what you have planned. Not only will this help them envision your session, but many photographers may choose to plan locations based on your outfits or have suggestions for what type of outfits will work best for your setting. Color, fabric and texture all come into play for the final images, and your photographer should be able to help give suggestions as needed. Also, be sure to choose outfits that are both photogenic and kid-friendly. No matter how cute it is, your child will not be cooperative if their outfit is uncomfortable or itchy.

Think about what you want to remember

Finally, be sure to go into your session with the big picture in mind. While we all want to walk away with beautiful, picture-perfect portraits of our children smiling and looking at the camera, these sessions can really be more than just that. Take time to think over the last year of your child’s life: What have been your favorite moments? What new skills have they developed? What little details are you going to miss so much when they get older? Make a list of these bigger-picture ideas and be sure to share them with your photographer ahead of time.

…and finally….

a big thank you to beautiful Maci and her mom for this gorgeous third birthday photo session. I am so happy to say that I have had the pleasure of getting to photograph Maci for each of her birthdays, and she has been just so wonderful to work with from year to year. One of the things I have loved most has been getting to see the way she has grown and changed. This year, one new thing that she was doing was this sweet little upturned smile and slight bite of her lip…SOO cute, and definitely something I wanted to capture for her mom to remember! I love the thought that her mother always puts into each of her sessions, incorporating both family heirlooms (the family rocking chair passed down) and hand-painted details (the number three). This session was such a dream to put together, and I always look forward to photographing this sweet girl from year to year. Thank you so much for another wonderful birthday session!

Christina Freeman is a baby and child photographer based in Anna, TX, serving McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Wylie, Lucas, Celina and other Collin County communities. She seeks to photograph the fun and messy moments that connect us all in our ordinary lives, from the very beginning to the very end. If you have loved everything you have seen so far, be sure to check out my details page for an idea of my general pricing, and be sure to get in touch to start the process today!

The post 5 Ways to Prepare for Your Child’s Birthday Photo Session appeared first on Christina Freeman Photography.

There were several things that made me confident that we were going to be a great match. First of all, I was thrilled to hear that she had found me on pinterest and was interested in booking based on some of my past work that she had seen. It is super important when you are looking to book a photographer for your Plano first birthday photo session that you check out their work well ahead of time to make sure you love what they do. Check out their website, facebook, instagram and pinterest pages to make sure that their vision is in line with the style you are looking for.

For Arian’s one year session, his mother knew that she wanted an alternative to a cake smash session. She loved the look of several of my prior birthday sessions held outdoors, so we discussed several potential locations before selecting a field in Plano that would have gorgeous golden light just before sundown.

She sent me photos of his sweet little outfit that she had purchased from Fin + Vince, and I headed out to the fields several days in advance to select locations that would work well with the sweet little vintage vibe. It is important to me that we select areas with beautiful light, texture and plenty of space for baby to move around and show off their new skills that they are working on.

Finally, I had just a little bit of scrap fabric on hand to make this little crown loosely inspired by Maurice Sendak’s ‘Where the Wild Things Are.’ We incorporated both this handmade crown and the book into the first half of Arian’s session, then spent the remainder allowing him to play and explore. I always strive to capture beautiful portraits at all of my sessions, but it is also important for me to capture the details of what is unique about each age and stage.

Looking to schedule a photographer for your own Plano first birthday photo session? Be sure to get in touch and get a conversation going today!

–Christina Freeman is a baby and child photographer based in Anna, TX, serving McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Wylie, Lucas, Celina and other Collin County communities. She seeks to photograph the fun and messy moments that connect us all in our ordinary lives, from the very beginning to the very end. Get in touch if you have loved everything you have seen so far and would love to start a conversation today!

The post Plano First Birthday Photo Session | Baby Arian appeared first on Christina Freeman Photography.

If you have a little one’s birthday coming up, I would love to help document it! From the moment you get in touch with me, I love to hear all about what makes your little one unique. These sessions are all about capturing their little personality at this age, so I want to hear all about their favorites things to do and games to play. I highly recommend holding these sessions outdoors–not only does it provide a gorgeous backdrop, but part of what I love most about toddler birthday sessions is capturing the ways they explore the world around them. I always try to capture picturesque moments and portraits at the beginning, but most of the rest of the session is spent just running around and playing! With three little ones of my own, I know from experience how quickly their play habits can change, and I want to be sure to capture images that will remind you of just how rich their imaginations are at these young ages.

Thank you again for a wonderful second birthday session, beautiful Maci! I am so excited to get to see you again very soon!

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Christina Freeman is an on-location lifestyle photographer based in Anna, TX and serving McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Wylie, Lucas, Celina and other Collin County communities. She seeks to photograph the fun and messy moments that connect us all in our ordinary lives, from the very beginning to the very end. Click the link below if you have loved everything you have seen so far and would love to start a conversation.

Get in Touch

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If you’re anything like me, scheduling photo sessions can be tough. From a natural-born procrastinator, I get it. It’s always one of those things I mean to get around to and keep finding reasons to put off until another day. And there can be so many things to think about. Finding the right day and location is the easy part. Then there’s trying to get everyone on board. And the outfits. Geez, trying to figure out the outfits.

Of all the questions I get from you guys, trying to figure out what to wear is probably the one I hear the most. Which is great, because I love to help! I won’t pretend to be a fashionista, but after doing this several years, I have spent a lot of time figuring out what type of outfits work best on camera, and which ones don’t. If there’s one thing you retain from this blog post, this is what I hope it will be: if you ever feel uncertain about what to wear, please take a moment to get in touch with me and just ask. That simple. Super easy.

I actually did this sweet girl’s first birthday photo session last fall, and I had so much fun putting it together. Her mom knew she did not want to do a cake smash, but she had several visions in mind of what she was wanting. A pretty white lace romper that would show off her daughter’s thighs, a floral crown and a bit of a boho vibe to pull it all together. She had picked out a couple of outfits on Etsy that she was interested in, but there were a couple of issues–on one of them, she wasn’t in love with the top of the bodice, and the other one came with a price tag just shy of $100. I’m so glad she took the time to mention all of this to me, because I had a great solution: to actually custom make the outfit that she was hoping for.

Before I stepped into doing photography full-time, I owned a small online boutique where I custom made heirloom-quality clothing for children. I loved sewing for my little shop, but eventually had to choose between running the shop and pursuing photography. I chose photography, but I still love to sew a little bit here and there on the side. One of the ways I love to incorporate this skill into my photography is to offer the option of having something custom-designed and made just for my clients.

So here’s how it works: if you have a child or children aged newborn – 4 years old and you are having trouble finding just what you are looking for in the stores, we can get together and design something special just for you. Each outfit is tailor-made to your specifications and your child’s sizing and can either be rented for just your session, or purchased for you to keep. By offering this option, hopefully this helps take off some of the pressure of either purchasing something that may only be worn once (less waste! less cost!), or ensures that you end up with a quality piece of clothing that will be worn and loved many times over. This can especially be nice for boy moms, as I hear so many times how hard it is to find outfits that they love in the stores.

In the end, we ended up with this sweet little cotton lace romper. We photographed her first birthday photo session in late-October, so just as the temperature was starting to drop a tiny bit. One of the nice things about having it custom made was that I was able to line the inside with a soft cotton flannel to help provide a little bit of extra coziness to the outfit. I also added ruffles to the straps and the back, as well as making this sweet little floral crown with fresh flowers that were in-season.

Love this look and have a first birthday photo session to plan? Be sure to ask about my custom outfits and client wardrobes, as well as the option to have your own floral crowns made and designed just for you!

Christina Freeman is an on-location lifestyle photographer based in Anna, TX and serving McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Wylie, Lucas, Celina and other Collin County communities. She seeks to photograph the fun and messy moments that connect us all in our ordinary lives, from the very beginning to the very end. Please get in touch if you have loved everything you have seen so far and would love to start a conversation.

The post First Birthday Photo Session | McKinney TX Photographer appeared first on Christina Freeman Photography.

I took these pictures at my favorite field ever up in Glenview, Illinois. It’s called Natural Springs Park, and it’s basically a nature reserve that was conveniently located within walking distance of where we lived. When we decided to move back to Texas, this was one of the things I knew I would miss the most. I always loved taking the kids there to walk the many trails, and loved that it was beautiful year-round. I could gain inspiration from the way the flowers and weeds would change and grow from week to week. It was beautiful even in the winter when it would be covered in snow and the landscape was encased in ice.

Luckily, I have found several locations here in the Dallas area that I love *almost* as much. I still wish I could find a field covered in daisies, though, so if any of you guys ever see that, be sure to let me know.

My daughter was just two years old when these were taken, and I was still in the process of figuring out who I wanted to be as a photographer. I had only just recently left my job with the US Navy at the time, and most of what I did throughout the day was play with my girls and experiment with taking pictures. There were several high-profile photographers whose work I had fallen in love with, and so much of this session was completely inspired by them. I had made this dress and floral crown for my daughter just for the sole purpose of taking her out into the daisies and practicing her poses. But once I got her out into the field, she wouldn’t cooperate with what I was going for. I would try to get her to look at me; she would look down. I would ask her to hold a pose; she would take off running in the opposite direction. It felt like I was completely going against the grain and all that felt natural for me. I wanted to walk away with fairy tale dreamy pictures, but what I actually got were images of a dressed-up two year old playing with pretty flowers.

And I loved them.

It’s such a simple thing, but this session helped me to realize an important thing about who I am as a photographer. Up until this point, I had been dreaming of the day when I could move into a studio and start taking the fairy tale baby and toddler images that I had been so inspired by. I almost felt as thought I couldn’t be a real photographer until I had that studio and could pose babies and kids perfectly. But it turns out that that isn’t who I am. It doesn’t come naturally to me. I tend to come alive as a photographer when I can playfully interact and observe. For me, capturing memories is more than pretty moments and poses; it’s about taking you back to specific times in your life so vividly you can practically feel them all over again.

This day taught me that I still love to take pretty pictures–sometimes I find myself nearly driving off the road when I see the open fields of wildflowers. But I also learned that it’s more than just getting a picture perfect photo. I am a better photographer when I can allow kids to run and be kids. I’m okay with wind-blown hair and dirt on the face; it makes those memories that much more vivid. I’m okay with exploration and not looking at the camera. The memories I capture may not be completely perfect, but my hope is that they will always be genuine.

Christina Freeman is an on-location lifestyle photographer based in Anna, TX and serving McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Wylie, Lucas, Celina and other Collin County communities. She seeks to photograph the fun and messy moments that connect us all in our ordinary lives, from the very beginning to the very end. Be sure to get in touch if you have loved everything you have seen so far and would love to start a conversation.

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–F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

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September is such a transitional month, don’t you think? With the start of school, we begin looking forward to fall, while still holding onto those last days of summer. So often these September days are unbearably hot; I always find myself anxiously awaiting the arrival of cooler temperatures, while already missing the carefree days of summer. I think I feel it even more these days. It makes me a little sad to think of my children being just a little older when summer finally comes around again. I do my best to treasure these sweet memories. And with that, here is my ode to summer, a compilation of the things I will miss:

I will miss the backyard play with impromptu water fights.

Watching my children explore new places.

Cooling off at the Al Ruschhaupt splash pad.

The hot Texas summer skies that are to die for.

And watching my kids and husband swim at the local pool.

I enjoy these days so much. As much as I look forward to fall and all of the new discoveries it will bring, these are still moments I will desperately miss. Thank you summer, for being so good to us.

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Christina Freeman is a McKinney childhood photographer, serving Collin County communities. If you happen to be looking for a photographer to document your child’s special moments in Anna, Melissa, Van Alstyne, Plano, Frisco or the greater north Texas area, please be sure to get in touch today.

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