“You’ve gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em” goes the famed country song, and so it goes with toddlers as well. It’s something mama & Austin Family Lifestyle photographer Ziem knows all too well. When the photogenic Nguyen family was able to book a last-minute Florida beach session during their vacation there, our photographer-in-chief knew not only sprang into action, she did so with Toddler Reality (TM) managed as well.
Despite the day-of booking and Toddler Reality (TM) – we’ll get to the latter in a minute – Mama Nguyen expertly coordinated wardrobe, hair, and make-up for her clan. She’d envisioned a floaty, white look for this sunset shoot – relaxed with a touch of glamour – and she nailed it!
Ziem knew going in that a few things would limit her shoot time – the fading light at sunset, and sweet little sister Ella. Speaking of, did we mention toddlers? True to toddler form, darling Miss Ella – noted Daddy’s Girl – decided she didn’t care for the sand and insisted that Dad carry her throughout the shoot. Having worked with so many families over the years, Ziem is accustomed to working quickly, so she thankfully was able to meet Linh’s goal of “just one good group shot”. Rather than forcing poor Ella to try and stand, everyone agreed to just work with it and let Daddy carry his little lady throughout.
Big Sister Ana was a complete angel and a laid-back, mature joy to work with (read: no longer a toddler :-).
Toddler jokes aside, Ziem adored working with all of the Nguyens and is thrilled they were able to take home these sweet memories of their Florida vacation – sudden toddler allergy to sand & all!
* * Only two Fall Mini Session spots remaining. Click to reserve yours today! * *
SSun 10/16 6PM and Sat 11/5 5:40PM
While Lina had warned Ziem about the Flake boys’s fun-loving spirits, Ziem was delighted by their bubbly energy, infectious smiles, and the overall silliness that ensued. George would spontaneously bust out dance moves throughout the session. Big brother Henry looked for opportunities to show off his newly lost baby teeth. 
Dana & Jay Azurin have been working with Ziem since mama Mama Azurin was in need of 
As Ziem knows all too well from having a young family of her home, Stuff Happens (TM) when you try to schedule things like photo shoots for new families. In the Azurins case, illness, injury, and that fickle Texas weather conspired to delay Daniel’s first birthday shoot, but not even those formidable foes could keep the Azurins – and their dimples! – down for long.
Daniel proved to be a fun-loving, precociously chatty whirlwind during the shoot, quite literally giving everyone a run (a sprint!) for their money. Having worked with the Azurins over the years, Ziem knew that one of the photo props / child bribe – balloons, and lots of them – would serve both as prop and a distraction to both big & little brother, so she held off on introducing them as long as she could. The grown-ups even resorted to hiding the balloons under a picnic blanket! Nevertheless, Daniel nearly lost the them, sending both Dad & Ziem alike scrambling to fetch them. One by one the remaining balloons popped throughout the shoot, but not before Ziem captured some classic moments. In the end, Ziem was thrilled to log some quality shots – and miles! – in.
This shoot was the culmination of over one year’s work with Kim and her growing brood. Kim and Ziem initially met over coffee, when Kim was about to give birth to Jameson but barely showing – her only tell being that luminescent “pregnancy glow”. Kim decided to book the B2B package on the spot, and Ziem has loved working with this laid back, sweet family ever since, through maternity, boudoir, newborn, half-birthday, and now this first birthday shoot.
The best photo shoots involve something personal to the subjects, and so it was here – Kim brought some special birthday props to Jameson’s session, adding that special personal detail to the photos. Jameson also enjoyed Ziem’s vintage high chair, happily banging the table for food as soon as he sat down. The resulting joy on his parents’ faces was evident and something that Ziem lives to document.
