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The Weintraubs ~ Dallas Family Photographer
WHO: Jen, Sam, Ben & Coco   |   WHAT: Families, Kids   |   WHEN: December 2, 2010   |   WHERE: Arbor Hills Nature Preserve
Having photographed family sessions for more than 5 years now, sometimes the details about each one get a little hard to remember.  Let's face it, most days I can't remember what I ate for dinner the night before or where I put the car keys 15 minutes ago (which, unfortunately, I occasionally walk around looking for them and find them in my hand several minutes later).  There's been a handful of sessions, though, that clearly stand out to me for a variety of reasons, sessions that I'll always remember.  My session with the Weintraubs a couple weeks ago will be one of those sessions.

Jen Weintraub, a fantastic Dallas children's photographer I met a few years ago, contacted me last year in November about scheduling a session to capture some images of her and her kids.  Jen was going through a difficult period as she and her husband were moving forward with a divorce, and she wanted to create some images of a new start for the new family that would become happy art to decorate the walls of their new home when they found it.  It just felt like a healthy, healing thing for her to do, and I was honored she asked me to photograph this new beginning.  She is a strong woman (not to mention funny & creative) and truly passionate about her kids, and having the presence of mind to do a photography session at that time, a time when I think photography would be the furthest thing from most moms' minds, would be an immeasurable gift to both her and the kids now and in the years to come.

I'm a big believer that there's a purpose for everything that happens in our lives.  With weather and crazy schedules getting in the way, it took us a year to make this session happen.  Turns out those said weather and schedule issues allowed time for the kids to get adjusted to their new life, and as Jen mentioned, they are much more happy now than they were at this time last year, so the timing of this session was exactly what it needed to be.

The 2nd reason this session was so memorable to me was for less nobler reasons, but truly amazing just the same.  The day before my session with her and the kids, I had photographed an engagement session in Deep Ellum near downtown Dallas.  That session was a ton of fun, and everything went great except I left my $550 light meter in a parking lot.  Without a nametag or label on it.  Downtown.  With a couple million people in the DFW area.  I didn't realize it until the next day when I was packing up my gear to go meet the Weintraubs for our session and realized it was gone.  So annoying because, believe it or not, this was the 2nd light meter I'd left behind.  So I went to meet Jen and the kids at the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, and she and I were just chit-chatting while we were walking to our first spot when I mentioned leaving my light meter downtown the day before. 

She looked at me, paused for a moment and asked, "Where you photographing in Deep Ellum yesterday?  An engagement session, right?"  Uh-huh.  "I have your light meter."    

Out of all the people downtown that could've ended up with my light meter, she found it.  And I just happened to have a session with her the next day!! What are the freakin' odds?!?  Turns out she was photographing 2 sweet little girls at the opposite end of the same alley I was photographing Brandon & Perrin's engagement images.  In fact, I remember seeing another photographer with a couple people waaay down the alley, but they were too far away for me to realize it was Jen.  Anyway, apparently after I had moved on to the next location, Jen and her clients had made their way down the alley to where we were a few minutes before and found the light meter.  Of course, because I was a moron and didn't label it, she had no idea it was mine. Until the next day.  Anyway, an amazing story.  Like I said, there's a purpose behind everything that happens to us.

Okay, okay.... on to the images.  'Bought time, right?  This session really was a ton of fun, just as much for me as Jen and the kids.  They were so easy to photograph and a pleasure to hang out with for the afternoon.  I think we got more than a few images that really tell a story of this family and their personalities, and here's my favorites.

Ben is such a ham.  Once he gets goin', he's a Kodak moment waiting to be photographed.


Sweet Coco... she's a 3ft tall ball of adorableness.



Sweet, beautiful, big sister Sam.




Coco cracks me up.



Really like this image... such natural interaction.



Delicious.



30 seconds before this Ben was crying.  Then he was burying his head trying to hide his laughing.  Foiled!




The composition's not perfect with this image, but this was a moment that just happened and sometimes things aren't technically perfect, but you just gotta roll with it. if I woulda taken the time to change to a wider angle lens or even to just get up off the ground and back up, I woulda missed this perfect moment.


Seriously?  Do kids' expressions get any better than this?






Since her mom's a photographer, Sam's pretty comfortable with a camera.  She picked up one of my camera's and just started firing away.  She's a natural.


Here's my angle of this image...


... and here's Sam's.  Image copyright © Samantha Weintraub.


I might ask Jen if I can hire Sam to be my second shooter.



Another one of my absolute favorites.





Another authentic moment.


If this was Facebook, I would "like" this next image.  More than once.


Jen's just as easy to photograph as the kids.



3 seconds before this, Coco was running toward's the rest of the gang.  Her little feet couldn't keep up with her excitement.


Sam, mom & Ben were each holding their arms out waiting to see which one Coco would run to.  And the winner is?... Ben!  Love these expressions.




Thanks again, Jen, for the opportunity and honor to capture this special time in your new family's journey.  And thanks for letting me tell your story to encourage others who might be traveling on a similar path.


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