Davis Family | Downtown Fort Worth | Holiday Mini Session

I am incredibly grateful for leaving behind a very busy holiday season! Being busy is also a great excuse for not having posted a lot of my recent sessions' favorites any earlier! 

One of the perks of holiday minis, is getting to see many of my old clients again. Having this trio in front of my camera again was a real treat! Ava Jean and I go waaay back, as in 13 months and a few days :) She's made of spunk, personality, and yummy baby rolls! She's also lucky beyond words to have Rachel and Matt as her parents. They're smart, they're fun, they're easy going, loving, goofy... the list goes on and on! 

Merry Everything and Happy Always!

Paul Family | Grapevine | Holiday Mini Sessions

I love this time of year! It's so fun getting to know all my lovely clients and their little ones!

Although we spent a very short time together, it was hard to miss there is a whole lot of love in this little family. 

Here's a sneak peek into the Paul family session in Grapevine.

Dangelmaier Family | Trinity Park - Fort Worth

I am a mom and a teacher, and I should know better than to choose favorites! But, this... this may be one of my all time favorite sessions! Everything came together so perfectly: the weather just chilly enough to force my clients to layer up; clear skies, this beautiful pond reflecting the morning light in dreamy pastel hues... And in front of me these four adorable girls, a gorgeous perfectly-keeping-it-all-together-mom that just fell out of a magazine, and an amazingly patient and funny dad. Pinch me!

Cisneros-Gonzales Family | Veterans Park | Holiday Mini Session

When Monica contacted me about doing her family's Christmas photos again, my first thought was that on the day of their session I hope it's cold enough outside for multi-layer outfits, because she's the queen of styling!  And... again, she did not disappoint!

We had a wonderful time! We got to catch up a bit while walking around the park... laughed a lot... ran around a lot... peek-a-boo-ed a lot... and captured some precious family memories!

Kaplan Family | Colleyville Nature Center | Holiday Mini Sessions

I'm delivering this session's images today, and taking another peek at them.

Lots of smiles and giggles with this sweet family! I absolutely can't get over these colors... Props to Mom for coordinating everyone so perfectly! ❤❤❤

Doris | Southlake | Holiday Mini Sessions

Most mini-session inquiries come from families wanting to have that one perfect photo for the Christmas card they'll be mailing out to their friends and family across the country. This one was different! This sweet girl wanted to take photos with her pups! Seeing her loving on her dogs, the animal lover inside of me bawled like a pregnant woman watching Johnson&Johnson's commercial. (Sorry! Memories all too fresh.)  

What a gorgeous golden sunset in Southlake this was last weekend! Riiiight?!

This fashionable tween loves the camera, and the camera clearly LOVES her. Can't wait to do this again!!

It's time for the Holiday Mini-Sessions

Perfect for busy families who wanting to refresh the family album and have beautiful custom-designed holiday cards to send to their friends and family! Currently booking only 8 spots for the following two weekends - Nov. 12 & 13, 19 & 20.

Call 817.778.9901 or email vedrana@vedranaconan.com to book!

Little Did He Know...

He couldn't have known what he was signed up for when he came into this family. 

This momma has been just a tiiiny bit camera happy the last couple of weeks! Holding my camera again has me feeling all giddy inside, and since my postpartum recovery is going better than expected, I think I'll be ready to start booking new sessions sooner than planned. Time to start thinking about your holiday portraits, y'all!  

Our Love Has Doubled!

Meet our little guy Evan! He was born September 13, exactly a month ago today. Seriously. Where did the time go?! 

And here's our first family photo as a party of four, when Evan was five days old. 

Happy sigh. My EVERYTHING is right there... 

Evan rocked his first photoshoot. One of many to come...

A Mother's Promise

I promise to be present. 

I promise to be your biggest cheerleader.

I promise there will always be cake for your birthday.

... and I promise to stalk you, lecture you, and occasionally embarrass you.

A Day in the Life

Finally! With a new camera remote control in hand, yesterday I got to do my first "A Day in the Life" project. This was a personal challenge slightly more than it was a photography challenge. As hard as it was, I did my best to remind myself throughout the day not to spend too much time worrying about the perfect focus, the right composition, or finding a good light source.

The idea was to take photos of everyday moments that made up this summer's average day for Olivia and me. With her brother's arrival just weeks away, it was important to me to document what our life was like while she was still the only child. It'll be a while before she and I get to spend so much one-on-one time together again, so these memories are very special to me. 

---

August 11, 2016

She may not look like me, but she's definitely just like her momma - the day cannot start until we get some serious calories in our bellies. Good ol' Nutella sandwich and milk for me, and "yoye and nana" (yogurt and banana) for Olivia. Anything (un)intentionally dropped - for Lola.

First temper tantrum of the day! She didn't want to get out of her PJs. 

Time for mommy to get out of her PJs, and get ready for the day while Olivia gets her 10 minutes of iPad time. 

The beauty of having two children (almost) back to back is that you already have most of the things you need for the newbie. With the baby being a boy this time, one big thing that I had on my to-do list is to sort all the baby clothes we bought and have been given. I got through about half of it before Olivia thought it would be fun to start unfolding everything I folded...

Rookie mistake - letting Olivia see me cut up slices of watermelon before serving her lunch! Did she think I wouldn't notice how fast she emptied her plate or how Lola leaped at the sound of my delicious vegetable quiche bites hitting the ground?!

Oh the joys of wiping someone's butt multiple times a day! Potty-training can't happen soon enough!

Ohhhh yeaaaah - I've got two words for you!  Nap. Time.  I do not take this hour of peace and quiet for granted!

Guess who's uuup?! 

Pierre's parents brought these wooden puzzles from France last time they came to visit. They were actually Pierre's puzzles when he was a toddler! They also brought a lot of his old baby books in French. You should just see me "read" them in Bosnian and make up stories on the fly like a pro! 

Elmo is on = mommy is cooking/cleaning/taking a mental break. 

Snack time... for Lola?!

Daddy's home! Olivia really likes showing off her puzzle sorting skills... :)

Daddy's girl through and through. Can't blame her, he is pretty awesome!!

Her favorite spot in the house...

I often hear myself say that I can't wait until she can dress herself, brush her own teeth etc. but I know my heart will be heavy when she does and no longer needs my help. Ohhh... the little things!

(Check out Lola sitting on the windowsill! Isn't that a cat thing?)

Night-night!

Pheeew! I am wiped! The only thing I have energy for is eating dinner and watching the latest episode of Tyrant.  

Lights out by 9pm.

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So, this was fun! Oh, how I wish I had done this sooner! My excuses are a plenty - sometimes I just get too busy, sometimes I simply forget to step back and appreciate this beautiful mixture of ordinary moments that life is mostly made of... heck, sometimes I just don't feel like being in front of a camera! Yet, when I look at the photos that captured so many of our family's wonderful memories over the years, I realize that one day my children won't care that I took the photo as much as they'd care to just have me in it with them. So, even on a day like yesterday, when we seemingly did nothing at all, wonderful memories were made and I have these photos to prove I was there! 

Now, I'm passing the challenge on to you! Don't wait for a moment to be "worth documenting"! Pick up that camera, get in front of it, and click away!

When Things Don't Go as Planned

My summer break is coming to an end, and one of the things that I still want to squeeze in is a personal photography project - "A Day in the Life". With Baby Conan 2.0's arrival penciled in for September, this summer is a very special one for Olivia and myself. Our days pretty much consisted of play time, reading time, snuggle time, and nap time. I'm really loving this toddler stage! Loving it! She's quirky, she's silly, she thinks I'm funny (!!!), and sometimes she'll stop mid-play, wrap her arms around my neck, squeeze tight, and sigh... Aww?! I knoooow!

So, I wanted to capture what our days looked like this summer. Nothing posed, or pre-planned! I wasn't going to get up early to tidy up, do my makeup, or reconsider my pony tail. The idea was that I document all sorts of moments throughout the day: the meals, the play, the tantrums, the snuggles... the little things that often turn into the most cherished memories.

This morning, I was ready and excited! After snapping a few photos just as she woke up, we came downstairs for breakfast I figured I'd put the camera in the corner of the room out of the way, and use the remote to trigger it as the day goes on, so it doesn't get her attention and derail my project.

And then, I realized my remote isn't working... Cue in tears. 

It's okay, I've cried over more ridiculous things in the last eight months. Taking the road to work instead of the grocery store and realizing 15 minutes into the drive. Kitten videos on YouTube. Having brushed my teeth just before breakfast and it tasting like toothpaste. 

Barrett Family

The print order from the Barretts' Waxahachie photo session is finally here and I am so excited I get to deliver it today! Custom gallery wraps are such a wonderful way to display your family portraits in your home for everyone to enjoy. 

Happy birthday, my sweet friend!

Leila has been in front of my camera many times since we met almost ten years ago, but this time was infinitely more special than any other. Her sweet husband, Adrian, contacted me to arrange a family photo session for Leila's birthday last month, not even realizing how long I've been waiting for this day! We met up on a sunny Saturday morning, and we chatted it up while I clicked away. The star of the photo shoot was, of course, their adorable son Harrison - the most easygoing toddler ever!!

Happy haaaappy birthday, my sweet friend! Thank you for being such a bright light in the lives of everyone around you!

A Newborn Session With a Very Special Model

I proudly present you the newest family member, my baby niece Mia! It was so hard having to keep my hands off these delicious baby chunks while photographing her. At almost a month old old, newborns are generally not the most cooperative bunch, but this sleeping beauty did everything I asked of her, while I clicked away.

The moment Mia arrived, her big sister Ena gracefully gave up the status of the baby in the family in exchange for kissing, hugging, and tending to her baby sister. Every parent's dream! 

Dean | Arlington High School | Class of 2016

Dean was instantly fun to be around and had a such a great attitude! This fearless high school senior was very comfortable in front of the camera, too - made my job super easy!

We explored a new location in Arlington that I hadn’t photographed before which was lots of fun! It's hard to believe I've been passing right by it every day for years, and didn't even know these fabulous colorful murals were hiding on the back walls of a nondescript shopping center. I soon learned they are a part of a community project by local artists to revitalize the area. Way to go, Arlington!

As we started wrapping up, I asked Dean if there was anything else he'd like to capture, another pose or background, perhaps? He turned around and pointed to the roof of the one story building we were standing next to. "I'd like a shot with me sitting up there", he said.

Uhmmm... wheeere???

Excuses Excuses

So... I do realize it's been a while, but I also have the world's best excuse for my absence from blogging, from photographing, from housekeeping, from exploring hair styles other than the ponytail, from eating anything but bland pasta... My excuse will make its big debut sometime in September and then I can be forgiven ::wink wink::

After three long months, I'm out of my funk and feeling 100% better! My hands are itching to hold my camera again, a beautiful spring is upon us, it's time to get busy! 

Class of 2016 - Senior Portraits!

Spring semester is a great time for senior sessions! Class of 2016, let's capture fun memories of your last year of high school together!

Receive $100 print credit if you book by Jan 31. Contact Vedrana to book. 

Hey, 2015! Don't Go Just Yet!

Yesterday and today, as the clock struck midnight in different time zones around the world, I exchanged countless calls and messages of well wishes with friends and family. And, it made me think...

Every year, most of us happily say good bye to the previous year and make a long wishlist of high expectations for the next year, and resolutions we most likely won't stick with. We seldom make just as long of a list of good things that happened in the year that we're closing the door on. So, 2016, you'll have to wait a minute! I have something to say to 2015 first. 

Dear 2015, I hate to see you go! You were such a great year to me and I'll remember you fondly! In light of gratitude, here are three biggest things that I thank you for:

• We made our first family trip overseas as a party of three! Olivia took a total of nine flights in 2015, only one of which made me want to pull my hair out. I call that success!

• Our healthy, happy, energetic baby girl turned ONE! Considering that Olivia's was the first diaper either of us ever changed, we're happy we ended the first year without any major hiccups. And, a bonus - she still seems to like us!

• I took my love for photography, mixed it with lots of practice and studying, seasoned with many sleepless nights spent researching about entrepreneurship, and ended with a dash of business registration paperwork! I gave myself the permission to take a risk, to leap, to succeed, and to fail. It's an incredibly scary and vulnerable, but also an overwhelmingly exciting and liberating, place to be! 

And you, my dear 2106! We're starting things off a bit awkwardly, with a lot of unknowns, fears and newness in the air. I will give you my all! I will work hard, I will hustle, I will be gritty, I will color outside the lines. I'd like to write you a nice review in 364 days, so be kind to me, 2016!