my clients

forever

that real

genuine

moments

aren’t forced.

they are fluid

little glimpses

found in every session,

when the subject

is allowed

to just

be.

MZP is rolling out a new take on the classic session. It’s simple, understated, real…the moments you want to remember about your child, about your family, about each other. In the coming weeks on the blog you’ll see real families, real children just as they are – imperfect but completely perfect to those who love them, exactly how God intended us to be – so totally, head over heels in love.

meet Campbell.

newly four.

big sister

little sister.

six sweet freckles,

piercing blue eyes.

sweet

as

sin.

and today,

she was allowed

to just

be.

If you’d like more details on this new offering, shoot me an email: mz@melissazihlman.com

For this year’s pictures we toured TCU’s campus.  Dad is a proud alum, and mom & dad also exchanged vows at the chapel on campus.  Grace is destined to be a horned frog, just like her dad, aunt & uncle, and grandparents.  They brought along Aspen, the most well behaved dog, who was all to excited for her very own close-up.  Awesome family, awesome session.

I meet Kenzie when she wasn’t even two weeks old, and each year I feel so lucky to be able to capture family images for them. This year when mom and I started talking about the session we had something entirely different planned, then she posted a picture of a dress on FB she was buying for an upcoming formal function they are attending, and the wheels started turning. Instantly I went to their gorgeous gown in a field filled with tall grass and pretty light…and well mom was totally on board. I seriously love clients who trust me completely to style a shoot, I promise you won’t be disappointed! Case and point…

I love seeing old clients whose children have grown so much in a year.

I love meeting new sweet faces.

I love the holidays.

a baby plan graduate. now two. adores his mommy, smarties candies, and iPhones. always best dressed.

4.5 and 20 months. spunky, sweet, and completely adorable.  i could watch them interact all day long…

mom & dad to the kids above.  incredibly in love with their kids, and each other.  so lucky.

five going on thirteen.  ninety to nothing.  will work for candy.  doesn’t yet know how gorgeous she is.

her older brother by 13 months.  talented first baseman and pitcher. proud of those missing teeth.

Tonight I met Ethan.  After months of communication with mom.  Doctors visits for Ethan, and the birth of my little guy kept us from meeting until now, but he was certainly worth the wait.  I knew I was going to love this session even before I arrived – after all, little boys named Ethan who were born in December hold an extra special place in my heart.   And this sweet 21 month old didn’t disappoint.

Ethan was born with a heart condition called Transposition of the Great Arteries and Ventricular Septal Defect  Basically the aorta and pulmonary artery are on the wrong sides of the heart and have to be switched back via surgery.  He had his first surgery at 9 days old, spent his first month of life in the hospital, and had a follow up surgery at 4 months old.  For all intents and purposes he is a normal toddler, but mom & dad and all those who know kids with TGA are acutely aware of just how fragile life is.  He’ll likely have follow up surgeries down the road to replace valves – could be next year or 10 years from now – there just isn’t anyway to know for sure.  So keep him in prayers, okay?

Thank you mom & dad for spending the evening swatting mosquitoes, wrangling your toddler, and allowing me to document your family.  It was an absolute honor.

more information on beads of courage

Tonight I had some holiday (yes, that’s right, I said holiday) mini sessions.  Some pretty cool families came out to see me.   Just wanted to share a few from my early session – it was approximately a million degrees with the humidity, and this sweet family didn’t complain once – note the long sleeves and jeans!  I hope your evening at Six Flags was fun, thanks for coming out!

It just is not possible.

Mom and dad seriously rock.

Last week I needed to reschedule when the stomach bug attacked my house.  They didn’t mind a bit.

Tonight I made them (highly suggested, lol) that they drive 45 minutes so we could  use this amazing location.

It’s about 20 feet from a sandwich shop’s dumpster…you know if case you are looking for it.

Gray worked every bit of the amazing light…I love this kid, and I seriously love him outdoors.

Ben didn’t disappoint.  Arriving just two days past his due date, on Mother’s Day.  He’s long and lean, with a gorgeous head of blonde hair and blue eyes…just like his big sister.  He was perfect for the session.  Absolutely perfect…you know except for that small incident of projectile poop that covered my shirt!  The incident that caused tears to roll down my cheeks and his mom’s cheeks, that sent Nan for paper towels once she stopped laughing, the uncles to opposite sides of the room, and dad for his camera so he could document the whole scene.  Because, after all, it was a funny, very funny.

We finished the session without any problems.  Ben was awesome.  And then it happened…I totally lost my balance walking down their slick driveway in the rain.  You can imagine what it looks like when a 9-months pregnant woman, in a skirt none the less, takes a spill…not pretty.  I spent the night hanging out in L&D…getting the all clear to go home about midnight.  I’m fine, the little guy is fine, but my knee is less than stellar.  Awesome, I know.  But it explains the delay in the sneak peek, and the reason this is one session I’ll never forget!

Lucky for Kristin and Gabe…I don’t usually shoot on Sundays!  And after meeting with Kristin, her mom, and her sister I was thrilled when they selected me to shoot the big day!  I had some amazing help from my second shooters, a gorgeous sunny, blue sky day, and seriously all the prettiest people on the planet gathered for this event!

Kristin and Gabe aren’t even home from their honeymoon yet, but I know they’ll be excited to find their images waiting for them when they return!  And I couldn’t very well talk all about this wedding without showing off some favorites!

]]> http://melissazihlman.com/Blog/2010/04/30/heaven-dallasfort-worth-wedding-photographer-melissa-zihlman/feed/ 14 http://melissazihlman.com/Blog/2010/04/16/9-months-dallasfort-worth-baby-photographer-melissa-zihlman/ http://melissazihlman.com/Blog/2010/04/16/9-months-dallasfort-worth-baby-photographer-melissa-zihlman/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:38:34 +0000 admin http://melissazihlman.com/Blog/?p=1492 I can not believe I am writing this post…how is it that my babyplan triplets are already 9 months old?!?!  They were amazing this morning for their shoot – almost two hours of shooting, three outfits changes, and lots of funny noises and peek-a-boo to keep their attention.

Dad, I know you’ve been waiting to see some of these…your key dangling paid off!

What I loved most about this session was that they brought their dog *and* they wanted a family session with their teenage son.  I don’t get that often enough, but certainly this time in life is just as important to capture as the moments of early childhood.

We traveled through the Botanical Gardens and then onto the Stockyard to take advantage of the light.  G family, I hope you all love these as much as I do!  Can’t wait to edit the rest of your session!

Joey. The most adorable dog (after my own, of course)

There is nothing quite like a true expression from a teenage boy…and this guy was hilarious!

My most favorite way to capture a couple…

Kim, or Mawmaw as she’s better known is an amazing woman.  A lady with more strength and FAITH than anyone I have ever met.  And she is fighting an incredible battle.  Tomorrow, on her birthday, she’ll have surgery…and she needs all of us to be praying for her, for the doctors, and for her kids.

I know many of you read this blog…so I’m hoping this call to pray will add many more to her prayer chain.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Sweet Miss M joined her adorable big sister just 8 days ago, and already they are smitten with eachother!  We got to have a great newborn session, plus family pictures, and I even got to have a tea party with sweet big sister.  So fun!  Thank you H Family for having me – it was a lot of fun!

Brad and Chloe are adjusting to life as a family of two.  She is certainly keeping him on his toes, and she is also an amazing source of strength for him during this time of grief.  What amazes me most about this family, is their testament to their faith.  Never once during Sara’s 9 month battle did it waver, they were tested when Chloe had to spend time in the NICU, and yet it held strong…and even now as each day passes since Sara went to be with the Lord, Brad’s faith remains steadfast.  God has brought a lot of rain into their home in the last 9 months, but circumstances can’t possibly change who they are in Him.  What an inspiring and humbling testament of faith.

Brad and Chloe made the trip to Dallas this week, as they will be running in the Race for a Cure in honor of Sara on Saturday, and I had the amazing pleasure of spending the day with them.  Capturing sweet 6 pound Chloe, who shares her mother’s eyes, and Brad together.  A complete honor.  I look forward to capturing Chloe throughout her first year, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives.

They needed so little direction, it made the shoot easy, and their images – stunning!!  I am so excited to work on this gallery.  Thanks for coming out tonight and for totally rockin’ it!

Also, keep an eye on the blog in November.  I’ve got some new casting calls that will be announced then!

newborn

4 months

8 months