Waco was a fascinating place, still so very small town Texas, but with this booming mecca in the middle of Magnolia. It also has a gorgeous riverwalk area and of course the beautiful campus of Baylor University. Seeing a touch of the Gaines family almost everywhere was a testament to their mission and Joanna’s impeccable design taste. Their complex at the Silos was so well thought out and perfectly planned. It was such a visually awesome place to photograph and visit. I hope you enjoy this!

Also I was in Texas with these three, and well they are my favorite…so all the better!

Street photography and travel photography

[tg_small_content class=””]Anna Rasmussen is a featured and award-winning family portrait photographer in Topsail Beach, NC. She loves documentary-style family photography and beautiful lifestyle portraits. Her two favorite things to photograph are travel logs and birth stories in the hospital, but she also loves everything family – from capturing the joy of expectant parents in maternity photography, the first days of a baby’s life in Newborn Fresh 48 Sessions, the beauty of everyday chaos in Family Day-in-the-Life Sessions, and on-location family portrait sessions. Anna is an on-location photographer, serving areas of coastal North Carolina, including Wilmington, Hampstead, Topsail Beach and Surf City. Book a session here with Anna today! Thank you so much for stopping by!

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I had a wonderful bible study last week with my friends. One question that stuck out to me from the book we are reading was this : “How would you ever learn unconditional love if you were married to someone who met all the conditions?” Being married and being a mother does not mean that everyone in this family is perfect. Or perfectly suited in personality to me. The older my kids get the more I realize this. My Father in Heaven has sent all these spirits to me and my husband. They have a myriad of different personality quirks and traits. I loved each of them from the moment they were placed in my arms, but as they grow up and we butt heads, I have to learn to re-love them.

Unconditional love actually sounds like an attainable goal when you talk about about your own family members. But what about the billions of other humans that populate this world? What about those who disagree with us on matters of faith, politics and morals? Can we learn to love them unconditionally? I wonder if it is possible for me. I love to read. I recently read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. It is fiction, but fiction based on a real place and real situation. A situation that before reading the book I would have said influenced my life greatly. My viewpoint changed reading the book, I saw from the side of others, people who were raised in a completely different world than me. Perhaps that is the best kind of unconditional love I can have. To listen to another’s viewpoint, seek to understand it and respect them.

As always I am SO grateful for the artistic journey of my life and the opportunity to capture my love and the beauty of the world around me, in my own home and in the places I travel to. I am loving getting to know so many other photographers throughout the world and am excited to be participating in a blog circle with some of my photographer friends.  We’re linking to each other’s posts, so you can check out what they’re up to. This month, I’m linking to a fabulous photographer who lives in my favorite place : England! She is sharing a beautiful family portrait session this month. Click here to check her out : Newborn and Family Photography in Reading, Berkshire

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Friday’s are my favorite day. After my workout, I go to bible study with my lovely friends. Then I got my hair done! (always a good day, and there were a couple friends hanging out). I had a portrait session this afternoon. Tonight I was driving to pick up another kid from another activity. I still had about three more kid activities to go, but at that moment I was alone in my car (never happens). As I watched the sun set, I just had this huge swell in my heart of love for this place. I shouldn’t be surprised, I have lived here about a year and a half, that is usually when I realize how much I love the place where I am living. Somehow I think there must be a cap though on places I can love, but it keeps happening over and over again. We move and it is hard, and I try to figure out what I want. For my kids, for my business, for myself. At some point the tendrils of the place reach up and start grabbing my heart. When I reach this point I know just how painful it is going to be to leave. Do I lock up my heart or do I just keep falling in love with each place I move to?

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I became slightly obsessed with the subway system while I was in Moscow. Apparently a huge project of the USSR, Stalin made them all beautiful and called them the People’s Palaces. The detail and artistry put into just about every station I saw was amazing. It was a cool experience to feel like I was walking through an art museum or amazing architectural building every time I was getting from point A to point B. I made a project out of it and I hope you enjoy these images from underground. Click on the linked text to order a fine art print from my travels around the world.

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I loved every single detail with this session.

The mother went above and beyond making sure each character was complete. The children ALL performed within their given parts. We had props galore, beautiful golden hour and it was just SO fun. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

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There is no greater honor then having another photographer ask you to photograph her family! Meet Wynona! It was so much fun to take her beach bum family down to the ocean and let them loose. I loved the laid back style of their clothing and attitudes. The girls ended up wet and sandy but I wouldn’t expect anything else from young kids on the beach. I love when parents let their kids go and enjoy themselves, that is actually my favorite thing to photograph. Children playing.

A little bit about my photographic journey. Wynona also shoots film so she asked me to shoot this session completely on film. This session was my first exclusively film family portrait shoot in about twelve years. I learned photography on film and used to photographs families and weddings only on film. But about twelve years ago I got my first digital camera and I love it as well. So now I use both in almost every instance. I love the quickness of digital and I like the wide range of situations it allows me to photograph in. But film will always be my first love. In beautiful light (like this!) it works so perfectly. It allows me to slow down and really focus on what I am capturing, and I just love the skin tones. They can’t be beat. I am so grateful that Wynona asked me to photograph her session this way because it was just stunning!

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Best time to be a mom and best time to be a kid. Hands down.

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Fifteen years ago I was blessed to go on a study abroad in college. From that experience stemmed friendships that will last forever. Life has held joys, triumphs, disappointments and struggles for all of us, and I know there will be more of all of those to come. I am grateful to know that in addition to my wonderful family I will always have the unconditional love and strength of these three amazing, ordinary, fabulous women to back me up. I was not born into a family with any sisters but I feel I have been compensated over and over again by the inspiring women I do have in my life. Every couple of years the four of us get together for a “coma” as we call it, no kids, husbands, bills or real life. We laughed, cried, exercised, ate and explored. In our normal lives we are spread across the country and we don’t talk everyday or every week or every month even. But when we came back together it was if no time had passed, and yes I know that sounds cheesy! My favorite moments by far were spent kayaking out on the Puget Sound. We sat out there for hours, just talking, sunbathing and enjoying the peaceful lull of the water. The weather for our weekend could not have been more perfect and just added to the serene and therapeutic time. I have never seen Mt. Rainer so much. Time away from my everyday life and spent in the company of those who know me so well and love me anyway was THE best possible way to start of my summer. It rejuvenated my creativity, soul and body, as always, love you ladies and thank you for the wonderful time! Also did I mention we look totally hip and not nerdy at all on our Segways? You know you are jealous. 😉

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