At the latest Pixel Party at HMNS, I photographed the new exhibit Out of the Amazon: Life on the River. It turned in to a study of feathers.
So. Many. Feathers.
These two are the sweetest. I had so much fun hanging out with them! We went in and around downtown Houston on a Sunday afternoon.
A special thanks to The Honeymooon and La Carafe! I love taking engagement pictures in bars 🙂
It was a beautiful day in Wimberley! Whitney was the sweetest bride, constantly smiling and laughing. Will lit up when he saw her walk down the aisle. Every detail of this wedding completely captured their personalities, and you could definitely feel their love for each other. I am so grateful for the opportunity to photograph this perfect celebration!
Congratulations and good luck, Mr. and Mrs. Powell! I wish you many adventures!
Cheers!
Venue : Cypress Falls Event Center
Wedding Planner: In Her Shoes
Hair Stylist: Rachel MonahanÂ
Caterer: Pink Avocado
Officiant: Let’s Do It, Sarah Reed
Florist: Thistle & Blooms
Cake: Sweet Treets Bakery
The Hawkins family were the winners of my Veterans Day giveaway last year. They chose to do a mini day-in-the-life session at their home on a Sunday afternoon. Swimming, cookies, and jumping on the trampoline were the activities of the day!
Baby Brix is here! Born August 23rd, 8 lbs 11 oz and 21.5 inches long. He is one of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen. I got to take some pictures when I went to the hospital to see him!
We love you, Brix! Can’t wait to see more of you and watch you grow up!
My best friend is having another baby boy! We had a short maternity session at the Spring Creek Greenway. Big brother Weston is the best model ever! Such a sweet smile, you would almost think he’s not a wild child 😉 Those are his fingerprints on the chalkboard, by the way. I can’t wait to meet Brix in a few weeks!!
The Farmers Market in Houston is awesome. I’m a regular at the seasonal one downtown on Wednesdays, but the Saturday morning Eastside market is much bigger.  I went home with may more than I planned. Some of my favorite vendors are Sinfull Bakery, Atkinson Farms, and Moravia Winery.
For our anniversary, my husband and I went for an overnight hike at Lost Maples State Natural Area near San Antonio, Texas. It was a rough hike, but the views were worth it. In our typical style, we of course ran out of water and brought too much wine. Our water filter system saved us. There were some terrifying bugs and the heat was relentless, but most of the time we were the only ones on the trail and it was magical 🙂
I got to go to Alaska recently for a weekend with my mom. It was beautiful and everyone was so friendly! I slipped on ice in a parking lot the first day and got a massive bruise on my knee, but the views and crazy fun made up for it. Some of the places we visited were the Alyeska Resort, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, and the Midnight Sun Brewing Co.
  
  
Here a few shots from a mini day-in-the-life session with the Ruffin family! Warren is 5 months old and just so precious. We had a fun, lazy Sunday afternoon together 🙂
I got to spend 12 hours with this wonderful family! Edward is a sweet little boy who loves art, his puppy Nicholas, and jumping in mud puddles. I had SO much fun experiencing a typical Saturday in the life of his family!
I got to spend a wonderful day with my friends, the Brugnone’s! Isabelle is an energetic little girl who loves Ninja Turtles just as much as she loves princesses. Gotta love that. Here are just a few of the photos from the session!
In addition to sharing a session that I am extremely proud of, I am making an announcement in this post. At the end of last year, my eyes were open to a type of photography that I didn’t know I could get in to, but have since realized is exactly where I need to be. Capturing unscripted, genuine moments is what I live for while shooting, and I am now focusing my whole business around this type of session! christina hardcastle photography will now be centered around documentary family and wedding photography, with a heavy emphasis on letting life happen and capturing REAL moments. My first day-in-the-life session was an amazing 8 hours documenting the S family’s life as it is at this time. Kids grow fast, and this is a wonderful way to immortalize how it felt when they were this age, when they lived in this house, when the oldest loved pizza and blocks and being thrown in the air. THIS is the side of families I want to show. I hope you enjoy!
The latest Pixel Party at HMNS granted access to photograph the new Samurai exhibit. Overall, it was beautiful and intimidating.
My husband made me dinner for Valentine’s Day. A (massive) cheese plate, tomato-basil soup with truffle oil, and veal chop with beet mash and mushrooms. I made the dessert; the recipe is from Primal Palate. Our animals wanted to help, obviously.
I was trying out a new lens one day, and my husband agreed to be my model. He’ll jump on any excuse to act like a little kid, really.
My first newborn session ended up very different from the vision I had in my head. Turns out, I’m not the type of photographer to put a baby in a basket and fold it into crazy poses. I was drawn more to the details, expressions, and quiet moments between baby and parents.
This is Lydia. She was awake and calm the whole time, and I could have watched her all day. Just so fascinating. I had a wonderful afternoon with her and her family!
Well, 2014 has been absolutely amazing for me. I started my business, started volunteering my time and talents to Save A Purrfect Cat Rescue, became a member of an amazing organization called HeartsSpeak, saw one of my photographs in print, worked with some amazing kids and their families, shot my first wedding, and photographed my first newborn. I wrote down some goals a year ago, and I have accomplished almost all of them! I learned so much, and recently realized what direction I want my photography to go. 2015 will bring some changes and hopefully more exciting things!
Thanks so much to everyone who supports me and believes in me. Happy New Year!! My wish for you is to live fully; see all the places, meet all the people, try all the things, and do what you LOVE because that is where you find happiness 🙂
^^And look at this sweet picture my husband took of me on Christmas day!! So proud 🙂
cheers!
christina hardcastle photography
Another great weekend at the Tomball German Christmas Market!
The bands include The Tubameisters, Chris Rybak, and The Chardon Polka Band.
November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month! So it was fitting that my foster girl Kimmy got adopted last week 🙂 She’s probably at least 10 years old, and blind, and the sweetest thing ever. I’m so glad she has a warm lap to curl up on. Her new family is already spoiling her so much!
These are some pictures I took while I fostered her.
If you’re interested in adopting a senior pet this month, check out Petfinder’s site here! Kimmy was adopted through Save a Cat Rescue in Houston.
Isabelle’s 3rd birthday was packed with fun activities. She was a playful princess in her bounce castle, there were more cupcakes than anyone could eat, and the party ended with a Piñata full of candy! Anna and Elsa even came all the way from Arendelle to help celebrate!
In case you were wondering, yes, I had ‘Let it Go’ stuck in my head the entire time I was editing 🙂
Christina Hardcastle photography 