We have been absolutely spoiled with cute couples at our engagement sessions and Andrea and Harrison were no exception!  We met up with them in Deep Ellum and had a great afternoon, the lighting at the Latino Cultural Center was just absolutely perfect.  And Andrea and Harrison were natural in front of the camera, we just had to tell them to stand somewhere and they did something sweet just all on their own.    Hope you guys like the photos, we can’t wait for the wedding!

My nephew, Townes, had his very first birthday party last weekend and of course I was there to document the festivities. I don’t think he quite understood what was going on, giving his mom and dad inquisitive looks as everyone stared at him and sang Happy Birthday. But he did enjoy the cake smash which of course is the most importrant part of a first birthday.

Happy Birthday Townes – Love Aunt Laura!

It was really hard choosing just a few photos from Erin & Erik’s engagement session to post, they’re all so great!  I mean really, awesome couple that’s totally in love, fantastic locations at the Dallas Farmer’s Market and Erin’s parents’ home (totally want their backyard), perfect weather, and a dog – this session really just had it all.  All we had to do was tell them where to stand and push the shutter button on the camera!  Thanks for making our job so easy and so much fun!

We just launched our new kids site! Check it out at www.helmutwalker.com/kids. We specialize in documentary-style children portraiture, capturing the pure joy and happiness of your little one. Be sure to schedule a session for your kiddo soon!

I have been looking forward to photographing Aimee’s wedding since I was in college and roommates with her sister Tracee.  So I was so excited when Aimee emailed me saying she and Mike were getting hitched and she was buying us some plane tickets!  It’s always fun shooting a wedding with friends, but a wedding in Hawaii is even better!  Aimee and Mike’s day started out getting ready at the Kahala Hotel where Aimee’s mom and dad got married (and where the Dalai Lama was staying although we didn’t managed to catch a glimpse of him.)  What a cool hotel, they have dolphins swimming in the pools!  The ceremony was held at the Star of the Sea Catholic Church.  I loved the fact that the walls of the church were pretty much open, so you could feel the tropical breezes!  All the guests then headed to the Waialae Country Club for a cocktail hour featuring hand rolled sushi and spiked shave ice!  The reception also featured a banzai toast, touching speeches by the wedding party (I got a little teary during Tracee’s toast for her sister, good job Tracee!), a cigar bar, photo booth, and dancing to the music of H2O.  It was a great day for Aimee and Mike and we wish them all the best!

Great job by Aimee and Mike’s vendors – Weddings by Grace and Mona, flowers by Spinning WEB, cupcakes by A Cake Life and Bambooth photo booth.

While we were in Hawaii before their wedding day Aimee and Mike wanted to a quick “engagement” session on the beach.  So we met up with Aimee and Mike at Aimee’s childhood home to do some photos in what was basically her backyard growing up!  That’s right, this was her backyard.  Jealous? It was great getting a chance to chat before the wedding day, and thanks to Aimee and Mike for trudging through the sand with us.  There is definitely a technique to walking in the sand that takes a little practice, something Aimee’s had a lot of but not so much us mainlanders.

Photos of the wedding are coming up next – so stay tuned!

For this Handmade with Shawna we’ve got a fantastic favor for a wedding with a vintage, romantic, or English countryside theme – or for a bride and groom who just like a good old fashioned spot of tea!  Tea staining is a great way to add a little bit of rustic charm to paper, fabric or in this case an unfinished box that’s the perfect size to stash a small favor for your wedding guests!  Let’s make them:

You can fill these cute little boxes with anything, just make a label to match!  Maybe “A Sweet Treat” for some chocolates or cookies, “For Your Furry Friends” for dog buscuits, or “Love is in Bloom” for seed packets.  Or a simple and sincere “Thank You!” works for everything.  I’ve also wondered what a rosy pomegranate tea stain might look like – if you try it let us know!

Third time was the charm for Rebecca and Ben’s engagement session as we finally got to meet up after having to postpone due to weather and allergies. Luckily on the Sunday afternoon where everything came together it was absolutely gorgeous! Rebecca and Ben chose dog friendly Prather Park to do their session so they could include Frank, their super cute dog! He had just had a bath and a brush so his fur was at maximum fluffiness, I loved how it bounced as he walked! He was very well behaved and (mostly) stayed put where we needed him! Rebecca and Ben behaved as well and we had a great afternoon walking around the park.  Rebecca and Ben are still planning their wedding (maybe in Italy!) and we wish them good luck!

First off I love how the moment you step foot off the plane in Honolulu you know you’re in Hawaii.  The airport walkways are all outside so you are greeted with warm tropical breezes!  Also love how the restroom signs get into the spirit of Aloha as well!

I’ve been to Honolulu a few times before (my college roommate Tracee lives there so you know I get the inside scoop!) so of course there were a couple of my favorite places I had to revisit like Bubbies Ice Cream for mochi ice cream and Waiola Shave Ice for THE BEST shave ice on the islands.  Yes I’m going there, BETTER than Matsumoto.  Also while you’re in Honolulu stop by Long’s drugstore to pick up macadamia nut gifts and locals, the best flip flop ever (or slippers as they’re called there.)

My idea of a perfect vacation is sitting on a beach reading but Laura prefers to actually do stuff so she dragged me out to do a little hiking.  We picked out an easy trek, the coastline trail to the lighthouse and it was gorgeous!  This is apparently a good lookout post for whales but unfortunately it was just past whale season.  Still, pretty spectacular.

We also visited the Aquarium where one of the highlights was a jellyfish tank, very mesmerizing.  If you like huge trees also be sure to check out the Foster Arboretum which has about a bajillion different species of palm trees and other exotic trees.  Laura did also allow me to have some beach time and if you get tired of all the people on Waikiki head northeast and check out Lani Kai, which is a lot more secluded!

After the wedding we decided to check out another island so we hopped a plane over to Kauai!  It’s a completely different experience than Oahu – less people, less buildings, less hustle and bustle, and more chickens!  Yes, chickens!  Apparently there are no natural predators for the chickens so they are thriving and running around everywhere!  Hilarious!

Kauai is also THE place in Hawaii for adventure.  You can hike, snorkel, scuba, take a helicopter ride, kayak, canoe, paddle board, surf, you name it.  We opted to go hiking in Waimea Canyon and also took a kayak trip up the Wailua River to a waterfall (check out Duke’s Kayak Adventures and ask for Evan!)  Both trips were amazing and highly recommended!  We recommend planning ahead for the hiking, some of the best trails are quite long!  Also be prepared for a terrifying drive up to the canyon if you’re not used to steep, twisty roads right next to the edge of the canyon!  (Laura’s knuckles were quite white.)  Totally worth it though!

We also tried out a luau since Laura had never been to one before.  We checked out Smiths Family Luau which was nice because it’s one of the smaller ones so it really does have a family backyard barbecue feel.  If your backyard happens to be a tropical paradise that is.  The kahlua pig and lomi lomi salmon were delish, the mai tais were flowing and the hula show included lots of fire so it was a fun night.

After a long hike  check out the Shave Ice stand next to Ono’s Family Diner.  Their “small” size is as big as your head!  Good thing Laura and I decided to share.  And if you want a really awesome meal go to Postcards Cafe in Hanalei and order the Wasabi Crusted Ahi.  Laura ordered it and I probably would have eaten most of it for her if she would have let me.

So that is our Hawaiian adventure!  We had tons of fun and can’t wait for our next trip back!

Over the last few months we’ve been revamping our look and we’re so excited to finally be able to share it with you! New logo, new website, new blog, new everything! We’re still the same of course! We collaborated with Bethany Hway of B*Spoke Studio to come up with a brand that reflects our personalities and photographs – fresh, modern, down to earth and authentic! Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments!

Our beautimous new logo!