It was a humid early fall Saturday morning in Chicago with thunderstorms approaching and a To-Do list with several non-critical items that I planned to procrastinate on by watching whatever TV series I was currently addicted to on Netflix Instant.  My dear friend Molly had recently moved to Texas with her family and we were both wishing that we could spend our Saturday together like we used to do when we didn’t live so many states apart. I can’t recall who suggested it first but within 3 hours I was headed to the airport having found a killer last-minute deal on a flight to Austin. And so commenced my 48 hour, spur-of-the-moment weekend trip to Texas. Yeehaw!

Having recently moved, their house was still being unpacked with furniture to arrange and tear the plastic off of. Before they found the perfect place for their new sofa, we decided to have a mini-shoot on the front lawn as the sun went down.

Suffice to say I love this family AND their spontaneous hospitality.

A family is a group of persons who are bonded together, sharing love, tears, and laughter, and around whom you can be at your best and your worst. It defies blood ties and even last names.  In the case of this family, they crossed continents to become complete.  Gibson had been home for just a week or two when I had the honor of capturing this family, but it was ever so clear that he was very much, well, home. Right where he was meant to be.

I love it.

A typical blog post shows only a handful of my favorites from any given portrait session or wedding.  In the case of the Lundgren family, I wanted to share the full story with you.

Enjoy it here.

Although I greatly enjoy photographing engaged couples in the months before they marry, there is something special about capturing a couple who has been married for some time.  In the case of Courtney & Aimee, it has been 10 years since they promised forever and from what I observed, their relationship is like a wine that has matured, is mellow and comfortable, with enough spice to keep things interesting.  I absolutely loved clicking away without directing them, thrilled to capture those in-between-moments that say everything there is to say, all without words.

Courtney has already moved to Houston for work and Aimee is wrapping things up here in Chicago before she joins him in the Lone Star state.  It was only fitting to capture a last glimpse of the city where they lived these past 10 years.  Here’s wishing them many decades more.

When I’ve been married for 10 years like these two, I want an image just like this.  It says comfort and passion, all at the same time.

I love this family.

The End.