Only now, after spending a week here, do I understand the obsession people have with 30A Rosemary Beach. If you drive around Houston and pay attention, you will see a ton of cars with the iconic 30A bumper sticker. I might be ordering one on our drive home tomorrow, ha! When I mentioned on Instagram that we were traveling to this Florida beach, I was flooded with recommendations (which I’ll share in a separate travel guide post!). The food, the shops, the houses – all amazing. But the BEACH – it’s unreal. Crystal blue, calm-as-can-be water. The first day we arrived, we went down to the house, but were all coughing and sneezing within a few minutes. It turns out, there was a red tide in the area, which made the beach unenjoyable. Fortunately, it was much less severe the next day and completely gone by our third morning. We spent some time at the pool (Barbados) and splashpad (in Alys Beach) while we were waiting for the beach to clear. Beside that, we were beach-bound morning and afternoon every day.

We were here with our best friends, Matt and Paige, and their two kiddos – Ellery (4.5) and Barrett (14 mo). They’re so similarly aged to our girls, and for the most part, everyone got along swimmingly! Ha. To be expected with four-nagers, right? We honestly had the best time, and I’m already mentally planning a trip back next year (with an 8 month old baby P in tow!).

For our stay, we rented the Amsler Cottage on VRBO. I couldn’t envision a better rental property. We loved it. I definitely want to stay in the same house next year. I am going to share more details on the rental during my travel guide post.

Last night, we snuck down to the beach right before sunset and took a few photos of each other’s families (thank you, Paige!!). We were hurrying to get ready and then were immediately covered in sweat – but so glad we took these special pictures to commemorate our friend/family trip. Those, as well as the 100+ other photos! Ha. I narrowed them down as much as I could, but am still sharing a zillion below! More details to come about 30A very soon.

This past June, I took family photos for a friend and former sorority sister of mine, Katherine. Her wedding was the only one I’ve ever photographed (under the wing of Courtney Leigh), and I was honored that Katherine asked me to take photos of her gorgeous family in celebration of her son’s first birthday. The morning forecast was not good, but as we started taking photos with a very overcast sky, the sun literally broke through the clouds – and I could have started singing merrily. I was so happy!

I love taking headshots, blogger photos, birthday parties, etc. but nothing beats family photos and newborn sessions. I (perhaps optimistically?) envision them being printed in books and framed around houses, and I love that!

I have started booking family sessions for this fall – well, actually a fifth season that photographers experience called ‘Family Photo Season.’ If you are interested in having your photos taken, you can find out more about my pricing here. Afterwards, you can look at my availability here and then book a time that works for your family! I will email you after I receive the booking to discuss details, such as the exact start time and location for the shoot. If you have any questions, please email me at ailee@snapshotsbyaileepetrovic.com.

Below are some of my favorites from the Hardaway’s Dallas session. 1) I want that park to exist in Houston, 2) I want to photograph this beautiful family forever, 3) I am terrible at narrowing down pictures because I selected them to edit for a reason! Ha.