I love babies!  Every time I am chosen to photograph the squishy perfect newness of a little life my heart gets a little soft.  It has become one of my favorite types of sessions and as more of our past bride and grooms choose to lay their trust in us for the next big step in their lives it was time for me to lay myself in some one else’s hands for some one on one training.  Education is a key aspect in all professions and I hope I never stop learning as it keeps me in love with what I do.  I began the search for a newborn photographer to train beside over a year ago and finally settled on My Newborn is Art out of Salt Lake City.  So I packed my bags and caught a plane, leaving lovely warm Texas to arrive in a snow filled landscape with mountains!  I spent one full day with Chelsea in her tiny, hot studio and two families with their precious ones.  I learned so much from her and she confirmed so much of what I already knew.  She encouraged me and inspired me.  Here are some images of one little man and two twin boys that I created along side Chelsea and some photos of her in action posing and teaching me.

-Tracy Autem

We love Weddings and want to honor all of our 2012 bride and grooms today! The couple with the most likes on facebook will win a 16×20 canvas of the contest image! SO all you have to do is Like our page (if you’re not already a fan), and Like your favorite couple’s photograph. Contest ends at 5pm on Friday Feb 15th!  See the images on FACEBOOK HERE.

Love this of Barbara & Brody. This was not their first kiss. He couldn’t resist in the middle of the ceremony leaning over and planting one on Barbara.

Justine and David had a rocking party in Dallas. Here we are at a Trinity River lookout between the ceremony and reception.

I always love catching kisses of bride and grooms during the partying. This one between Casseday and Kevin is a fantastic one

Lauren and Devin had a beautiful wedding at Fort Worth Club. Devin is from Louisiana so he brought alot of the Louisiana flair to their reception.

This look between Brooke and Nicholas after they were married is priceless.

MK and Charlie are one probably the only couple that seemed to skip after getting married. I love the joy on their faces here.

 I love how Trevor constantly made each other laugh and how they just enjoyed being goofy together.

Cassie and Billy had a beautiful spring wedding at Mira Vista country club with white flowers and purple accents

Keshia & Jason can’t get close enough to each other during their first dance.

Andrea and Garhett were some fierce dancers at their wedding. They both tore up the dance floor all night long.

This is Janel and Samuel during their first look. I love how Samuel is wiping off Janel’s tears here.

Megan and Samuel had an intimate wedding out at OW Ranch. They chose to invite a small group of their closest friends and family to pledge their love to one another in front of.

Sweet moment between Carson and Megan as he kisses her hand during the first dance.

Tyler and Brian chose to do a first look. This was taken moments after their first look and I love how they can’t take their eyes of one another.

Sabrina and Drake view all their friends and family who came to celebrate their marriage at The Tribute

Katherine and Connor got married in a beautiful night time ceremony at Robert Carr Chapel. Their wedding was in December and I love how she incorporated red into her wedding colors.

Sara and Brad made each other laugh constantly and here they are having fun cutting the cake before smashing it into each other’s faces.

Sarah and Aaron are cracking up at the many embarrassing stories told about them during toasts

Kristin and Brandon enjoyed a private last dance before heading out. They were able to have a moment alone to take in their whole amazing day.

From the cowboy hats all the way down to the bride’s custom made boots, Amy and Jared’s wedding was pure country.

Bailey and Ryan’s wedding was beautifully country chic with all of their fall and rustic inspired details.

Chandler & Will had a December wedding. Incorporating Christmas into their decorations, their wedding was simply beautiful and classic.

Katie and Leo had a blast with all of their family and friends. Their day wouldn’t have been complete without the very fun, big red trolley that took them around throughout the day.

A favorite moment during the ring exchange as D.B. gently touches Lori’s face and gazes into her eyes.

Melanie and Kyle are completely lost in the moment during their first dance.

Riley & James had a very small and intimate ceremony that included only family. It was absolutely perfect.

Sarah and John are so incredibly happy right after saying their vows. They were so excited to become husband and wife.

Tara and Dan had a beautiful outdoor wedding beside a small pond on their property. It was the perfect setting.

Tracy Autem and Lightly Photography named top pick in photography for
THE KNOT BEST OF WEDDINGS 2013

We are pleased to announce we have been selected as a 2013 winner in The Knot Best of Weddings, a special section featured on TheKnot.com/BOW. TheKnot.com the number-one wedding destination, most trusted by brides.
This is the 2nd year in a row we have been voted this top honor in photography for The Knot Best of Weddings.

The Knot Best of Weddings 2013 provides a “by brides, for brides” guide to the top wedding professionals across the country, and is a must-have when it comes to selecting the best-of-the-best wedding resources. Whether they’re trying to find the wedding dress salon with the best service in Philadelphia, the most creative wedding photographers in Los Angeles, New York’s top cake bakers or Miami’s hottest reception sites, engaged couples across the country want the inside scoop on the best from real brides.

To view our Knot Profile see below!

I am SO excited about our fall portraits! Last year I missed out because I was on maternity leave with Gideon.  I have been plotting locations and a few props and it is making me think about my own families yearly photo and what on earth I will select for our holiday card.  We have a whole new line of cards this year I am in love with so I am not sure how I will choose.

This year we will be offering Fall Mini Sessions on select Saturdays and weekdays.  Available weekend dates are October 6th & 27th or November 17th.  October sessions will be photographed in Fort Worth near our studio and you may choose from rustic urban, bright urban or field/nature.  November 17th will be at Penn Farms at Cedar Hill State Park.  The farm has vintage barns, open fields, dirt roads and fence lines as well as beautiful trees.  Please note there is an additional cost for admission to the Farms, individuals over 12 are $7 each.  (The Farms rock and I may very well be doing my own family here this year.)

For more information or to check availability for dates and times call us at 817.810.9282 or email me at info@lightlyphoto.com

Thanks so much to all of our friends, past clients, wedding professionals and Fort Worth South business owners for joining us for our Sip, See & Savor grand opening party 2 weeks ago.  We had a fabulous turnout and enjoyed meeting so many new people.  I’ll be sharing soon our renovation photos so you can see how truly amazing the transformation on this little bungalow has been.  We still have many things to do to make it perfect but we are so happy with it.  A very special thanks to the following vendors who made our open house such a success!

- Tracy Autem

President & Photographer

Tami Winn Events

Creme de la Creme Cakes

Randy Ro Entertainment

Rent My Dust

Yes! Taco

LiLi’s Bistro

Celebrations Event Rental

Two Bucks Liquor

We are excited to announce Tracy Autem & Lightly Photography has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Photography!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, Tracy Autem & Lightly Photography was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

Tracy Autem %26 Lightly Photography is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Tracy Autem & Lightly Photography for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that Tracy Autem & Lightly Photography is one of the very best Photographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wed

Love our Instagram Ap – it makes cell phone pictures pretty when you are on the go!

We have been working hard for almost 7 months doing some major renovation to our new studio location and today we made the BIG move!  We are excited to have found the most perfect place for our business.  Our new 1920′s studio home at 1215 6th Avenue in the Fort Worth Southside neighborhood is beyond what I even hoped.  The transformation has been miraculous and after the holidays I will share some before, during and after photos of all the work!

At our new location we now have 2 consultation areas, a dressing room/shooting room (perfect for indoor baby, toddler and boudoir photos), separate office, play room (for my children) and a kitchen!  Not to mention a backyard that when we get around to all the plans I have brewing in my head will be fabulous for children’s portraits!  Oh, and did I mention our HUGE front porch.  It is just dying for some cute siblings to hug on each other while sitting on the steps.  Today we broke in our new space with a 2 month baby session (had to get right to work!)

It was sad to say good bye to our Daggett location as it was so perfect when we moved in but we definitely outgrew it.  I can’t wait to see how it turns into the perfect place for it’s new tenant, Stir Crazy Baked Goods!

-Tracy Autem

We are so excited to announce the newest addition to the Tracy Autem & Lightly Photography Family. Gideon Matthew was born October 13 at 8:02 am . He weighed 9lbs and 3 oz and is 20.5 inches. I was so blessed to be there when Tracy and her husband got to hold their precious baby boy for the very first time and I wanted to share some of those images. Of course I couldn’t help but cry as I experienced their joy with them. We all truly are a family.

Sarah Rizy