after the wedding

Happy Monday, everyone! Wedding season is upon us, and so far I have photographed a couple of intimate weddings at the beautiful Rainbow Ranch in Big Sky, MT, one in Charleston, South Carolina, and my most recent one in upstate New York. I am so excited to share it ALL with you this year . . . and some personal circumstances in my life have recently led me right back to working my photography business full time, with an extra special attention to my clients. A very memorable experience I had in my early years was a tiny little piece of missing information on my contract that allowed a client of mine to receive every. single. image. that I photographed the day of her wedding. My wording has since changed, but imagine my horror in handing over a group of photographs that, simply put, I don't want anyone else to see. There are always a few bad shots. Fiddling with your settings, test photos, bad composition, eyes shut, focus is off, etc. It happens. Show me a photographer whereby every single image taken is beautiful and deliverable, and I will show you a million dollars. The other reason we do this is so that you aren't getting six nearly-identical images of a family photo. Part of what you, as a client, are paying a photographer to do is weed through those not-so-good images and place them carefully in a little folder on my computer I like to call the Recycle Bin. Keep in mind that ALL of your images are backed up immediately after the wedding - if there is something you feel is missing, you can ask for it and I can search for it. However, the final product includes the most deliverable images, and those images are carefully edited to my style so that they showcase the most beautiful you. Below is a keeper - the beautiful Nisha, and displays the before and after of how the photo looks straight out of the camera, and how the image looks after post-production. It isn't crazy-different from the original, and Nisha is as gorgeous as it gets, but it deserved a little bit of work . . . A lot of hard work goes into what we do after your wedding, but I know in this industry and in my community, we are all truly passionate about what we do, and are so honored to be a part of your day. Stay tuned for a full week's worth of posts!

boudoir special: mark your calendar!

As the boudoir area of my business is expanding, and the wedding season is upon us, it is only appropriate to kick things off with a boudoir special at my new boudoir space, the LOFT at The Woodlands at Cottonwood Canyon! The wonderful Elsa is so extremely generous in lending this space to photographers and others in the creative industry so we have a perfect location to bring these lovely ladies. I will soon be posting photos of this site to give those interested a better idea of just how beautiful it is, but for now just imagine a gorgeous space with lots of comfortable furniture, natural light, and the option to even step outside . . . With that said, I am holding my first boudoir marathon there on July 8, 2012. Here are the details: Length of shoot: 45 minutes Clothing options: This time frame easily allows for three different pieces. Please decide on them prior to the shoot to ensure we are giving ourselves enough time to photograph. What you get: The digital negatives delivered on DVD and a 5 x 5 genuine leather album with 20 images of your choice. Price: $250 due at the time of the session. Champagne and light snacks will of course be provided throughout the day . . . feel free to bring a friend if it would make you more comfortable and the experience even more memorable! Please be prepared to begin the shoot at your designated time. While there is plenty of space to do hair and makeup, we will not have the time for you to begin that process at the same time your shoot is scheduled. I hope to see you there!

my favorite ladies

You know when you come to my house for dinner, you're going to be fed good food and good wine . . . and if you come and the weather is gorgeous and the sun is setting and the light is just right, you are going to have an impromptu photo shoot! Elsa and Freya are always so incredibly joyous to be around. There's nothing better than a wonderful, inspiring friend, and a baby to snuggle with :)

all about . . . my wedding!

It has certainly been an adventure being in the business of weddings, and planning a wedding myself! Here are some facts I thought it would be fun to share with you all on how my planning adventure is coming along . . . I absolutely cannot wait to be Joe's wife. :) 1. We are getting married at the home of my dear friend and fellow wedding photog Lauren Brown. When we were scheming up the where part of the wedding day, we both had her beautiful home and meadow in mind. It was hard for me to picture myself getting married at a venue that I shoot at every weekend from June through September. 2. Pinterest has been the God-send of wedding planning. That site is more brilliant than Facebook! Mason jars wrapped in twine and lace? Yes, please! 3. My girlfriends Leslie Lukas and Angela Klotz are scheming up flowers and being just as much the God-sends when it comes to helping me work out all of those little kinks in the planning department when I'm just not sure what to do. 4. I have totally become that bride. 5. I typically do not like sashes on a wedding dress, and I'm over the strapless look. My wedding dress is strapless with a beautiful sash. Go figure. It is an incredible gown, though, something I did not think I would choose, but when I put it on, I am transformed. It is a Jim Hjelm Blush gown that I got from Avant. Katalin carries the most gorgeous dresses in the valley, hands down! 6. My table linens will be ivory floor-length tablecloths, pewter runners and a slate blue woven napkin. My flowers are all very pastel - pale pink, ivory, greens, some very light peach, etc. My girls know how to make things beautiful! 7. Despite being that bride, all I truly want is a meaningful ceremony, amazing food, a beautiful table to eat it at, good wine in my glass, and lots of dancing! 8. Speaking of food and dancing, Sarah Knecht is preparing her amazing food for us, and Joe Trudgeon is providing his wonderful DJ service! 9. I am in the market for a couple of antique dressers and/or tables for a welcome table, favors table, and cake table. If you see something beautiful, let me know! 10. IT WILL NOT RAIN ON AUGUST 26TH!! ;) Here is a little peak at a part of our invitation . . . my graphic designer is amazing!

nisha and matt: a boat, some wine, and sunshine!

This past April I journeyed to Charleston, South Carolina, to photograph the wedding of Nisha and Matt. Nisha is my cousin's best friend, and Matt is a dear friend of mine who I met in fourth grade. I've always adored him and his family! Originally I was supposed to photograph their wedding in New York in June, and the stresses of planning a wedding turned this couple to beautiful Charleston, with just their nearest and dearest present. I happily traveled east to this darling little city and we spent the evening before the wedding on a catamaran cruise of the harbor. It was beautiful, and it was so much fun to see what an incredibly beautiful, classy woman Nisha has become . . . We met at Red's Ice House for some cocktails and munchies before we sailed . . . here is Nisha on the left with her sister and a couple of her besties. p.s. - Nisha's dress is from Nordstrom. It's by Lush and it comes in green and black and I am in LOVE with it and am sad to say it is on backorder until the end of May. :( The oh-so-handsome Matt is on the right . . . he is so in love with Nisha, it melts my heart! See? It's hard not to be when you look like this - and she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the out . . . All aboard! This photo cracks me up . . . Nisha's dad breaking through the crowd to bring me my camera bag before we got on the boat :) Thanks, Rick! Three of my most favorite things combined into one . . . wine, being on the water, and sunshine! Matt's adorable parents . . . it was so good to catch up with them! What wonderful people! This beautiful group of ladies call themselves the Baby Mamas. Not sure where it came from, but it's adorable, and so are they! A group of girlfriends who would do anything in the world for you is the best :) Courtney and Ashlea :) Makeshift slide for the kiddos! Nisha's dad was quite emotional during the wedding festivities, but you can't blame the guy for being so proud of such a beautiful daughter . . . Sisters! Nisha and Matt, you are beautiful and so inspirational to all of us! I love you and am so grateful for my time with you. Stay tuned for some of the most beautiful wedding pics ever! ;)

sweet baby george

This little sweetheart was just 11 days old when I photographed him . . . he belongs to one of my first wedding couples, Emily and Dan, who are such beautiful people - knowing them and their families has made my life more wonderful . . . And he smiles already as beautifully as his mama :)

sneak peek: south carolina bride!

I recently traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to photograph the wedding of an old friend of mine and his beautiful new wife . . . Nisha is simply stunning, inside and out, and I love, love, love this image I captured on our way to do some bridal portraits. The hotel and the light and her dress are simply divine! I can't wait to blog more of this wedding, and I'm feeling quite excited about all of the blogging I'll be doing in the meantime - the last of 2011 weddings, a baby shoot, my little shorties are turning 5 and 7, and it's only necessary that I share all the fun details about my own wedding planning! Happy Spring, everyone!