Party at the Resort

The reception at Park City Mountain Resort was beautiful!

Tara & Chris Pt 1

After I posted the teaser photo from Tara and Chris' engagement shoot in Park City, I realized I never posted the photos from their "save the date" session!  This was back in early fall, with all the gorgeous colors!  In a way, it's great I forgot to post this- about this time of winter I'm done with the cold and grey, and I am ready for summer again.  Bring on the green, the flowers, and the feel of grass under my toes!

The photo below is one of my favorite photos I have ever taken.  The expressions here are absolutely priceless.

The colors in the sky were unreal.  Pastels all around!

Weren't these two fantastic models?  So many different emotions across the photos: giddiness, happiness, tenderness, silliness, contentment....

Check out their full gallery here!  It's chock-full of awesomeness.

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

Wedding photography, like life, takes place in all seasons and all kinds of weather.  I love sunshine because it gives such a bright and happy feeling and results in really vibrant colors.  I love cloudy days because it creates beautiful, soft and diffused light.  I love rainy days because it reminds me of a musical (I always feel like singing and dancing!), and because the rain clouds can make the most amazing and dramatic skies. I love snowstorms because they are just romantic.  Can't you picture going for a walk in the snow, getting twirled around by the one you love?

...ignore the fact that we couldn't feel our appendages and snow was pelting everyone in the face sideways at 40mph.  Romantic, right?

Because of the weather, we decided to start the formals session with Nicole and Josh indoors at Heritage Gardens.  Their reception would be held there the next day and we were lucky to have access to it.  It's a beautiful location, and if you are looking for a venue, I definitely recommend it.

Nicole's dress (from David's Bridal) was beautiful!  I especially loved the texture of the pink band around her waist.  It always helps to bring some more color into the photos.

After Heritage Garden we shot a little bit at the LDS Timpanogos Temple where they were getting married.  The lights on the grounds and the snow just made it a magical setting... it was AMAZING.  Nicole and Josh were such troopers with the snow.  We would jump out and shoot for a few minutes, and jump back in the cars to thaw;  the temperatures were freezing, but the Nicole and Josh were just wonderful!

Take a look at their entire formals session here.

Too dang cute

Here's a sneak peek of a photoshoot I did with Tara and Chris up at Park City today.  I am amazed that this was the very first picture taken (it usually takes a while to loosen up and look natural), but it's my favorite from the day!

I love weddings because people are happy.  I love taking pictures of happy people. I love seeing that they like each other, that they enjoy each other's company, and when they are relaxed and real.  I shoot a variety of photos... dramatic, serious, traditional, artistic, silly... But when I can capture their happiness, I know I've succeeded.

Keepin' Austin Weird

Some people like Christmas.  Some people go all out for Thanksgiving.  Jenn's family LOOOOOOOOOOVES Halloween.  They have got some of the coolest and most unique decorations in their house that I have ever seen.  Even the most subtle things are switched out to celebrate Halloween- to the point where you do a double-take and realize that yes, those white lace curtains actually have little ghosts in the embroidery.  So when Jenn and Jared got married near the end of October the reception in Jenn's backyard was BOO-utiful!

Bad news Future Brides- too many shots like this and I will have to abandon the wedding industry and become a food photographer (and Taste Tester!).... even looking back at these photos, I start drooling.

I love how the confetti looks in the photos, but I sure don't envy whoever had to pick it all up after everything was done!

Home sweet Home

Jenn and Jared were married in the LDS San Antonio Temple.  I LOVE the colors of the stained glass windows, and could we have found a more attractive couple to put in front of them??

My favorite thing about Jenn and Jared is how happy they look when they are together.  Their families look pretty happy too.

One of the reasons I was so excited to shoot at the San Antonio temple is because I grew up in Austin.  When I was little, the closest temple to us was Dallas, then Houston, and finally when I was about 17 the San Antonio temple was built.  I attended the open house and dedication, and it was a great experience to see that kind of growth in such a short period of time.

Austin will always feel like my hometown.  I love the culture and energy there. Maybe we'll end up there one day.

Me and My Story

My dad is really my inspiration for photography.  He's a Real Estate Developer by career, but a photographer by heart.  He even set up a family photo contest and brought in a professional photographer to judge it. My first professional camera was a gift from him, and I am so grateful he has encouraged me along the way.
I never considered being a photographer until about 3 years ago.  In Kindergarten, I'd say, "when I grow up, I either want to be a doctor or a garbage man. Doctors help people, and garbage men get to ride on the back of the truck!"

Really though, most of my life has been about sports or music.  I played and refereed soccer for many years, sang, and played piano, French horn, and guitar.  I studied Music Education at BYU, and had planned on becoming a middle school band director.  But things never work out quite how we plan.

The truth about my story is that photography chose me.  I never expected to be here, but I'm so grateful for the path life has taken.

Growing up, my parents were always supportive and encouraging of our hobbies.  Most of my hobbies were sports and music related, but I always had a camera.  Some of my siblings and I would do fashion shoots in Elementary school.  Yes, fashion shoots.  We would find outfits from the dress-up box (consisting mostly of my Mom's amazing 70's style performance costumes) and we would take photos.  I cringe to think of the outfits we encouraged my poor younger brother to wear.
I still remember my first camera: teal & pink, 100% plastic.  But as a 7 year old, I couldn't be happier. My spending money around that time went primarily towards candy and getting my film developed... though I have to admit that the majority probably went to candy.  And it still does.  I was, am, and forever will be completely and utterly addicted to sugar.
In 2008 I married Thomas.  We met two years earlier in a swing dancing club.  We danced our way through 2 years of dating and finally he convinced me to say yes.  I love that he encouraged me in my hobby of photography and helped it to become a career.  Thomas even dove in and learned about cameras, the theory and techniques of photography, and he often shoots with me at weddings.  I am so grateful to be able to share the talent most important to me with the person most important to me.  Our wedding day wasn't anywhere near magazine worthy, but it was still one of the happiest days of my life.  One of the things that sparked my interest in wedding photography as a career was watching the process from the other side of the lens.

I liked the idea of being there at the wedding to capture perfect moments. To see people as they are and preserve the purest looks of love, commitment, and joy.  Photography to me is not about poses, outfits, or locations.  It is about expressions, emotions, and interactions.  That's why I do what I do.

Mountains and Lights

I have decided that Bridal Veil falls looks 115% better frozen.  It's so majestic!

Brittany and Jordan were super fun and easy-going.  Sometimes when I'm taking photos it just feels like I'm goofing off with friends and I happen to have a camera along.

I was so glad to see that the Riverwoods in Orem went all out on the Christmas lights for the area.  Remember boys and girls..... lots of light in the background = super-awesome-colorful-lit-backgrounds smudged into perfection by the camera's depth of field.  Candles, lit windows, street lamps, Christmas lights- all of these will give you gorgeous results used properly.

I was sad to see they removed the old train car from Vivian park (Thomas and I even shot our engagements around it)- they did, however, replace it with a very colorful newer-style train car that is just as fun to work with in its own way.

Take a look at the full engagement gallery here.

2011 -

We had such a wonderful time at the Showcase this year!  We met so many beautiful brides and awesome vendors.
We decided to highlight our new favorite print product in our booth this year: metal prints!  These are a modern look and a completely new concept - the metal is heated up and the ink is infused into the pores.  Along with the two 50 inch monitors showing some of our favorites vertical photos from the last year, we also printed out 8 20x30 horizontal prints on a glossy metal.  Combined with a little catchlight from below, the metal prints just glowed- it was jaw dropping.  We had brides and vendors both coming to the booth asking us if they were backlit somehow.  Not backlit, just awesome.
If you are looking for a print surface for your portrait or wedding photo, and want something modern, frameless, where the colors will really pop- you have to go with metal.  They are absolutely GORGEOUS.  Feel free to contact me to set up a consultation to view examples in my studio in Lehi.
We're so grateful we had Jacque from Riehl Events (www.riehlevents.com) to help us with our booth.  She was able to work with us to create something we really felt that expressed our style and showcased our photos.  She and her team went above and beyond this weekend, and we can say without a doubt that if you are a bride looking for help coordinating and creating a beautiful wedding day you should give Jacque a call.  Right now.
We were also so happy we were able to get to know some more vendors better this year.  We got to know the folks from Midway representing Johnson Mill (gorgeous location- we stayed there our last anniversary).  We loved chatting with Carrie from Carrie's Cakes. She is absolutely adorable and actually rides a pink scooter!  How cute is that?  We Ooo and Awed at the custom vintage wedding gowns created by Betsy of Modest Couture- she had some truly unique designs, from fun to elegant... I was very jealous.  Finally, we privileged to meet Something Vintage Something Blue.  They have some of the most AMAZING vintage cars available for weddings.  Thomas was drooling all day over "Daisy", the 1937 Buick special series 40 they were showing at the Showcase this year.  Absolutely gorgeous cars!