Holli & David: LDS Draper Temple Wedding

  The more I get to know Holli and David, the more impressed with them I get.  They are some of the nicest, genuine, and giving people I have met.  When I posted an S.O.S. on Facebook a couple of months ago looking for a few extra hands in loading up our moving truck, they immediately responded and said they would be there.  They showed up, and not only helped us load in Lehi, but drove up to West Jordan to help us unload... and they did it happily and with a smile on their faces. PLUS, they love metal prints almost as much as I do.  That in itself puts them pretty high in my book. :)

Their wedding was fantastic.  They knew exactly what they wanted, and had some amazing details.  The whole reception was like a big old-timey fair or carnival, where families would go and eat, relax, and just enjoy each other's company.  They had some great live music and a FANTASTIC get-away car.

  

I love happy people. I love to shoot them, I love to talk to them, and I love to be around them.  Just a few reasons why I like to hang around these two.

Don't these guys look amazing?  Holli looks absolutely fantastic, and David actually had TWO suits for the day... this awesome pinstripe, and then another summer suit for the reception.  Y'all will be able to check it out with the reception post... we'll do a details post tomorrow, and then the overall reception post on Wednesday.

  

  

Sneak Peek: Jessica & Luke at Temple Square

  Jessica and Luke were married today!  It's a gorgeous and very very warm summer day, and they looked amazing.  We had a break between the photos at the Salt Lake LDS Temple and the start of the reception, so I hurried on home to import my cards and share a few favorites from today as a sneak peek.  I love how happy these two are together, and how that comes out in the pictures.

  

Just look at what a perfect day it is!  You couldn't ask for a better day to get married....

Ok, now Thomas and I are off to the reception!

Bluesy Blues

  As avid WLP blog-stalkers, I am sure many of you are aware that Thomas and I hold a deep and abiding love for jazz music and traditional jazz dance (e.g. "Lindy Hop", "Charleston", "Balboa", and "Blues", just to name a few).  In fact, we met dancing, and a big highlight from our recent anniversary trip to San Francisco was the dancing we were able to sneak in there.

So when it came time to do another workshop with my current trusty intern Abby, we headed over to the Bluesy Blues Practica, an excellent local blues dance that happens in Salt Lake County every first and third Wednesday in Sandy.  It's a great venue- they do a free lesson, some great dancers turn out for it, and they've got some fantastic blues playing the whole night.  It was the perfect setting for a lesson on flash photography, and specifically one that emulates the type of lighting situations you get at a lot of wedding receptions.  Because I was mostly teaching, not shooting, I didn't get many photos (though I am sure Abby will be posting some of hers soon), but there were a couple I wanted to share with y'all.

See what a difference lighting can make?  Two shots, taken in pretty much the same initial conditions, come out juuuuust a little different.

Jessica & Luke- Formals Downtown at Temple Square

  After finishing his MBA at BYU, Luke got a job with a firm in Chicago.  He only gets to see Jessica one weekend every two weeks, and who wouldn't want to spend those moments taking pictures? :)

Needless to say, there was quite a bit of smooching during the breaks.

   

  

Celebrating in San Francisco

Three years ago, I married my sweetheart and we are lucky to be in San Francisco this week while celebrating our anniversary.

Maria & Jonny- The Party at Log Haven

  The reception at Log Haven Restaurant was gorgeous.  The details and the flowers were so colorful and bright!

    

  

  

These two girls flew all the way from Holland to attend Maria's wedding!  They were such fun to talk to, and I am glad to say that I will get to see them again.  I'm flying out to Holland next May to shoot Janaika's wedding! (She's got the orange glasses)

  

  

Weddings are so much fun to shoot because people are so happy at weddings.  I love to immortalize a great smile, or that perfect laugh.  I also love when people let loose and just have fun dancing!

  

Maria and Jonny were both so fun to work with, and so happy to be together.  I loved their wedding, and am grateful I was able to be there to help record some of the memories from the day.  Congratulations you two!

Maria and Jonny- Wedding Ceremony at Log Haven Restaurant

  Maria and Jonny were married at the Log Haven Restaurant up Mill Creek Canyon.  The restaurant is quite a ways up there, but it is worth the drive!  Everywhere you look are gorgeous green trees, and the waterfall and the lake they have across from the restaurant aren't too shabby either.

  

I about died when the ring bearer walked down arm in arm with the flower girl.  SO CUTE. 

    

  

Such a beautiful bride!

  

And we now present.... Mr. and Mrs. Matich!  Newly married and walking triumphantly back down the aisle.

Look at this gorgeous waterfall!  Definitely a big appeal for photos at Log Haven.

  

Photos from their reception to come!

Evans Family- Portraits at Nielsen's Grove

  I loved this shoot!  Some of the cutest kids I've ever seen, and Lindzey and Branden were the perfect clients.  When I asked them what they were looking for in their family portrait session, they said they wanted one or two traditional photos, and then they just wanted to have fun.  PERFECT.

Ok, now it's time to play!

  

Ashton is still working on the power chords.  He does like to rock out on the ukulele though.

See this?  This is the kind of shoot that I just love.  Fun, relaxed, and a bit silly.

  

And now, for the piece de resistance.... this is quite possibly my favorite family photo that I have ever taken.

Millennial Falls Wedding Details

  The interior of the reception center at Millennial Falls was outstanding.  If you are planning a wedding in Salt Lake County near Draper, you may want to check them out.  It's apparently all-inclusive, so they took care of the catering, the cake, flowers, and even did an ice sculpture for Tara and Chris.

The cake was gorgeous, and I loved the ballroom that they had it in.  Don't you look at the photo on the left and just sort of say to yourself, "wow"?

  

  

  

I may be a sucker for beautiful wood floors, but exquisite stone tile and gorgeous reflections aren't bad either.

    

I kind of want an ice sculture now.  A big one, with my face on it.  Maybe we can squeeze in Thomas there somewhere, but mostly me. :)

Chris and Tara gave out these custom decks of cards as favors, and so I had to steal a deck for a couple of photos....

However after seeing me set up the last shot, Chris and Tara's friends suggested a small substitution that might be more fitting.

Final installment of the big party and this awesome night to come.  Chris and Tara certainly knew how to get down with their bad selves on the dance floor, so we'll have some fun pictures to share with y'all.