km photography

New Year's Resolution...

2008-12-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

Fact is, I'm pretty good at writing in my journal everyday. Perhaps it's come from years of habit, but I am really consistent at it. As far as blogging everyday goes, I stink at it. But I want to do better.

I've realized lately that I need to start challenging myself everyday to look at things a little bit differently. Maybe it was an epiphany I received from watching the latest episode of Survivorman (of all places) and taking a tidbit of his good wisdom to heart. "By challenging yourself to look at things a little bit differently, and little bit of ingenuity, the possibilities are endless." This is the challenge I'm giving to myself this new year. Everyday I want to find subject matter to photograph. From things that are simple, to those that are wonderfully complex, and intricately beautiful. Everyday something different.

For me, it starts by stopping myself in my busy life to breathe, then challenging myself to see beyond what I saw at first glance to see how line, balance, texture and form work together to create art. It requires effort on my part. But I love being in that place where I see the world differently. It truly makes me happy.

Tell me, what things do you do to help yourself look at things differently? What do you do to stretch your mind creatively? I'd love to hear your responses...

Kracht Family Sneak Peak...

2008-12-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

Whelp...I'm back in Texas. Let's just say the weather has been....well, gross. It's been a bit of a contrast coming from a place where it's VERY winter right now to 70 degrees and much like unto if I were living inside someone's mouth. I don't mean to be gross, but that's the only way I can think to describe it. Warm and wet. Sick. It was about the third day I was here and the weather had been consistently funky when my friends from up north left a fun message notifying me that they were all going to hit the 12 and 1/2 inches of new powder on the slopes. *sigh* At least I'm with family, getting fat off of all sorts of Christmas goodness.

While I've been here I took pictures of the Kracht family. Heather's family has been good friends with mine for years, and it was a blast hanging out with them. It's so fun to see all of us grown-up (Although I do have to say that she does seem so much more grown-up than I do....perhaps it's the THREE kids! Where did the time go anyways....sheesh!) Anyhow, they are all fantastic and absolutely adorable. Here are a few of my favorites!

Chelsea's Bridal Sneak Peak...

2008-12-16T18:36:00.001-08:00

Hmmmm....let's see. How do you pick a favorite star in the sky? I don't know to tell the truth. It's a difficult task that's for sure. The fact is, I love them all. I feel the same way about Anthropologie's fall line, spicy molasses cookies, micro-fleece pajamas, and Chelsea's bridals to tell you the truth. I've stewed and stewed about it and couldn't quite narrow it down. Which is, tragic on one hand considering that I still haven't packed for my two week trip to Texas tomorrow morning. It's gonna be a late night for me. Eh...oh well, what do you do?

We shot Chelsea's bridals at a funky little hotel downtown. Loved it. She couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. It was one of those where everything just seemed to work out perfectly. It had been snowing all morning long, but stopped just in time for us to get some fun snow shots outside. Snaps to Chelsea for being brave enough to take her pictures in the snow!

Courtney & Matt's Wedding Day Sneak Peak...

2008-12-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

I absolutely LOVED shooting this wedding! It was one of those that was just so much fun. My abs seriously got such a workout from laughing so hard. Matt and Courtney were so much fun to shoot. The most difficult part of the day was getting them to stop kissing for one minute so that they could hear my cues! It's always so great to see people so happy together and to be a part of their day. It's kind of weird to tell you the truth. As a photographer, you work at establishing a relationship with your clients so that they feel more natural and relaxed in front of the camera. Then, after you do, and the wedding is over you say goodbye. It's kind of sad to tell you the truth. I miss my friends. Regardless, I'm grateful to have gotten to know so many great people over the past few years. Here are a few of my favorites from the wedding day...

Warren Family Sneak Peak...

2008-12-08T07:19:00.001-08:00

I love reflecting back on my college years. Although I would do some things differently, there is much I wouldn't have changed. I, for sure, wouldn't change many of the adventures I had while living with my sister. Rappelling off the roof of our apartment complex, Saturday morning pajama rides in my jeep wrangler, and other mischief (that can't be named here :) are some of my most favorite memories. Next, I wouldn't change my career path. Although it isn't what I do any more, I met some of the most killer-amazing kids, and I learned so much about myself. Lastly, I wouldn't change all of the places I lived. I moved around quite a bit, but consequently met some of the most stellar people.

Lauren lived in the first apartment complex I moved to from Texas in college. She has always seemed like she had it all together to me. It's hard to believe that enough years have gone by for her to have two kids of her own, but they have. Yet another testimony of "my personal worm-hole" I mentioned a few entries earlier. Her family is ADORABLE! We did their pictures at Wheeler Farm and it was FREEZING! But her kids were such troopers. Here are a few of my favorites!

Okay so....Day 5

2008-12-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

I admit. I'm terrible. But just like everyone else I have an excuse. Not a great one, but nevertheless an excuse. I've just been SO busy. It's not something I can complain about, but as far as posting everyday like I've meant to....well, let's just say things got in the way. In any case....here is my Day #5 image. I love the colors during this season....they are just so rich.

Day 2...December Photo Challenge

2008-12-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

It always seems like this time of year I'm fascinated by the leaves. I'm fascinated by their brilliance and color, by their persistence in holding on until they can't hold on to their branches any longer, but more than anything I'm fascinated by the fact that they just seem to I know what to do year after year. They live, and then they die, just to turn around and live again. To me they represent so much of what this season is all about.... I'm going to stop there before I start getting too philosophical. But it's really something to think about. Amazing really. Here is Day #2.

Tyson's Sneak Peak...

2008-12-03T20:07:00.001-08:00

I've been keeping secrets. Not because I don't feel like we're close enough for me to let you in on them. It's just that I've been waiting for the right amount of clarity to be able to articulate what it is that I'm on the verge of doing. But I think I've FINALLY figured it out and I am so incredibly excited. However....I'm not quite ready to give them all away....yet. That, my friends will have to come in the next couple of weeks. I've given you a clue though in these next set of images.

This strapping young man is Tyson. I met Tyson a few years ago when we were both working for a church youth camp. Our first adventure together took us on a 13 hour drive in a 15 passenger van to Eager, Arizona. I was the only girl. It was such a great time! Tyson is about to start his own company doing consulting for businesses and needed some pictures for his website. Here are a few of my favorites!

December Photography Challenge...

2008-12-02T19:44:00.001-08:00

So this week I enlisted in a little photography challenge that I'm SO incredibly excited about. Basically you capture the holiday season through your camera. http://www.tredways.org/2008/11/25/december-photo-project-2008/ I've gotten a little bit of a late start, but didn't want to wait until tomorrow to make my first post. So I was sitting in my living room contemplating what I was going to take pictures of. As I was staring into the warm glow of the Christmas tree, I was reminded how much I love white christmas lights. I heart them with all of my soul. If I could hang white christmas lights up all year round I would. I would stream them across my bedroom ceiling and sleep under a canopy of warm glowiness. That was it! I whipped out my camera and started taking pictures. I got a little crazy...I'm sure my roommates think I'm so weird.

Over the next few weeks I'd love to see some of the photos you take that capture the season as you see it. Feel free to post your links with mine. This is Day 2, so you'd better get snapping!

Chelsea and Steven's Sneak Peak...

2008-12-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

There is just something romantic about black and whites. I'm not sure what it is. I don't know how they do it, but they just tend to capture emotion so well. I wonder why that is...ponderous.

This past week I shot a wedding...let me re-phrase lest anyone think I'm out to destroy anyone else's chance at marital bliss. I "provided photographic services" at Chelsea and Steven's reception. I've never covered a reception at the Provo Library before, but I have to say that I was very impressed. The lighting was low (which always presents its own set of challenges), but it was very warm, even lighting. Just things I notice I guess. The reception was beautiful, and a lot of fun. Here are a couple of my favorites from the evening...

Richan Family Sneak Peak...

2008-12-01T18:47:00.000-08:00

It was one of those moments when I just felt...well, old. I think I may have mentioned this before, so if I have please forgive me. My life right now is like unto Alice in Wonderland's time warp. You know the story... Alice follows the white rabbit into some sort of other dimension and loses track of time completely? Yup, that's me. My life, as much as I'd like it to be, isn't the reality part of that story. I'm pretty sure it's more like the time warp. Let me explain. I surround myself with other people just like me....single. It's a lot like college, only different...I have more money, and that's about it. Being single, we notice that our growth is measured more in accomplishments than height. I think it's an adult thing to tell you the truth. And other than the occasional threatening wrinkle, time seems to stand still. That is, until I have moments like this one when I step outside of my world and compare the years gone by to those who are still growing...

It's that way when I see my nieces and nephews, and it's certainly that way when I get around kids I used to teach. I taught Cami for two years. She was in my fifth-grade and sixth grade class and is just an awesome kid. I say kid, but lets be honest...she has me beat by about 5 inches in height and is such a babe! I seriously can't even believe it. It's moments like this that instill in me more urgency. It's a good thing I think. Urgency to become a better person, urgency to do the things I've been threatening to do for years but haven't found the time, and urgency to take necessary risks. Thank goodness for the little people that get big. They help us to remember that time marches on.

Little Ammon....

2008-11-28T23:02:00.001-08:00

Lately I've been thinking a lot about families. Maybe it's the fact that mine lives so far away, plus the holidays, etc. etc. etc. That, and I think becoming another year older and still single, I think a lot about my own family (in theory) quite a bit. I think about the kinds of traditions I want to have, how I want to raise my children, what I want to do differently than my own parents, and what I want to do the same. I've loved being priveleged to interact with so many amazing families, and I continue to learn and observe so much.

The Little family is one of the great examples of an amazing family to me. I absolutely LOVE being around them. They are the kind of family that really enjoys each other's company and you can tell that they would just as easily hang out with each other on a Friday night as they would anyone else. And oh my gosh! SO much fun to be around.

Julie and I had a good time taking pictures of little Ammon. I've known Julie for a number of years and it's really neat to watch her grow into being a mom. Her sister Kim, who was visiting town stopped by and we snagged a couple shots of her little cutie as well. Here are a few of my favorites.

So fun with FAMILY...

2008-11-24T13:10:00.000-08:00

This holiday kind of snuck up on me. Usually I have plans weeks in advance, but this time...nothing. I don't know if it's been because I've been so INCREDIBLY busy lately with work, or the fact that I was just home a couple of weeks ago. Regardless, here I am. It's Thanksgiving week and I'm not sure what to do with myself. I keep toying with the idea of hopping in the car and driving somewhere completely random...like Hoover Dam for example. (**sidenote** if this weren't a blog that I try to keep somewhat professional, I'd probably use that as a segue to launch into some dam jokes. They're funny. Let's be honest, and even though they may be a little bit childish...well, it's ok.)

Anyways, this past week my sister was able to come up to Utah with her family. It was so great having them here. I absolutely love being around my nephews. The oldest, Logan, has got to be the coolest kid ever. He LOVES music. Especially The Mormon Tabernacle Choir with Sissel singing Christmas carols. It's the best. We got some great pictures of them this past weekend. Here are some of my favorites.

Lauren's Sneak Peak

2008-11-24T12:31:00.000-08:00

I don't have incredibly fond memories of high school. Don't get me wrong....I had a great time and met some great people. Beyond that I remember feeling like I was stuck having some sort of transcendental experience most of the time... one in which I felt like the "real me" was trapped inside someone else. And I CERTAINLY didn't look like Lauren, my most recent senior.

Lauren attends one of the high schools that I just did yearbook pictures for. She's SO much fun and is a girl that is going places...literally. After high school she wants to travel abroad to go to school. The more I work with seniors the more it seems like they are such higher caliber than I remember being. I LOVE working with my seniors. They have such a zest for life that's contagious. Here are a few of my favorites from Lauren's photosession.

Postponed...

2008-11-17T16:30:00.000-08:00

I know...I know. You'll just have to wait. The next little contest is right around the corner. Trust me, you'll be so glad. I will tell you that the winner of this next contest will get a complementary family sitting....SO EXCITING!!! Stay tuned for details later this week! In the meantime I'll be seeking for some form of inspiration regarding what exactly I'll have you do. *cynical laugh*

Congratulations!!!

2008-11-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I'm a little bit late. This last contest should have been announced awhile ago, and I'm SO sorry to leave so many of you restless at night wondering..."Did I win? Was I the chosen one?" And while we all know the familiar saying about excuses, I really have been incredibly busy with work. But, I didn't want to leave anyone hanging any longer....so here is the winner. **drum roll please**.... Julie Erickson is the winner of our Captions Contest. I don't know if you remember the photo of the dog with the furrowed brow. You may have to go back a few blog entries. Julie wrote, "Back-off Barbie!" Which made me laugh...out loud even. Especially considering that she was about 8 months pregnant when she wrote it. It was all too fitting! So I hope you enjoy you're ITunes Card Julie. The rest of you stay tuned for my next contest that will be announced tomorrow.

VanDyken Sneak-Peak....

2008-11-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

I like to put babies in buckets...only for photography of course, but it really is becoming one of my favorite things. I stumbled on this fantastic bucket a few weeks ago at the local antique shop and have absolutely fallen in love with it. This first shot could possibly go down in history as one of my favorites. Oh, the things you can do with a bucket... In any case, I've been pretty busy with a couple of REALLY big projects. Hence the reason why I haven't posted a lot lately. Please forgive me. Sometimes life is a lot like trying to drink water from a firehose and it has just so happened to be one of those types of weeks.

Also, I've had a couple of people ask what the little shape is at the bottom of the images. Truth is, I've been tooling around with a couple of watermarks and trying to figure out which ones I like best. Any ideas?

Texas Troops Part II.....

2008-10-22T16:40:00.001-07:00

As I've mentioned before I've been kind of touring Texas lately. I started in San Antonio and worked my way to College Station where my parents live. We went to an A&M game which, although their team may be given the 'Effort Award' this year, it really is quite an experience attending one of their football games. It was great to spend some time with my mom and dad. I don't mean to sound somber, but I've really been thinking a lot about how fast time goes in life and I've been eating up the time I've spent here with family. Things just seem to change too quickly. Anyways, enough of the melancholiness (I'm sure it's a word....) After College Station, I've made my way to Houston to spend time with my sister and her two boys. Her husband is working in the Middle East and will be home in two weeks! Hooray!!! Today we went to The Oil Ranch. It's on the outskirts of Houston, and we decided that it's pretty much a genius thing to do if you own a lot of property and have livestock....relatively low-maintenace, tax deductible, and everyone else feeds your animals. Pure genius. It's an absolute haven for kids, where hundreds seem to flock daily. They had petting zoos, train rides, pony rides, cow milking (although I have to admit that the cow did look a little shagrined as the kids lined up one after the other to pull on her udders...), a tractor ride where they drove you out to pasture and you could feed the cows by hand. That, was quite an experience. I've never realized how HUGE cow tounge is. I thought she would swallow my hand whole! All in all, we had a blast, and the kids were worn out at the end of the trip....mission accomplished! Here are a couple of photos of the boys from our adventure...

What to wear...

2008-10-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post something like this for quite sometime. I always have a lot of clients who ask what to have their kids wear during their km photoshoot. Here are some great ideas for infants, girls, and boys. If you are the type of family that isn't really into mixing and matching, no worries...the basic rule is to wear what you're going to be comfortable in. I know, kind of generic. But the fact is that if you're not comfortable then your pictures will communicate that. With that in mind, here are some suggestions....

When I touch-up images for Art Prints I add effects that really make colors "pop", so bright colors and lots of contrast tend to work best. I love color. Especially when I'm working with children because I think it expresses their vibrant energy best. Accessories like scarves, hats, golashas, mittens, hats, tu-tus, fun shoes, etc. will make their pictures unique...not to mention they will make your kids look even more scrumptiously adorable! However, if you want photos that communicate a calmer mood, then neutral colors (like browns, blacks, etc.) and subtle prints tend to work best. The same principle applies to sessions geared more for headshots, and circumstances when you'd want all of the attention drawn to your face. Hopefully that makes sense.

As far as color goes, keep in mind that light colors tend to enhance size, while dark colors tend to minimize. And lastly, keeping your color palette limited to three or four colors works well.

These ideas came from Mini Boden

Texas troops...

2008-10-16T20:15:00.001-07:00

These past four days have been pretty crazy. Basically, I became a single parent of four kids and two dogs overnight. Not literally of course. My brother and sister-in-law went to San Francisco for a vacation, so I've been sitting their kids. It was a good swift kick in the reality for me of what awaits with parenting. Parenting is like multi-tasking at it's best. To be quite honest, I'm not sure how moms do it everyday. Everytime I turned around it was like some toy, article of clothing, or something just appeared out of nowhere. And trying to keep the floor clean throughout the day was more like trying to "shovel snow off the driveway during a snowstorm" (as my sister calls it) than anything else. So hats off to you moms!!! Granted, I didn't exactly work my way up to it over the course of nine years, it was more like baptism by fire in a lot of ways. I knew it was going to be tough going into it, but let's face it.....kids grow up way to fast and you've just got to enjoy them while you can despite the moments of intensity that without a doubt just happen. Unfortunately, the distance between Texas and Utah keep me from spending more time with them. It was a good chance for me to spend some time with them.

On Monday we all sat down and had a "planning meeting" where we outlined all of the things we needed to do, and the things we wanted to do together on a big piece of posterboard. Then, we voted on two out of three of some fun activities to do after homework and chores were finished. They chose to decorate the house for Halloween, and to go to the local Pumpkin Patch and pick out pumpkins to paint. I took some pictures of them while we were there. Now, I know I may be biased, but I really do think that they are some of the most adorable kids. Here are some of my faves...

Jessica's (Potential) CD Covers....

2008-10-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

So, I don't know if you remember my friend Jessica (see a couple of posts ago). She is putting out her first single in a couple of weeks. I'm sure we'll be making some changes on these, but I was so excited with how they turned out I just had to post them. Let me know what you think!

Courtney & Bridger's Wedding Day

2008-10-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

What a fun group! Last week was Courtney & Bridger's wedding. It was pretty chilly, but at least the sun was shining. We had a close call when we took Courtney's bridals. Lucky for them we'd already taken the bridals and "groomals" a few weeks ago. It made for a pretty short photosession after the ceremony. I'm such a fan of scheduling it that way. Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Nicole, Dave & Co.

2008-10-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet the Martin family. We went out to Temple Quarry for their photosession. It's amazing how much it feels like Fall already! I don't know if I'm ready to give up my flip flops yet, but I'm sure I'll have to retire them soon for the season. Anyways, I digress. The kids had a blast "exploring". It really was a cool place to take pictures. I'd never actually been there before, but I see it becoming a favorite for my families in sittings to come. Here are some of my favorites!

My first Give-Away!!!

2008-10-07T00:30:00.000-07:00

So the title may be a little misleading... Don't get me wrong, I will be giving away something. I just didn't want anyone to read this post and think, 'wow, she's never given anything away before?' So before you start thinking that I'm some sort of stinge, let me clarify. This is my very first give-on this blog! Here are the rules...

Anyone can play
Only one entry per individual
This contest ends October 31 OR as soon as I get 30 comments...

For this give-away I'll be sending a fifteen dollar Itunes giftcard away. I'll even email it straight to you...that is, if you are the winner. For this contest, we'll call it a Caption Contest. That's right, for those of you quick-wits out there this one's for you. Take a look at the image I've uploaded. Whoever comes up with the best caption for it wins. I'll have three judges chosen....um, haven't chosen them yet so I'm taking applications. When October 31 rolls around I'll announce the winner...

Any questions?

Now some of you may have seen this photo before...so no cheating. It's perhaps one of my favorites...

Be "One in a Hundred" High School Seniors

2008-10-06T23:39:00.000-07:00

Today I sat reminiscing about a few years ago when I worked for Especially for Youth Programs. You might ask what brought this on? Well, over the past few weeks I've been working with East Hollywood High School on their yearbook pictures. I realized working with the high school age kids how much I miss and love that age group. They are just so much fun! I decided today that I want to start spending more time around them, so I decided to offer a little promotion. It's called Be One in a Hundred. Read more about it on the flier below..... Oh! And don't forget to tell a friend about the promotion. Existing clients who refer a friend who books a session will receive an 11x14 custom print...so exciting!!!

Kelsey's Sneak Peak...

2008-10-06T23:11:00.000-07:00

Today I had the pleasure of taking Kelsey's senior pictures. Have I ever written about how much I love taking pictures for Seniors? They are so much fun! Kelsey is my first Senior that I'll be counting towards my "Be One in a Hundred" goal (see blog entry). So guess what that means?!? Only 99 more to go! Yahoo!!! Oh, and many thanks to Steph for providing such great accessories!

I heart sun flare....

Stepping out of a rut...

2008-10-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

So I've decided that I want to make my blog more interesting. Let's face it, even I've gotten a little bit bored with my blog lately and can't imagine how everyone else feels. Lately I've been swamped with photography. I've been working with a high school taking their yearbook pictures and it's taken most of my time, hence the lack of new entries on my blog. That, and I've just felt a sense of complacency with my entries. So I've decided to spice things up a little bit by offering different contests, etc. I have to admit, I'm a little bit of a junkie when it comes to reading comments on my blog. What is it about that anyways? So here's how it will work. If the prize for the contest is a photosession or something along those lines then it will apply to locals only. That is, unless I'll be visiting your city or you'll be visiting mine within 3 months time. So all you Texans whom I'll be visiting next week, pay very close attention.... Anyways, most of the give-aways will be based on comments left by you. Now, you can only have one entry....it doesn't mean that you can't have your spouse leave one...or a relative. But sadly, you may only enter once. I'm looking forward to giving away some pretty stellar stuff, so you'll have to make sure to tell all of your friends. Happy blogging!

Jessica's Photoshoot

2008-09-29T19:22:00.001-07:00

My friend Jessica is getting ready to produce her first album. She'll be releasing her first single on itunes in the next little while, so I'll have to keep everyone uptodate. She has such a fantastic voice and is just an amazing person all around. We did her photoshoot at the Garden Park Chapel in Salt Lake. We had so much fun! Here are some of my favorites...

Stoner Children

2008-09-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I took pictures for the Stoner family of their two little girls. They are such cute kids! We had a great time up at Memory Grove looking at the flowers and watching all of the dogs. They seemed to come in herds up there, no joke! Here are a few of my favorites from the photoshoot...

And then we were all done...

Courtney and Bridger

2008-09-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

This past week I shot Courtney's bridals. It was an absolute miracle day. The forecast predicted rain, rain, rain that day, but we lucked out. It was amazing. The sky cleared up just in time for us to start our photosession at Thanksgiving Point. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and Courtney and Bridger were so much fun. Here are a couple of shots from their session.

Engagement Announcements/Greeting Cards

2008-09-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

Julie Little/Erickson's Maternity Photos

2008-08-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Kristy and Craig's Wedding Day

2008-08-26T22:15:00.001-07:00

Natalie and John-Mark's Wedding Day

2008-08-26T20:31:00.000-07:00

Kristy's Bridals

2008-08-11T16:27:00.001-07:00

Marissa and Curtis

2008-08-11T14:49:00.001-07:00

Ginger's Bridals

2008-08-03T00:00:00.001-07:00

This morning we went out a shot Ginger's bridals out around Saltaire. She is so incredibly photogenic! I had such a tough time deciding which pictures to post on the blog. I just had so many favorites. Here are just a few...

Erin and Brett

2008-08-02T17:17:00.001-07:00

Erin and Brett were married last week. It was so much fun shooting their wedding because she has also been a good friend for awhile. We had such a great time!

Ann and Adam Bridals

2008-07-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

This past week we took Adam and Ann out for their marathon bridal session. We started at Temple Square and ended up rushing out to Saltaire to catch the sunset. In spite of the nasty smell and bugs that could have quite possibly carried away small children, we had a great time. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Sarah and Mike's Wedding Day

2008-07-15T11:42:00.001-07:00

Ann and Adam Engagements

2008-06-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

This past week I took Adam and Ann's engagement pictures. I hadn't shot down at the Riverwoods Mall in Provo for quite some time, but was really excited to visit that location again. Ann and Adam were so much fun to take pictures of! Ann was all smiles! Here are a few of the trios I've designed from there photoshoot and some of my favorites!

Jenilee & Spencer's Wedding

2008-06-04T20:46:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was Jenilee and Spencer's wedding at the Bountiful temple. They are such a beautiful couple! It was pretty bright outside, but we managed to get some pretty great pictures. These are a few of my favorites.

Hawaii Portraits...

2008-05-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

This past week I've been in Hawaii shooting a wedding. It was my first time out there and I felt like I was in heaven! I loved every part of the trip. At first I was certain that it was some place that I could live, but I think that it's a good thing I don't. Aside from the fact that I think I would be pretty content setting up a snow-cone shack on the side of the beach somewhere to make a living, never wearing make-up again, and spending eternity in my Chacos, I think that it's a great thing that there are some places where you can visit that just seem magical. It makes me think that, if I did live there, would the magic ever wear off? Would I stop seeing how beautiful my surroundings were and get caught up just like I do in the everyday monotony of living? I don't know....just food for thought. The moral of that story is that I feel grateful for beautiful, magical places that provide an escape.

Stephanie and James Wedding

2008-05-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

Stephanie got married at the LDS temple in Laie on Oahu. There were lots of great places to take pictures. It was terribly hot, but she and James were real troopers. She looked absolutely beautiful! Here are just a few of my favorites...

Jenilee's Bridals

2008-05-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a photo shoot extravaganza. It was one photo session after the next. Which really isn't too surprising considering it's wedding season. We shot Jenilee's bridals downtown at Temple Square. I was glad to see that the flowers were still alive after this week's freak snowstorm. Jenilee was absolutely stunningly beautiful and is so fun to work with. She had her niece come to the photo session as well because she is going to be her flower girl.

One of my new favorites...

2008-05-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

This image is from a wedding I shot this past weekend. It's so funny because I'm realizing more and more what a complete photo geek I am. I find myself almost giddy when I find a situation that has artistic potential. I guess that's when you realize that you really love what you do. It's so fantastic doing something that I absolutely love doing!!!

Jenilee & Spencer

2008-04-22T21:48:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I took Jenilee & Spencer's engagement pictures. The wind was absolutely crazy, but it made for some pretty cool shots. I was glad we stuck it out. They are going to have some fabulous shots to choose from. They are such a beautiful couple! Here are a few of my favorites.

Michelle's Bridals

2008-04-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I shot Michelle's bridals. We were a little bit concerned about the wind earlier in the day, but miraculously the wind stopped just long enough for us to take her bridals. These were taken at the Joseph Smith Memorial building and around Temple Square. There are a few of my favorites.

Cathie & Randy

2008-04-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

I need to be better at starting at the end of my image files. That way you don't see images from the end of a reception to the beginning. My advice, after reading this, would be to scroll to the very end of this entry and work your way backwards. ...if that makes any sense.

These are photos from Cathie and Randy's wedding day. They are the kind of pictures that, honestly, make you all warm and fuzzy inside and you find that you just can't keep from smiling when you look at them. I had such a difficult time narrowing it down to some of my absolute favorites. I don't know if I've ever seen such a happier bride!

I'm sure Cathie is going to kill me for putting this picture on my blog, but I just had to. It was taken as she and Randy walked out of the temple for the first time as husband and wife. She just couldn't contain her excitement.....I love it!

Holly and Adam Wedding

2008-04-16T15:03:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I was up in Rexburg, Idaho for my cousin Holly's wedding. We didn't have a lot of time to take her bridals, but we did get some good shots. These are some of my favorites.

South Carolina Trip

2008-04-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

I spent this past week out in Aiken, South Carolina visiting my family. The second day after I arrived I decided to go out exploring. I ended up at Cypress Gardens which is about 20 minutes outside of Charleston. It was beautiful there and very relaxing. The facility has about 4.5 miles of walking trails that surround a swamp. There was a lot to see. I had a great time!

South Carolina McMullins

2008-04-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

I spent this past week in Aiken, South Carolina visiting family. It was the first trip I've ever taken out east. I had so much fun. I spent the first couple of days exploring and a couple of days taking pictures for my family. These first few are pictures of my cousin Megan's kids. These three boys have got to be some of the cutest kids ever! The rest are of my Uncle and his family. Aiken is such a beautiful place. These are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Kristen and Brett

2008-04-02T18:43:00.001-07:00

Kristen and Brett were married a couple of weeks ago at the Salt Lake Temple. I love taking pictures of couples immediately after they get married! We had a lot of fun taking pictures around the temple grounds. These are a few of my favorites.

Michelle and Andrew's Engagement Session

2008-03-25T01:23:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I took Michelle and Andrew to the Exchange Place to take their engagement photos. They are such a great couple! It was a lot of fun getting to know them better. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Kim, Jennifer and Crystal

2008-03-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

Kim and her girl friends have a yearly tradition of taking pictures together, which I think is super cool. So we headed out to Wheeler Farm for the sitting. They had a lot of fun together which made the photo shoot run so smoothly. I was a little concerned about it being too windy, but the weather turned out perfect. Here are some of my favorites!

Curtin Family

2008-03-19T14:16:00.001-07:00

The Curtin's have such great kids! We went up to the area around Doughnut Falls for these pictures. It was SO cold, but they were great sports and came out with some really cute family pictures.

Cathie Foster Engagements...

2008-03-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

Cathie and Randy are such a great couple! We went to the exchange place for their photo shoot and then out to Saltaire. It was so cold, but they were really good sports! These are some of my favorites.

Mom and Dad...

2008-01-02T16:00:00.001-08:00

Apparently my parents have never had their portraits taken from a professional photographer before. We had a lot of fun together taking these pictures together. We joked about how they needed to send them out to their friends as engagement pictures with a note attached saying, "After all these years we've decided to get married." P.s. Not that I'm biased or anything, but I really think that my mom is a hottie.

This one is my favorite!!!

McMullin Family Pictures

2007-12-28T20:39:00.001-08:00

We also were able to take some well needed family pictures. We went up to the Academic Building on Texas A&M's campus to take them. These are some of my favorites...

Christmas in Texas....

2007-12-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

This past week I went down to Texas to visit family for Christmas vacation. We had 17 people under one roof. It was pretty crazy at times, but we had a lot of fun. I took a lot of pictures of each family with the hopes to create a Heritage Book for our whole family. This is a little bit different than what I've done before, but it seems like a great way to do family history and provide us with a keepsake that will be timeless. Here are a few of my favorites of the grandkids...

Zach

Audrey and Sarah

Sydney

Rylie

Tyler

Claire

Logan

Dallin

Straley family

2007-12-21T17:06:00.000-08:00

For the Straley family photo shoot we took the pictures indoors because it was so cold outside. As I do with most of my photo shoots with kids I just tried to let them do their thing. The pictures tend to turn out so much better. These are some of my favorites!

Stoner Family

2007-12-21T16:57:00.001-08:00

Julia has the cutest little girls! She wanted some pictures of her 2 month old taken and I just couldn't resist getting a few candids of her other daughter as well. We opted to take the pictures in her home where the girls would be in a natural setting and we could catch them being "real". These are some of my favorites.

Brittany Bridals

2007-12-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

Brittany and Grant were such an incredible couple to work with. For her bridals we went to the Exchange Place. We got started a little late and were running out of light. However, we were able to get some great pictures.

Greeting Cards

2007-12-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

This holiday season I designed some greeting cards. I hope to have them posted to my website next season under the category Products. Here are some samples....

White Family

2007-12-21T16:25:00.001-08:00

Over Thanksgiving I went down to Las Vegas to visit family and friends. My sister and mom flew over from Texas to spend the vacation with my grandparents and me. It was a lot of fun. While we were there I did a photo shoot for the White family. It was pretty windy outside so we opted for indoor pictures and got some great ones. Here are some of my favorites!

Heritage Books

2007-12-21T16:20:00.000-08:00

This is a sample of the Heritage Books that I'm marketing. They are listed as Impressions Books on my website, but I think that the name Heritage Books captures it's intent better. The resolution on this slideshow isn't great, but hopefully it will give you the basic idea.

Products

2007-12-21T15:49:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been really getting into some graphic design. I want to be able to offer my clients some unique, and artistic ways to display their images. These are some samples of what I've designed so far.

Halloween Photo Shoot

2007-12-21T15:41:00.000-08:00

So, this past Halloween I went out on a limb and tried something new. I set up an outdoor backdrop in Daybreak where I live and did portraits for trick-or-treaters as they were out and about. It was so much fun and the positive feedback from the neighborhood was overwhelming. This will be a for sure do again next year!

Semanario Family

2007-12-21T15:30:00.001-08:00

I took the Semanarios to Wheeler Farm for their photo shoot. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite places to take pictures at because of the variety of backdrops.

The Little Family

2007-12-21T15:13:00.000-08:00

The Little family was so much fun to take pictures of. We used the pictures to create one of my Heritage Books with. It turned out fantastic!

Fine Art Portraits

2007-12-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

One of my latest projects has been acquiring images for a fine art line of images; specifically temple art. Here are a couple of samples that I have so far. They look awesome in frames! If you are interested in purchasing a fine art print please contact me for pricing.

Salt Lake Temple at sunset

Old Car

Flowers

Michelle Houghton

2007-12-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

Michelle needed some pictures of her son who is an absolute golf fanatic. I've never seen a three year old so enthused about swinging a golf club! It was absolutely amazing. We had a difficult time getting him off the golf course.

Aaron's "model" shoot

2007-12-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

One of Salt Lake's most eligible bachelors...

Aaron needed some headshots for a modeling agency. We had a blast taking the pictures. And guess what ladies? He's single :)

Amy's Bridals

2007-12-21T14:11:00.000-08:00

I'm a blogger!!!

2007-12-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

Well I've done it. I've joined the ranks of bloggers worldwide. Hopefully I'll be able to keep my website more up to date. I'm going to post some of the photo shoots I did a little while ago to try and catch up. Let me know what you think!

Amy and Jeff

May 10, 2007

Amy and Jeff were so much fun to take pictures of. He really knew how to make her laugh.