A Wedding With a Style of Their Own

October 15, 2014 in Formals, Wedding

Every wedding is different. I have said this from the beginning and I will say it again in the future. They are unique people, with a unique relationship, unique style. Some couples value tradition, and if that represents their relationship, then wonderful! Sometimes, a couple will be so much pressure to do "what you're supposed to do" at the wedding that they will have a wedding cake when they don't even like cake. I applaud Emily and Cody for bringing in such a unique style, I can't help but smile looking through these photos.

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With their two year old daughter :)

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Emily sewed the majority of the two dresses, I am beyond impressed!

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This is at the Train Station in Ogden - The Union Station, where they will be getting married today!

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Engagements - Downtown Salt Lake

March 20, 2014 in Engagement

I had a lot of fun working with Kenzie and Alex. It was the evening after our most recent bridal show, so an extremely long day. We were sleep deprived and completely drained of energy from talking to people all day. But what an INCREDIBLE day! Then Kenzie and Alex show up with these beautiful smiling faces and all the energy came back! It was a whirlwind hour full of enthusiasm, we just ran around downtown (started at the Capitol and ended at the Gallivan Center).

One of my favorite things about shooting downtown is that it's no problem if we go past sunset! There are plenty of other lights to play with. We bring off camera flashes, of course, but it's the lights in the background that make the night photos interesting.

Click here to check out more of Kenzie and Alex's engagement photos

2013 Comes to a Close... Weddings in Review

January 01, 2014 in Travel, Wedding

The clock struck midnight and everyone cheered, kissed, danced, hugged... My phone buzzed with messages of gratitude, messages of well wishes for future, and messages of love, friendship, reflection. I had a few moments to sit and reflect as well. While there's nothing particularly different about the moment of midnight December 31st than any other moment, I still like to join everyone in reflection - what made this year great? Another 365 days of life. What do I want next year to be like? Reflections and Resolutions. I am grateful for 2013, for the challenges, the growth, the learning, and the many people who have impacted my life. I've photographed some beautiful moments and worked with many beautiful, loving people. That's why I like to photograph weddings: There's very little more rewarding than seeing the way a bride and groom look at each other, recognizing TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF OUR LIVES. I believe this is true every day, but I love capturing the moments when people are so aware of it. It's inspiring.

As I stated at the beginning of the year, we were only going to accept 10 weddings in 2013. We aren't keeping the same limit for 2014, but I'm glad we did this. We stayed true to the limit, though I did take a few photos at my older brother's wedding (I couldn't help myself!). That was a special day. Such a unique, emotional experience! Sometimes I think it's easier to hide behind the camera so no one knows how sentimental I am - They might not be able to see the tears that way :)

Here's my brother and his wife, Nathan and Liz: Ceremony and reception at South Padre Beach, Texas

I want to thank each couple for contributing to my year. Thank you for inviting me to be there to witness and capture such monumental moments in your lives. I feel incredibly humbled and grateful that my job includes opportunities like this. Here's a photo-review of each wedding day in celebration of you!

1. Mattie and Carston

Ceremony: Bountiful Utah LDS Temple

Reception: Wight House, Bountiful UT

2. Kiera and Brandon - Los Angeles California LDS Temple

3. Michelle and Sam - Salt Lake City LDS Temple

4. Kathryn and Merrick - Timpanogos LDS Temple

5. Britney and Taylor

Ceremony: Salt Lake City LDS Temple

Luncheon: Joseph Smith Memorial Building

Reception: Huntington Beach, California

6. Jordyn and Colton

Ceremony: Timpanogos LDS Temple

Reception: Sleepy Ridge Reception Center (Orem, UT)

7. Sarah and Brady - Ceremony and Reception: Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT

And yes!! They had a life-sized Jenga game :):):)

8. Alexis and Bret - Ceremony and Reception at Noah's Reception Center

9. Melissa and Nathan - Ceremony and Reception at the Alpine Arts Center, Utah

10. Angela and James

Ceremony: Salt Lake City Temple

Reception: Bella Vista Reception Center

Thank you all for a wonderful year. Congratulations at this exciting stage of life! We are looking forward to the future and welcoming in 2014. As a good friend of mine said, "A book of 365 blank pages starts today. What are you going to create each day... each moment?"

Happy New Year to all!

1000 Stock Photos Downloaded!!

October 19, 2013 in Stock, Wedding

Today is a day for celebration :)

I have been an istockphoto contributor since November 2011 and yesterday, my 1000th photo was downloaded!

The 1000th image purchased happens to be one of my most popular, and coincidentally it's also a wedding-themed photo.

Also, I will be looking for istock models each week for variety of shoots. You will get a free 8x10 if you want to participate, please leave a comment here or email me at whitneylewisphotography@gmail.com and I will put you on the list!!

We're excited to see what the next 2 years for stock photography will bring.

Lexi & Brett Formals

August 19, 2013 in Bridal, Formals, Wedding

Lexi is one of the most incredible people I know. And she's worked as an assistant for me this summer, so it was extra exciting to do the photoshoots of her and her wonder Brett :). This was one crazy day, though, because the weather acted up last minute and we had to change our plans for location. There was a 10 minute break without rain, so luckily we got a few beautiful outdoor photos too!

I always encourage my clients to add something to their shoot to make it more personal. Lexi brought the most beautiful "something" possible - her little daughter. The three of them interact together had some really precious moments. *Spoiler alert* - little Lindy actually joined them for their first dance at the wedding reception. So sweet.

I don't remember what the story behind this last photo was - maybe "my cheeks hurt from smiling so much, Whitney!" - but I love it!

Temple Square Formals - Katherine & Shane

August 19, 2013 in Other

A Bountiful Wedding

April 05, 2013 in Bridal, Wedding

Today, Mattie and Carston are getting married at the Bountiful Temple! I'm just packing up my gear and getting ready to drive there, but I wanted to post a few photos from their formals session to celebrate this day:

I often ask the couple if they have any specific poses or places they want photos. When I asked Mattie, she got the cutest twitterpated look on her face and said "I want one of him hugging me like this." That moment was precious! It's fun seeing two people so flirty, so excited to be next to each other. And they both have such beautiful smiles!!

Congratulations Mattie and Carston! And may you have many happy years ahead of you.

My Little Sister Gets Married

March 25, 2013 in Wedding

Angela and Dallin got married on a cold winter day at the Bountiful LDS temple. Generally, photos are only taken outside the temple, but the Bountiful temple has a beautiful area downstairs that they allow photos for the cold weather times. And I am so glad we had that option! Poor girl, she was freezing. Here they are symbolically walking away into their new life. (Maybe a little cheesy, but I'm going to say it anyway!)

Now, Dallin grew up with all sisters and is an incredibly thoughtful person. He actually surprised Angela with this beautiful necklace the day before their wedding. So sweet!

As I mentioned, Dallin is the only boy in his family and as I've had the chance to get to know some of his sisters, I can't help but love them. Such a positive, caring, supportive family. And Angela fits right in. My favorite photos of all the job I've done are always of people laughing. I thought this one was a perfect moment:

There's always a big debate about having a family member photograph a wedding. I walked Angela through options of other photographers, looking at different styles, but she told me she's used to my photos and just likes my style. So, I brought an assistant I trusted and had him take the photos I needed to be in. Thanks Justin! It was neat being part of both, but I don't think I could have relaxed enough to sit and watch someone else do the photography for hers. I wanted to make sure it was done right and I wanted to be catching those moment. She's beautiful, and they are so happy, and the photography needs to show it. The balance between being part of the experience and working was surprisingly perfect for me. Exhausting! But definitely worth it.

As the year comes to an end...

December 29, 2012 in Wedding

I apologize for my extended absence and my new years resolution is to catch up on the last 7 months so y'all can see all the adventures that took place in 2012.

One of the primary changes I made this year is to limit the number of weddings I will accept. I decided to put a cap at 10 weddings a year so I can give more time to each couple, have better balance in my own life, and also focus some of efforts towards corporate and stock photography. I am now a contributor on istock, you can see me portfolio here: istockphoto.com/whitneylewisphotography But more update on that later. I want to take you through each of the wedding couples I worked with this year. There were many other people I did engagements, bridals, and other photos for, but these just showcase the weddings themselves.