Bailey and Tanner Engagements

I don't remember the last time I worked with such a happy, playful, beautiful couple.  They say (whoever "they" is) that smiles are contagious.  I wholeheartedly agree - authentic smiles are contagious.  :)  How could you not smile looking at these two?

 

We started at Vivian Park up Provo Canyon, then worked our way past Sundance and through the Alpine Loop.  One of my all-time favorite places during the fall season.   If you have the chance, the Alpine Loop is even better by motorcycle!

To cheese or not to cheese?  I spent many years of my life trying to be sophisticated, mature, and avoiding cheesy at all costs.  But the older I get, the more I smile when people embrace the cheesy, sappy, silly, playful, ridiculous part of life and relationships.  It's fun.  So, with that in mind, we had to throw the leaves in the air.

 

That's all, folks!

Click here to see more of Bailey and Tanner's engagements

Another Fall Engagement - Julie and Mike

I feel like a giddy little girl every time I drive through the fall leaves!  With Julie and Mike, we started at the bottom of Big Cottonwood Canyon with the intention of shooting up at the top, by Brighton.  But, being overwhelmed with the beautiful surroundings, I, pulled the car to the side of the road about a dozen times before finally getting to the top!  Everywhere I turned was stunning.  The colors, the light, the water...  Big Cottonwood was perfect for photos!

Julie and Mike were great also.  (And didn't call me crazy when I'd stop for a moment and exclaim "Holy crap!  Look at this beautiful place.  This is Utah!  I get to live here."

 

There are several stages to a photoshoot:

1. The planning.  Choosing a location, a time, a day, etc.

2. The preparation.  Being ready for the location, the weather, and any emergencies that might come up.

3. Taking the pictures.  This is the first step that I get really excited about.  As soon as I have a camera in hand, and we are walking through our location, laughing, playing, and shooting, I am happy.  There is nowhere I'd rather be.

4. Importing and sorting the photos.  I usually pass this job on to my assistant, as it is my least favorite part.  He goes through the 600 or so files, finds the best of the set, and rejects any that are duplicates or out of focus.  That leaves me with about 100 to edit.

5. The editing.  This is my Zen place.  I can practically edit while sleeping.  It's some part of my brain that will work in any situation - even if I'm sick, tired, unhappy, or if I'm double tasking and watching a movie!  Editing takes a long time.  And I enjoy it.

6. Social media and blog.  This is when the excitement from step 3 comes back into play.  I'm remembering the moments, the personalities, and the emotions.  I'm sharing the stories, finding the highlights.  As I am writing this blog post I wanted to share the steps and the process with you.  I am exhausted, but as I sit here and relive the experience of Julie and Mike's shoot, I have a huge smile on my face.  My words may not always be eloquent, but I try to share what is behind the photos too - the heart.

And what amazing people these two are!  My favorite part of my job, once again, is getting to meet and have my life influenced by so many different people.

 

A Wedding With a Style of Their Own

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.  

With their two year old daughter :)

 

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

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

When Autumn Leaves Start to Fall

 

Love is in the air!  As a photographer, there is never a season that makes me more excited than just at the end of summer with the first hint of fall.  The sun is shining and there are speckles of yellows and oranges up in Park City.  A perfect day for an engagement shoot.

I love this sequence below!  No, this is not the photo they would put on their announcement, but these are the photos that show life, relationship - MOMENTS.

 

 

 

And the shoes, of course :)

 

Now, we actually had an audience for the Park City Main Street photos.  A group stood behind me trying to figure out how the lights were working and how we could get a decent photo when it was so dark, and another group cheered when they dipped in the middle.  I think it's always fun - and Geoffrey and Lauren seem to be perfect models, they can handle the paparazzi, the attention - makes my job easy!

Newlyweds!!!

With all these fall colors, you wouldn't even know Silvina and Josh got married on 11/11/11!  I guess such an auspicious date deserved truly gorgeous scenery to show it off. :)

 

 

McDougal Family

  I was so happy to get to shoot the McDougals and their extended family the Eichers.  Since shooting Holli and David's wedding earlier this year, we've become really good friends.  We've even got a regular pinochle game going.  What is pinochle you say?  Only the greatest old-person card game ever! Seriously, Thomas and I are completely addicted, and we were happy when we found another couple to share our nerdiness with.

I'm getting distracted though- back to the photos!

This fall was so awesome!  The colors on the trees just kept sticking around, even after we started to get some snow...

  

Whipped cream + tiny cookies + hot chocolate on a cold day=  yum.

    

Snowball fight!

  

Noteworthy 2011

  A couple of months ago, we did a promotional photoshoot for Noteworthy.  I had a blast shooting them last year, and so I was excited to be able to do it again this year.  We headed on up to Vivian Park in Provo Canyon while we still had Fall colors on the trees.

Soon after we started, we heard this rumble from the highway, and this long line of VW bugs and vans rolled into the parking lot next to the picnic tables.  It turned out the Wasatch Vintage VW's club had run through the Alpine Loop and was stopping for lunch.  It turned out one of the members had this awesome green bug that went perfectly with Noteworthy's green ties.  :D

  

Yay for fall leaves!!!

    

    

    

Group shots done, headshots done, now it's time for fun and silliness!

  

  

Check out the full galleries here.

Nicole & Blake: Park City Engagement Photos

  Nicole and Blake drove down from Rexburg, ID where they both attend BYU for our engagement photo session.  We managed to get a beautiful and sunny day- even if it was a little windy and only about 20 degrees outside. :D  These two were awesome to work with!

 

Weren't Nicole's shoes cute?

 

I love shooting the historic old white barn in Park City.  It's such a landmark, and has some fantastic advantages if you are looking for different "nature" shots.  There's a great field, stream, some nice fence lines and this awesome historic farmhouse all in the same location.

 

Check out their full gallery here!  There are a lot more awesome photos of these two....

LDS Ring Ceremony at Magnolia Grove

  Joelle and Brett had a ring ceremony after the sealing at the SLC Temple at Magnolia Grove in South Jordan.  They had a bit of a break in between, so we got some "getting ready" photos in the fabulous brides room there.

 

 

  

 

Congratulations you two!

I loved the grounds at Magnolia Grove- they were way larger than I initially expected, and everything was immaculate.  It was a perfect location for the ring ceremony.