For the Love of Music

Another stock shoot.  And another chance to celebrate beauty in life.  Music is a language of the heart.  When I can't find words, I can often find a song to express what I feel.

So this was an interesting shoot.  And one I hope to revisit.  3 lights, a couple roses, and a piano (keyboard).  Just at home, a typical Monday evening :)

Behind the scenes:

And the first two photos from the session accepted by istockphoto (click on the photo to see it or purchase it on istock's page):

 

One other thing I learned today:  I'm so keenly aware of visual beauty being a photographer.  Then the music - my ears are always listening.  But I often forget to smell (except those smells that make us wrinkle our noses, right? ugh).  So, stop and smell the roses.  Or any flower you see (on the side of the road, in a vase, whatever it is!)  Who cares if people are watching?  The simple things like this help me feel truly alive.  And that is a reason to smile.

I know, I know, I'm a little more poetic than usual.  Sentimental.  Reflective.  Maybe even cheesy.  But I want to make a difference with every photo I take, and it's an exciting journey as I re-discover how to see the world through a camera lens every day.  It makes everything worth it.  I share these photos because I am a photographer.  And I am grateful.

Devereaux Mansion Reception

  The Devereaux Mansion has got to be one of the coolest reception locations in Salt Lake City.  It's in the very heart of downtown, right next to the Gateway Mall, and you could walk by it without hardly even noticing.  It's far enough back from South Temple that it feels set apart and private, and it is one of the most gorgeous pioneer-era homes I have ever seen.  Here are a few of my favorite detail shots from Kara and Chris' wedding reception there.

 

Thomas worked in a cabinet and carpentry shop for a couple years when he was in college, and he kept freaking out about all the woodwork in the mansion.  I don't know much about moldings or other things like that, but I do know it was all fabulous!  

Not much beats an awesome patio for an indoor-outdoor reception.  I thought this location had the perfect mix of space inside and outside.

   

 

The catering from Temple Square Hospitality was superb.  Truly amazing food....

 

 

Cool place, cool day, cool clients. Stay tuned for the rest of the photos from the reception.

Zilker Botanical Gardens

  I had a few minutes before the bride and groom arrived for the formals / bridals/ groomals session at the Zilker Botanical Gardens in Austin Texas a couple weeks ago, so I made sure to stop and smell the flowers!

Now I am not really one for landscape photography.  As a general rule when I see a gorgeous sunset, or a majestic mountain peak, or a colorful bed of flowers, I say to myself "OH that's beautiful.  Now I just need a person there so I can take a photo."  When I take a photo, it's usually not complete unless there is someone in the picture as well.

That being said, the Zilker Botanical Gardens was a special place for me when I was growing up in Austin, and I went there all the time to think.  It's one of the iconic places in Austin, and if you happen to be visiting, you should not miss it.  More photos to come from Texas, as I make progress on Katherine and Matt's wedding, and as I finish up an engagement session I ended up doing for an old friend and his beautiful fiancee.

Heidi & Steve Reception Details

So sorry for being incommunicado!  We headed out to Austin for a wedding this weekend, and the blog was shamefully neglected.  But never fear!  New and exciting posts will be shared!  First up- a few favorites from the details gallery from Heidi and Steve's wedding at Sleepy Ridge.

  

  

Gotta love the porch outside the Garden Room during the blue hour!

Heidi & Steve Dinner

Heidi and Steve had a pre-reception dinner in the Garden Room at Sleepy Ridge.  The food was catered by Marvelous Catering, and it was fabulous!

 

It might be an odd thing to rave about, but one of the best things about the dinner?  The lemonade!!!  I have no idea what they put in there (probably a combination of sugar/more sugar/crack), but it was quite possibly some of the best lemonade I have ever had.

    

I loved all the florals they Heidi had picked out.  Beautifully bright colors, and in combinations that I thought worked really well together!

 

  

Holli & David: Vintage and Retro Reception Details

  Just to continue gushing from last night, the details for Holli and David's reception were just so fun and so well done.  It didn't just have a lot of "cutesy vintage touches", but had lots of genuine and beautiful Americana elements.  It was around the 4th of July, after all!  And what could be more perfect to ride away in than a pristine red vintage Cadillac?

The food was absolutely amazing, but the best part?  This locomotive barbeque!

  

As you can see, the whole layout was very open, and just reminded me of what I picture when I think of an old-time southern barbeque or big extended family party.  I loved the setting they created for the receiving line here below.  Very artistic and full of color!!! I'm told that David himself actually painted most of these.... I wonder if he knew what he was getting into when he proposed?  Apparently he was awake at 7 am ON HIS WEDDING DAY to help set up this amazing reception.  Along with many other people, of course.  SO much work went into it, and I thought it went off perfectly.

You can get a little preview of David's reception suit here on the right...  Thomas thought it was perfect.  He is a huge fan of the "trad" or classic "prep" look (or so he tells me).  All I can say is that David looked fantastic, and I loved the lighter suit.

  

Despite how much I loved the vibrant colors everywhere, I really really liked Holli's bouquet (which didn't have ANY strong colors, just mostly shades of white).  It was so elegant, and I felt was a great counterpoint to everything else.

    

  

Ok, stay tuned tomorrow for some favorite photos from the rest of the reception!

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!

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.

Fancy Fabric Flowers

A couple months ago I did a product shoot for a little company called Fancy Fabric Flowers.  Melina does all the work and hand-makes these beautiful fabric flowers that are super unique and (best of all) that don't make you worry whether they will last the whole day or not.  

I thought the gold bouquet was definitely the most elegant of the day, but this one below with the button flowers was adorable.

They also do corsages (that can double as hair pieces) and boutonnieres for prom...