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.

 

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!

Spring Engagements - Maria and Todd

As a photographer, I have a rule about wedding days - I am not allowed to go to sleep until every photo from the day is imported and organized on my computer.  So, here I am at 4:30 am with a smile on my face, importing 150 GB of photos from an amazing wedding day!  Maria and Todd were married today in Wanship, a beautiful little hidden community tucked away in the canyon just past Park City.  I was in heaven.  A wedding day with an incredibly picturesque landscape, filled with Swedish food, dancing around the maypole, and drinking song!   So many photos, I'm excited to go through them!

For now, here's a few highlights from Maria & Todd's engagements this spring.  These two were so sweet, I love how Maria never stops smiling!

 

We did the photos up Provo canyon, in the Alpine loop - Sundance, Aspen Grove, Timpanogos Trailhead, and wherever we could find to stop on the side of the road!

 

Congratulations to Maria & Todd!

Engagements: Natalie and Steven

Another Engagement session!  Yes, 'tis the season of Spring love.

I like to tell the engaged couple that our session is just "supervised flirting" and they are responsible for being playful and making each other laugh.   Natalie and Steven were quite cute with it. They flirted and played all throughout City Creek and the Gallivan Center downtown.  And it was a beautiful, beautiful day.

 

  

Going through so many engagement sessions this month, we plan to announce a special tomorrow!  Keep your eyes open, we will have an 80% discount for engagement sessions scheduled for the week of May 18!  Only those 7 days.  We will have lots of playful photos, and we are excited for this whirlwind week.  Check back tomorrow for details :)

And congratulations Natalie and Steven!

Lexi & Brett Engagements

  There are not words to express what it was like to do the wedding photos for this couple.  Lexi is a dear friend, an amazing person, a super-mom, and I couldn't be happier to see her with Brett, who is an equally outstanding human!  And the personality of Lexi's little girl... well, it doesn't get more adorable than her.  I'll let the photos do the talking now:

 

 

istockphoto - Family at Liberty Park

  This was a beautiful day at Liberty Park.  Green grass, blue skies, and the sun was shining!

We met up with Rob and his kids for a quick stock shoot and playing at the park!

Rob is good friend and amazing musician.  He is a dj, a saxophone player, does clubs and weddings. But beyond that, he's an incredible and loving father.  It was so sweet to see him with his kids here...

Life is good, isn't it?

 

istockphoto - Fitness Model

Stock photo shoot of a personal trainer/fitness model:  Casey and I met Zach while working out at the gym, and the next day we were doing a photoshoot!  It was his first time modeling, but this shoot got him a gig for a big clothing company the next week.  It's fun to realize I played a small part in that. :)

 

istockphoto - Little Girl at the Park

 

Another quick stock shoot at Sugarhouse Park!  One of my favorite little girls, and the daughter of the bride for a wedding I'm shooting in August :)  Lindy is such an opinionated child.  An adorable girl full of personality.  She is definitely her own person.

But watching her there at the park, exploring the flowers and the swing set brought a new perspective to me.  Everything seemed like a new discovery.  All I could think was "seeing life through the eyes of a child."  The beauty of the pink flowers.  The funny feeling of the grass on her feet... the way the sun touches the grass and how she wants to sit in the shade instead.

As is normal with kids, she wasn't exactly cooperative the whole shoot... (And I don't blame her.  Play at a park vs. pose for the camera?)  But her excitement as she picked up those flowers made everything worth it!