You know, once Thanksgiving hits, the world just kind of becomes a blur, then POOF! It's Christmas. I've been busy working some magic in post the last few days, but wanted to share these great new publications that just hit! Premier Weddings of Phoenix published TWO of my favorite weddings in their current digital edition! Congrats Lindsay, Chris, Michelle and Patrick! The dramatic images you created on your big days were the perfect fit in this beautiful magazine! #PremierWe

You've picked out the perfect venue, your dress is to die for, and your groom's suit is stylin'! You're ready for your dream wedding! But before you tie a bow around all your pre-wedding prep, here are a few super simply "to-do's" you can check off your list to make your "getting ready" shots picture perfect: 1. A Little White Robe: White is perfect because it's super easy to find and it'll build anticipation in the album spread, creating visual suspense for the big reveal of

A quick note tonight about a thought that’s been bouncing around in my head during these past few months of training. My whole life, probably since my awkward teenage years, I’ve never considered myself photogenic. Actually, to this date, I still am not super comfortable IN FRONT of the lens. But the more I learn about light and how true photographic artists use it to shape the face, I’m realizing more and more that there really is no such thing as a “photogenic.” It’s true!

So here's the thing about first looks: You're probably think that since I'm a photographer, this is gonna be a post all about light, and yes! Having a first look makes it a lot easier to capture amazing couple shots before the ceremony. Yep, you'll get gorgeous soft light, it opens up a lot of shooting areas around the venue, the benefits from a photographic perspective go on and on. But there's another element about the first look that I think a lot of brides overlook. And t

Tonight, the blog is graced with the love story of Melissa and Ryan! But it doesn’t actually start with those two. Melissa’s dad, Graham, is the one who first contacted me. He found me on WeddingWire and told me he was actually in New Zealand (!) but that since he was a photographer in his own right, he had been tasked with finding the wedding photographer for his daughter’s big day. We chatted over email a bit, he sent my work off to the couple, and POOF! it was a magical, d

I was lucky enough to meet these two at the WeddingWire Fall Fete this past October, where they entered to win a free engagement shoot I gave away : ) I was beyond stoked when I drew their name out of the entry box! Ted and “Edy” actually met 10 years ago at a restaurant. They dated for a while, but at the time, Ted was in business school and Edy was a flight attendant. Their hectic busy schedules just didn’t leave a whole lot of time for love at that point. The, five years l

Been busy snapping away at back to back weddings the past few weekends, but wanted to share some fun captures :) Mel and Ryan had a little desert storm drop in on their wedding ceremony, but that's good luck! And it left us with an incredible desert storm sky for their couple shots! (stay tuned for more). My obsession with gorgeous window light and veils has continued! There really isn't anything more intoxicating than a bride wrapped in the translucent, sheer shell of a veil

It might just be happening to me, but I’m starting to see a trend running through several of my recent wedding bookings . . . indoor ceremony locations! (Cue the scary, dramatic music) Maybe now that it's cooling off for our wedding season here in Arizona, I'll be seeing less of it, but for now, let's talk about how to deal : ) There are a couple reasons most wedding photographers aren’t huge fans of indoor ceremony locations, but the main one is that usually, indoor locatio

Woohoo! Wedding season is well underway and I’ve been busy capturing my couple’s smooches, laughs and tears. Because the hustle and bustle that happens before the big day is always pretty chaotic, I always try to send my brides a little checklist. If they are avid email-checkers, like me, I email it. If they are married to their phone (an who isn’t!?) I send it as a text. If their heads are ready to explode and I think that one more “reminder” might just make them scream, I s

A few weekends ago, I was fortunate enough to shoot, again, at the Royal Palms. Angela and David's wedding created an amazing mix of lighting environments for me to play with. I’m falling more and more in love with the dramatic directional lighting I used to capture the shots below in Angela’s bridal suite. But the Palms is also an amazing location because of all the soft, glorious light that pours in and through its outdoor corridors and walkways. And of course my veil obse

Whew! The beginning of this season has been a busy one! And sadly, that’s made me neglect the blog a bit : ( But don’t worry! I’ll be catching you up on all the fun I’ve been having over the next couple of weeks. At the end of September, I shot a wedding in a beautiful church in central Phoenix (St. Catherine of Sienna’s) followed by a reception at one of my favorite locations (the Royal Palms Resort). It was a fantastically fun wedding! The bride and groom moved here to the

You ever have one of those weeks where there just doesn't seem to be enough time in a 24 hour day? Well, I'm there this week! So I thought for my mid-week post, I'd throw out a couple questions to the soon-to-be brides and grooms out there. Which of the following describes how you want your wedding to be captured? 1. I want it to feel light, etherial and dream like. 2. I want drama! I want to look at my photos and say "WOW! That's amazing!" 3. I want a combo of both the dream

A few weekends back, I had the chance to shoot Kathy and Bill’s wedding at the Wrigley Mansion. For this particular wedding, I had the chance to shoot in a space I was familiar with (Kathy and Bill had be take their engagement shots here as well). Going into this wedding, I had to very clear goals in mind: 1. Keep the bridal portraits soft 2. Use a new backlighting technique with my flash during the first dance. Specifically, I wanted to be sure that the bridal portraits were

Man! I seem to be missing blogging due dates left an right these past few weeks. But that’s because I’ve been busy working away on some post processing of Kathy and Bill's wedding, playing with Wyatt, and melting in the Arizona Heat! But enough excuses : ) For this late Wedding Wednesday post, I want to tell you about the latest step in my artistic journey. A few weeks back, I posted about the struggle I was having trying to decide which type of wedding photographer I wanted

I’ve been busy working away on Kathy and Bill’s wedding, so just a quick note here to mention that I ended up trying out a new flash technique at their reception! I’m pretty pleased with the images straight out of camera, but I’m going to “magic” them up a bit in post before sharing. Stay tuned! #wrigley #enagement #weddingplanning #wedding #firstdance #photography #phoenix #weddingphotographer #weddingphotography #photographicstyle #weddings

For #SneakPeakSunday, I’m sharing with you just a few images of the stunning wedding I was privileged to capture this weekend! Even in the sweltering heat of the Arizona summer, Kathy and Bill made the beauty of their day look effortless. Stay tuned for more images throughout the next several weeks as they work their way through post. Congrats you two! Can’t wait to share these all with you :) #lighting #wrigley #timeless #Scottsdale #weddings #weddingphotographer #phoenix #r

This #weddingwednesday, I’d like to share the story of the Lori and Andrew, the sweet couple I had the pleasure of meeting this past spring. Lori found me, as so many of my brides do, on WeddingWire and asked if we could meet up in person to discuss the details with her fiancé, Andrew. I met the couple at Inside the Bungalow, a quaint little coffee shop / event site in downtown Mesa, just off of Main street. I remember thinking that the whole place had a sort of shabby chic f

This week, I was lucky enough to be whisked away to glorious San Diego for a mini-vacation with my husband. He worked, I worked, but we got to do it from gas lamp district in southern California, so I have no complaints! Driving in from the airport, I passed the pier where Christy and Scott were married, and it brought back all the amazing memories and beautiful images of that day. And it inspired the Wedding Wednesday blog for this week! Christy is a gorgeous, petite angel I

For Sunday this week, I admit, I'm a little behind on the blogging : ( BUT! I did just send out the newest newsletter to all you lucky followers out there :) Didn't get it? Want it? Check it out at the link below and be sure to sign up to receive all the latest, each month. june's newsletter #destinationwedding #firstdance #countrychic #vendors #timeless #music #engaged #wedding #romantic #photojournalism #photography #weddingphotographer #photographer #weddings #enagement #p

This past Sunday, I was really lucky to be able to attend my dear friend Amber’s wedding (more images to come soon!). She is one of my sweetest, dearest friends, and while I knew it was a small, intimate affair, I wanted her to have some fabulous photographic memories to cherish, so I brought my gear along. This was an unusual shoot for me. My husband was there and so was my little cyclone of a two year old! So while wearing the mommy, wife, photographer hat all at the same