#photographer

rachel leintz

Dec 11, 2016

toe-tapping tunes for post

I’ve been working my tail off on post for the past few weeks, so just a quick note tonight for my photographer buddies out there. It started churning around in my head a few weeks ago, after something my husband said. I was working on post and specifically, I was retouching a beautiful brides skin on a black and white image. My hubby walked by the office and said: “That’s a great one, hon. And you’ve got the perfect background music for it too.” That was all he said as he wen

my new found obsession with the old world

rachel leintz

Sep 25, 2016

my new found obsession with the old world

Just a very quick post tonight (I'm a little worn out from this weekend!). I was so honored to be the photographer for a stunning wedding at St. Catherine of Sienna's Catholic Church on Saturday. The ceremony was a classic, Latin Mass, and the reception was at one of my favorite spots in the valley (the Royal Palms). In getting my artistic-mind right for this shoot, I was watching one of Jerry Ghionis's many Chapter Indexes, and I found out that I have a new obsession...veils

rachel leintz

Aug 18, 2016

what's your photo-mojo?

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

rachel leintz

Aug 14, 2016

drama with flash

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

rachel leintz

Aug 11, 2016

finding the vision

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

rachel leintz

Jul 31, 2016

sneak peek! - marriage in a mansion

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

rachel leintz

Jul 27, 2016

bungalow love

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

rachel leintz

Jul 18, 2016

yay! first wedaward!!!

So, yes, this Sunday post is about 12 hours late, BUT… that’s because I was waiting and hoping for this news! I won my first WedAward today! The WedAwards are part of an International Wedding Photographer competition and this is their Tenth Collection! I am so honored to have won this award or Lesley & Mark’s “Angel in the Cacti” shot : ) #wedding #photography #weddingphotographer #photographer #weddingplanning #ThePhoenician #timeless #weddings

engagement shoots in the southwest summer?

rachel leintz

Jul 6, 2016

engagement shoots in the southwest summer?

Ok, we all know it’s hot enough to cook a pizza in an Arizona car at the moment…literally…I saw that on the news a week ago! I don’t care how “dry” the heat is, 112 degrees is HOT! And did I mention that this is monsoon season? So yeah, Arizona can be brutal this time of year. But while most brides-to-be are planning their wedding for the winter, fall or spring here in Arizona, there’s another piece to the bridal puzzle that seems to be giving a lot of my future clients some

rachel leintz

Jul 3, 2016

june newsletter!

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

rachel leintz

Jun 29, 2016

in defense of photojournalism

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

rachel leintz

Jun 26, 2016

missing a posting deadline!

Well, I'm missing a Sunday blog post deadline, but that's only because my dear, sweet friend Amber got MARRIED tonight! It was a really sweet, intimate get together with family and friends. And, I brought my lens along :) Oh, the benefits of having a wedding photographer as a best bud! I'll be sharing some of the images soon. Stay tuned! #romantic #wedding #photography #lighting #weddings #photographer #weddingplanning #photographicstyle #weddingwire #weddingphotographer #wed

ivories and directional light . . .
an engagement shoot at the wrigley mansion

rachel leintz

Jun 22, 2016

ivories and directional light . . . an engagement shoot at the wrigley mansion

Well, for those of you that don’t live in the middle of the sweltering southwest desert, let me tell you, we are smack-dab in the middle of an Arizona summer here in the Valley! Arizona is kind of a unique place to be as far as the wedding industry goes. We actually have TWO wedding seasons. But right now isn’t one of them : ) While the rest of the wedding photographers in the nation are happy snapping away outdoors, we have to find some creative ways to beat the heat during

rachel leintz

Jun 19, 2016

you’re engaged!...now what?

Over the past month or so, I’ve had a lot of questions surrounding the “engagement shoot.” Do I include one in my package pricing? Is it really worth it? How much more should a wedding photographer charge for the shoot? The list goes on from there. I’ve gone back and forth on this subject. I know many photographers hesitate to add it into the overall cost of the wedding photography. After all, it’s a whole other day of shooting. You have to travel to the shoot, then it’s an h

rachel leintz

Jun 16, 2016

and your name is? . . .

Last night I had my FIRST honest-to-goodness networking event. And it was a little nerve wracking! I mean, it’s a little weird, right? You don’t know anyone at these things until you’ve been to them, so the first time, you kinda feel like the new kid at school…except for the fact that your and adult, and your trying to break into a really competitive industry, and half the people there are probably going to be your competitors…yeah, if you guessed that it was super awkward, y

rachel leintz

Jun 12, 2016

love in the high country

Amie, her mother, and her sister actually all made the long drive south from Flagstaff to meet with me after we had emailed a few times about her wedding. She loved my work, but wanted to meet in person to be sure we would be a good fit. Amie was sweet and kind with an infectious smile. After we worked out the details, it was decided that I would be her girl for wedding photography on the big day! The group then made the most of their time in the Valley by finishing their wed

a brilliant digital memory you have to have

rachel leintz

Jun 8, 2016

a brilliant digital memory you have to have

Recently, I’ve been seeing a new trend popping up on social media (Instagram, specifically) that I’m kind of falling in love with. If you spent time and energy making sure that your wedding invitations and your RSVP cards turned out splendidly, why not share them during the wedding? I’ve seen some really beautiful images lately of a copy of the wedding invitation, combined with macro ring shots, or bouquet images. If you’re a bride who’s planning a gorgeous wedding, be sure t

rachel leintz

Jun 5, 2016

do you need a wedding planner?

Recently, I’ve been meeting with potential brides that have booked their venue (or are getting ready to) and now, they want a photographer! It seems like more and more, photography is number 1 or 2 on their bridal “to do” list. How phenomenal for me! But with this bump in priority, I’ve also found myself being asked some basic planning questions and the one I get a lot is…”Do I really need a planner?” While I usually say the dreaded "It depends." I've recently come up with so

rachel leintz

Jun 1, 2016

tune picks!

For wedding Wednesday this week, I thought I’d post a fun, musical tip for brides who don’t have their first dance song picked out yet. Here are some classics and some fun new comers that are making a splash in 2016 1. All of me - Performed by John Legend 2. Terrafin Sea - performed by Ed Sheeran 3. I Don’t Dance - performed by Lee Brice 4. A Thousand Years - performed by Jasmine Thompson 5. Thinking Out Loud - performed by Ed Sheeran 6. Fields of Gold - performed by Eva Cas

rachel leintz

May 29, 2016

amore in mesa

The first thing I remember thinking when sipping my tea, waiting to meet Gino and Kirsten to talk about becoming their wedding photographer, was his name : ) Gino Donofrio. I remember thinking, “Wow! Can you get any more Italian than that!?” Gino actually contacted me first via email, to discuss my photography, and then I met both of them in person about a month before the big day, just to go over details. Gino and Kirsten are just a perfect couple. I’m sure a lot of people s