Picking the right photographer to capture your wedding day is step number one in creating gorgeous wedding images. But there are some other, super simple steps you can take as a bride on your big day that can really help you look your best in photographs. Here is a cute little info graphic to help you remember them! Bend a Knee! Shift your weight to one leg and bend the knee of the other. Then simply drop that knee over the other. This creates a beautiful "S" curve in your bo

Where To Start Getting engaged is such a wonderful feeling. The rush of excitement when you realize this means forever. The joy, the giddiness! When I first got engaged on a beach in Ventura, I was crying so hard, I couldn't even see the dazzling ring Travis picked out for me. I remember shouting happily to total strangers along the boardwalk that I was engaged. It was quite embarrassing for my poor hubby-to-be :) But after the rush of the engagement is over, the planning par

A quick little note tonight since it’s been a busy week! I just wrapped up post on a truly epic styled shoot that I helped create with the wonderful, super talented Karen Podrasky from KDP events. The styling for our “high tea in the desert” concept is all her! From the fabulous navy stripes to the gold accents and jaw-dropping florals! I’m working on submitting to publishers now, so I won’t share two much, but her are a couple of shots I’m in love with. Tayele was stunning i

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

I can’t really remember a couple that was more full of energy and excitement on their wedding day than Sydney and Jett. Jett is a MLB player and he and Sydney is a counselor at a Catholic School. They had just recently moved to Arizona from California when I met them, over a year ago, to talk about their big day. The two met while working at the Boys and Girls club, during one of Jett’s off seasons and he surprised with her a proposal in front of the love sign here in Scotts

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!

Eeek! Another posting deadline missed. But, in my defense, I did fly back from San Francisco last night AND it was the midseason premiere of the Walking Dead (I had to see the battle against Negan start!) So I’m sure you all forgive this one being a little late : ) Tonight, I wanted to share an insight I’ve had over the past year of shooting weddings. And it’s an insight into a mistake that I made as a bride, six years ago when I married my sweetie. I remember talking with my

A quick update tonight on the training I've been taking through Creative Live with Roberto Valenzuela! I'm about two thirds of the way through now and I've see Roberto handle some problematic scenes and I've also learned some amazing, "gold rules" for posing! So I thought I'd share a few with you guys tonight! Amazing Light-Bulb Moment #1: 1. You don't have to memorize millions of poses to keep the creativity flowing Roberto spent quality time during this training, talking ab

The educational journey continues! This week, I embarked on an epic trip, captained by the magnificent Roberto Valenzuela. This intensive workshop is focused on the Roberto answering questions and fixing problems sent in from professional photographers all over the world, but it is really so much more than just “troubleshooting.” I’ve only made it through the first few hours of the workshop so far, but already I’ve learned to think about light differently. It’s a strange sens

The past few weeks I've been deep in training and education mode. Several of my brides have been asking me about boudoir shoots. While I haven't ventured into this realm of photography until recently, I love the concept behind it. Boudoir shoots are incredibly empowering and also make truly stunning images. And what better time to take these images than on the wedding day? You've got your hair and makeup all done up, you've probably got some fantastic heels to wear, and if yo

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

Well, I know that lots of people out there are more than happy to see 2016 go, but for me, this has been quite the epic year! Not only did I get the chance to meet some wonderful new couples, but this year was also when I really started to find my artistic voice as a photographer. Each wedding was a new chance to tell a love story with light and with my own artistic flare. In the spring of this year, I started the blog. I started tracking my journey, for my clients, friends a

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’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

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

Laurel and Justin actually found me on Facebook! Gotta love my fellow millennials : ) When she first reached out, I found out that they were actually based in Chicago and that their wedding at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch would be a destination wedding for most of their friends and family. The couple flew out to meet vendors and get a feel for the Valley a few months later. I met them at the Cartel Coffee shop in Scottsdale and loved how prepared Laurel was! I fou

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