Maybe I'm super lucky or maybe it's fate. I have met the most amazing couples lately. Ashley and Steve are no exception! When I met them in person for the first time, I just knew that they were authentic, gutsy, and totally in love :) When Ashley originally reached out to me, she mentioned how she and Steve were looking for something "more artistic" in a wedding photographer, and that that was what had drawn them in when browsing my portfolio. Green light! So I knew that thes

Happy Monday, everyone! Did you see who's on Arizona Weddings Magazine blog today? No!? It's Kelly and Dan and all the dramatic images we created for their engagement session at Villa Siena! Loved this shoot! Hop over to their blog to check out the full article :) I love it when a couple goes for the dramatic in their images and that's just what we did for Kelly & Dan's session at Villa Siena. The main courtyard of the venue, has plenty of bright natural light, which creates

Happy holidays everyone! I thought for my pre-Christmas post, I’d share some of my favorite seasonal wedding pictures. A fun little tip, fairy-lights, or those little bulbs of Christmas light strings, make for beautiful bokeh any time of year! Enjoy your holiday time!!! #weddingphotography #holiday

From the beautiful couture Eve of Milday dress she wore (and some dazzling Jimmy Choo's) to the beautiful dramatic background at the Omni at Montelucia, Lindsay and Chris's wedding was EPIC. I absolutely love shooting weddings were the bride loves fashion and loves a little moody, editorial edge to her images. Because that's what I love to shoot! Chris and Lindsay created a wonderful, memorable experience for all their guests and I was so honored to be the one they chose to c

On this Memorial Day, I was reviewing some of images of photographers I really admire...Ryan Schembri, Scott Robert Lim, Jerry Ghionis, Pye Jirsa, just to mention a few. And I got to thinking about light source selections. I find that here in AZ, there are a ton of fabulous natural light photographers. Some of them are digital, some of them are film photographer, but there aren't a ton that really seem to focus on mastering supplemental light. That is flash, video lights, ref

I'm not sure about you guys, but when I was planning my wedding, I had a very skewed view on time. Getting ready, walking down the aisle, give my hubby a smooch, party!!! About 4 hours right? Umm, no. Weddings are EVENTS. And they deserve to be treated as such. It's not for selfish reasons. It's just the opposite. Unless you are eloping, there will be several other people involved in your wedding. And planning for a party/event with more than two people is a BIG undertaking.

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

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

I remember reading this article when I first started in the wedding industry. It was written by another photographer, who had started her business over a decade ago. She said: “I’m not a business woman, I’m a photographer. I just want to create beautiful images and make a living. I want people to know my work, I want to get booked more…oh wait…*&$!...I guess I’m a business woman.” Reading those words make me laugh and cry a little now! I’m not sure there is anything more anxi

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 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

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

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