Wedding and Portrait Photography

New Blog

2009-08-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

Finally the new blog is here...so go check it out!!

www.aligirlphotography.net

All new posts will be at the new address. Not to worry because all of your favorite old posts are there too!

Friday FAQ - Engagement Session Locations

2009-08-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

Friday FAQ a little early!

Today I shot Kandice and Nate’s engagement session and I thought this would be a perfect topic for Friday's FAQ! So, today’s FAQ is, “Where to have your engagement session”.

The short answer is anywhere you want!

The long answer is that I can give you lots of ideas or you can choose a location that is special to you. If you like to golf, play tennis or have a special place that you always go for date night it’s great to incorporate these activities/places into your engagement sessions. Kara and Chris busted out their football jerseys for their session and I absolutely love these pictures!

If you need a little help with coming up with ideas here are a few favorites!

Yesterday we shot at Sahuaro Ranch Park in Glendale. There were lots of little spots to take pictures!

Downtown Scottsdale. The infamous LOVE statue is here, but that's not all. Below are a few favorites from this location and you can see more here, here and here!

Tempe Town Lake offers lots of variety and is perfect for getting those sunset pictures. This is where Kristin and Ben had their pictures.

Since I graduated from ASU how could I not love shooting there! Love this cute little cottage on campus. Check out more pictures from ASU here.

An engagement sessions can really be anywhere! Your imagination is the limit, but if you need a little help hopefully this FAQ will help!

Also check out this post for "How to make the most of your engagement session".

Friday FAQ

2009-08-21T07:49:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday everyone!

I’ve decided to start a new series called Friday FAQs. Every Friday I will post answer(s) to…you guessed it, Frequently Asked Questions.

If you have a question that you would like to submit please e-mail me! Feel free to also chime in on the questions by leaving a comment (side note-my Google analytics tells me lots of people are ready this blog…please leave a comment and let me know you were here or what you think!!).

Okay-let’s get started with FAQs.

By far the question I get asked the most is, “How much time do we need to take pictures the day of the wedding?”.

Short Answer: Start at least an hour and a half before the ceremony and plan for at least an hour and a half between the ceremony and the reception.

Long Answer:
I like to start about an hour and a half before the ceremony. This allows plenty of time for getting ready pictures and documenting the ceremony set-up.

Many couples are now choosing to see each other before the wedding, this is called a “First Look”. This allows more time to get pictures of the two of you before the ceremony (and before family and friends overtake you) and this also cuts down on the time needed after the ceremony to take pictures.

Remember Paul and Sue’s first look…LOVE it!

If you are going to do a first look then I would start shooting approximately two and a half hours before the ceremony.

After the ceremony I like to have an hour and a half to shoot the family portraits, bridal party and bride and groom. Especially if the ceremony is not at the same location as the reception please add travel time plus 15 minutes. For some reason the bridal party always seems to go MIA when we go from the ceremony to the reception location.

If you have decided to do a first look then you only need an hour between ceremony and reception (plus travel time plus 15 min..don’t cheat here!). You may be asking why I only cut the time down by a half hour. Well-I want to get as many pictures of the bride and groom as possible. Plus, you are married now! Let’s celebrate and take more pictures!

You should coordinate your reception timeline (toasts, first dance, cake cutting etc) with your DJ. It is very important to let your DJ know how long your photographer is contracted until. 6 hour package starting at 2:30pm, “Hey Mr. DJ, my photographer leaves at 8:30pm”. They will make sure that all of your events are done before the photographer leaves.

On a side note-I highly recommend hiring a professional DJ. I know it’s tempting to ask a friend to bring their ipod and keep the place rocking, but a professional DJ can make or break your reception. Timing, song selection, and experience makes the difference between an empty dance floor verses a reception people are talking about for years to come!

Paul and Sue hired SKM Entertainment and their reception was crazy fun!

That's all for today's FAQ. If you found this helpful or would like to add your own imput...leave a comment!!

Maternity Pictures for Michelle

2009-08-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I met-up with Michelle to do some maternity pictures.

This was my first maternity shoot and Michelle is family (she is my step-sister). So needless to say I was a little nervous to do a good job. Family shoots are always the most stressful for any photographer.

Here is one of my favorite pictures from the day.

Michelle did a great job of picking outfits that would show off her pregnant glow and belly! I love the long flowing dress from the picture above, but I also love the simple black yoga pants below.

Baby “L” will also be a well dressed kiddo!

One last favorite from the day.

Tip to future clients-the mix of clothes Michelle chose (long flowing dress, yoga pants, and white button-up) are a great combination for a maternity shoot.

This selection of clothes help show-off the pregnant belly without showing everything else!

Ben + Kristin Sneak Peak

2009-08-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peak from Ben and Kristin's wedding this weekend.

Love this one of Kristin!

Cutest Nephew

2009-08-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

I just held an impromptu “Cutest Nephew” contest and this little guy won.

Okay, we're related and he was the only entry I accepted. Maybe I’m a little biased.

Last weekend I was testing out my new lens and snapped a few pictures of him having a good time on the homemade swing.

If this lens can capture a six year old on the swing (crazy face and all) I think it passes the test!

Mini Moos

2009-08-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to share with you my newest studio product...Mini Moos.

These little cards are a perfect leave behind at the reception. On one side they give your guests all of the information to know where to check out the great pictures from your wedding…

And on the other side they can be customized with over 50 different pictures. Ideal for show casing your engagement pictures. Here some from Ben and Kristin’s engagement session.

These little cards are approximately 3-inches x 1-inch which is slightly smaller than your average business card. This is why they are called “Mini”. Below you can see a comparison of a “Mini” card to a full sized business card.

Every engagement session now includes complimentary MiniMoos for your wedding!

These shoes are made for walking!

2009-08-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

Walking all over San Francisco that is!

I’m packing for vacation and realized what makes a good vacation great (for me at least). Having all of my outfits planned out.

I know that sounds totally crazy, but nothing stinks more than being on vacation and having nothing to wear! So, to avoid this vacation downer I plan an outfit for each day and activity. I also plan a back-up modification for most outfits in case the weather is colder/warmer or in case I ate too much at breakfast!

I even plan the accessories.

My sister-in-law recently wore this color combination of fuchsia and turquoise and I thought it looked great, so I decided to try it out.

I'm excited for vacation, but I'm also having a little photography withdrawl (hence pictures of my packing). When I get back I will be shooting Kristin and Ben's wedding. Check out their engagement pictures if you missed them. I just recieved a great e-mail from Kristin that their entire family loved the pictures!

Vacation + A Real Album

2009-07-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post a quick note that I will be on vacation (yaaaaahooo!) next week. To all of my loyal blog followers hang in there as I might be a little slow with new postings.

Of course no post is complete without a picture or Studio News, so here you go!

Chrichelle's album arrived in the mail several week ago (yes, I am so late in getting this post up) and I wanted to share a couple of pictures of the real live album.

I absolutely LOVE this album and so did Chrichelle!

The album pages lay completely flat and are printed on extra thick paper to give it a solid construction that will last forever. The outside binding is a classic silver finish.

On my next post (after vacation) I will feature another Studio Product...Mini Moos!

Mike + Kamaya

2009-07-22T16:05:00.001-07:00

Meet Mike and Kamaya.

Kamaya contacted me a month or two ago to photograph their wedding. At our first meeting she told me she didn’t want to do engagement pictures because she hates pictures. This is a common comment from grooms, but from a bride this is a little more unique. I convinced Kamaya to do the engagement session and promised she would not regret it.

Does this next picture not just melt your heart?

Kamaya and Mike were at such ease with each other and their love and affection for one another was so genuine it made my job easy.

As we wrapped up the session I told Kamaya to whisper something in Mike’s ear…something tells me his response was a whole lot better!

One more favorite from the day.

Mike and Kamaya I can’t wait to photograph your wedding and I hope I have made good on my promise that you would enjoy your engagement session!

Kristin + Ben

2009-07-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Meet Kristin and Ben.

Kristin and Ben are getting married in August. Yes, I said August! For those not familiar with Arizona weather the temperature here in August is usually 110 degrees or hotter! But it’s a dry heat!

Judging by how well they handled the heat for their engagement session they will have a great wedding not matter the temperature!

Here are a couple of my favorite images from their engagement session at Tempe Town Lake.

Love these last few images…sunset images are so fun!

A special thank you to my awesome second shooter (my brother) for helping me out with this session.

See you in a couple of weeks Kristin and Ben!

Getting ready for baby! (No…not me mom!)

2009-07-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend family and friends got together for Michelle’s baby shower.

Normally this blog is dedicated to my wedding photography, but this post is personal. Michelle is my younger step-sister and is expecting a little boy at the end of August. I am very excited to share these pictures and even more excited to photograph her little man when he arrives. For now, here are a couple of pictures from the baby shower.

A popular gift at baby showers is the “diaper cake” (see picture inset below). Click here to learn how to make one.

There were tons of super cute gifts. This baby will be well dressed for sure!

A great way to remember special get togethers, whether they be baby showers, birthdays or weddings, is to have your guests sign something wishing you well. Picking something unique that you can display in your house (or the baby’s room) makes the memory even more personal.

For Michelle, we all signed a basketball as a head start for her little guy to be athletic…since Michelle is not!

Here are a few more pictures of Michelle with family and friends.

Congrats Michelle…can’t wait to meet Landon August (a.k.a. Baby Gus).

Ben & Julie

2009-07-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

Meet Ben & Julie!

A couple of weeks ago I second shot for Marissa. I love when I have a chance to assist other photographers. It’s a great opportunity to learn from their unique style and plus it is super relaxing because I’m not in charge!

I wanted to share a couple of my favorite pictures from the day.

Julie’s dad was very emotional the entire day. This was a particularly sweet moment when he saw his daughter for the first time as a bride. It was very touching as Julie’s mom watched too.

Here are a couple of pictures after the ceremony.

We went back inside the church to cool off (since it was over 100 degrees that day) and had fun taking a couple of silhouette pictures.

A few reception details. Ben and Julie had a table with sparklers for their evening departure.

Here is their sparkler send off…very cool.

One last goodbye.

Cale + Amanda Married!

2009-07-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

Meet Cale and Amanda married June 20, 2009.

Have you ever heard of the expression that it takes a village? Well it usually does to get a bride ready for the biggest day of her life and that village is usually the bridesmaids. Meet Amanda’s village. These girls were great!

A sweet picture during the ceremony from the junior bridesmaids perspective.

We are usually pressed for time taking pictures after the ceremony, so I love a bride that will run for good pictures!

You know I can’t have a wedding post without a ring picture…I think I might have a new favorite!

I love this picture of Amanda dancing with her dad. Notice that all of the junior attendants pulled their chairs up to the edge of the dance floor to watch. Just too cute.

Here are a few more of my favorite pictures from the day.

Best wishes Amanda and Cale.

Cale & Amanda Sneak Peak

2009-06-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Cale & Amanda's wedding in Chandler.

I am still editing all of their images, but I wanted to give everyone a little sneak peak!

More to come soon!

Paul & Sue's Album

2009-06-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Paul and Sue's album is complete and I wanted to share a couple of my favorite layouts below.

You can view the full album here (FYI-there is music so turn your speakers up/down).

Sue's father was a total hit on the dance floor!

Not to be outdone, Paul had some dance moves of his own.

Paul and Sue thank you so much for allowing me to capture your special day. I wish you all of the happiness in the world in your life together.

Create Better Images Workshop

2009-06-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I attended the Create Better Images Workshop hosted by a couple of my photography idols, Jennifer Bowen and Kimberly Jarman. If you follow my blog (If you do I totally love you!) you know that I design wedding albums for a couple of local photographers. Jennifer is one of them and she has the most amazing images. This workshop was a perfect opportunity to learn from the best!

We did a mock shoot with a family.

Jen and Kim talked a lot about using natural light and avoiding the use of flash if at all possible. It was great to be on location with them and compare camera setting and images.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures capturing a little mother-daughter time…without using a flash of course!

Love a cute pair of shoes!

There were about 15 other photographers shooting all at the same time. When this little guy finally looked at the camera you could hear everyone’s shutters firing like crazy!

Big sis was totally over the photo shoot by this time.

The workshop also touched on using Adobe Lightroom. Until now I have used Adobe RAW and Photoshop, but I think I might make the switch to Lightroom.

Here is one more of my favorite images that I touched up while learning Lightroom.

I also learned that I should be using 72 DPI for my blog images instead of 200-300 (whoops). Hopefully this will make viewing the images a lot faster!

We also did a practice bridal shoot and I will be posting some of those images soon.

Thank you Jen and Kim for sharing all of your awesome knowledge and for being so down to earth.

Featured on Arizona Bride

2009-06-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to share that pictures from Chrichelle and Kamanu's wedding are featured on the Arizona Bride website.

Arizona Bride is a great local resource for couples planning their wedding. They have tons of information on current trends, local vendors and pictures of real weddings...like Chrichelle and Kamanu!

Click here to see more of the pictures featured on their website.

Paul + Sue Part 2

2009-06-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

On my last blog entry I left off at Paul and Sue's ceremony. The ceremony and the reception were both held at the Fiesta Inn and Resort in Tempe.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from their ceremony.

Here is the entire bridal party having a little fun!

Although we did most of their pictures before the ceremony I was able to steal Sue and Paul away for a few more pictures after the ceremony. As we scouted out locations to snap some pictures, Paul did a great job of helping Sue with her dress. What a sweet guy!

We found this bench and a great door in the hallway of the main lobby.

We took these final few pictures before heading inside for the reception.

Check back soon as I will be posting the final pictures from their beautiful wedding and reception in my next post!

Paul + Sue Part 1:

2009-05-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

You might remember Paul and Sue from their engagement pictures posted here and here. Well, they are officially married!

We started the day with a very special gift from Pual to Sue. All by himself he put together the LARGEST scrapbook I have ever seen! I was very excited to see that he even used some of their engagement pictures!

Sue was a beautiful bride!

She wore the same dress that her older sister, Amy, had worn and hand stitched a timeline of this special tradition into the dress herself.

Paul and Sue opted to see each other before the ceremony and were very excited as we photographed their first look.

Here are a few more of my favorites images taken before the ceremony.

I am only about a third of the way into editing their pictures so check back soon for Part 2 of Paul and Sue’s wedding!

Kamanu & Chrichelle's Album

2009-05-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Kamanu & Chrichell's album is complete! Below are a couple of my favorite pages from the album, but you can click here to view the entire album (FYI-there is music to this album, so turn your speakers up/down!).

Friends and family can click here to view all of the images from the wedding (you will need the password from the bride or groom).

Chrichelle + Kamanu = Hawaiian Wedding

2009-04-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

Meet Chrichelle and Kamanu. They had a Hawaiian wedding at Val Vista Lakes Country Club and the entire wedding party wore flip flops…love it!

The ring barer and flower girl made it down the aisle, but she decided come back for a little clean-up.

Love a good kiss!

For the reception the entire room oozed Hawaii and there was even authentic Hawaiian dancers that performed.

A few more details shots of the fabulous reception (note-Chrichelle made the wedding invitations herself).

An end to a great night!

Lauren + Thomas

2009-04-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

Meet Lauren and Thomas.

I had the pleasure of assisting Tami to photograph this wedding at Arrowhead Country Club.

Meet the bride Lauren…isn’t she so sweet!

We headed outside to take a few bridal pictures before the ceremony. Her bride’s maids were great at making sure her dress did not get one single spec of dirt before the ceremony.

The bride’s maids all wore a different color dress and a flower in their hair. It was the perfect choice for a spring wedding.

I love these next few pictures, especially of the flower girl. Tell me she is not dreaming of her own wedding someday!

Meet the groom Thomas. His hair was so cool I almost had to break out the wide angle lens to fit it all into the picture!

Sometimes guys can be a little stiff in pictures so I always tell them to put their hands in their pockets and give me that GQ look. In the picture below they decided to revolt and show their hands…too cute.

Before the ceremony the girls had a little apple cider toast and the excitement started to build.

The ceremony was very touching and it was clear that Lauren and Thomas have a strong faith in God.

Married!!

Here is the entire bridal party having a little fun.

While we were taking formal picture with the family I snapped this picture. It is the bride’s sister and her fiancé. I heard her say, “That will be us soon!”. I love the emotion that weddings bring out in everyone, not just the bride and groom.

A few reception detail pictures.

The reception was a blast and there were plenty of single girls lining up to catch the bouquet.

When it came to the garter toss Lauren was a little nervous, but Thomas retrieved the garter with class.

Two more of my favorites from the day.

Kiah + Jordan

2009-04-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

Meet Kiah and Jordan.

I had the opportunity to assist Tami at a recent wedding and I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures. To start I love the expression on the father of the bride when he sees her for the first time…priceless!

What a gorgeous bride!!

The ceremony and reception took place at Aldea. The first glimpse the groom gets of the bride is as she appears on the walkway upstairs. The groom was overcome with emotion and fought back the tears.

Here is the entire wedding party.

Kiah and Jordan shared a little kiss before we headed into the reception. I always love capturing these raw moments.

The reception was BEAUTIFUL! The entire room illuminated from candles and their initials were even projected onto the dance floor. If you follow my blog at all you know that I LOVE details. I was like a kid in a candy store and couldn’t help but share.

As they shared their first dance as a married couple the guest watched a slideshow of pictures from when they were dating.

This little guy wanted to get an early start to the dancing, but it wasn’t long before everyone else joined him!

Stefanie + Jeff Engagement Pictures

2009-04-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

Meet Stefanie and Jeff.

We went to ASU to take their engagement pictures and since I graduated from ASU I couldn't have been happier to walk around my old campus!!

Check out these pictures near Old Main.

These next few are definately my favorite of the day. I LOVE the colors of this purple tree.

A lot has changed at ASU, but Palm Walk still looks the same.

A few more of my favorites.

Stefanie and Jeff I had a great time shooting your engagement pictures and I can't wait for your wedding in October!

Published on Best Wedding Photographers Website

2009-04-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

I am so thrilled that I have been listed on the Best Wedding Photographers Website.

This website is dedicated to finding and publishing the best of the most current wedding photography information. They have sections dedicated to photographers, photography and wedding albums. They loved my recent post on Stephanie and Kevin's album.

This is actually the second time that I have made their list and I couldn't be more thankful!

You can view the link here.

Note-they are constantly updating their site so if you check out the link and you don't see Ali Girl Photography here is what it looked like!

Stephanie & Kevin's Wedding Album

2009-04-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to post Stephanie and Kevin's wedding album. I have done tons of albums in the past (I actually do wedding album designs for several other photographers), but this is the first that I have show cased here.

From now on all of my albums will be posted here!

There is music to this so turn your speaks up (or down if you are in the office!) and click on the play button.

Click here to view the show.

Stephanie + Kevin

2009-04-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

Meet Stephanie and Kevin.

They were married at the Castle at Ashley Manor last week.

Kevin’s mom actually made Stephanie’s dress.

They decided to see each before the ceremony. Kevin was so sweet...he was practically speechless while we were taking these pictures.

Their flower girls and ring barer were Stephanie’s nieces and nephew. Dad gave them a little pep talk right before the ceremony started and they did great! It was quite windy so I’m not sure how many flowers actually made it to the aisle.

They nearly stole the show when they decided to take their time coming down the aisle. Dad even gave them the “hurry-up” signal.

Stephanie and Kevin were a very relaxed couple the entire day, but there was no denying the excitement in each of their faces as Stephanie came down the aisle.

I couldn’t decide which picture of their rings was my favorite so I decided to include both!

Towards the end of the evening we snuck outside to take a few more pictures.

Thank you Stephanie and Kevin for letting me be apart of this day!

E-Mail Working Again

2009-03-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

My e-mail has been down for the last 24 hours or so. If you sent an e-mail recently and recieved a bounce back or you have not recieved a reply from me please resend your e-mail. My e-mail is working again and I will respond promptly to any/all e-mails!

Thank you!!

Chandra + Nick

2009-03-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to assist Jacquelyn this weekend at a wonderful wedding held at Pebble Creek Golf Course. Chandra and Nick were married at an outdoor ceremony and we could not have asked for a more beautiful day.

Here are a couple of my favorite details pictures.

Although Chandra and Nick did not see each other before the wedding we were able to do some of the wedding party pictures before the ceremony. This really helps speed things up after the ceremony. Something brides might want to consider when making their wedding day timeline.

The ceremony was outside and and just perfect!

Chandra and Nick wrote their own vows and Nick’s were really cute. He promised to “…love and cherish, put his clothes in the laundry basket and always take their dog out in the morning…”. Too cute!

Chandra’s maid of honor performed a special song which didn’t leave a dry eye around…including me!

Chandra’s was especially cute because she sang along.

You may kiss the bride!

We raced out on golf carts to take some bridal party pictures…

Once again Chandra stole the show as she and Nick shared their first dance.

Time to party!

After dancing the night away the couple made their departure in style with a 1966 Rolls Royce Phantom!

Wedding Albums 101

2009-03-05T16:35:00.000-08:00

In my current pricing (click here) you will notice that I offer a Flush Mount Album by Graphi Studios. This is a beautiful wedding album produced in Italy and offered by many high end photographers.

There can be a lot of confusion when it comes to wedding album terminology so I thought I would try to explain the difference in wedding albums. I would highly recommend that whatever photographer you choose you confirm what type of album is included in your package. Of course, if you choose me you will already know after reading below!

Magazine wedding albums, flush mount wedding albums and coffee table wedding albums typically all mean the same thing. For sake of consistency I will call these type of albums flush mount wedding albums.

Each page is custom designed and can incorporate an infinite number of variations in background pictures, colors, detail pictures and much more. One of my favorite characteristics is the ability to have a panoramic or a two-page spread. This means that the right and left side of the page is printed as one continuous page. Notice in the picture below there is no seam in the middle of the album.

The two examples below (called a layout) is an example of a two page spread.

Flush mount albums are drastically different than your parents wedding albums which were typically matted albums with 1 to 4 prints behind a mat.

The “flush mount” terminology refers to pages that are printed and mounted with a clean edge often on thicker backing (usually 1/16 of an inch). This give the album a very contemporary and sturdy look. The sturdy construction also prevents the album pages from warping and bending.

Many photographers offer a Photo Book which is printed thru websites such as Picaboo, Shutterfly and many other on-line stores. These books offer a less expensive option, but can be limited in their design options. These are often designed by using the website’s “drag and drop” software. Panoramic and two-page spreads are typically not available for these books as each page is printed individually.

Photo Books are a great option for parent albums, grandparent albums and proof books.

A proof book is a thumbnail print of each picture from your wedding with the picture number underneath. This is great for passing around to family and friends that want to order pictures. Below is a sample of what a proof book would look like (sorry for the tiny tiny picture).

As mentioned above I offer the Graphi Album, but proof albums and photo albums can always be added to a package a la carte.

I hope this provides a little bit of clarity to the wedding album options. If you found this helpful feel free to leave some blog love (I just learned that terminology myself...it means leave a comment!).

Making the Most of Your Engagement and Wedding Pictures

2009-03-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

This will be a two part series on how to get great pictures at your wedding or engagement session.

Let's start with engagement pictures.

Understand that 99% of all couples are a little nervous/uncomfortable in front of the camera. This is the main reason why we do the engagement session. This provides me not only a great opportunity to get to know each of you better, but also understand what techniques help keep you relaxed in front of the camera.

I will use some of Sue and Paul's pictures. You might remember them from my post here.

Step No 1: Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Almost every couple I have ever photographed at one point turned to me and said, “How are we doing?”.

Don’t worry about how you are doing. We will work as a team to get great pictures. Your only job is to not put too much pressure on yourself or your partner.

Especially in the beginning of a session couples are a little more nervous, but by the end of the session I promise that we will have some amazing and fun pictures.

You can see below the difference in body language from a picture taken in the very beginning of Sue and Paul’s session and one taken right at the end.

A picture from the beginning of the session.

Overall a good picture, but compare it to the picture below taken well into the session and see how the body language is totally different. They don't even remember that I am there.

Step No. 2: Talk, hug, kiss, laugh, smile
You’ve gotten over the paparazzi like attention that you are receiving, but now you are not sure what to do. Stand, walk, sit, kiss…”What do you want us to do?” is another popular question that a lot of couples ask.

The simple answer is talk to each other , hug each other, kiss each other, laugh with each other. The more that you interact with your partner the better the pictures will be. Talk about how you met, how you got in engaged, memories that you share as a couple. This will bring out the natural emotion and playfulness in each of you which makes for great pictures.

Check out the pictures below where Sue and Paul were able to do just this.

And because I love so many of Sue and Paul’s engagement pictures here are a few more of my favorites.

Next week I will talk about how to make the most of your wedding pictures!

Sue + Paul

2009-02-27T17:58:00.000-08:00

Super cute couple alert! Have you ever seen a couple out at dinner or maybe just walking by and you think to yourself…”they are sooooooo cute together”.

Well, meet Sue and Paul. They are that cute couple.

We met up at Scottsdale Civic Center for an engagement shoot and started out at the infamous LOVE statue. We worked our way all around the park and had a great time. Here are some of my favorite pictures.

These next few pictures are undoubtedly my favorite of the day.

I can’t wait to photograph their wedding in just a couple of months on May 23rd!

bride + groom

2009-02-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

You may recall Andy’s wedding from my previous post here. Well I am long overdue to post more great pictures from their wedding. The wedding was held at a beautiful house in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Did you notice the GREAT garage doors? They were a perfect backdrop for a few bride and groom pictures. I placed them apart from each other and told the groom to slowly walk towards the bride. I LOVE the giggles that Andy got as he walked towards her.

I always do some black and white photos. Here are a couple of my favorite from that day.

We sat down on the front lawn to do a few more shots. I told them do whatever they want as long as they are touching and kissing was very encouraged. Note to future clients…close your eyes! Notice Andy’s eyes are open in the first kissing shot! That’s okay…they were closed for the rest of the shots!

I had to post this picture. This is Andy’s sister-in-law and I think she has a great smile.

I had a fantastic time at this wedding and I am so honored that they allowed me to be a part of their spectacular day!

updating my blog

2009-02-15T18:50:00.000-08:00

I am in the process of updating my blog so that I can post BIGGER pictures! Please bare with me as this is a slooooooooow process.

Old posts might be MIA temporarily, but will be back up soon.

Please feel free to leave a comment on what you think of the new look...good or bad! All input is welcome.

Jillian + Peter

2009-02-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I did an engagement session for Jillian and Peter at the Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza. We happened to pick the same day as a major arts and craft fair was taking place! We had planned to shoot a couple of pictures at the infamous LOVE statue, but it was quite crowded. We decided instead to take a walk around and found some other great spots.

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from that day.

I owe Jillian and Peter a huge thank you for being very flexible and moving up their session time. My husband and I had just found out that morning that an offer we made to buy a house had been accepted and we were going to have to sign the paperwork (like a small forest of tree’s worth!) right when I had schedule the engagement shoot. Thank you!!!

I am also very excited that Jillian and Peter have asked me to photograph their wedding scheduled for November 7, 2009 at Tatum Ranch Golf Club.

February 7th Wedding

2009-02-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure this past weekend to shoot a wedding for an amazing couple with an amazing family! Andy (the bride) is the Co Founder of Singleton Moms and a wedding photographer herself. Their wedding was held in the backyard of a family friend and Andy’s dad even performed the ceremony.

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from the wedding. I will be posting a lot more pictures in the next week…so check back often!

Wedding "Details"

2009-01-24T15:38:00.000-08:00

I am excited to be shooting more and more weddings. When I first arrive to shoot a wedding I am thinking of one shot and one shot only...where am I going to shoot the dress...I LOVE capturing the style and beauty of each wedding dress. Here are a couple of pictures from a recent wedding.

One of my other favorite shots is the ring shot. I usually spend a little extra time shooting this particular detail of the wedding. There is so much time (and money) and thought put into picking out rings and they represent the unity between each couple...

Each bride brings a unique style their wedding. I am always amazed at how creative brides are and how they personalize each detail.

Next month will be a very busy month with several weddings and engagement sessions. I will be posting lots more pictures soon!

Family Photo Shoot

2009-01-20T14:38:00.000-08:00

I recently did a family photo shoot with Crystal and Jeff and their two kids. We had a great time and so did their little girl Madison chasing the ducks!

I took a couple of shots with Jeff and their new baby boy while Madison and mom played in the background.

Crystal and Jeff wanted to take a couple of pictures of just the two of them.

Crystal and Jeff promised Madison a ride on the train if she was good and she was! So, they were off to ride the train.

Bridal Shoot

2009-01-15T09:27:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to do a bridal shoot at the Sun Ridge Golf Course (what a great place!).

Andrea was married in Michigan, but wanted to get some additional pictures in her dress. It has been raining all day and I almost cancelled the shoot. She ended up being about 20 minute late and that made all the difference.

The rain stopped and there was the most amazing looking sky...Andrea, I am so glad we didn't cancel the shoot!

I LOVE these shots. There is just something about the cloudy sky and the curvature of the sidewalk that just captures your eye.

Andrea's husband had not planned on being apart of the shoot, but he was dressed for the part so we pulled him for some shots. They are so sweet and so easy to photograph.

So sweet!

Kara & Chris

2009-01-15T09:10:00.001-08:00

I wanted to post a couple of pictures from a recent shoot with Kara and Chris.

We started the shoot with them dressed up and they were not totally comfortable with having their picture taken, but quickly warmed up to the camera. Here are a couple of my favorite.

Doesn't Kara have a GREAT smile!!

I love this one!!

Kara and Chris wanted to take some pictures of them in their football jerseys too! They were so much fun to shoot. They started playing football, hiking the ball and tackling each other. It made my job so easy to capture all of their fun!!

Time to relax after all of that playing around!

Kara and Chris you were so much fun and so cute! Thanks for letting me capture this day!