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I learned a lot about Natalie and Reggie at their engagement session a few months ago. I feel in love with their bubbly colorful personalities and their HUGE hearts of love. The thing I LOVE about Natalie is her unfailing ability to make Reggie laugh. No matter what they are doing, they are ALWAYS laughing. When Stephen and I arrived at her house to photograph the tiny details as Natalie prepared for the day, she embraced us both with excitement as she told us about the wedding details. I think we were almost as excited as she was!
We headed over to Brophy Chapel to photograph the groomsmen and as we were driving, we noticed tiny raindrops on the windshield. Phoenix had been experiencing A LOT of storms the week prior and we all prayed for sunshine. Better yet, the day was perfectly cloudy with spots of sun. It was perfect. Natalie purchased white umbrellas for everyone just in case.
After the ceremony, we headed out to the beautiful Tempe Center of the Arts for the reception. Although it was freezing outside, Natalie and Reggie bared through the cold and posed so graciously for the camera. I feel honored to have been apart of this day and we feel so thankful for the generosity that both Natalie and Reggie's family showed us. You guys are both such BEAUTIFUL people and I couldn't be happier with how the day went!
The jewelry below was given to her by her grandmother and great grandmother. |
| Natalie has the prettiest skin! |
| Reggie loves batman and i thought it was so cute he actually found cuffs on ebay! |
| This was SUCH a sweet moment. I definitely had to hide behind the pillar while I wiped a few tears away. |
| I LOVED the beautiful vintage car they rented! |
| They are ALWAYS smiling! I love it! |
| Reggie is so sweet around Natalie. He is so kind hearted. |
| Natalie is seriously STUNNING. |
| This is one of my favorite photos of the day |
| One of Natalie's bridesmaid made her veil. |
| The venue had a beautiful negative edge pool in from of the reception venues. it looked stunning from inside. |
| Natalie and Reggie had someone actually design their cake topper for them! TOO cute! |
| Reggies aunts and uncles decorated the entire reception hall! GORGEOUS! |
| Natalie and Reggie surprised EVERYONE at the wedding with dragon dancers! What an awesome experience! |
| I must say that there were A LOT of good dancers at the reception!!! |
| This past week, Stephen and I have been working endlessly on our exciting new promo with the amazing Anton Lorimer. These next few days, i'll be posting some photos from our shoots! I am SO excited about this and its been SO much fun pulling everything together... It will be a few months before the final product will be posted but I just CANT wait that long to post the photos from our shoots SO..... Ill be posting them this week :) My brain is seriously drained from thinking of creative ways to shoot so in all honesty, Im not going to write a whole lot today but wanted to leave everyone with a sneak peek from tomorrows post :) Happy Monday everyone! |
| This was my first experience in a studio and we felt so blessed to have worked with our friend Floyd in his AMAZING studio, Loft 19. Floyd gave us a tour of the studio and actually built the studio himself! I was so impressed and our first experience was incredible. |
| As you all know, im in LOVE with anything vintage.... and I was seriously in Heaven while shooting Tarah and Joshua at the Train yard! |
| The past few weeks, Stephen and I have been planning and planning our promo video with Anton Lorimer. I contacted Anton a while back to possibly shoot a promo video and it just so happened that Anton was visiting Phoenix and he would have time to shoot our promo! I almost jumped out of my seat when we set the date. I had about six weeks to pull together three couples and set up my photoshoots!!!! SIX WEEKS?!! I am such a planner so I knew we had enough time but finding places in Phoenix to shoot just isn't quite that easy. Stephen and I drove around town picking out our favorite spots that represent US and this is the first shoot and location we picked. The next step was finding couples to shoot. I couldn't have been MORE excited with Promise and her awesome husband Brian when they agreed to be our models for the day! The local grove owners we found were more than generous to allow us to use a part of their groves for some photos. It just seemed to fit so perfectly and I couldn't be more happy with how these turned out! From the props to the outfits, everything tied together so nicely. I will definitely be writing more about Anton as I showcase the promo these next few months, but I was so impressed by his professionalism and his way of connecting with clients. It means so much to me to work with someone that is so personable. It sets me at ease and I am SO excited to see what Anton documented throughout the day. Its been such a treat and we feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such talented people as these. I just couldn't wait to post these... seriously... how much more beautiful can Promise and Brian get? WOW. |
| The light in the groves was delicious!! I loved how soft it made the photos look... |
| I know these two photos are SO similar but honestly, I just couldn't pick. Promise and Brian look like they are straight out of a magazine cover! |
| Promise and Brian were so much fun to work with. I love their sense of style and it really helped bring a lot to the shoot! |
| I cant wait to see what I see through my camera but on film! |
| Brian looks like a rock star. I also love that you can see me in his glasses ;) |
Last year, I received an ecstatic e-mail from Sara about her new engagement. At the time, Sara was attending Wheaton college in Chicago where she first met Joey. They sat next to each other in Biology class and something sparked immediately from the start. They created a friendship that would soon carry through to marriage.
I should start by mentioning that there is just something special about Sara. She is one of those girls that is ALWAYS smiling. I don't think there has ever been a time I have seen Sara really upset about something. She is unique in that way. She is contagiously happy and she is just simply joyful ALL the time.
When Stephen and I first met Joey, it seemed to be a perfect fit. Joey has a sweet sweet spirit and I have no doubt that these two will do great things in the world. Joey is so tender with Sara. I loved watching them interact in front of the camera. I know it can sometimes be hard to feel comfortable in front of a camera but Sara and Joey laughed and made the best of the situation. It wasn't hard to draw a lot of smiles from these two!
Sara and Joey were married at the First Historic Church in Downtown Phoenix. The reception was held at the beautiful newly renovated Sheraton.
I feel so honored to have been a part of this wedding. I have known Sara's family since kindergarten where I went to school with Sara's sister Janelle. I didn't just feel like a photographer at the wedding, I felt like I was a part of it all. I felt so honored to be there as a guest as well. When the toasts were given, I cried like everyone else in the room and when Sara's dad gave his toast, I cried then too. It's rare to find two great families that come together in love to celebrate a beautiful marriage. It's rare to find that both families love as deeply as they do and I couldn't feel more honored to have been a part of this day. |
| Diana, Sara's mom, was simply ecstatic to watch Sara prepare for the day. It was special watching the day unfold! |
| I LOVE this photo. This was just before Sara's dad lifted her veil. There is something so sweet about this photo. |
| The inside of the First Historic Church was stunning! It was important to Sara and Joey to have a simple meaningful ceremony and it definitely was perfect. Hymns were sung, communion was taken by all guests, and Sara and Joey washed each others feet for the first time as a married couple. I loved the symbolism behind this act of service to each other and it was beautiful to watch during a ceremony! |
| Stephen and I stumbled upon these leaves the day before the wedding and just couldn't resist them! |
| We quickly made it back to the Sheraton downtown for a few outside city shots. |
| I took a series of photos of Sara and her sister Janelle dancing and I thought these two were just so cute. I love how their hands are in focus! |
| There was something just so cute about this photo... I love how lit up she is! |
| Sara left the reception for a bit to change into her cute getaway outfit... |
A few posts back, I mentioned that I would be writing about my brother's new business. Well, today I finally can. My brother and his best friend Steve, decided to create a business a while back as wedding videographers. Lomaland Productions was created two years ago and has been developing ever since. I can't write enough about how special to me it is to work with my brother. As we have both encouraged each others businesses, its so fun to watch us both grow and now even work together! We have a special connection behind the lens and its so amazing to connect both of our genres of film and piece them together afterwards. Its awesome to see what I see through my lens but on film!
As their website and blog are underway today I have a NEW video trailer to post of Sara and Joey's wedding!!! LOVE IT! Since their website is under construction at the moment, if any brides are looking for a TALENTED oh so wonderful videographer, please be sure to contact Michael or Steve through their e-mail address. I am so excited to continue working with Lomaland Productions! Please be sure to check out the vimeo video below! Click HERE to see a slideshow of the rest of the day! |
Since the beginning of my business, Stephen has been by my side supporting my every effort and dream to become a wedding photographer. It has been fun watching our relationship and business grow together from our beginning days of college until now. We are so excited to stretch ourselves even further together. I wanted to address this post specifically to those couples that are thinking about working together as photographers. I hear all the time that it's a "thought" that many have, but most are afraid to try. Honestly, it's not for everyone, but those of you thinking about it, it is worth giving it a try.
We were told many times that working together probably wasn't a good idea...but it was important for us to experience working together for ourselves. We gave it a shot... and for us it has been GREAT! I mean, spending all day and night with someone is bound to cause a few arguments... and believe me, we have had our share, but we've also gotten quite good at working together in all areas of our life. Stephen and I may be rareities or maybe just plain strange, but we honestly love being around each other all the time. I mean, don't get me wrong, we definitely need our time apart and GET our time apart, but it has been fun working together as a team!
We often see different perspectives in the work aspect, the communication aspect, and of course the visual aspect. It's a great balance to listen to each others perspective because it just makes you THAT much better than YOU are alone. I don't think everyone needs to work with their husband or wife, but I do think you can make it work with ANYONE. Working with a friend on particular shoots can help you see things differently. Ask friends for advice, editing suggestions or even location ideas because it's SUPER important to hear other people's opinions in every area of your business. I think it's even great to hire a friend or fellow photographer to help you on a shoot. An extra set of eyes always helps! This is how I believe you become a better business woman/man. I always ask at least three people close to me their opinions before actually making a decision because everyone has a DIFFERENT perspective.
For those of you that have thought about working together as a husband and wife team... I say go for it... BUT definitely set aside time for yourself. It's also important to nail down exactly what both your strengths and weaknesses are. Stephen's strength is in the behind the scenes numbers. He helps with the invoices, contracts and financing... You should have seen me in college math.. YIKES... and that's WHY my strength is behind the camera! Steve ALSO is quite good behind the camera.... I thought I would add a few photos to show his sneaky talent!
Another suggestion is finding your own thing besides your one business together. Stephen does some investments on the side and also is tweaking his golf game as he is hoping to possibly play professional golf someday. It's a nice break from each other as we have something new to share with each other at the end of the day. We do however struggle with working at home together. We often need to leave home and begin our work at different times of the day since its hard to constantly be at home. For us, work is hard to stop because we find ourselves editing even late at night. The downfall of this job is not having scheduled days and not having scheduled breaks like everyone else. I have found a way to fix this.... SET A SCHEDULE! :) Stop working at 5pm (like everyone else)... shut off your phone, your e-mail and stop working until the next morning. Also, for holiday breaks, it's OK to take a break too! Set up an away message on your e-mail. DON'T sit in your PJ's all day and watch tv re-runs. Ok ok, I'm totally guilty of staying in my PJs at least until noon some days but it definitely helps your day stay productive longer if you get ready earlier.
I have SOOO many suggestions and words of advice for those of you wanting to work with your spouses and I'd love to share them through e-mail! Shoot me an e-mail if you are looking for encouragement! I thought I would add a few images from a few of our favorite shoots this year. This is Stephen shooting Natalie and Reggie's engagement shoot....
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| We like wide open spaces... |
| We are always looking at different perspectives through the lens. This is Tarah and Josh. |
| This isn't Stephen. This is actually my brother Michael. Michael and our friend Steve are working on a business together as videographers. I will be posting a future post on them but for now, I had to share this photo of my brother Michael in action. It's great to have yet ANOTHER perspective through the lens :) |
| Stephen DEFINITELY helps when we do child shoots. He is a great distraction behind the camera. They always seem to laugh at him... (it makes sense right? :) This is little baby Annie. |
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