Rachel Renee Photography

New Blog :)

2010-11-15T18:03:00.001-08:00

Well I FINALLY got a new blog up! No more blogger for this little lady. Check out my new blog at blog.rachelreneeimages.com. From now on that’s what I’ll be updating, but I’ll keep this blog up as well. Thanks!

A Little Behind . . .

2010-11-13T23:06:00.001-08:00

I feel like I’ve been slackin on my posts lately, and I have several sessions sitting on my computer begging to be edited. I haven’t even had the chance to buy any film yet, and I don’t think I’ll be able to make the switch until the beginning of 2011 when I get past all my family bookings. So these are all still digital pics. I’m also switching to a new blog, and hopefully that’ll be up and ready within the next couple weeks. Made some changes to my website as well. Check it out here. Anyhoo, here’s a peek of a few that I’ll be posting when I can sneak away from my hopelessly-devoted-to-Mommy little guy.

this fun little family

and this super fun, super sassy, super hot shoot! But this is all you get :).

Let’s Start By Being Honest . . .

2010-11-05T00:09:00.001-07:00

And if I’m being honest here it is: For a while now I lay in bed with my hubs at night and whine about how I can’t figure out if I love or hate photography. How could I not know? Then I’d have a session that I loved, where everything went right and I’d get this couple that swooned at each other and had love spilling into every image I shot. And I would love it again.

But then I’d come home to the computer – that computer I spend half my life on – and remember that I have hours of editing ahead of me. I’ve even gotten really efficient with batch processing, but still, the editing looms. Not because my images are bad but because I have to do all the fancy things that other photographers in the business are doing. You know, the tricks of the trade. I have spent countless hours trying to figure out what some photographers do to their images in Photoshop. Ok, so I never took a class or did any workshops, but I was certain I could figure out their tricks on my own. And a lot of them I did. I wanted my pictures to look like everyone else’s. I wanted to do what they did. Ridiculous. Just plain ridiculous.

When I first went digital, I had no idea who any of the big names were. I didn’t look at their stuff or see what was going on around me. I had no idea about who others were as artists. I think it was better that way because I was more me. I wasn’t trying to keep up or fit in. But I started seeing perfection in images around me. A sharpness I had only seen in magazines or not ever seen at all. I’m ashamed to say that I wanted so badly to be like everyone else. Had the world remained true to film, I would have too, but it didn’t. So I didn’t either.

I’ve been e-mailing Gina Leigh back and forth. What an amazing artist she is as a film photographer. Today she picked up the phone and called me. I didn’t even give her my number but she looked me up and out of complete and honest sincerity she gave me some of the best advice when it comes to being a photographer. “For a while, don’t even look at the work of other photographers. Decide who you are as an artist and let that be what inspires your work. Figure out what you love, what absolutely gives your life meaning, and let that be what others see in your images.” Great advice, right? Stop trying to be what the others are being, and do what YOU love.

Well, what I love is weddings and couples who WANT to be in front of my camera. I love shooting my beautiful sister in the middle of a dry lake bed because she WANTS to be there. I love shooting what I want to shoot. My very favorite digital photographer is Clayton Austin because he has an artistic vision that is unique to him. His images are expressive and beautiful. That I could put as much heart into my images as he does is my hope for my own work. I don’t want my work to look like his, but I want my work to be my work the way his work is his work. And what I love about him is his philosophy that he shoots for himself, a selfish photographer. I want to be selfish too. I want to shoot what I love because that’s what I shoot best. What I love is two people who can love like I’m not there or one unique individual who can be reflective and beautiful and playful while my camera is watching.

I’m going to make the transition back to film. I have so much fear when I say that but excitement as well. I’m in essence beginning again. Targeting a different market with a different product, and I’m going to feel just like I did when I picked up my first film camera at 15. “What the heck am I doing?” But I want to be in love with what I do again. And I think it’s more than just switching to weddings/couples only. It’s going back to that film. Going back to what made me want to be a photographer. It’s risky, putting down the digital camera, but I feel like more of me will start showing. At first, after I decided to make the switch, I felt that fear of having fewer bookings or losing families to those other photographers I was secretly in competition with. But that’s okay. I don’t have to be a family portrait photographer if I don’t want to. We can each just do what we do best and love most.

Thanks, Gina, you have been tremendously helpful in reminding me what I love. Thank you, Becky Earl, for your recent move to film, for doing what YOU want to do and helping me to see that I don’t have to shoot everything just to say that I shoot everything. And thank you, Clayton Austin for being a selfish photographer. Your images are you.

(If you’ve booked a family session with me, I am still in the family portrait biz until the end of December :).

I’ve Been Debating . . .

2010-11-02T20:40:00.001-07:00

About trying out film again. I’ve come across some AMAZING film photographers, and Gina Leigh has been so kind to encourage me to get back to my roots. I’ve dusted off my old gear, and I’m going to start playing around with what I used to love. – film! We’ll see how I feel about it. If I switched I’d need all new gear because my film gear is old, far too old, and not the best quality either. Not saying I’m going to switch back, but I’m going to play again. When I get the chance I’ll post some of my film work. Wish me luck and happiness! (I hope my gear still works! It hasn’t seen the light of day since Dec 06!)

The Eyes

2010-11-02T20:05:00.001-07:00

You have to agree that these are some of the most beautiful children ever to have graced my blog. All six of these kiddos have AMAZING eyes. Amazing. Photographing these six kiddos was a breeze. They were pleasant and well-behaved and just delightful to photograph. Sometimes I leave family sessions wanting to pull my hair out, but these kids made me love my job. Sneak a peek :).

A little more Sarah and Jake

2010-10-27T18:36:00.001-07:00

I’m not sure why I keep editing bits and pieces of each shoot I’ve done lately but not finishing an entire shoot like I typically would when I edit. I guess I’m going to break Sarah and Jake’s shoot into several posts even though I should just wait until I’m done with the entire session. But this is my blog, and I think I say how things are run around here so I’ll just keep giving you a few at a time. Maybe I’ll just make this post the romantic shots and my next posts will be the fun quirky musician shots. Yup, that’s what I’ll do.

I can’t say it enough – I love this location. I wish that I could shoot every session there for the rest of my life.

I hope these images make you smile too :).

Motherhood

2010-10-23T00:01:00.001-07:00

I’m a Photographer . . .

2010-10-20T09:58:00.001-07:00

Or am I a Photoshop Master (even though my Photoshop skills are so basic that I wouldn’t dare say I’m a master, but just go with it)? Which is it because I’m just not sure anymore what digital photography really is.

When I was 10 I took a picture on a field trip of cows grazing in a field with a dinky disposable film camera, and when I got my pictures back I said, “I want to be a photographer”. I knew it then, and I know it now. When I was 15 I got my first camera, my baby, a Chinon CM-5 35mm film camera. It was fully manual, and ancient, made in 1980 or something. I seriously had to advance the film manually. It didn’t have a built-in metering system or anything so I used a hand meter (which I just lost last year and have yet to replace). The camera was a gift from my uncle who wasn’t a photographer and never really used it. Boy, do I have memories with that camera – a lot of them bad, particularly when I first started (I would take a picture of it but I lent it to my cousin to learn the technical side of photography. Erin, when are you sending it back to me? :) ). For the longest time I would take pictures and I’d look at the knobs on the camera for the shutter speed and ISO setting and wonder what the heck those things were. No wonder I couldn’t get a decently exposed picture for my life. I finally got up enough courage to ask my photography friend Spencer Burton ( by the way, he’s amazing - an actual, REAL photographer) what the knobs meant, how to use my light meter, and a whole new world of properly exposed pictures opened up to me. It was love.

I continued learning with my Chinon for the next several years. I shot my first weddings on that baby. And the pictures were good. Good for a 17 year old-girl, anyway, who’d read every book she could get her hands on and photographed every kid that she came in contact with. Then the digital camera seemed to ever so cunningly creep its way into the photographic world, and I was thoroughly annoyed. I remember thinking, “Great, here begin the days where you pick up a digital camera, open up your unsightly image in Photoshop, and make a National Geographic cover shot out of it. There they go, the technical skills behind photography.” So I vowed and promised and assured all around me that I would never, not ever, no never join the digital movement. In fact, when I got married in 2004 and Spencer shot my wedding, I told him to leave his digital camera at home and bring the REAL stuff (he shot mainly medium format then anyway). I bragged up and down that I had a real photographer who shot with real film and had real talent and decided that’s what I was going to do as well. I even bought my ancient medium format Bronica ETRS in 2004 when all the world was pretty much switching to digital. Maybe it had already made the switch before that but I had only become aware of the digital movement in 2003.

I stuck with that film of mine. I was faithful and devoted (My mother had taught me loyalty). Until one dark day in the winter of 2006 when my blessed Canon EOS 5D arrived gloriously at my door. Oh, the things it could do. And I was from then on a cheater, faithful to nothing but falling for all the fancy things my sweet 5D could do. I set aside that old Chinon, apologized for my betrayal, but reminded myself that all the cool people were doing it, and I would be eating their photographic dust if I didn’t too. No-one is going to hire a film photographer to shoot their wedding, I assured myself. After saying all that I didn’t feel bad for walking out on film, leaving it high and dry, and calling it outdated.

Have I missed film these past 4 years? You betchya. I missed shooting and my job being done after I put my camera down. After making the switch to digital, I quickly realized that it wasn’t technical skills or an eye for amazing composition that set one photographer apart from another. It was one’s skill in digital manipulation that seemed to set his images above the rest. Creamy, flawless images with smooth skin and highly saturated colors, sharpened to the max, skies with vibrant colors that had never existed in life before. Soon after I went digital it seemed that I didn’t learn anything about “photography” but that I began to wonder how photographers got their images to look so perfect and flawless, so not real. And I know now that all of the work is in editing. When I say, “I want to be a better photographer” I mean, “I want to learn more Photoshop tricks.”

I’m not saying that digital photographers don’t have skills or terrific abilities. But the undeniable truth is that digital and film photography are two ENTIRELY different art forms, and I was blatantly unaware of that for the longest time. I’m not totally hating on digital, just calling it how I see it. The digital camera and all the editing software available today make it easy for any person, any ol’ Joe, to pick up a digital camera and 3 months later decide to open up their own “professional” photography business. It’s just what I was afraid of when 7 years ago I saw the transition from film to digital unfold before my eyes. “There they go, the technical skills behind photography.” That’s what I said, and I’ve seen it in so many photographers around me.

What is my point, you ask? Is she going back to film? What is she getting at? I don’t even know what my point is. I just thought I’d share my frustrations about digital photography with someone besides myself. This is not what I wanted when I was 15 and knew that I was going to be a photographer. I didn’t want to tell someone that I’m a photographer and them to respond by saying, “Oh so is my cousin, my sister, and aunt, and maybe even her dog” as if it’s just the trendy thing to do these days. I didn’t want to be just another photographer, another ol’ Joe, but that’s what I am. I edit my pictures too.

But what can I do? Move back to the lost ancient art of film while all the world is moving forward? I wouldn’t doubt it if one day pictures edit themselves and machines are taking our pictures, and the human being, the talented photographer behind the camera, is flippin burgers while muttering under her breath, “I used to be an artist.”

Now after all that was said, I’m going to show you what I do to each and every image that I edit.

Here’s my SOTC shot (straight out of the camera)

Here’s my shot after I opened it in camera raw. I warmed it up from 4900 to 6300, brought the tint from –7 to –12, decreased the exposure from 0 to –30, increased the brightness from 50 to 60 and set the contrast at 30. Took about 20 seconds.

Then I did what I do on every single picture I ever take. I opened it in CS2 and ran my personal action that I created and call Pop and Smooth. Pop and Smooth is 3 steps: Unsharp Mask, Smart Sharpen, and Reduce Noise. That’s it. Wam bam, here’s your picture, ma’am.

I don’t do any skin retouching unless someone’s got a major pimple that I can’t ignore. Once in a while if I’ve got someone that’s really pink I’ll take down the reds in Selective Color. I’m as minimalistic as I can be when it comes to editing, and I typically batch process all of my images. It’s very efficient, and since I’m a stay-at-home mama I can’t spend hours a day editing. in fact, I only edit on Tuesday and Wednesdays when my boys are at their dad’s so that they get their mama’s attention.

Also here’s a secret. I barely know anything about Photoshop. I hear people talk about dodging and burning and layer masks, and I am lost. I haven’t the slightest clue about how to use those things or what people even use them for. I always feel like a doofus when photographers talk about Photoshop stuff since my skills in Photoshop are so basic. But I guess that’s okay too. We don’t all have to be the same cookie-cutter digital photographer.

An Eye Treat

2010-10-18T21:41:00.001-07:00

Let’s just start by saying that I heart this girl, this location, this couple, this whole shoot. There are moments when I could put down my camera and never pick it up again, and then I shoot something that I love and feel something about, and I remember why I’m a photographer. Thanks, Sarah and Jake, for reminding me why I do what I do. Here’s a sneaky peek of what’s to come.

You Know You’re Awesome . . .

2010-09-28T19:47:00.001-07:00

When Harvard sends YOU an application for its school. No, I’m not talking about me (I was homeschooled, but I’m totally normal, and I rock). I’m talking about this sweet little senior who may kill me for bragging her up :). She’s also lucky enough to be my sister-in-law.

Today was a rare day when I had nothing to edit. That hasn’t happened in months. I typically only edit on Tuesdays and half of Wednesday. My boys are at their dad’s on those days, and while they’re home I try to be their mother before I’m a photographer. It just keeps my family sane if I’m not editing every day since I’m Mama first and Rachel Renee Photography second. Anyway, the kids were gone, I’d already Zumba’d it up, the hubs was at work so I told Janea that she needed to let me take her senior pics right now, and she agreed. When we got to our location, there was a convention going on and too many people hanging out in the spots we wanted to use. We took pics for about 10 mins and then called it a day. Good thing she’s just my sister-in-law or I would have felt really bad. So here are just a few.

This is a whole lot of words for so few pictures.

There’s Nothing I Heart More

2010-09-21T18:27:00.001-07:00

than these two little faces. Nothing could be more beautiful than my own little guys. Now, don’t judge because they only gave me about 5 minutes to snap some pictures and it was as the sun was already going down. So I put them in some decent clothes, wiped the dirt off their faces with my own spit :) and put them on the handcart out in the backyard. I love these pictures. They’re going on my wall in my new house.

Thanks for looking!

Since I Never Take Pictures of My Own Kids . . .

2010-09-20T20:20:00.001-07:00

Here’s a little peeky from my 10-minute session with my own kids :)

Is there a difference?

2010-09-16T11:54:00.001-07:00

When Did I Grow Up?

2010-09-15T14:28:00.001-07:00

Last night after this shoot I went to dinner with my old bestie, her hubs, and her sister. Back in high school, it seemed like we would never get married or stop complaining about boys being idiots. We went off to college together for a semester (we do better not living together), then I moved back to Vegas, got married, had a baby, and Anish got married not long after. She had a sweet little baby 5 weeks ago, and he is just precious. She and Ben and sweet little Max came down from San Francisco to visit her family for a couple weeks, so we got together for a photo shoot and dinner. And we talked about how we grew up. Now I have an almost 5 year old! Pure craziness. Enjoy these sweet little shots of my good ol’ high school bestie and her new family. Well, new baby anyway :).

Two Peas in a Pod

2010-09-15T12:06:00.001-07:00

Matt and Mandy are two fun people with a whole lot of great ideas. I cannot wait to see the reception these two brilliant minds will dream up.

For round 2 of their engagement shoots, we headed to downtown Vegas and walked around till we saw a shoot-worthy spot. We also came across a plethora of people with no teeth, a few that talked to themselves, and one homeless man with a sign that said, “I am Jesus.” I think he really believed it. So downtown was fun. I’d never go there without a man.

Then we headed to Chicago Joes where these two lovebirds had their first date, and they treated me to a tasty dinner. Which I thought was the best part of the evening. After dinner we made a couple more stops, took a few more shots, and then called it a night. Here are a few favorites from the night.

Fashion’s Night Out

2010-09-11T10:45:00.001-07:00

I was lucky enough to shoot Fashion’s Night Out at Elie Tahari in the Forum Shops. Let me just say that I love purses and shoes, and Elie Tahari makes some beautiful merchandise. I spent a couple hours with the staff and guests of the event. Rita Rudner, a local entertainer, was there to show her support of the event along with channel 8 news. Here are a few shots from the evening.

M and M Engagements

2010-09-09T22:21:00.001-07:00

Well a teaser, anyway! Just a few from tonight, coming up next week.

The Reception

2010-09-08T22:07:00.001-07:00

What a fun party! Amanda and Ryan had such a fun (and delicious) reception at the beautiful Silverstone Golf Course out in northwest Las Vegas. I haven’t seen that many people on a dance floor at wedding for a long time. Their DJ did a terrific job of getting the party started. I am so happy I could be there with these two wonderful people to enjoy their wedding day. Love you guys!

Another Happy Couple

2010-09-07T19:41:00.001-07:00

I love shooting weddings. If i had to pick only one thing I could shoot for the rest of my life, that’s what it would be. Or models. Anyway, this bride used to live in my neighborhood when she was just a little girl, and she grew up to be quite a beauty, right? These two were so in love, so swoony. It’s always refreshing to be around two people who just love each other that much.

At the Dry Lake Bed

2010-09-01T21:32:00.001-07:00

When we got out of the car, my sister looked around at the lake bed and said, “Really? This is where you want to do pictures?” I assured her hundreds of other photographers had done it before, and we’d be in for a real treat.

One would look at my sister and think that she’s a natural in front of the camera, but, honestly, she’s really hard to photograph because she doesn’t like attention. She’s too self-conscious, and she NEVER likes pictures of herself. Unless I take them. So that’s just what I did. I love this location. Fun, artisitic shadows while the sun is out, and just at it goes behind the mountains there’s this beautiful creamy lighting that could make anyone look flawless. Granted, Rebecca’s got a lot to work with. She’s beautiful - absolutely lovely. I’d hate her if I didn’t love her so much. But she also happens to be one of the sweetest, most considerate, let-you-cry-on-her-shoulder types of people that you can’t help but adore. I am so grateful for my sister and best friend (next to my hubby, of course). You so ROCKED my camera, Pretty!

Oh, and let’s give credit where credit is due – I bought this darling outfit for her specifically for the shoot, and I was going to take it back if we didn’t use it, and now she’s buying it from me :) (Just kidding, Juddy, she’s not spending any money).

What Happens When . . .

2010-09-01T01:47:00.001-07:00

you shoot only one of the most beautiful people ever along with one of the cutest chairs ever? You have 1 gazillion pictures to post. Not yet, but soon :) :). This lovely specimen is my much more fortunate little sister. And she’s coming up on the blog.

2nd-Cutest Kids Contest!!!

2010-08-27T00:03:00.001-07:00

YOU CAN FIND ME HERE ON FACEBOOK

Coming Up. . .

2010-08-26T10:27:00.001-07:00

This wedding

and a contest for a FREE session!!

A Lot of Pictures . . .

2010-08-10T15:48:00.001-07:00

But I can’t help myself. Amanda is breathtaking. So I have to post every picture that she’s in so that we can all drool over her and feel bad about ourselves. Amanda and Ryan are getting married this weekend. They are some of our really good friends, and I wish them all the joy that love can bring. Love you guys!

It’s Gonna Be Good . . .

2010-08-07T23:55:00.001-07:00

A sneaky peek of what’s coming. Wait for it :).

Isn’t she so so so lovely?

I HEART This Kid

2010-08-07T00:44:00.001-07:00

I know every good mom everywhere raves about how much she loves her children. But my sweet guy is amazing. Such a big heart, so big that I wonder where he keeps it, how it fits into such a little boy. We have had the best of times, the worst of times together. For a while it was just the two of us, and from all that we’ve buffeted together we have quite the bond. From the funny things he says (“Mom, do you think the bees will make bad choices and sting me?” ;”Mom, I love you the best way I know how to love – regular.”) to the hugs he gives that he just can’t seem to let go, I love him. Being a mom is where it’s at, especially when I’m the mother to two rockin’ little guys. These are just the many faces of Easton. And I happen to love every. single. one.

Forgot About These

2010-08-02T10:47:00.001-07:00

I shot this family back in May, I think, and for some reason I forgot to post them. What a super cute family with an adorable little newborn!

Ah, Love . . .

2010-07-28T21:14:00.001-07:00

Some couples really know how to pretend I’m not there. Like these young lovebirds. They were just a breeze to shoot. I didn’t have to give them a whole lot of direction. I basically just let them love each other as then I shot away. It makes my job simple and fun when people are this in love. Wishing the best to Alex and Elisa.

Raiven and Carson

2010-07-20T20:21:00.001-07:00

I’m just now getting a chance to get this wedding posted. I shot it a month ago, but I’ve just been a bum about posting pictures lately. Sorry! Raiven was my first bride to ever ask, “Are we done yet?” Usually that’s the groom’s job, so I had to laugh when she said it. But it was June 11th in the middle of the day in Las Vegas. So it didn’t bother me one bit that she wanted to be done. Poor girl was roasting in that wedding dress! Raiven and Carson were a delightful couple, and I can tell there will be many years of happiness ahead of them.

Getting moody

2010-07-08T22:16:00.001-07:00

I’ve been trying to get my b and w’s to be a little bit more moody and dramatic, and I’m liking these two that I worked on tonight. It’s easy to photograph people who are in love and don’t let a camera get in the way of that love. This couple had plenty of personal moments without being camera shy. Makes my job easy. This wedding will be coming up soon!

and just a couple more in color that I really like. I’m just itching to get these pictures edited!

Isn’t She Lovely?

2010-07-07T16:20:00.001-07:00

Just oh so lovely. My beautiful sister on 4th of July. Some women have it all. Lucky duck. At least I take good pictures :).

W and B Wedding Day

2010-07-06T21:00:00.001-07:00

Here are a few from Branden and Whitney’s wedding day that I wanted to post. I LOVED the bridesmaids’ dresses. They were just darling, especially with that punch of red. So cute! And what a fun bunch of girls!

These cheesecake bites were divine. Straight from heaven. Won’t even tell you how many I ate.

Stay tuned . . .

2010-07-04T23:44:00.001-07:00

for these beautiful brides and their handsome husbands :).

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-03T13:53:00.001-07:00

I love the 4th – it’s my absolute favorite holiday, and it has nothing to do with the fact that my birthday is the very next day. It’s about the bbq’s, the swimming, the fireworks, the friends, and of course the family. Plus, I’ll be honest – I always get a teeny bit teary-eyed when I watch a fireworks show synchronized to “I’m Proud to Be an American.” I always feel immensely proud to be an American when I hear that song and grateful to live in a place so wonderful as America. So happy 4th of July everyone!

Whitney and Branden’s Formals

2010-06-21T16:16:00.001-07:00

I so loved shooting this couple. I loved their engagements that you can see here, and I loved their formals as well. Whitney is so great in front of the camera. Branden’s not bad :) but Whitney is a natural. Their wedding was just a little over a week ago, so best wishes to this brand new Mr. and Mrs.

Sadie part 2

2010-06-21T13:29:00.001-07:00

Okay, I got these finished, and since little Say Say is just so darn cute, I had to share some more. Enjoy!

Which One Do You Like?

2010-06-18T11:40:00.001-07:00

I’ve been playing around with this picture trying out new things. What do you think?

and this is the original

Happy 1st Birthday, Sadie!

2010-06-10T20:29:00.001-07:00

Isn’t my sweet little niece PRECIOUS? Today was her 1st birthday, and my sissy wants me to get some pics up ASAP so here are just a couple. My heck, one-year olds are hard to photograph!

Ted and Leane part 2

2010-06-08T13:15:00.001-07:00

Water Fun

2010-06-05T23:11:00.001-07:00

I wish that I could get cute pictures of my kids aside from when they look homeless, but they hate the camera. So the only time they’ll let me take pictures is when they’re distracted with something else. Like the hose. These are my cuties. Love em like any person in their right mind would!

Ted and Leane’s Formals part 1

2010-05-30T16:06:00.001-07:00

I had the opportunity to travel to Mesa, AZ to shoot this couple’s pictures at the LDS temple. It was my first time shooting there, and I so so so love shooting at new places. Luckily, with it being AZ and all, it wasn’t scorching hot. Warm, but tolerable. Congratulations, Ted and Leane. I can tell your lives will be full of love!

more to come

They’re getting Married!!!

2010-05-27T16:12:00.001-07:00

I LOVE this couple! They are good friends of ours, and they are just a super fun, super cool, super ADORABLE couple. Amanda and Ryan are getting married in August, and I can’t wait to shoot their beautiful wedding. We did these pictures back in April, and I’m just getting the chance to post them. life is busy!!

That’s What’s Up!

2010-05-25T00:48:00.001-07:00

Ok, my husband used to always tell me that when we were dating – That’s what’s up. Anywho, I’ve got several posts coming up but I got a new computer so I have to hook my old one up to post my other sessions. Also gotta place some orders with what’s on my old comp. So don’t fret, you will soon be dazzled by more beautiful faces. Just wanted to let you know that that’s what’s up. :) :)

Barely Showing!

2010-05-17T21:24:00.001-07:00

I’m always so jealous of those itty bitty pregnant women because I’m just massive as a pregnant lady. So when someone has to wait until 32 weeks along to shoot maternity pictures so that they’ll be big enough to look pregnant I’m always secretly – no, openly – jealous because I show by 8 weeks!

This adorable couple is expecting a baby bundle in a couple months. How cute are they, and how tiny is she at 32 weeks?!! I’ve actually known Rachel since she was just a little girl, and now she’s all grown up and married and soon to be a mom. And a super cute mom, if you ask me :). Congrats to the new parents!

She’s Graduating . . .

2010-05-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

So this girl is basically gorgeous, right? And she happens to be my cousin, and she also happens to be graduating in just a few weeks. We were able to do her pics yesterday, and I was so in love with how she worked my camera. Can I post 500 pics in one blog post? No, I shouldn’t, so I won’t, but I’m not sure how to pick which ones to post since Hayli is so fabulous to look at. Can we just talk about her eyes for a second? Oh my heck. You don’t see eyes like hers all the time. Beautiful.

Here’s just an itty bitty peek at what we got – that way my aunt will get off my back :) :).

But so many more of these images to come. So enjoy for now!

Okay, so I guess it was a little more than a peek :) :).

Whitney and brandon are engaged

2010-05-01T13:09:00.001-07:00

Family Photo Time

2010-04-28T17:42:00.001-07:00

I hate titling these posts. Anyhoo, I got to photograph this sweet family with their new little addition. Babies are so precious, and I love photographing new parents because they have love written all over their faces. Makes for sweet moments in front of the camera.

B and s Wedding

2010-04-26T17:45:00.001-07:00

So this is what’s coming

2010-04-26T15:59:00.001-07:00

This lovely family with their new addition

This engaged couple

this soon-to-be-wed pair

and these parents to be

Beautiful

2010-04-26T14:05:00.001-07:00

This boy is beautiful. I think that all the time, whenever I look at him. And he NEVER lets me take pictures of him. Okay, I say never, but really I mean that he’s always doing some ridiculous smile when I point the camera his way. So this time I said, “Don’t smile at all” and he gave me this perfect face. Love it. Love him. Wish I had more pictures of my own kids. I love his big dark brown eyes, his perfect-swirl cowlick right smack in the front of his hair. At the end of the day, I love being the mother of this precious boy.

Seriously…

2010-04-15T11:26:00.001-07:00

How fabulous, how absolutely fabulous is this stunning bride? more pictures of this beautiful photographic specimen are on the way :)

Cute Little cousins

2010-04-12T17:17:00.001-07:00

I couldn’t wait to post these pictures because these two little ladies are just adorable! I did a quick shoot out on my cousin’s lawn of these 3 cuties. We tried to get some good shots with big brother but he wasn’t having it. Some kids just hate being in pictures, just like my Easton. Can’t get a good picture of him for anything! And now he’s got that dweeby fake smile going on and his photographer mom refuses to work with him when he smiles like that :). Anyhoo, how cute are these kiddies? I’ll post more of Delilah after her birthday because she’s wearing her birthday dress in the photos, and Mom doesn’t want anyone to see it yet.

At least he smiled, even though it was on accident :)

Christian pretty much made this face the whole time. He’s still so handsome, though!

If this little face doesn’t make your womb ache to bear a sweet little baby girl then I don’t know what will. and this next one makes me laugh …

And those last 3 my little Teags was hanging out with his cousin Isabella. More to come of Delilah.

Preview

2010-04-12T09:16:00.001-07:00

Coming up…

and this beautiful bride and her handsome groom so stay tuned!

Carrie and Jeff continued…

2010-04-06T20:41:00.001-07:00

And these pics from the reception are pretty fun :)

This guy was getting DOWN!

Fun group!

It’s about TIme …

2010-04-01T19:00:00.001-07:00

that I finished editing these pictures. I really enjoyed shooting this couple, particularly this bride who was so photogenic. They have been waiting so patiently for their pictures, and I’m finally posting some of my favorites. As always, thanks for looking!

MORE TO COME!!!!!

Dramatic black and Whites

2010-03-29T13:08:00.001-07:00

This week at i heart faces the challenge is dramatic black and whites. This is one of my favorite shots of one of my favorite brides. I love the expression on her face, the overall moodiness of the photo, and the angle I shot at. Head on over and take a look at the other entries!

Getting Caught Up

2010-03-25T17:18:00.001-07:00

I'm almost finished editing these babies. Beautiful, happy couple (waiting so patiently for their pictures!)

Focusing on Angles

2010-03-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

The contest at i heart faces this week focuses on angles. I love love LOVE shooting at an angle. Sometimes I ask myself if I know how to shoot straight. Not really sure ... but this one is a fave of mine, and it just wouldn't be the shot it is if I weren't shooting from underneath them with the camera tilted. Gotta love funky angles :). And beautiful couples that make any picture look good.

New Blog

2009-10-06T23:52:00.000-07:00

Soon, I promise, I will be getting a new photo blog. Until then, fan me on Facebook, and you'll be able to keep up on all my recent shoots. Thanks for looking!

Lovin Summer

2009-08-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in I Heart Faces summer post.

Summer is my favorite - even though I live in Vegas in 112 degree weather. And I know it's Easton's favorite. Shirtless days, swimming, water fights in the backyard with Grandpa - he just can't get enough of it.

This is a flashback to my favorite summer ever. It was summer of 2007 when we lived in Boise. I spent that summer basking in the sun with my ex-in-laws. Fourth of July at Melba (best fireworks display ever!) and Lucky Peak, and camping somewhere in Idaho's beautiful mountains and swimming in that freezing lake. It was the best summer. Too bad it's over and gone. Easton was so my little blondie then with beautiful bronzed skin. I wish his hair hadn't gone dark. At least he's still tan - can't say that about my ghostly little Teagan. Anyhoo, that summer has some of the best memories and pictures. My cute little nieces and nephews were so fun to photograph. Something about kids and summertime just works.

Need to Catch Up!

2009-07-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

I have so many pics to post. I'm going to get there one day, I promise. Check me out on Facebook for some recent shoots.

Mott Family

2009-06-04T12:58:00.001-07:00

I LOVE this family! Andrea has been one of my besties for a long time, and i adore her sweet little family. I had so much fun taking pictures of this good-looking bunch. Aren't they a beautiful family?

Love this shot, but it wasn't my idea. I have to give credit to Becky Earl, the very talented photographer that we borrowed this pose from.