You’ll be seeing more of this beautiful face in the months to come. This lovely Snow White is one of my May brides, Heather. She, like most brides, was a bit worried about how she’d do in front of the camera. So I suggested we do a practice shoot, a.k.a play time for me. When I typically shoot clients, I want the session to be everything that they want and that represents who they really are. But “practice” shoots are all for me. I get to style it and incorporate my vision. So I’m particuarly attached to these images. I’ve had this vintage theme/idea in my head for a while, as well as these locations.

I couldn’t have pulled it all together without Heather’s utter willingness to do anything and everything I asked and Elise’s ability to transform the already lovely Heather into the sultry Snow White I wanted her to be come. I highly recommend ANY time you get your pictures taken professionally, you go the extra mile and include a professional stylist. It makes such a difference, even if they’re just every day pictures. A gifted makeup artist can bring out your natural beauty in such a way, you don’t even notice the makeup. Or if you’re wanting to be someone new for the day, then give them free reign and the results will be stunning.

I decided along time ago I’m never going to get any of those cute “Matilda Jane” shots of my Ella. That’s just not her. So I decided to plan a shoot that had a bit of spunk to it. Enter giant rubber ducky (actually it’s heavy and not at all rubber). The planning part went great. She was even excited to “say cheese” as we drove to the locatio..n… But then it was cold. And she got tired WAY fast. And so, I was reminded again why I shoot her yearly session on her half birthday. Winter just doesn’t mix well with Ella. At least not when she’s dressed like this. But aren’t the shoes cute…

Alas, there will have to be a second round for this idea. But I got a few cute ones. Just not enough for what I had in mind.

(And if this isn’t obvious… I didn’t take the pictures I am in. But my husband sure did a great job didn’t he!)

My favorite shot of the day:

After five seconds in the car:

p.s. I’m headed to Vegas tomorrow for WPPI (huge photography convention)!! SOOOOO excited. So I’ll be gone until next Friday. I’ll return any emails and voicemails when I get back. Monday morning check in here on the blog… I have a post scheduled with THE most fabulous session ever! Hopefully it will make your week until I return with stories/pictures from Vegas + I have a bridal session and an engagement session next weekend. YEAH! So many fun things coming up.

Well I’m off to pack and clearn Super not exciting… But have a great weekend everyone.

There’s nothing more beautiful than seeing people you truly care about at their happiest. This day with Kimley & Bryce was that for me Besides the formal family pictures, I think we literally took pictures for maybe 7 minutes? It was freezing, and because we’d planned for this and done their temple shots in October, we were able to just grab a few in front of the temple and call it a day. So if you haven’t already seen these two’s October session, it is SO worth checking out HERE and HERE. Their Femininit/Blacktie session is one of my all time favorites

I thought I would point out somthing interesting about focal length which may bore most of you to death, but pay attention to these next two shots and note that Kimley & Bryce haven’t moved, and neither has the temple. The only difference is the focal length I used and where I stood. I think it’s interesting the difference you get.

I know I’ve probably said this before, but I seriously love Kimley’s ring:)

Kimley’s parents hosted a small open house after the temple and I loved how they had Bryce & Kimley’s pictures hanging around the home for that personal touch

I thought adding pears to the flowers and to the whole decor was such a cute idea. And we got to take them home as favors when it was all said and done.

Music definitely sways my opinion of a performance and I loved David Cook’s rendition of Billy Jean skated to HERE by Davis & White.

Belbin & Agosto skated to Leona Lewis’s Bleeding Love and I loved their interpretation HERE.

And I’m sure I would’ve liked THIS performance by Domnina & Shabalin even more had I ever seen the Matrix, but it was amazing anyway.

And here’s Ella & I in our ice dancing premier…

Okay, actually this is from a shoot that I’ve been planning of Ella that didn’t go horribly wrong, but didn’t go wonderfully nice either…so there will probably be a round two at some point in time. But I’ll share more images from this session later this week.

Enizio recently updated their website and I must say I’m a HUGE fan of the new opening image

I have to say, I thought my brother-in-law looked mighty handsome on his wedding day last weekend. Of course we already knew Shandi would be beautiful. But you never know how those Frandsen boys will clean up… I really liked Kyle’s tux and he and Shandi’s coordinating shoes. And I loved how Shandi’s black glove switch turned out (if you remember her bridals, they were red). But my favorite detail of the day was Kyle’s boutineer. My mother-in-law whipped it up the night before and I am so impressed with her creativity. It’s a simple rose, but then she rolled the leaves and we pinned them to the side. Genius. It was a simple but sweet ceremony and a reception full of people I know and love. Here’s your official welcome to the family Shandi. Congrats!

While we were shooting we noticed a head poked out of a window watching…then it disappeared. And then, she was on the roof

So the girls are two now and as far as taking pictures goes, nothing has changed

This canvas now hangs in my office. I let them borrow it for the wedding

Kyle & Shandi thought they would get away with leaving us a mess…well, just as they were leaving, we returned it.

My Valentine surprise for Amber was a big hit. If you haven’t seen their video, make sure to check it out. You’ll find a link at the bottom of my blog. Just click on their little icon. And if you have seen the video, and loved the music, you’re in for a treat. The song is “Happy” by Secrets in Stereo, and if you go to their website HERE you can download the entire album for free!

I get to shoot Amber’s bridals this weekend and I can’t wait. But in the meantime, here’s a second look at some of my favorites from their session. This time you can enjoy each image at any rate you choose. (FYI, not all of the video images are in this post…) Amber and Jared met bowling so we decided to incorporate that into their session. We also lucked out and found a few other quirky fun spots that brought out their personality as a couple. Loved it!

It was such a beautiful day today that I couldn’t resist getting out in the sunshine. And I absolutely love watching Ella explore. I love how the world is hers for the taking.

Tonight I gave a little presentation on creativity. I brought a Mardi Gras mask Ella made at the museum this week as an example of creativity. There were lots of fun decorations, stickers, feather, etc. to decorate our masks with. But during the Mardi Gras activity, Ella could barely consentrate on making her mask because she was so interested in watching what everyone else was doing. I’m sure she wasn’t watching them to see if theirs was better than hers. She was just genuinely curious. But, if we imagine a room full of adults in that same setting, how many of us would be secretly watching everyone else to see who’s was best or if we were doing it right. Isn’t it sad how we stifle our own creative efforts because we’re worried about what others are doing and how ours compares. I think we should stop Who’s with me?

As we were walking into our lunch I noticed these windows and thought…those match Kelsey’s shoes perfect. So we revisted them on our way out. As we were shooting around the temple, Kelsey said she liked pictures by that “one tree”. I immediately knew which one she was referring to. I’ve seen a million shots by this tree that I don’t like. But she was the bride and I figured, how bad can it be. Well, let me tell you…turns out in the winter time it’s wonderful! It’s all about the right angle I discovered

Once we finished at the temple we hurried to the Manor for family pictures and an evening of dessert. What more could you want in life? How about a take home candy buffet. You got it! Kelsey’s mom & family put one together themselves and requested it get some major camera time Then for the grand finale, SPARKLERS…most exciting exit yet!

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. Due to our schedules this year, Jordan and I decided to celebrate this day of love earlier, in January. But I didn’t want to miss out on the holiday fun today, so I made this video for Jared to surprise Amber with (at least that was the plan…I haven’t actually heard how it turned out). They hadn’t seen any of the pictures yet, except the two teasers I posted

I’ve watched this video several times and I just really love it. I think it’s just the genuine happiness these two radiate and how that’s reflected in the song/image combo. I wanted to share it with you all today to spread the love. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Watch the love HERE in HD. Make sure you do it in full screen mode. It’s better that way