Bryanna & Shane Wedding: New Year’s Eve in New Mexico

ccw-0143_webDecember 31, 2011

The last day of the year and it was cold, ice and snow on the ground, but not so bad that we couldn’t drive when we arrived to shoot the wedding of Bryanna and Shane.  We were excited to stay at a cute little B & B in Edgewood NM (very small town aprx 30 miles east of Albuquerque) called Alta Mae’s.  Very, very New Mexico with Santa Fe style architecture in the enclosed ‘hacienda-style’ courtyard with adorable ‘themed’ rooms.  Wonderful great room with a player piano and a full kitchen for our use (which is almost a necessity when you have celiac disease and are traveling).   Alta Mae’s was only a five minute drive to the church where the wedding and reception were taking place so it was extremely convenient for us.  We had fun shooting the bride getting ready at a friend’s house before the wedding then we drove over to the church to begin the “First Look” session followed by the wedding party extended shoot…I even had the attendants walk around outside in the cold wind so I could get some of the magnificent backdrop of the South Mountain.  The decorations at the church were beyond incredible–a professional decorator (who happened to be close friends with the Bride’s family) coordinated every area of the Sanctuary, foyer and hallways with turquoise and brown accents of every description.  The Bride and her court chose dresses that matched those colors–it was really fun…a great chance to try some things I had not before.  Just as an aside, the bride wore tennis shoes–with turquoise shoelaces–SO CUTE!!!  Had a second (Amy) and third shooter for this wedding (usually only my hubby, Paul, who takes from the back with a long lens), and I have included one or more of her photos in this gallery–one of them is the bride tying her shoelaces…so cute.  Wonderful day and relaxing evening sitting in the B & B great room reviewing my photos in comfy clothes on the couch…ahhhhhh

 

Ashley & Zac Wedding: November in Northwest Tucson

ccw-AshZac-9007-webNovember 26, 2011

This was a great lesson in learning to make lemonade when life hands you lemons!  Our bride, Ashley, had her heart set on having her ‘first look’ and wedding party shoot at a beautiful remote area in the Tucson mountains.  Having never been there before, we just assumed that it was fine so we showed up 15 min before the shoot was scheduled to begin.  We started carrying our gear up the hill to the area where she wanted the shoot and were stopped by a caretaker who said that ‘professional photography is no longer allowed here–too many people end up using the chapel as a changing room and are not respectful.”  Sooooo–what do you do?  The bride is practically in tears (on the phone as she speaks to her groom when he tells her the news).  We end up driving down the road about a mile and we pull over.   There is a place on the side of the road that has the same view of the mountain she wants in the background (just a little further away) but–it will work.  Across the street is enough room to park off the road.  There is a fence around the wilderness so we have a small area to work in.  It turned out more beautiful than I would have hoped.  I had been planning to shoot mostly in a rustic chapel but was now going to be shooting in bright sunlight, totally blue skies at 11am.  Not the best for what I had in mind…however, my assistant (this time it was my husband) pulled out my brand new reflectors and went to work taking shadows out of the faces.  Sometimes the light was so bright that I had my subjects shut their eyes until I counted to “three” and then they opened them for the shutter release.  The colors were amazing, the mountains and cacti made an interesting and somewhat unique backdrop.   Unique in that most of the country does not have this option, although it is often preferred here in southern Arizona.  After this shoot, we went to the church to finish the pre-wedding photos and the ceremony.  It was a great day with great people.  Ashley and Zac were great to work with and their wedding attendants were so fun and such troopers!  Thanks Ashley & Zac!

 

Kayla Grace Grad Shoot

ccw-0943-2_webOctober 29, 2011

Beautiful young lady that reminded me so much of Hollywood starlets from the 1940s in some of these photos.  Extremely photogenic and what gorgeous venues–first to Tanque Verde Guest Ranch on the eastern edge of Tucson nestled in the Rincon mountains, then to Agua Caliente Park in northeast Tucson.  Amazing backdrops with endless possibilities for posing!  I love working with grads, especially when I’m able to help them relax and enjoy the experience themselves.  Thanks Kayla!

 

Robyn and Timothy: Barefoot Bride in Pennsylvania Campground Wedding

September 10, 2011 Another unusual venue for a wedding–at least for me–a church campground in northwestern Pennsylvania.  It so happens that these two young people (Timothy and Robyn) met each other at this campground at children.  Cool, huh?  They renewed their friendship some twelve years later and there you are.  The bride went with an …

Bryanna & Shane Engagement: Shy and Shyer

CCW-4910_tnJuly 18, 2011

So fun to get to work with out-of-towners Bryanna and Shane…so GLAD I got to do it before shooting their wedding in December!  It’s always my preference to do an engagement session with a couple before I shoot their wedding … it makes the wedding go so much smoother.  Bryanna took awhile to get over her shyness in front of the camera (lots of people do) but soon was old hat at following directions.  Taken at one of my most popular photo session venues, Trail Dust Town, they were game to try just about anything.  I found how they treated each other (sweetly and tenderly)…so  refreshing in today’s world.  Thanks for letting me be a part of your special day you two!

Casey and Stephen Engagement: The Eyes Have it!

CCW-4105-3_tnMay 10, 2011

Downtown Tucson is so colorful and unique–it makes for awesome an engagement session … you add to that two very photogenic people and you have a recipe for complete success!  This was my first time using all of Downtown Tucson as an engagement shoot venue – I will definitely do it again!  We got up early in the morning (meeting around 7am) for this shoot, since the shadows begin to get harsh earlier and earlier at the summer approaches.  Cannot say enough good things about working with Casey and Stephen–they had flair and a certain “look” photographers always long for and are thrilled when they are blessed to work with people who have that certain something.   Take time to look at all the photos in this session and tell me what you think.  Can’t wait to shoot the wedding next April…thanks for choosing me, Casey and Stephen!

 

Engagement Session: Ashley & Mike Make it Fun

My young friend, Ashley, asked me to take her engagement photographs and then convinced me to shoot her wedding a few months later.  I was not doing professional shoots at the time–I had stopped years ago and was simply doing freelance work. However, Ashley insisted she did would not have anyone but me taking the …