Mackenzie's Maternity Pics

Here is a spur of the moment maternity shoot that I did for my sister, Mackenzie.  She is due the beginning to middle of May.  We're hoping little Camryn Anne comes early, though!  Mac was a great model.  She did anything I asked...she even let me paint on her belly.

We didn't get to finish the shoot...we got all the images I wanted with just her, but I really wanted to capture some with her and her husband, Nathan.  He wasn't feeling well, so we will be finishing it up hopefully this next weekend.  Be watching for those new photos!!!!

á bientôt!

New Orleans Wedding!

Meet Kelley.  She is one of my really good friends.  She knew me when she used to live in the OKC area and wanted me to fly out to capture her wedding day.  I was so honored!  While getting to the church was a big mess...my GPS messed up on more than one occasion....when the big day finally arrived, it was well worth it.  Her father performed the ceremony, which made it even more special.  She and Brad were an awesome couple to work with!  Once they had seen each other before the ceremony, it was cake!  And they were so in love!  It was not hard at all to capture some special moments between the two of them.  I always say that the "cheesier" the bride and groom, the better the photos turn out.  Enjoy!

This was outside of the church - First Baptist Covington

Isn't she just an elegant bride?

OK...this is really more fitting for their personalities.

This may seem an odd placement for the rings, but there is a story.  Right after Brad and Kelley began dating, she put a bottle of orange crush on his desk with a note that said, "I have a crush on you."  So sweet!  So from there on out, they would randomly place bottles of Crush so that the other would find it. I couldn't resist!

This was by far the sweetest moment I captured.  Kelley is the Children's Minister at First Baptist Covington and these are some of her kids in her ministry who came to watch the wedding.  They couldn't see...and I couldn't resist.

á bientôt!

WPPI Las Vegas

Rachel and I the first day of WPPI

 

I just returned from one of the nation's largest photographers conventions - WPPI in Las Vegas.  I had so much fun!  I met my sister-in-law, Rachel, and some of her friends, Shannon and Lindsay.  We had a great time.  We got to hear some great speakers like Jessica Claire, Jasmine Star, Scott and Adina Hayne, and JB and DeEtte Sallee.  It's really great when once a year, you can meet with other photographers and find ways to sharpen your skills and improve your work for the next year.

My big purchase for this year was a Shootsac - which I think is going to make my life as a wedding photographer MUCH easier.  I'm really excited about it and can't wait to use it at my next wedding this month.  

I think the biggest lesson I learned is to make sure that I keep myself humble.  There are way too many photographers out there who think too highly of themselves.  My goal in photography will be to constantly improve my work and always strive to find something different to challenge myself.  I want to provide my clients with the best possible work that I can provide them with while making them feel comfortable and appreciated.  I want to try to make your wedding day as nice as I can by not adding stress to your life.  I'm really feeling refreshed and excited about what the next year has to offer and cannot wait to work harder to make my images even better.  Bring on 2010!!

Me, Shannon, Lindsay, and Rachel

á bientôt! 

How to Get the Most Out of Your Photographer, Part Three: The Reception

So, once you are finished with your formal portraits and your ceremony, the reception is quite easy!  All you have to do now is enjoy yourself and visit with your guests.....oh, and do whatever your coordinator tells you to do!

Most photographers who are covering your reception will know to cover the cutting of your cake (and when you stuff it into each other's mouths.....), your toasts, your first dances, the throwing of the bouquet, and the garter toss.  My suggestions for your reception are quite simple:

1.  Meet with your photographer and give him or her a list of the things that you will be doing.  This may consist of exactly what I've listed in the paragraph above, or it might include other things.  This is not so much to check up on your photographer or make sure that they will be available for everything.  It's more for your photographer - just to have an idea of what your reception will entail.  You should also include in your meeting the discussion of whether or not you are wanting your photographer to capture your "get-a-way."

And may I make a suggestion here?  Most of the time - especially in the winter - your "get-a-way" winds up being in the dark.  No matter how great your photographer, it's difficult to light up the entire walkway to get perfect pictures of you running to your car amidst your favorite family and friends.  One of my favorite things I have seen done to solve this problem is to have a "fake get-a-way."  The couple had everything ready for their "get-a-way" immediately following the ceremony.  They escaped to a room while their guests assembled themselves outside of the church, and then once everyone was in place - rose petals in hand - the couple ran out to their car.  After they had "left," the guests went to their cars to head to the reception site.  The couple drove around in their car for a few minutes, then headed to the reception site and received the same introduction as most do at their reception.  I thought this was genius because the pictures I took were in the afternoon sunlight and turned out beautiful!

2.  If you have plenty of guests and specific ones that you want pictures of, designate one of your friends or family who can point out guests that they know you would want a picture of.

3.  Once you have taken care of all of your "duties" during the reception (ie - cake cutting, etc.), enjoy yourself!  Your photographer should be capturing your first moments as husband and wife.  Be gushy, lovey dovey, and kiss lots.  Those are the best pictures!

4.  Get outta dodge!  And enjoy your honeymoon!

á bientôt!

How to Get the Most Out of Your Photographer, Part Two: The Ceremony!

The Ceremony.  The moment you have been preparing for for the last several months...or years.  All your planning culminates into this gathering of your closest friends and family joining together to witness one of the top moments of your life.  Everyone is smiling and happy....or maybe even crying tears of joy. You don't want to miss a beat.  You yearn to remember of every second of it.  Seeing your bride or your groom for the first time.....

But we all know that remembering everything can be tough.  There is so much going on...and let's admit it: Most of the brides and grooms are not focused on the decorations or the songs or even pastor.  They are focused on one thing: the beautiful eyes of their spouse to be.  So how can you be sure your photographer captures all those moments you "don't want to miss?"

The simple answer?  PLAN AHEAD!!

1) Talk with your photographer about everything that you want captured in your ceremony.  If your photographer has done many weddings, he or she should have a pretty good idea of what is "normal" for a wedding ceremony...so he should know to capture the ring exchange, the kiss, the unity candle, etc.

BUT...if you have something special in your wedding, let your photographer know!  For example, if your long lost cousin is coming back to visit the family for the first time in 8 years and has agreed to sing at your wedding and you would like to document it, let your photographer know that you would really like some great pictures of your long lost cousin.  If you are doing something out of the ordinary - like jumping rope right after you say your vows for some strange reason - prepare your photographer so he or she will be prepared to capture that special moment.

2)  Now this one is my personal preference.  When I got married, the only picture I have of my dad and I walking down the isle...my eyes are closed!  Now, my theory is that you only walk down the isle with your dad for him to give you away once, so make sure you get a great photo of just you and your dad moments before he walks you down the isle.  Honestly, this is easier when you have two photographers, because one can stay with you and your dad prior to the ceremony while the other is capturing your wedding party as the enter the sanctuary.  Even if you don't have two photographers, make it a priority to get a nice picture of you and your dad's faces smiling at the camera.  Maybe that's not important to everyone, but I still regret that I don't have a decent photo of me and my dad.

3)  OK.  This one is a bit controversial....let me just begin by saying that when I got married, I was the bride who DID NOT want to see my fiance before the wedding.  Even is high school for the dances, I LOVED that moment when my date came in to see me for the first time.  The look on his face either made or broke the entire evening for me.  When the doors were opened for me to walk into the sanctuary on my wedding day, the first thing I looked for was Josh's face to see what his reaction was....and it was a good one.   Made my whole day.

So with all that said, you know that I completely understand that point of view; however, from a photographer's point of view, I think a little differently.  Formal portraits can be some of the most beautiful and most creative photos from your wedding.  If you take all your formal portraits BEFORE the wedding, it frees up so much more time for your photographer to be creative.  There is no pressure on your photographer to finish quickly and get you to the reception.  He or she can take their time to pose you and your spouse-to-be and make sure he is getting beautiful photos of you both.  I also suggest that you take about 15 minutes prior to the beginning of your portrait session to spend with just you and your spouse-to-be.  Have that "Ah-Ha" moment just between the two of you and no one else...except maybe your photographer who may or may not want to capture that awesome moment for you.  This is a great idea, too, because you and your fiance can have a moment to say, "Hello, you look awesome!  I love you!"

Now, I've heard that seeing your spouse before the actual ceremony does not take away from the moment when the doors open and the bride walks down the isle.  It's up to you!

4)  This one is a MUST!  Before your wedding day, create a list of formal photos with your photographer that you want to take on your wedding day.  Your photographer may have a list created for you already that you may want to add to or take away from.  Why, you ask?  Well, it just helps the mass chaos run more smoothly.  If you have a solid list of photos, you don't run through them all and then ask, "Did we get my step-mom and my real dad together with BOTH of us?"  You just know you did because your photographer is following the list.  Plus, you run the list by both your parents to make sure everything they might want is on there as well.  This takes away from both sets of parents saying, "Can we take this one with this person and then add so-and-so?  And then can we add this?  Oh, and then I want one with just my family....."  Those are the photos that can take a simple 30-minute photo session and can change it to an hour long photo session.

Well, there you go.  Four simple tips on how to get exactly what YOU want on your wedding day.  After all, it's all about you, right?? :)  Check back next week for my tips on getting great photos during your reception!

á bientôt!

How to Get the Most Out of Your Photographer, Part One: Hiring the Perfect Photographer

It's coming up on Oklahoma's Wedding Season!  Planning a wedding can be very stressful.  First, you have to pick the venue and book that...next on to the reception venue - if that is different - then your dress!  Oh my goodness, the dress. We mustn't forget that the dress may take up to 8 weeks to get in....

Then comes the photographer.  You know that the photographs are what will last forever.  Even ten years after I was married, I look back to the photos and it brings memories flooding back.  But how can you know that you have hired the right photographer for you?

When you are looking for a photographer, don't forget some simple ideas that might help you decide whether a certain photographer is right for you or not:

1.  The first thing you should do is to LOOK AT THEIR WEBSITE!!  I know this may seem strange to say...and yes of course you would!  But how is their website set up?  Do you love it?  Do you love their photography?

2.  Ask to see some of their work in print.  We all know that most photographers post their best work on their website.  The colors are vibrant and the music makes you settle in and "fall in love."  Ask to see an entire wedding, if you so choose.  That way you can see exactly what you might expect from them.  From staged to spur of the moment photos.

3.  Ask how the photographer edits their photos.  You might not care about what programs they use, and that's fine.  But ask if they personally retouch each photo.  That might not mean that they run each and every photo through Photoshop, but they may.  You just want to make sure that they are taking the time to color-correct and enhance each photo.  I have seen some photographers who run every single photo through the same "ritual" and every photo winds up looking exactly the same with the same fade to black look around the outside.  (Now, I'm not dogging the black around the edges.  Sometimes it really does add to the color intensity of the photo....just not EVERY SINGLE PHOTO.)

4.  Be very honest with your photographer.  If you are expecting something special from your photographer, let him or her know.  We're not mind-readers...and every bride and groom couple is different.  Some people enjoy the romantic look, others more bold.  Some want to push the envelope...others want to look like a model.  Which leads me to my next point:

5.  Pick the photographer that most captures your style.  Your photos will last forever and you want to like them for that long!  When I got married, I just had a photographer that did the "stand and pose" style.  If I could have had something different, I would have!  But now there are so many options, you can pick a photographer that fits your "photo personality."  Find that one and stick with them!

6.  And last but NOT least....Find a photographer that you trust.  One that has good business sense.  One that you feel like is going to take care of you.  Get it in writing.  The last thing you need is more stress, so find that one photographer that you feel the most comfortable with.  And enjoy your day!

Look back soon for some tips on what to ask of your photographer to capture every moment during your ceremony!!

á bientôt!

My beautiful children!

I love taking pictures of the kiddos.  This one started to capture my middle, Sydney, and her cousin because they matched.  All Sydney can say is, "I want to match Izzy."  Okay, kiddo.

Izzy is on the left and Sydney is on the right.

Aren't they just adorable?  I know, I'm lucky I have such great subjects for my photography. :)

Next up is my youngest, Tyson, in his Christmas outfit provide my Aunt Mac and Uncle Nate:

 

And last but not least, my oldest, Libby...in all her wonderful, beautiful make-up...also provided by Aunt Mac and Uncle Nate.  Thanks guys.  My whole house is still sparkly.

I am so blessed to have such wonderful children.

á bientôt!