Thank-you, weather!

This cute family won a family session from me back in December, through a giveaway on MormonMommyBlogs. We talked right after and Mom wanted to wait until the weather was warmer for the sitting. So we waited. And finally the weather is great so we did the session yesterday morning. It was so much fun :) We shot at a new location for me and I really liked it. There were a few shots I tried which didn't turn out quite as I planned but most of them are fantastic! The texture of old buildings and stone mixed with the beauty of the stream and trees. I loved it and hope to take other families there.

I hope you enjoy your peek!

Small, intimate, and big...yes, they can all go together

This is Lara & Steve. I met them today, on their wedding day. They live in St. George, about 4 hours away, but got married in Utah County and Lara booked me via e-mail. That always makes me smile - somebody who wants me even though they haven't met me :) Their ceremony was small and private so they asked for me to come only for the reception. It was lovely, set in her brother's backyard. But don't let the venue fool you into thinking these too would fit into that small, timid mold. Not at all. It was fun to watch them throughout the evening and to photograph them as well. They were game for pretty much anything...including jumping on the neighbors trampoline :) That was a first and I'm so glad they took me up on the suggestion because it was a lot of fun...for me, at least. And judging from their expressions it was fun for them too. Lara even kept laughing when she fell and Steve almost jumped on her.

So, yes a small, intimate wedding and big personalities can all go together.

Enjoy your sneak peek! I'll let you know when the rest are done :)

A step into another world

I've attended Polynesian Luau's before. When I was in college I dated a guy from Samoa. His extended family had luaus as parties at least once a month. I loved them. But I had never attended nor photographed a Tongan wedding before. It was so fun! A bit hard to understand at times. Many of the guests spoke no English so much of what the MC said was spoken in Tongan. That's great....except the neither the photography, videographer, nor the white Bride spoke a lick of Tongan! So...at times it was like being in another world. I tried to follow what was happening but for many things I was grabbing my camera and running over to catch the next event, because I had no idea what the MC said was coming next. It was fun, though. It kept me on my toes for sure.

Besides the language barrier I enjoyed every single moment. Well, that's not true. Even with the language barrier I enjoyed every single moment. There was dancing. Tons of dancing. And there was not a dull moment the entired reception. Forget about trying to find exciting moments while the Bride & Groom stand in a line for a few hours. This one was packed with dancing by the Groom's Family and friends. And I'm not just talking about dancing to a DJ.

I mean dancing like this


And this


Even the Bride & Groom got in on it. Katie learned a dance to perform for Pasi and Pasi and his Groomsmen did a special dance for Katie. It was great! I know they will love watching it on the video!

Lots of traditional dancing. Oh, and they danced for money. I know that sounds odd...but I can't think of how else to say it. It's a tradition at Tongan weddings, apparently. If you enjoy the dance you can give them money and all the money goes to the Bride & Groom. It's a way to start their lives together.

I think we should incorporate this tradition into all weddings. That way, in stead of 4 toasters you can have money for the Honeymoon and to start your lives with!

Now back to the main point of the day: The couple. Katie & Pasi were SO cute together. I hadn't met Pasi before the wedding but I knew Katie was not only adorale but incredibly nice so I figured Pasi would match that. I was right. It was a joy to work with them.

I have a lot (A LOT) of pictures to sift through but here are a few which jumped out at me while I was loading them all into Lightroom.

Enjoy your peek!

If I could place an order for my next baby, I would pick one just like this

Such a CUTE baby boy! And he was SO good too. He cried once - when his older sister accidently stepped on his hand. I loved this session and probably could have taken pictures of him all day. Unfortunately my clients usually have other places to be. So in stead I just get to have fun looking at the images and getting them ready for the online gallery.

In the mean time, enjoy your peek!

Luck and Rain

"They" say that rain on your wedding day means good luck in your marriage. In that case Andrea & Tim are in for a fabulous marriage. They definitely had rain on their wedding day! But, and this is where the luck started, it stopped for their ceremony and pictures. About an hour before the ceremony began the rain stopped. And about an hour after it ended the rain came down hard. But during the ceremony, and for the pictures afterward the day was great. Not hot at all - in fact, it was a bit on the chilly side - and cloudy so the lighting was perfect.

Enjoy your sneak peek and your rain blessed marriage :)

The Mother-to-be. Again

Most maternity shoots I have done have been for a couple's first baby. I'm not sure why that is. I know it's not because people care less with their second, third, fourth, etc... pregnancies. Perhaps, like me, they don't like their bellies anymore after having one baby. I have so many stretch marks I call it my road map. Or, more likely, they just feel they can't find the time for pictures and the time gets away from them. Before they know it the baby is here and the opportunity for Maternity photos has passed.

But not Erin. This is her fourth (seriously - her fourth! And she looks so petite and cute still) and she made time to come in for maternity pictures.

I hope she can look back at these and remember the pregnancy with fondness...after all the pain goes away and the baby is here...then you can smile about it and enjoy the pregnancy for what it brought to you.

I hope you like them!

Such a gorgeous itty bitty

I love tiny babies. Maybe because I give birth to enormous children, or maybe because whenever I hold a tiny baby it just makes me feel close to heaven. I don't know why; I just know I love photographing newborns. This little girl isn't quite a newborn since she came at the end of April, but it's close enough. She was so petite and sweet. Yes, she cried some but that comes with being a baby. And she was so sleepy but didn't want to sleep for us...until Mommy put her back in the carseat.

Thanks for bringing in your sweet baby! And...here's your peek :)

Prima Ballerina...in the making

Two is a fun age. They don't want to sit still and smile. Two year olds like to play. But they're kids....that's their job! And it's fun to watch them get it done.

This little cutie loves to play dress up, so she came decked out in a ballerina leotard, a tutu and leggings. I loved it! And she did her job well, running back and forth and playing with Mommy. She was crawling all over...and under...everything. I was the observer, capturing her beautiful eyes and smile whenever I could.

Enjoy your sneak peek :)

The pictures at Fablehaven {Utah County Family Photography}

Maybe it's not really Fablehaven but the girls were pretending it was, and that made me smile. My own oldest daughter loves that series (truth be told, so do I) and it was fun to hear a love of the books coming from others. And the ampitheatre is a bit magical. The stone pathways and benches, the beautiful old trees and picturesque flower beds are the stuff stories are made of. I hadn't seen it that way before, so thanks to you girls for bringing a new spin on an old location.

This family was a lot of fun for me to photograph. Their children were close in age to my own kids so it was a little glimpse into what a shoot for our family is like...from the other side of the camera. I can only hope that we are half as nice as this family was.

Enjoy your sneak peek :)

I cannot believe she is ONE!

One of the perks of being a photogrpher is having the equipment to do pictures of my own kids. One of the drawbacks is not having the time to do it. I have heard the saying "The plumbers pipes are always leaking." I think I get it now. I keep my camera with me all the time so I have a lot of candid, fun shots of my children and family but when it comes to portraits to hang on the wall and send to the grandparents I'm usually behind. I get them done...but almost always a bit "late."

This is my youngest beauty. She turned one last week and I did her portraits today. I don't work on Sundays but this wasn't work...this is my baby. So before we went to church my hubby and I loaded up the kids and drove to a nearby park to take her portraits. It was fun. She was WAY more interested in playing with the grass and eating her cupcake to smile for me but we still got some very cute pictures.

I know she's cute but I wanted to share it with you too...so thanks for indulging me :)

Oh - and that picture of her standing...holding somebody's hands. Well, that's me. Proof that I do exist :) My dear husband took that picture.

Cute & Grumpy. Love that combo :) {Utah Family Portrait Photographer}

This little guy was a lot of fun....he just hated the camera. But, like other photographers and all moms know, even grumpy is cute. And I know he smiles. He just didn't want to do it for the camera. Our third child is the same way. Even now, and she's 7. She just gets shy and a bit awkward when the camera comes her way. You have to work with her to get a smile and out of every session I only get a handful of pictures with a true smile. Some kids just like to interact with a person rather than a big hunk of metal and I totally understand that.

It really was fun though. We headed to "my" orchard again. I love it there. And we hit the morning again because I liked it so much last time. We weren't the only ones there today but it was still better than evenings.

Like always....enjoy the peek!