New Layout!

Still got a few bugs to work out, but check out my new layout for spring! (It isn't really springish, but its a change and that's what spring is all about, right?....right?) :)

More fun stuff to show ya'all soon!

New Wedding Package

I've been paying careful attention to my clients and what other potential clients are looking for in their wedding coverage.  It seems what brides want these days is simplicity--a streamlined package that has all the coverage they want and not a lot of confusing package requirements.  And to meet that demand I've added a new package, The Unlimited Basic package.  You can find the updated pricing catalog by clicking on the button on my sidebar or by clicking here.

No one can say I'm not a good listener! :)

Inspire Me Monday--Aslyn

I love Aslyn.  She's a lesser known artist I discovered off the soundtrack of a lesser known movie (How to Deal...don't see it, it's not good).  I bought her CD and the How to Deal soundtrack just based off a 2 second clip on that movie.  And that song subsequently became my wedding song.  It's called "That's when I love you."  Take a listen.





That's when I love you...when I love you no matter what. :)

Aslyn has a whole host of fun songs, sad songs, sweet songs...all incredibly listenable. (Is that a word? Oh well...it is now!) But my absolute, hands down favorite has to be "Wally."  The first time I listened to it I was like, "what the...?" when an old guy started talking.   By the end of the song I had tears streaming down my face.  That's what love is! Right there!  55 years of good times and hard times, separation and reunion.  Dare you not to cry.



Sorry for the crappy videos!  It's all for the song, anyway.  To listen in better quality, (and to hear Wally's super sweet intro that is cut off in the above video) go to Aslyn's myspace page here.  Both of these awesome songs are on her player, so go listen!!

Best Face Forward {a word about photoshop actions}

I don't usually like showing off my raw, straight-out-of-camera (sooc) images.  Its not that they aren't good, its just that, while digital photography is moving by leaps and bounds towards the quality of image you get with traditional film photography and its chemical processing (as well as the additional control brought about by dodging and burning in a dark room) digital images still have a tendency to come out of the camera looking, well, a little dull.  This is where photoshop and post-processing techniques come in.

I don't advocate photoshop as a crutch to counterbalance less-than-adequate photography.  Rather, I see it as a way to enhance the quality of what is already there...much the same way we girls rely on our mascara and foundation to put our best face forward before leaving the house for the day.  Used wisely, it can enhance a person's natural beauty.  Used too much... well, we've all seen what happens when makeup is abused.  It isn't pretty. Its the same with photoshop, all the way.

We all have our favorite actions.  Some are drastic, some are subtle.  Given the volume of images I process I've realized that, like makeup, less is more. Running too many actions not only ends up making your images over-photoshopped, it also steals away your valuable time.  The best thing to do?  Find a great all purpose action and let it do the hard work for you.

Here's a before and after of one of Abby's bridals.  The one on the left is straight out of camera, completely untouched.  The one on the right has been processed with Nichole V's "Essential Color Pop Indoors" action.  And. that. is it.  Nothing else was done to this picture.

See what I mean?  Subtle, yet effective.  Exactly what I wanted, with very little hassle. (Plus try the "blown highlight fix" from her "PhotoFix" set.  works wonders on blown out white wedding dresses!)

Now if they only had laundry actions so I could have my clothes washed, folded, and put away with one click.

Abby's amazing Bridals

Fate had a hand in these pictures...they were meant to be at a completely different location (see sneak peek post) but after much tribulation and a spur of the moment location change we had the perfect combination of setting, light and of course...subject!  Isn't she just something else?  I've had a couple of people ask if I hired her to model.  Nope!  She's just that beautiful!

Puddles

Today was cold, but that didn't stop Jamison from dragging me outside for a while.  I love that we have a big backyard for him to run around in when the house gets to small to hold all of his mischeif.  Sometimes he is so sweet and funny and precious it stops my heart.  We have a little spot on our back porch that always collects water, and he was drawn like a magnet to it.  The clouds were reflected so perfectly his tromping little baby shoes sent splashes and ripples across the sky.

Let's just say...to me, he walks on water. :)

Abby's Bridals...sneak peek!

No looking, Shane!

This session could easily be renamed "The shoot that went so wrong, it went right."  Originally, we were supposed to shoot today, but because of the forecast we moved it to Tuesday.  Originally we were supposed to shoot at Saltair, but as you probably know...there was a fire right off I-80 yesterday...oh yeah, at Saltair! (Not the Saltair pavilion itself, but they said it was at the marina...though how strange that it went there, considering the first two incarnations of saltair BOTH burned down...) After spending an hour at a dead stop on the freeway, it was decided that because of A. the ninety mile an hour wind gusts, with the accompanying dirt storms and B. the proximity of said fire, we would reroute to someplace less...dirty/windy/burning.

Sometimes, the worst possible circumstances make for the best possible circumstances.  If that makes sense.  We had to scrap our plans, but it was so worth it!! The new, last minute location couldn't have been more appropriate, I loved it.

So here's a sneak peek at Abby (who must have a secret second job as a runway model...she knows how to work it!!) in her GORGEOUS dress.