A few weekends ago (two days after our family unloaded our moving truck here in Elko) I had the honor of photographing my husband’s brother’s marriage to his beautiful bride. I’m still playing catch-up from all the editing that got put on hold with the move, but I do have one to share for now. More will be coming soon, I promise!

I’ve entered this print in the Elko County Fair under the Wedding Portrait category. Wish me luck!

If you’re in need of a wedding photographer in the Elko area, give me a call. I have very competitive wedding packages available that all include a disk of your images. Call me at 738-8527 to schedule a consultation!

 

I first met this family just a little over a year ago. They were the first people to respond to my first portrait photography ad on Craigslist, making them my very first official clients. Sure, I’d done many, many photoshoots for family and friends, but they were my first experience in the business world of photography. I was so lucky! Not only are they a beautiful family, but they were warm and welcoming and generally made my transition from photography hobbiest to business owner soooo easy.

Now a year later I had the opportunity to photograph them again! Recognize them? They’re all featured prominently on my website and they were part of the wedding party for my most recent wedding. It was so fun to work with this family again, to see how big and independent their kids have gotten, and to just generally play and have fun. Here are a few of my favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

And because I just love outtakes and the personalities of all these children I photograph . . .

I think they were done. 

Thanks for a great session, B family! I’ll let you know as soon as I have your proofs ready to view.

I was honored to photograph Jessica and Ty’s wedding last night. After living in Spokane for the last three years, I just can’t believe that I had no idea that Mirabeau Park even existed–what a perfect location for this beautiful wedding! The weather was gorgeous and the bride radiant. What more could a photographer ask for?

the bride waiting with her father

the ceremony

 

 

 

man and wife!

 

the wedding party–so beautiful!

in love–this first one is absolutely one of my all time favorite images.

 

details

toasts–I love the photojournalistic feel of the reception shots. Wonderful!

the first dance

Thank you, Ty and Jessica, for having me at your wedding. Enjoy your honeymoon!

Saturday night session was wild! Three active boys aged 4 to 11(ish) with their parents. And their parents, the brilliant people that they are, wanted action shots of their sons! They were so smart to request portraits reflecting true life around their house, and I had a lot of fun capturing them. This is my talented friend who recovered my chair for my (the chair that I WILL take to a session in the next week) and we just now were able to work out our schedules to get together. It really was such a treat for me. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naturally, after a session like this I have quite a few outtakes (these guys loved to ham it up for the camera) but I’ll just share this one. Poor guy got stuck in the mud in the middle of the session, but with that handy waterfall right there, it was no problem!

Enjoy your sneak peek, guys! I’ll let you know as soon as you proofs are ready.

 

C and R, you guys have been sooooooo patient on waiting for these photos. I promised more of a sneak peek ages ago so here the finally are to tide you over until your gallery is ready at the end of the week. I grabbed my favorites from the actual ceremony that really told the story of your beautiful wedding. Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of it!

The flower girl was a little nervous . . .  

The groom getting his first glimpse of his bride  

The bride’s grandparents as she came into view–particularly poignant since she was wearing her grandmother’s gown. 

And finally the bride! 

A few more favorites . . .  

 

 

 

 

 

What fun! While I was at the beach with my husband’s family, my brother-in-law and his cute fiancee asked me to take a few engagement photos for them. How could I refuse with such a gorgeous couple?

 

I’ll be photographing their wedding next month, so you’ll probably be seeing a lot of these two. Thanks so much, D and T!  

 

 

This past weekend I had the treat of photographing my gorgeous friend with her beautiful family. What a fun session for me! Cheryl and I worked together one summer eight years ago as camp counselors and we’ve stayed in touch ever since–though she does a much better job than me at that most of the time! It was a real joy to photograph her with her husband and kids. Thanks so much, guys!

This girl is a total natural in front of the camera! She knew just how to move and was soooooo easy to work with.  

Next up was the second oldest sister–Miss Personality! I found her ticklish spot to get this image–I love natural expressions like this so much. 

Doesn’t this little guy have the most amazing eyes? Such a dream to photograph! 

The "baby" of the family really made me work for the shots of him. You never know with a one-year-old how cooperative the child will be, and this little one just wanted to play. Luckily candids can be just as beautiful as more posed shots. He’s sooooo cute! 

Heehee, and this is when you know it’s time to let the kids take a break from shooting!  

Thanks Cheryl, B, and family! I had a wonderful time working with you. Your proofs should be ready soon. 

 

I’m stealing a bit of time from my vacation tonight to post a sneak peek for this wonderful family. The older daughter was in ballet with my Bailey this past winter and it was wonderful to work with them. They were truly up for anything and I had a lot of fun playing with their little angels. Thanks so much, guys!

Here are a few of my favorites from the session–enjoy! 

 

 

 

 

 

and more of an outtake, but I just laughed so hard at this one I had to share. . . 

 

 

Such sweet girlies!

Whew, what a blast this session was! Two year olds generally make me work hard for good eye contact and expressions, and this little guy was no exception. It was great fun, though, to go "exploring" with him and coax these great looks from him. Baby sister was pretty sweet, though she wasn’t too sure about sitting on the grass. But I really enjoyed just playing with this family and getting a few shots along the way.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the chance to photograph your family, Emily and Jeremy! I’ll let you know as soon as the rest of your images are ready for viewing.

Today I had a wonderful time photographing my very first solo wedding! I’ve worked with this couple and their adorable little guy many times before, but it was a huge treat to get to shoot their wedding. Luckily for us all the rain held off until late–what a beautiful day!

 Randy and Christina, enjoy your honeymoon! Look for more sneak peeks when you get back.

 

Recognize this adorable little guy? Yup, he was featured in the last blog entry. I went back this week to do a little smash-cake mini session to celebrate his first birthday. I’ve just got one to share for now, but stay tuned for more!

P, I should have the rest of the proofs ready for you to view later tonight. Enjoy! 

What a joy it was to photograph this beautiful family! We’ve had a few hiccups in getting to this session with springtime illness and uncooperative weather, but finally last night everything came together for this fun session.

This little guy is not quite one and oh-so-cute! He has the sweetest little smile, when I could coax it out of him!

I could really see the love this little family has for each other, as well. Mom and Dad clearly dote on this cutie (who wouldn’t?) and he just eats it up.

I love to photograph connections like these–I’m always so thrilled after a shoot like this that I GET to do this as a job!

 

Thanks so much, D family, for sharing this evening with me! I’ll let you know when the rest of the portraits are ready for viewing.

 

Thank goodness for no snow on Saturday! I had a shoot scheduled with a wonderful family up north of Spokane (with some of the family members coming in from Seattle) and was sooo worried that we’d be unable to do anything outside. Luckily, the weather held, though it was a bit chilly, and we got some really great images.

And can I just say, what a gorgeous family! They were so much fun to work with–I love laughing my way through a photoshoot. Of course I have a lot more editing to do, but I promised to share a few portraits right away. Here’s your sneak peek!

 

 

 

Thanks again for allowing me to take your family portraits! I’ll be in touch by the end of the week with the password to your private gallery!

What a fun session today! You may recognize these beauties from a session I did back in October. Their mom had me back today to do some ballerina portraits–all three older girls are in ballet at a local studio. And of course, littlest sis has to get in on the action, too!

the biggest sis–so graceful

the next biggest sis–full of spunk

the littlest big sis–loves to perform

the littlest sis–heehee, what can I say?  

 

all the sises

Thanks so much for letting me do such a FUN session!  

 

This was a super fun week for me, since I got to finish out the work week photographing a brand new and beautiful little baby boy. Newborn baby portraits are one of my favorite things. His mommy and daddy certainly timed things well–I think March is a great time to have a baby! Being pregnant in the winter to keep you warm, then giving birth just as it’s warming up outside and RSV season is on its way out sounds just about perfect to me. Baby "C" certainly was a lovely example of newborn sweetness.

He was very alert and content at the beginning of the session–I could just see him thinking "Hmmmmm, strange lady with a big black thing in her face. . . . interesting . . . " 

Love how those toes are curling around each other! (I have a bit of a thing for toes.) 

More adorable bitty baby parts. . . 

Just before I finished the session, he went off to sleep. Doesn’t he look cozy? 

Thank you, M and C for allowing me to photograph your precious little guy! 

I first met this little guy last August when he was just 6 months old. Lucky for me, his parents just love getting new portraits of him, so this was the third time I’ve been able to photograph him! He is just adorable and such a ham. Happy birthday, cutie–he just turned 1!

He was a little unsure of the balloons at the beginning of the session–the wind kept knocking them into his face and it was NOT fun. But he warmed up to them.

And since it was a little cool on Saturday, we headed inside at the downtown library to get a few more portraits. He’s just recently started walking, so it was great for him to be able to toddle around without getting all the gunk at the park.

 

Enjoy your sneak peek, C and R! I’ll let you know later this week when everything is ready to view. Thanks for the session! 

Whew, this contest is close! With just one day left, only a tiny fraction separates our first two contest entries, #3 and #9. Call in all the votes you can before the contest closes tomorrow at midnight!

I also am thrilled to share just one shot with this blog entry. I got to "second shoot" a wedding with another photographer on Friday night–my very first! It was so fun and a huge honor to help with such a special occasion. The bride and groom were troopers to let us take them out in the frigid weather for a few shots. Here is one of my faves.

I am tentatively scheduling weddings for the summer of 2008. Please contact me for information on pricing and availability. The first five brides to confirm their dates will receive a discount!  

Friday was a blast for me! I met up with the wonderful "C" family to take their portraits. They were up for anything and we really had a blast–at least I did! Here’s a quick sneak peek for them.

 

 

Take a look at this adorable little guy I had the pleasure of photographing yesterday. Just nine days old and such a sweetie! He was as good as can be during our session, calm and quiet when he wasn’t sleeping. I promised his Momma I would post a sneak peek for her to see and share with friends, and here they are!

He is definitely the best early Christmas present! 

Sweet little baby piggies 

I loved the way he kept wanting to suck his thumb and fingers. So adorable. 

This is one of my favorite types of shots to do, with both parents’ hands supporting a sweet babe. 

Stacy and Jeff, thank you so much for inviting me to your home to take these portraits! Your baby boy is just precious.

Just popping back in to share another sneak peek of the sisters from Saturday. The individual shots are going to be a piece of cake to edit and get ready–these group shots are going to take a little more work! I’ll be checking out each person with a magnifying glass to see that they’re up for display, but for now, just enjoy this one more.

I also put together a couple of quick Christmas cards so you can get an idea of what I can do. Let me know if I’m on the right track!

Card for One Photo

Card for Four Individual Shots

 

Today I had the most fun session! A wonderful family with four beautiful daughters–how could I not have fun with them? Our goal was to get a good family photo or sisters photo for a Christmas card. Six sets of eyes looking in the same direction can be a challenge, believe me!

We were a bit worried that we’d be rained out, but instead we just got a nicely overcast (but very wet) morning. Almost perfect for photos!

And of course, no session sneak peek would be complete without an outtake. Little Miss Two-Year-Old was definitely in charge today!  

The fall colors are beautiful this year! I had the pleasure of photographing some former clients this past weekend. They were looking for a photo to use for Christmas cards, so we ventured out to the Finch Arboretum and played in the leaves for a little while.

Their little guy seems so much bigger than the last time I saw him! And he was much more willing to smile and interact with me, which made the shoot extra fun. Here are just a few preview shots.

I "caught" this snap while Momma was loving on baby. I think it might be my favorite from the shoot!

Beautiful family!

A very serious face. Hmm, strange lady with a big black thing in front of her face . . .

I had to show this one–this little guy was coming up with some great cheesy grins! Most kids don’t start getting a really "Say cheese!" smile until around 2 or so, but he’s got it down!

Just one more from my engagement session. This shot is just quintessential Spokane to me. And since I know the bride isn’t from this area, this is a wonderful reminder of where they spent their engagement!

The votes are in for PbJ’s first Cover Child Contest! I was hoping to announce the winner on my new site, but it turns out that I need a bit more time for the company I’ve been working with to get it "live" and ready to go. Soooooo, without further ado, the winner is . . . entry #2!! I had the joy of working with this adorable little girl and her family in July, and I’d say they’re about due for another session anyway. Please contact me to claim your prize!

I also promised that one lucky voter would receive a complimentary session with PbJ to be held before the end of the year. Andrea Cronrath, please contact me to schedule your session!

I’ve also worked out a little discount for the rest of you who voted. Contact me this month (October) and receive 10% off a session and 10% off print prices when you order!

And I can’t possibly post without sharing a photo, so enjoy another peek from my engagement session last weekend! 

I met up with K and R at Riverfront Park last Saturday to shoot their engagement portraits. The weather wasn’t very cooperative with us, and it got dark waaaay earlier than it was supposed to, but we toughed it out. Just wanted to share a few for them before I get their gallery up!

Incidentally, these two were a blast to work with! Full of energy and ideas–I’m not sure when I’ve laughed so much at a session. Enjoy!

 

I was lucky enough to work with Miss T last night to take some senior portraits. She was a great model and braved the cool and damp to get some fun shots. And doesn’t she have gorgeous eyes? What a fun shoot for me!

This photo is my ultimate favorite from the shoot. Sooo pretty! 

I love how the wind caught her hair just right here!

Miss T, I’ll let you know when your photos are ready to view! Thanks again.