Ryan & Sarah's engagement shoot

Last night I got to shoot Ryan & Sarah's engagement shoot in Flagstaff, Arizona. I feel so blessed to be here--it's perfect weather and I feel like I'm on vacation or something. Plus Sarah & Ryan are friends and I really enjoy spending time with them. This is the Sarah, by the way, who designed my website. She's super-talented.

Downtown Flagstaff is where we spent most of our time and there were tons of fun places to shoot. We started out where every good engagement shoot should--at a huge mural of a cow painted on the side of a building.


Being goofy:


Sarah & Ryan are perfect for one another. She admits to being more pessimistic by nature whereas Ryan is optimistic. They claim they balance each other out. We saw these shirts at two different stores across the street and had to shoot a few shots with them:


Here's a close-up in case you can't read them:


This is totally unrelated to the shoot, but as we were walking around we came across this newspaper distribution-thingy (what do you call these things anyway?):


Ok, now down to the serious business. Check out how gorgeous Sarah looks here. I love her eyes.


Ryan's not bad looking either :).



More cute photos:









We had fun by the railroad tracks which were surprisingly busy:





I played around with a slow shutter speed to get the movement of the train as it passed by:




At the end of the shoot Sarah and I got Ryan to take a shot of us.


Oh--and this was my first shoot using my new Shootsac by Jessica Claire. It worked great! Here's me modeling it although I also had a black sweatshirt around my waist so it doesn't show off the bag that well:


What a fun shoot! I wish I could stay in Flagstaff all summer...

2 more guest book designs

We just finished up 2 more fabulous guest book designs. Tatum & Shane are getting married in September and Katina and Robert are getting hitched in October.

These guest books are a hot product. They're such a unique idea for a guest book to use at your wedding. And they look great filled with notes from your family and friends all over the pages.

Click here to view Tatum & Shane's guest book and here to view Katina & Robert's. Keep in mind that the actual books are 11x8 in size.

Jim & Julie's Engagement Shoot

Friday I shot Jim & Julie's Engagement Shoot up at Desert Mountain near where they live and where they will be getting married in November. They have a great story of how they met and began doing business together, developing a friendship before their relationship blossomed into a romance. They're a great couple and we had a fun shoot. Here's some of my favorites:





Jim has a two-year-old daughter named Bella who came along as well--super cute!





It's so beautiful up at Desert Mountain. I can't wait for the wedding!





Thanks for the great shoot and for dinner you guys!

Greg & Shannon's Guest Book

We just finished another great guest book design! This product is turning out to be quite the hit with brides. Everybody wants one to use for guests to sign notes to them at their wedding.

I shot Shannon & Greg's engagement shoot in Jerome and Prescott, Arizona. The book turned out very colorful because of the photos we had to work with. You can see the design by clicking here.

Miles & Alison's Engagement Shoot

Tonight I shot Miles & Alison's engagement shoot at the Phoenix Zoo. Miles loves animals and they've spent some fun time together there. We went a little after the zoo closed with the permission of the park ranger and had a great time. There was beautiful light and great locations to shoot. Here are some of my favorites:














Miles and Alison were really cute together. Can you believe that Alison doesn't think she's photojenic?

We didn't have full run of the zoo so we didn't see too many animals but here's a few. The buzzard (glad he was behind a cage):


An elephant who despite my prodding wouldn't turn and smile for me:


And a hummingbird happily doing his job:


Alison has a beautiful and unique ring:


And a few more of my faves:




Thanks you two! I'm looking forward to October!

Katina & Robert Take 2

Katina and Robert had so much fun last weekend shooting their first engagement shoot that they decided to do another one. I think they maybe missed me too :). We felt adventurous and went to their local Home Depot--their home away from home. They love to do home remodeling projects together. So I thought this would be a fun location to shoot. And it was!

Some fun with the cart:




Hanging out in their favorite section--plants:



This is classic Katina & Robert. They're being all cute and then Robert cracks a joke and I end up with lots of photos like this:



Being total rebels:







Katina will probably kill me for putting this one in, but I thought it was hilarious:



These guys were up for anything and we ended up having a blast!

Josh & Elaine's Engagement Shoot

Last night I shot Josh & Elaine's engagement photos. These two are getting married in September and they are really sweet together. The shoot was fun because we spent time in locations that mean something to Josh & Elaine. We started out in a Barnes & Noble because one of the things they enjoy doing together is hanging out at bookstores.






That was fun! I love shooting in unique locations and trying something different. Next we stopped by one of their favorite restaurants--The Greene House--which is also where Josh proposed.




Finally, we walked across the street to The Westin Kierland--a beautiful resort where they will be staying after their wedding.








Thanks for such a great shoot you guys! You two are naturals! Can't wait for the wedding!

Custom Guest Book

We just finished another great custom guest book design. This one is for Julie and Rob. They are getting married in Sedona in June and I'm really looking forward to it. To see the full book, click here.

Katina & Robert's Engagement Shoot

Tonight I shot Katina & Robert's engagement photos. This couple clearly adores each other. I had a lot of fun getting to know them. It was easy since they are very genuine and transparent. And we laughed a lot too.

We started out in their Scottsdale home with the other members of their family -- Kaia, an American Eskimo dog, and Gazoo, a yellow lab. Totally sweet dogs.

Here's a cute shot I got of Kaia:


And the whole fam:


Then we shot at various places around Scottsdale. Here's a few of my faves:


It's cute how Katina & Robert are always making each other laugh:


Katina is super-photojenic:



A bold run through the fountain:








Finally we ended up at a fun wine bistro for some drinks and dinner:



Thanks for the fun night Robert & Katina! Looking forward to your wedding!

Shane & Tatum's Engagement Shoot

Tonight I shot Shane and Tatum's engagment photos. They are getting married in September at Trilogy at Vistancia out in Peoria and we actually did there engagement shoot there as well. Usually I don't do that since we will be shooting there for the wedding, but it was a great opportunity to get out there and scope out the place before the wedding. Plus there are so many beautiful spots to shoot.

Shane and Tatum have an amazing story of how they met when they were in high school, dated for awhile and then went their separate way for years before connecting again. While they were disconnected, they actually both watched the movie, "The Notebook" --which I love--and thought of each other. I guess it was meant to be!

This was another fun shoot--Shane and Tatum are naturals with each other and in front of the camera. We got some great shots. Here are a few of my favorites:







I guess there's a bit of a theme with flowers. But there were so many beautiful ones and everywhere we would turn there was color.



These next three were all in the same spot but I couldn't narrow them down to the one I like best. Feel free to let me know which one you prefer:

#1

#2

#3

The ring:





Thanks Tatum & Shane! I had a blast hanging out with you guys and can't wait for the wedding!

Greg & Shannon's Engagement Shoot

Today I took a day trip up north to Jerome and Prescott with my friends Shannon & Greg. Shannon has been a close friend for over 10 years and a roommate for part of that time. And she and Greg are getting married in August! I'm really excited for them. They are perfect for each other and kept me entertained all day with their plethera of "Friends" quotes that they rattle off whenever appropriate.

It was really fun shooting in the town of Jerome. There's SO many cool places there--everything is old and quaint and the town is built into the side of a mountain.

First we started out having lunch in this cute cafe:


Then we just walked around the town and had fun shooting:



Greg has some interesting poses he tried out for me. I guess he felt free to be his goofy self:




Shannon is gorgeous. Not sure how Greg scored her. But well done Greg :). She has beautiful hair and coloring and I love her smile and cheek bones. She looked great in every photo but I thought these next two were amazing:







Jerome was full of color. I love this orange VW van:






Then we moved on to Prescott and ended up just shooting a little there before finding this great Pizza place where we ate dinner. Here's a few of my faves from our time in Prescott:




What a fun day! Love you guys!

Clay & Rhonda's Engagement Shoot

So today is the day before Clay & Rhonda's wedding. It's a little crazy. But we made time today to do a very short late engagement shoot. It was fun shooting out here in the South Carolina countryside--such different scenery than Arizona's. Here's some of my favorite shots I got.







Clay kept kissing Rhonda on the nose--it was cute.




I can't believe the wedding is tomorrow!!

Melanie & Eric's Engagement Shoot

Melanie and Eric are getting married in May in Sedona and today I shot their engagement photos! It was fun to finally meet Eric and get to know them as a couple. They are both really smart, kind people and we had a fun time together. We shot in Papago park and I think it was the most adventurous engagement shoot I've done. We hiked up the mountain and I even slipped and fell on my butt once but I saved the camera which is the most important thing :).

The Papago moutains are so unique looking:



Melanie and Eric are really sweet together.









And check out how GORGEOUS Melanie is. She looks like a model here:









Can't wait for your wedding in a few months guys! And thanks for introducing me to Thai Lahna--that was yum-meeee.

Josh & Molly's Guest Book

I'm cutting it close again!

I wanted to share with you the fun design of a custom guest book that we recently finished. Josh and Molly are getting married in April and I shot their engagement shoot about a month ago. They are a great couple.

This custom guest book is a great product that we offer. We use 30-40 of the couples' favorite photos from their engagement shoot and design a guest book that they can use at their wedding. So the pages are designed with plenty of open space for their wedding guests to write personal notes to them. This has been a favorite product of my clients recently and it's easy to see why. It makes the guest book something to be cherished -- not just a book of names to be filed away in a closet somewhere. This is a great book to display on your coffee table and read through occasionally.

Click here to see the design of Josh and Molly's book. Keep in mind that the finished book is 11x8 inches in size.

Julie & Rob's Engagement Shoot

Monday night I got to spend some time with a fun couple - Julie and Rob - and shoot their engagement shoot at the Hyatt Regency at Gainey Ranch. Rob is a pilot for Delta and Julie is a flight attendant and they have such a great story of how they met while they were flying to Europe. Between the two of them they have 4 boys and they are getting married in June in Sedona. After spending time with them, I'm even more excited for their wedding.

Rob was a little nervous to begin with (many people are since it's not a regular occurence getting your photos taken) but he ended up having fun with it. He and Julie are SO sweet together and even kind of goofy at times :). Here's some of my favorites from our shoot:












Thanks for a fun evening guys! I'm looking forward to June!

Josh & Molly's Engagement Shoot

Tonight I shot Josh & Molly's engagement photos. They are getting married in April and I'm really excited to be shooting their wedding. They both graduated from my alma mater - Azusa Pacific University. They're a little younger than me so we weren't there at the same time, but it's been fun to talk about our experiences and people that we all know.

Anyhow, it was a great day for a shoot. We walked around Scottsdale Civic Center and Old Town Scottsdale. Here's some of my favorite shots:


Everybody wants a shot in front of the "LOVE" sculpture.





There are so many sculptures and statues around the Civic Center area and we were talking about how cheesey it is when people on vacation always seem to pick random statues to take pictures in front of. There are so many better spots. So when we saw this statue we jokingly decided to take a photo with it. Here's Josh and Molly with their cowboy friend:







Thanks for the fun afternoon guys! I'm excited to see you again in a few short months!

Kevin & Marissa's Engagement Shoot

Yesterday I shot Kevin & Marissa's engagement photos at Freestone park in Gilbert. I felt like I was shooting for a magazine with how gorgeous and comfortable in front of the camera this couple is. Their wedding is next November and I'm so excited to be a part of it.

Kevin & Marissa brought their adorable Yorkshire Terrier, Lola, along for part of the shoot. I couldn't stop smiling and laughing at how cute she was. It was all I could do to keep shooting and not stop and cuddle her.





Here's some more of my favorites of Marissa & Kevin. I love how the colors turned out. I don't really think of Arizona as having Fall colors but they showed up in these photos:


I love this tree. Again--great colors:




Gotta love the bridge shot:



Check out the ring:




SUCH a cute couple! Thanks for a great shoot guys--can't wait for your wedding!

Alex & Ryan's Engagement shoot

Last weekend I shot Alex & Ryan's engagement photos. I got a little behind with blogging and most everything this week with Thanksgiving and then catching a cold. But I had so much fun with them! I'm excited to finally share these with you. Alex and Ryan are such a cute couple and so laid back and fun to be around. They are getting married in May and after shooting their engagement photos, I'm really looking forward to the wedding!

We shot at the Scottsdale Civic Center. When we got there we found that the