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Here you will find all sorts of things: tips and tricks, book reviews, stories of my adventures, client features, and so much more!
Have You Considered a First Look Session?
It used to be a tradition that brides would participate in a Bridal Session before the wedding. Many would use it as a trial run for their hair and make-up, and to make sure that their dress fit and generally, to see their whole look put together for the first time. Brides would then meet with their photographer to have their bridal portraits taken before the day, so that it was less hectic on the day of the wedding, and to have some special portraits of just her. But, this tradition seems to have fallen off. Today's brides just aren't interested in doing these sessions because they're so crunched for time, or because it just seems like a waste.
What Serving YOU Means to Me
I recently had a conversation with another wedding friendor (a wedding vendor turned friend) about my commitment to customer service- or rather my over-commitment to it. It made me realize that I haven’t publicly shared something about myself and my business that I’ve been hoping y’all would just figure out (and some of you have!!!). What I need to share about myself and my business with y’all is that my commitment to service is not superficial or something that I know I should have because I’m providing a service to you guys. It is an ingrained part of my core being, and something I do, no matter what.
Preparing Your Groom for Your Engagement Portraits
Many men avoid having their picture taken for various reasons. My husband is an expert at dodging my camera. But, most acknowledge and accept that having engagement photos done is necessary, so they begrudgingly agree. There are some things that you can do to help them prepare for your portrait session, though.
What to Wear for Your Engagement Photos
Your engagement photos are the first formal photos that you and your fiancé take as a couple. They say a lot about you as a couple- from the type of setting they're in to what you wear, they help people understand who you are and what you enjoy doing together. That being said, what to wear is a HUGE question, and to help you figure it out there are a few smaller questions to answer first.
Why Engagement Photos are Necessary- And What to do with Them
Engagement photos are the first opportunity that I have to actually work with my couples after you book your wedding with me. And, this occasion is the first chance I get to begin learning about both of you as new friends. For these two reasons alone, I highly encourage all of my couples to do engagement photos, but there are also a few other reasons.
10 Things Your Wedding Photographer Wishes You Knew
There are things we wish we could all tell others about our jobs. But, when you work in a service-based industry, where you work with people who've hired you to do something for them that they can't do for themselves, it's even more prevalent. Following- and in no particular order- are the things I wish I could tell all of my clients, so that they can understand that they're not alone.
Organizing Your Wedding Timeline to Get the Photos You Want
Wedding days are crazy busy. There is so much to do from the time you get up, to the time you (finally) kick off your shoes and fall into bed. But, after all is said and done, your photos will be the one thing that lasts beyond your special day, besides your memories. So, it'd make sense to plan your wedding day around getting the best photos possible, right? Here, I'll explain how to do that.
Upcoming Wedding Trends!
Last Wednesday, I got the opportunity to attend the Perfect Wedding Guide of New Mexico's Wedding MBA Recap Breakfast at Tanoan Country Club in Albuquerque. Not only was the venue gorgeous and the food delicious, but I got to learn about upcoming wedding trends for 2018! So, in no particular order (and borrowing photos from others...) here they are:
A Rustic, Backyard Wedding in Espanola, New Mexico- Gayle and Aaron
Gayle and Aaron were married on July 1st, 2017 in a beautiful backyard ceremony at Gayle's parent's home in Espanola, New Mexico. This amazing family came together to DIY almost everything about their wedding- from the cake and the decor, to the invitations and DJ, it all had something personal about it.
A Prairie Star Wedding- Jenna and Nestor Rios
Jenna and Nestor Rios were married this past Saturday, November 4th, 2017 in a sweet, simple ceremony at Prairie Star Restaurant. Their day was filled with small, meaningful details, such as the charm of Jenna's great-grandparents that she carried down the aisle on her bouquet.
Albuquerque, New Mexico Temple of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints- Kyle and Allison's Sealing!
I had the blessing and pleasure of photographing Allison and Kyle's wedding portraits on Saturday, July 1st, at the Albuquerque, New Mexico Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
10 Wedding Traditions That You Can Completely Skip
Weddings come with a lot of traditions, but some of our modern traditions surrounding weddings and marriage aren't nearly as old as we may think. In fact, some of them are down right recent! Anyway, here's a list of traditions that you can probably skip without anyone really noticing- and if they do, feel free to share this list with them.
7 Reasons You Should Get Engagement Photos
Engagement photos are often seen as one of those things that you can forego if you're trying to save money on your wedding, but there are several excellent reasons that you should go ahead and schedule this portrait session with your chosen photographer:
5 Things That Make Your Wedding Guests Grumpy
I'm sure by now that we've all seen a few episodes of TLC's 'Four Weddings'. We all love to watch as four brides attend each other's weddings over the course of a year, and take notes and judge each other to see who had the best wedding out of the four of them. We watch as they party it up at the reception, complain about the food, judge the current bride's dress, and make notes about how such-and-such just isn't their 'style'. While it can be fun to watch, one thing we can all take away from this show is what makes wedding guests grumpy, and try to avoid these things at our own weddings. So, here is a list of 5 things that wedding guests complain about most:
Why Receiving Lines are so Annoying, but You Should Have One Anyway
If you've ever been to a wedding, you've probably participated in a receiving line. You know. That crazy long line to greet the bride and groom on their special day directly after the ceremony so that you can pay them your respects and give them your well wishes. They're long, irritating, and mostly just annoying. I recently photographed a wedding where the receiving line carried on for over an hour and a half! Anyway, you've probably plotted various ways of ditching this long-time wedding tradition in hopes of not having one on your wedding day. Some of those plans may even involve invisibility cloaks and magic wands...
10 Tips for Letting Go of Your Body Insecurities on Your Wedding Day
This day in age it's easy to look at our physical appearances and only see the things that we'd love to improve- especially when your wedding day is approaching. You know you'll be the center of everyone's attention (as you rightfully should!), and you want to look and feel your best, but it's hard to have that confidence when you're ambushed with 'picture-perfect' models on magazine covers, social media posts, and on T.V. shows. So, how do you let go and enjoy your day?
What is a Wedding Planner, and Why Should You Hire One?
Hey, y'all! I've invited Jessica from Jessica Lynn Weddings & Events to write today's post about what a wedding planner actually does, and why you should hire one. As a photographer, I highly recommend that you at least have a wedding planner at your wedding for day-of coordination services. Oftentimes, I find myself filling in this vital role at weddings, as well as trying to do my own job of photographing your wedding, and it can get a little crazy (okay, a LOT crazy) when I'm trying to fill two very different roles. So, I'm gonna turn the rest of this blog post over to her, and I hope you guys will give her a call for your wedding!
What is the Golden Hour, and Why Should You Care?
Even before I knew that this special time of day had a specific name, it was my favorite part of the day. Simply put, the Golden Hour is the 30 minutes before sunset and the 30 minutes right after sunset each day. This is the time of day when the sun is at an angle to the spot you are at on the Earth. Specifically in New Mexico, it's the time of day when we get all those pretty skies and colors. You know- the pinks and purples and blues that have made our sunsets famous.
How to Get Pinterest-Perfect Wedding Photos, Even With a Tiny Budget
This day in age, just about every couple is looking for wedding inspiration on Pinterest. Even those who are married (me include) have boards of ideas for their perfect wedding. We all see those detail shots that photographers take, and dream about not only having a photo like that, but having whatever detail, action, or moment that the photograph shows at our wedding. So, how do you get those photos at your own wedding?
Los Lunas, NM Wedding Vendor Styled Photo Shoot
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to have the privilege of working with some of the best wedding vendors that can be found in Los Lunas. These amazing small businesses are not only talented, creative, and hard-working, but are also kind and generous. I would like to say thank-you to each of them for their time and their talents to make this photo shoot happen!