Some highlights from Monday’s engagement session with Lisa & Jesus. They are planning their June wedding in Prescott Valley this year. I can’t wait to be there to take their wedding pictures! Too much fun!

Their story is so sweet. Jesus’ cousin is a good friend of Lisa. She went to a party with her friend about 3 years ago and that’s where they met. They’ve been together for just over 3 years. They are very much in love and it’s so nice to see the two of them together.

Mill Avenue in Tempe is so amazing for a photographer. I felt like I could have stayed there all day photographing these two love birds. (at one point, a security officer asked me if I was taking photos of some birds…he couldn’t see Lisa and Jesus…I responded that I was just taking photos of the love birds. He looked and then smiled at them. Sometimes I can come up with great responses on the fly)

Anyway – Here are just a few of the images we were able to capture. Thank you Lisa and Jesus! I had a blast and I’m thrilled to be able to work with you both!

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  • June 20, 2011 - 6:37 pm

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My assignment this week was all about Font Design and Text Art.
I created this….

For me…This tells how much Sisters LOVE each other.

All their smiling faces.

These girls will be Sisters forever.

They will share clothes.

Fight over bathroom time.

Cry with each other over boys.

Hold each other during happy times.

And be there for each other….for the rest of their lives.

Having a sister makes life a little bit easier.

Desiree and Josh were one of the winners from the Bridal Show earlier this year! They won a free engagement session.

These two love birds met while attending NAU. They are planning a Fall Wedding in Flagstaff. And they love Starbursts….When they first met, they were both working a concert event. He offered her Red Starbursts (because everyone loves the red ones) and she kept declining. Finally…after about 6 offers…she said yes to a Starburst. But get this…she likes the yellow ones best! It was all downhill after that. Today is their 3rd anniversary from when they first met (how sweet!!!) What a great day to do Engagement photos!

Thanks Desiree & Josh – I had a blast with you today!

If you haven’t heard of this new and unique idea…then you might be missing out.

Unlike a traditional photobooth – where everyone closes the curtain and you don’t know what’s going on until afterthe pictures come out. The Live photobooth takes PhotoBooth  to a whole new level. Imagine a cute background or backdrop, professional lighting, a photographer, and a high res di-sub printer (don’t worry…it just means its professional quality and not an ink-jet printer)…Now imagine being at a wedding where all this is happening. You get to watch everyone having fun, being crazy, or just standing for a nice photo. You also get to see every one’s finished photos as they pass them around (they print off in about 1 minute). Each guest gets a copy of the photo – even if there are 10 people in the picture!

The Live photobooth is becoming more and more popular. I love being involved with A2Z PhotoBooths. But to be honest – I am married to the owner! Working with Chris as a photographer for the Live PhotoBooth is way too much fun!

What would be your reason for getting a live photobooth at your wedding?

When you started planning your wedding did you know who was supposed to pick the ceremony time? Should it be the venue? Wedding Planner? Or just throw darts and pick something random?

When you have a good photographer – she will help you figure out the best time of day for your wedding ceremony. This will be based on two very important factors:

1st – Sunset time for your wedding day.
2nd – do you plan on doing formal portraits before or after the ceremony.

Sunset times are available online for your area and the day you are getting married. It’s easy to it up and figure it out. The sunset time should only be a concern if you are having an late afternoon/evening wedding. HOWEVER – Late Afternoon/Evening light is the BEST lighting for photographs (2 hours before sunset)! (Either that or first thing when the sun comes up…but I’m not really all that busy with weddings first thing in the morning…I’m not sure why??) A Majority of weddings take place during this “golden hour” (yeah, it’s actually two hours)…But many venues, wedding planners and brides aren’t taking advantage of this amazing lighting. If you’re getting married early in the day at a church and then heading to a reception – that usually leaves plenty of time for photos…just make sure to leave time in between point A and point B.

If you don’t plan on seeing each other before the ceremony (I’ll explain my feelings about this tradition later) – then you need to plan a ceremony early enough to allow for formal portraits after the ceremony while the sun is still up (before sunset). Plean on a good hour with your photographer. This may also mean that the ceremony photos may be a bit bright (depending on your venue/location) and could have significant shadows.

If you decide to do formal portraits prior to the ceremony (my favorite) – then you get the best of both worlds. Your portraits can be taken within the golden (2)  hour window…your ceremony can be closer to sunset…softer lighting and not as many harsh shadows….And you will love your photographer because she can get the most amazing photos of you with that kind of light.

Do you want to spend some quality time together on the wedding day? If so, then you’ll want to do a First Look…When the bride and groom get to see each other for the first time – I love capturing this moment! It is special, intimate, and never to be repeated. Then we wonder off and take some amazing couple & individual portraits. “What about seeing each other before the ceremony…it’s tradition?” I know you may be asking that question. The tradition of not seeing the bride before the ceremony started with arranged marriages (you can look it up if you don’t trust me). Parents didn’t want anyone backing out of the marriage before the ceremony and hence a tradition was born. (wonder why brides cover their faces with veils??  Keep wondering, I don’t know that one). If seeing the bride before the ceremony is bad luck for the marriage…then I wonder at what point that luck will strike for my marriage…We did a photo shoot before the ceremony and I am SO grateful that we did – the rest of the day was crazy, hectic and busy! (I should scan in some wedding pics…you’d get a kick out of them!)

Anyway – choosing the Ceremony Time is up to you. Please don’t let your venue push a pre-arranged time on you & your photographer. The time should be worked out with the advice and feedback of your photographer. Ask her to put together a timeline (I offer a  timeline for all my weddings). Decide if you want Traditional or First Glance portraits.

PS – if you already scheduled your ceremony time – Who came up with the time-frame?
PPS – I’d love to hear any personal stories where the timeline could have been improved??

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