Matt & Kaibee shred the snow!

Matt and our friends Erin-Kate and Sean hiked up Snowbowl on Tuesday and boarded down. They said the powder was waist deep. Check out our super GNARLY dog!! I'll resize these images later... had to post!!!

Joey & Stephen's slideshow link

posted Joey & Stephen's slideshow

e-session | Brandy & Grady & Dom...

Dom Perringom that is! These two were crazy about champagne. Quick--er- long--interlude story...So as a good photojournalist I arrived in the "area" of my photo shoot about an hour and a half early... YES! Just enough time to hit the In and Out Burger. One burger (animal style), fries and a strawberry milkshake later, I roll north back to Carefree, AZ (north.... NORTH Scottsdale) to discover the location we'll be shooting at. Mind you I left enough time to arrive about 20 minutes prior to our appointment for scouting purposes. Here's where I remind myself NEVER EVER fully trust the directions you get from (1) a newspaper reporter or (2 )from Mapquest. Always consult a real map. So anyway, I was in my awesome paid-off AWD Subaru wagon zipping along some dirt road in the desert that map quest told me to take. Unlike back country Georgia, there was a sign... so I'm zipping around thinking "holy smokes" this is gorgeous country. Picture the desert before the strip malls, the cookie cutter houses, think Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesin West circa 1940. THIS is where I was. Ah! The old West... huge cactus, jackrabbits, tumbleweeds and gorgeous views without even the slightest hint of a green golf course or Target-Greatland. But wait, I was looking for said "golf club" and realized that now I was 10 minutes into this dirt-road-desert-bliss-mode and 7 minutes from our appointment. So what does an adventure gal like me do? Well, I got to the highest dirt mound I could find and spotted said club in the distance and I took a right on a rambling dirt road to get there. Certainly, one of these roads will get me close, right? WRONG. Needless to say, I had to backtrack through my beloved desert-side and go one more street down the main road to find a paved road to my destination (incidentially, I cannot COUNT the number of times this happened on assignment for the newspaper) Taking paved roads was not as romantic and fun, but alas it got me there... and only 5 minutes late to boot. Awaiting me was the very friendly Grady and radiant Brandy and a great bottle of Champagne. I was liking these folks already. Clients: take notes, bring a bottle of anything to loosen you up, it makes you look happier :) But also, don't try to pry a Champagne bottle out of this couple's vice grip. They are not kidding about their bubbly! Gorgeous club, fun couple! I can't wait to shoot their intimate wedding next Thursday and reception on Saturday. Enjoy these images.
P.S. Grady & Brandy live in California, and choose to do the e-session close to the wedding date, but normally I shoot e-sessions closer to the engagement...

location: The Golf Club Scottsdale

Joey & Stephen | L'Auberge de Sedona

"I'm getting married, and I'm going to be the flower girl and I love Stephen and I'm getting married with Joey and Stephen and I'm going to throw all the petals..." Hope was filled with contagious enthuasium the moments before her Aunt Joey's wedding. These are the days that I love my job as I did on October 13, 2007. From the moment I met the creative, beautiful and gracious Joanna, I knew I HAD to shoot this wedding. Joey, as she prefers to be called, pulled off a themed event, which is never easy to do, especially without a coordinator. Her event boasted a vintage travel theme, the place "cards" where handmade paper airplanes, the gift table held an "antiqued" trunk, the tables were named after famous vintage hotels of the world, complete with their insignias and a mini paper trunk of your own sitting atop vintage stamps from around the world. Slideshow!

venue: L'Auberge de Sedona : creekside lodge
cake: Sedona Cake Couture
dress: Monique Lhuillier : Destiny's Bride
flowers/lighting: Showstoppers events
makeup: Donna Shoemaker Makeup

fa la la la la

Matt putting decor on the tree...ha ha snuck up on him. We actually decorated before Dec. 20th this year. I think it's our reward for staying home over Thanksgiving :)

new blog header and 2008 goals...

I finally tackled the new and improved blog header. PHEW. Thanks to Sergio for helping me with the pixel dimensions. Someday I'll get a new blog-a-licious with fancy features, but for now this budget blog (read FREE) is working just fabulous. I just got inspired by a post on Jessica Claire's blog... she is keeping a list of 101 things that she's going to accomplish in 1001 days. I would like to do some goal setting myself. So I vow to make this a list like hers and post it to keep me on track. Should I set a goal for writing this list.... ha ha... Okay I'll post it by next Sunday evening 11/11.

Studio with Ruth & Rebeca

First, thanks to John Running for letting me use his downtown studio. I had the idea that it might be nice to make a portrait of the Hays girls in the studio. I really love some of Mary Ellen Mark's twin's work. While I didn't spend too much time trying to get shot exactly like hers, I did do a straight on MEM style photo. There are many many more. For those of you anxiously awaiting these images and the Quinceanera images, check out the slideshow here.

Shoot To Tell | Workshop

I am teaching a workshop next Saturday November 10 at the Flagtstaff Photography Center in downtown Flagstaff.

Featured on theknot.com

One of my 2006 weddings was chosen as a real wedding on theknot.com - click on "in your area" then "Phoenix, AZ" or click here. Congrats to Colleen and Frank for planning such a picture perfect wedding. See my slideshow of this wedding here.

Michele & Seth | Amara Resort | Sedona, AZ

Why do Jewish weddings always make me cry? I think it's because the ceremonies are done with such awareness, family participation and LOVE. Michele and Seth's was no exception and their Rabbi, who just relocated to Sedona, is fabulous because nothing phases her and everything pleases her. I had to hold back the tears. It truly was a joy to shoot this wedding at the beautiful Amara Resort on Oct. 7, 2007. Best wishes to Seth and Michele! (slideshow to post next week in this spot).

location: Amara Resort
Flowers: Bliss Extraordinary Floral
Makeup: Donna Shoemaker