Carol + Steve | Wedding *sneak peak* | Hart Prairie, Flagstaff, AZ |

Carol and Steve have been together for 13 years and you can tell! Loving laughter, and an uncanny understanding of one another are some of this couple's qualities. They tell me their wedding was inspired by my own event, and I will admit, it was similar and even a little strange to be out there at the same time and place as our wedding two years ago. Personally, I think they improved upon a good thing :) The weather was perfect and the light was incredible. I really enjoyed our portrait session and haven't gotten photos like these before (ironically at my own event, I didn't know about this hidden valley behind the Aspens). I adore this iconic wedding image. Full post later, when I catch up on June weddings. I am just about done with June 6 &7 so stay tuned.

Camping in Hart Prairie | Flagstaff

It seems a tradition that each year we go out to the spot where we got married here in Flagstaff at Hart Prairie and camp out. This year we brought out the vans. D.Kish brought her gimpy arm (went boom boom on a climbing photo shoot) and Benson, Gomez and Erin-Kate brought their Westy (theirs is pretty sweet) and we brought the red stripe (our van). Have I mentioned that Matt is OBSESSED with the GoWesty.com site? He has given up (for now) his sports car addition and traded it for VW vanagon obsession. If Go Westy got a dime for every click Matt clicks on that site, they'd be RICH. Keep in mind an average GoWesty Vanagon costs like $45,000. Yes, I know. I know. Anyway, Owen was chillin' in his bear costume coupled with a cute ears hat that our friend Anne made for him. We hope Anne will make him another one as he outgrows this one and maybe a matching one for Mommy.

Donielle & Brett | Sneak Peak | Seven Canyons | Sedona, AZ

June 21, Donielle & Brett were married at Seven Canyons, which is a glorious private residence golf club in Sedona, AZ. It boasts incredible views of red rocks without actually hiking or driving into the desert. It was a gorgeous backdrop for a wedding, but rare, since you have to be a member or owner to have a wedding event there. This first image was inspired by a LIFE magazine photo shoot by Howell Conant. I saw this curtain at Donielle's villa and really wanted to try using it.

Sneak Peak: Meghan & Mike

Um, hello happy accident! I was actually trying to set this shot up with my pocket wizards, which somehow got switched to the wrong channel moments before I clicked the shutter... BUT how about a little neighborly flash? I caught the flash of an innocent by-standard, which saved the day.

Then, after the wedding, we borrowed Flagstaff Fire Engine #1 and proceeded downtown...does it get cuter than this? There are so many more... but you will have to check back to see them!

F 4.5 at 1/30 at ISO 400 | Canon Mark II 1d

Nikki & Randy | Sedona slideshow

Nikki & Randy's slideshow is ready. Click here to view...

Elissa & Matt's Wedding | L'Auberge de Sedona

Family and friends flew into Arizona for Elissa & Matt's destination wedding at L'Auberge de Sedona On May 7, 2008. Their wedding included an elegant hillside ceremony followed by a creekside reception. Practically all Elissa's friends at the wedding had known her for 20+ years. As someone said during the toasting, this reveals loyalty and lifelong friendships that are rare in our lives today. As a jellybean fanatic, I loved the little jars of jellybeans that they used for table seating. Everyone ate outside enveloped by the warm summer air of Sedona.

Cake: Sedona Cake Couture
Location: L'Auberge de Sedona
Flowers: Bliss Floral

Maureen & Scott Wedding | Arizona Snow Bowl | Flagstaff, AZ

Ahhh local Flagstaff weddings in June... it seems I am finally shooting more locally and as I always say, it's nice to work in my own backyard. Maureen and Scott were laid back and "down-to-the-fun" couple. They we SO excited to be married and they are cuddled up in nearly every photo. Love was definitely in the air. One of my favorite details was Maureen's something blue, which was a pair of Chaco sandles. It doesn't get more FLAG than that!

side note: I am going to post weddings as soon as possible to get some photos online and then add the slideshows later. Give me two weeks to figure out how to edit 3,000 images a week AND take care of a newborn. No worries. It's all about the nap times and Daddy is off work for summer!

Juggling Mommyhood and my career

So I have just about the perfect job to be a Mom and still maintain my career. This is mainly because I do 85% of my work at home. In 2008, I took on less work (about half the normal amount) so that I could hang out with Owen as much as possible. I think keeping my business is going to protect my sanity in the long run, at least that is the plan (plus I like to be busy). Everything seems to be going well, with one exception: dun dun daaa "The Bottle Chronicles." Sometimes, as you can imagine, things don't go exactly as planned with a baby. For example, Owen won't take a bottle. This doesn't seem to be that big of a problem until you realize that I work 12-hour wedding days AND I am his only food source. If you've ever seen me shoot a wedding you know that I rarely sit down, much less take a 15 minute break, but this summer is different. My little Owen needs to eat every 3-4 hours and I have to feed him. So we did a trial run this past weekend with 100% success. Matt drove his *new* 1984 Westfalia camper van (I'd hardly call it new) to both events and brought Owen to me for nursing sessions. Luckily, my husband is a trooper and my clients are too. Matt even crossed Oak Creek 3 times on Saturday to bring Owen to me for his lunch, dinner and pre-bedtime snack. Mommy and Daddy didn't get all that much sleep in the lovely camper pop-top, but it was fun never-the-less. Photo by Jake Bacon. Camper photos coming soon...

Three Little Ladies

It's summer in Flagstaff and it's a great time for kids portraits. I just love these three little girls: Piccadilly, Britannia and Emerald. I photographed them the very last day in May.