It has been a pleasure gracing a circle of friends the past few years. Although we met Mandi and Goose awhile back at previous weddings we have shot, it was now their turn to tie the knot! We love Mandi and Goose, including all their fun and hilarous friends! The day started off with meeting the girls at Yuma Insurance to capture their make-up/hanging out shots. Not only were all of these gals gorgeous, but fun to be around. It was then off to shoot the guys downtown in Yuma’s perfect winter weather. Again, it was so much fun gathering a hilarious group of guys to capture some awesome group shots but also “candid” moments. We then headed back to the girls to get the most important – getting ready shots! The gals were beautifully dressed in black dresses with accents of fuchsia pinks and purple. Mandi dolled a beautiful number accented with fuchsia ribbon tied around her waist. She looked absolutely stunning! We then headed downtown for the girl’s group shots then off to the Quechan Casino and Resort for the Ceremony and Reception. Wedding Planner, Lacey Fugate, did a fabulous job with the event! The attention to detail was incredible! Not only was she quite creative, but so was the groom, who created the couple’s own “Video Booth” for the wedding! We’d love to see what went on in there! Everything came together perfectly, including the cake, which was done by Susie King at Piece of Cake. She did a wonderful job! Also, if you need a florist that WOWS, go to Fortuna Florist. Her arrangements are absolutely amazing! It’s safe to say that Mandi and Goose’s day was one big party. We want to give a big shout out to everyone at the special event that we have had the pleasure of working with before. You all have not only allowed us to be apart of some of the most special times in your life but have also enabled us to do what we love! Congratulations Mandi and Goose!

DJ- Sound Spectrum

Church- Saint Anthony’s Church

Reception Location- Quechan Casino & Resort in Yuma, AZ

Hair- Beauty Bar in El, Centro

Limo- Princess Limousines located in Yuma, AZ

We had the opportunity of shooting one of the most unique weddings we’ve seen yet, Jillian and Justin at Jolly Farms! Envision this: a farm surrounded by mountains, a “venue” made of haystacks, shabby chic decor, touches of draped low lit lights, deep red silk fabrics, an actual “bar” area that could be mistaken as a real bar, and a flower girl in cowgirl boots! It was a true country wedding enwrapped with class and elegance! We especially LOVED the farming equipment and classic cars laid throughout the site which made perfect for pictures! The day started off with shooting the guys down on the farm. Of coarse we couldn’t miss taking pictures with Jillian’s Dad’s collection of antique and classic cars! We then headed to one of the houses to get shots of Jillian and her girls getting ready. Jillian looked absolutely amazing in her big, gorgeous dress with red heels! We had so much fun shooting her by the white picket fence and again…classic car! It was then off to shoot the ceremony which had a beautiful backdrop of the mountains. As the sun set, we had so much fun finishing out the rest of the bridal party pictures and Romantics of the bride and groom. We want to thank all of Jillian and Justin’s family and friends who were incredibly sweet and a blast to hang out with! Congratulations Jillian and Justin!

The photographs will also allow you to temporally “relive” your experience. You may have heard of “sense memory”. Certain stimuli, such as sight, sound, touch, taste or smell can trigger memories. When certain stimuli are transmitted through the brain, past memories can be “relived”. Say, when you smell the scent of your favorite cookie that Mom used to make baking in the oven, it triggers a memory. Or when you hear your favorite song when you where in High School you momentarily relive an event during that time. The same response happens when you look at a photo. How incredible would it be to look back at your pictures one day when your daughter or son is a Mom or Dad, or perhaps, a Grandparent?

You might ask when the most appropriate time is to take these types of pictures. Generally, an expecting Mother would want to schedule a Maternity session during the late second to third trimester. It’s important to make sure that you still feel comfortable enough to enjoy the session but also to ensure that the belly is prominent enough to photograph. Don’t procrastinate in scheduling with a photographer because you will want plenty of time to plan in order to get the best out of your session. It should be a fun and memorable time!

While a baby is considered a newborn for the first 2 weeks the best time to schedule a session is within the first 10 days after birth. This is when the newborn will be the most flexibly and moldable, allowing the photography to place the newborn in creative poses that you cannot achieve after 2 weeks.

If you’re an expecting Mother, or plan on becoming one, take the time today to consider booking a session with a photographer. We can guarantee you’ll be one happy Mother years down the road!

It is now time to move on to 2012. However, we wanted to look back at what was accomplished and documented in 2011.  Below, each image contains a small caption in order to give more insight and hopefully communicate a better understanding and emotion of the picture.  There will also be technical numbers and information included so you can see exactly how we shot it. The latter portion is intended for those with a basic understanding of photography.

This is my ultimate favorite shot. The mirror not showing their complete face gives it a unique look.  The front facia of the Thunderbird and the reflection of the couple on the car hood complements the picture. 1/60 f2.5 ISO800 35mm prime- 1-sb-800
Stevie and Deidre are friends of ours who opted for an Engagement shoot in San Diego, California.  The first location we went to was Point Loma, CA. This image is absolutely breath-taking, a beautiful silhouette shot overlooking the Pacific Ocean! 1/3200 f/2.8 ISO 100 80mm Natural Light.Tarah shot this picture and I love it. It shows the first time she looked in the mirror with her dress on. What a beautiful moment. 1/50 f3.8 ISO 640 18mm Natural Light.We shoot thousands of pictures every wedding. We are always looking for those emotional moments and we caught this. The Father gives his daughter the blessing to get married as the Mother emotionally looks on. 1/200 f/1.8 ISO 640 35mm Natural Light
A shot like this with the bridal party walking down the street is pretty normal for us to do. There are a few things added to this picture in particular though. The sun flaring through the kiss and the shadows the people create is what makes this picture fun and creative. 1/640 f3.5 ISO 125 18mm Natural Light.Love this shot because it shows “them” and plus they both are amazing.  1/160 f/13 ISO 100 18mm 1-SB-800 Flash Magazine style – say, Cosmo-girl picture here. Tarah again took this shot and you really don’t know who it is, but you can image and see (if you’re a female) yourself in this same place. 1/125 f/1.6 ISO 800 85mm Natural LightI love this picture of our bride Cecilla.  The blowing of the kiss, the flowers and background colors all work together to compliment each other. 1/400 f/4.5 ISO 320 18mm Natural lightWe love to shoot in San Diego, California! Not only because it’s beautiful, but mostly because it gives us an opportunity to receive shots like this.  Mission Beach, CA was the location for this engagement session.  The colors were amazing. I love the way they are looking at each other and how the irregular sized pillars leads into the couple. 1/160 f/2.8 ISO 100 80mm 1-SB-800Goose and Mandi are another couple that is tying the knot in early 2012. What fun they were to photograph!  The colors of the background compliments the couple and the picture and although a traditional pose, it has a little creative feel to it. 1/1000 f2.0 ISO 500 85mm 1-SB-800
We shot this at Castle Dome Historical Mining Camp.  I know lots of pictures are taken here but I’ve never seen an engagement session shot here. We like new places especially because Yuma is relatively small and we shoot a lot so we are always trying to find new locations.  This was shot by using a reflection of a mirror. If I remember correctly, I was right next to them just outside the frame of the mirror.  1/80 f/5 ISO 400 18mm 1-SB-800I thought this shot was pretty interesting and creative. We took a regular mirror bought from Walmart for about $15. The bride, Gracie, had 3 bridesmaids so it was pretty easy to get them all in the reflection of the mirror.  1/125 f-2.0 ISO 100 50mm Natural Light.
This shot was Tarah’s idea and was the first shoot we had in our new studio! The black background was actually our freshly painted wall which worked out fantastically. We basically took some see through pink fabric and lit her up with 2 Norman studio lights.  I wanted an emotional feel to this shot so thats why we chose to light it in this way.  1/160 f2.8 ISO 100 50mm

A very simple shot, but I absolutely love it!  I remember this was a extremely hot day and the guys were very easy going about it by having fun poking jokes at each other. They made the best of it and never complained once! It was such a great time with them. 1/2500 f/3.8 ISO 125 22mm Natural Light

We went to one of mentor’s seminars this year (Henry Chen) and one of things that he taught us was to be aware of our surroundings and to look for stuff like mirrors. Well, in this particular reception at Julianna’s Cafe, they had a whole bunch of mirrors up so we took advantage of that and shot a pretty interesting picture.  1/200 f/1.6 ISO 2500 85mm Prime 1-SB-800 Flash.
This bunch of guys were crazy! Actually right after this shot, the two up front ended on the floor fighting for the garter. We love shooting the garter and bouquet toss!  1/50 f/3.5 ISO 1600 18mm 1-SB800 flash
This one is quite special to us.  This is Vince’s brother who just graduated United States Marine Corps bootcamp. We shot his Senior pictures over the summer in Sarasota, Florida. It’s always nice to get out of town and have something to take pictures of and it’s even better when its your own family!  1/250 f/1.8 ISO 250 35mm 2-SB-800′s one for separation light and 1 for main.

This shot helps to illustrate how Tarah and I work together. Tarah is holding a wireless flash behind Alyson and Tim while I am shooting with a 85mm prime lens at f/1.8 1/60 ISO 800 2-Nikon SB-800 Flash Units.

Here Comes The Bride! It was just perfect timing and Vince saw the opportunity to tell a story. Vince carries 2 cameras, usually one with a telephoto and 1 wide angle.  This was obviously shot with the wide angle. 1/1250 f/3.5 ISO 250 18mm Natural LightThis picture shows the emotion of the father as he gives away his daughter… What do you think he’s thinking?  Tech Specs: Natural Light 1/1600 f3.2 ISO-200 80-200mm lens – Quenchen Casino

Church: Calvary Temple of Christ

Reception hall: Civic Center

It was such a pleasure shooting one of our sweetest couples in early December. The day started off with shooting the guys at Fallbrook Photography’s studio, our studio in downtown Yuma. We then headed to the Wyndham Hotel to get some shots of the girls getting ready. The bridesmaids while dressed beautifully in blue while the bride sported a sleek and elegant gown accented with gems. We loved working with Brandee and Jose’s wedding party – everyone was so friendly! The ceremony was held at St. Paul’s cultural center, a very special place to us! The ceremony took place in a historic yet beautiful church, which was graced in soft lighting. Although short on time between the end of the ceremony and beginning of the reception at Arizona Western College Schoening Center, we successfully fit  in family pictures and some fun romantics with the bride and groom. Thanks to Janet Wolfe, the reception set-up as always, took our breath away! The food was amazing, the lighting was perfect, and the crisp, slanted white walls were modern yet classy. We want to thank Brandee and Jose for choosing us to be a part of their special day!

Getting Ready Location - Wyndham Hotel

Church- St. Paul’s cultural center

Reception- Arizona Western College

Planner- Janet Wolfe

November 11th was a very popular wedding day this year and we couldn’t have been more happier than to spend it with one of our favorite couples Stevie and Deidre! The day started of with shooting Stevie’s crazy but fun group of guys in downtown Yuma at Fallbrook Studios. We then headed to the Mother of the Bride, whom we adore, to shoot the girl’s getting ready shots. The bride was breathtaking and elegantly dressed in silky white! We then headed downtown to shoot some fun shots with the girls before we headed to Calvary Temple to shoot the ceremony. The ceremony was absolutely perfect. The reception was graced by crisp weather and intimately set under a white tent with candlelight. The couple’s first dance was well, incredible. It was perfectly clear that these two are in love! Lastly, we can’t forget to mention our PhotoBooth! Some GREAT pictures were taken that night! We had so much fun shooting Stevie and Diedre’s wedding and are so thankful to have been a part of their special day!

Church - Calvary Temple

Photobooth – White Tie Photo Booths

Last weekend we had so much fun shooting Erin’s Maternity Shoot at our new studio set-up downtown! She is such a sweetheart, and so beautiful! It was such a nice relief to do a studio set-up without hauling all of our gear around! We wanted Erin’s Maternity Shoot to be classic yet creative, so we combined traditional with modern. We posed Erin with the Dad to be for some intimate traditional pictures, but also got creative with lighting and used props such a baby blocks, fabrics and ribbon! Thank you Erin, for allowing us to capture such a treasured moment for you!

This couple is a trip. Well, let’s just say, Christine is the comedian of the two while Randal is the chill, laid-back, go with the flow type of person. They are “the” perfect match and both hard workers! During the whole shoot, we couldn’t help but laugh because they were so fun to be around! We are so excited to shoot their wedding in November, which is only 1 weeks away!