Our Cup of Tea: Boudoir Portraits

Very flattering, super excited!

America’s Best Wedding Photographers –The Unofficial Guide

An Orlando Wedding - Taira & Joey - December 18th, 2010

How do I begin to do justice to one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever had the opportunity to photograph and, on top of that, getting to photograph one of my very best friends in the world.  I've known Taira now for 10 years.  She's one of the most loving wonderful people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.  You can see where she gets it too.  Her mom, dad, sis are all just the sweetest, most honest, loving people.  At the rehursal dinner her momma sent me a note on a napkin to where I was sitting that said, "I'm sorry you have you sit way down there, just know we love you and are so glad you're here."  You can't beat that.  I can't say how thankful and blessed I feel to be a part of their wedding and their lives.  So I was super excited to meet Joey and I have to say, he's an awesome, humble gentleman.  Taira did well & Joey's a lucky guy!  


I woke up the morning of the wedding thinking, ok, this is it, this is the wedding that gets rained out.  Pouring, dark, clouds, not good.  When I got to the ceremony location at The Courtyard at Lake Lucerne.  I had an umbrella out over my camera, walking around the place, doing my best to figure out where I was going to do some creative shooting.  You can see in a few of the photos of the guys I got some great reflections from all the puddles on the ground.  Even Taira's bridesmaids surprised her with some nice blue galoshes to take the edge off her rainy wedding.  Then, all the sudden, the sun came out, smiles came out (even though Taira was a great sport the entire time), and the wedding happened outdoors as planned!


And I'd like to point out that I told everyone not to worry, I never get rained out.  Yeah maybe that's being a bit over confident.  But don't you want your photographer to be confident?  I would.


It was a beautiful southern wedding.  Amazing.  I could go on and on, but, I think the photos speak for themselves.  Thank you Taira & Joey for letting me be a part of your wedding!

Dominican Republic

Its about to begin.  Wish us luck.

WPPI and KHP Photography Classes!

It's that special time of year again!

WPPI is the most important event Kevin and I attend each year. It's an opportunity to shop for the latest photography products, search for new vendors, gather new ideas for our business, speak to top industry professionals, and most importantly, take classes!

Education is CRUCIAL for both the aspiring photographer and the established business. There is nothing more important than staying ahead of the curve and implementing new ideas to keep your studio/business full of fresh ideas and life. Last year, Kevin and I filled pages of notes with new ideas for our business and had many over-excited conversations about all of the changes we wanted to make. This year, we can't wait to hear some of our photography heroes speak, including Jose Villa, Beth Forester, Tamara Lackey, and Jonathan Canlas. Yay!!!

After WPPI 2010, we restructured the way we did everything, from booking new clients, structuring our pricing, designing albums and products, to implementing new post-processing techniques. Since last year we have doubled our clientele, more than tripled our photography income, and gained three new sponsors. We booked more of the fun and exciting jobs we wanted, and could afford to upgrade and update our equipment. We traveled more, met more people, and overall improved everything about our business!

With WPPI 2011 in 10 days, we're compiling lists of everything that isn't working for us right now and will have our eyes wide open for positive changes! Education is Everything!!!

On that note...

3 days after WPPI Kevin and I are introducing our very own educational class,
True Emotion Photography 11 -- Zion Retreat!

We have a couple of spots still open for any photographer who is ready to take their business to the next level, or who just wants good information on their camera, shooting, post-processing and excellent business advice. We only have a couple of spots left for our exciting three day class in Zion National Park, accommodations included, so check out the flier below and book now!!!

Dance Photoshoot -- DDC and Kidz on Stage

Dance, dance, dance!!!

Let us introduce the most wickedly fierce dance studio in our St. George area:

Dixie Dance Conservatory and Kidz on Stage

Not only is Dixie Dance Conservatory our favorite dance studio in Southern Utah (Lux and Katie attend classes), it is also bursting with talented and athletic teachers. We had the chance of photographing the amazing faculty this last week, led by owner and head teacher Maria Vaccaro Bithell. If you are looking for a studio to take your kiddos, or are interested in adult lessons in everything from hip-hop, tap, jazz and ballet, to break dance, lyrical, theater, and modern dance-- you really should check out DDC and Kidz on Stage.
They're incredible!

www.dancestgeorge.com

These are some favorites from our shoot here in St. George.

Katie's Favorite Photographs from 2010

Okay, just to repeat what Kevin said about this post: These are my favorites, not necessarily what I think is our best work of the year. Some of these, you just had to be there. Some of these I actually wasn't there for, but after looking through hundreds of photos you begin to develop feelings for people you haven't ever met, like couples Kevin shot this year that I fell in love with. So, these are my favorites from 2010.

They are not posted in order of favorites, but at the very bottom, I've posted my ultimate favorite photograph of the year.

Enjoy!

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Chris & Shanna: Tulum, Mexico -- Photographed by Kevin. Shanna's short dress and bare feet accentuate the color and simplicity of this shot. Love the blue and the look on Chris's face -- he adored that girl.

Michael & Michelle: San Diego, California -- Photographed by Kevin. Lovely couple, freaking gorgeous wedding overlooking the ballpark in a skybox. I was just off to the left, balancing the soft box between rows of guests and a 30-story drop. Love this shot.

Jen & Seth: Springdale, Utah -- Photographed by Katie. Their wedding was bright, colorful, fresh, and any other adjective you can think of that represents how these photographs feel. Jen's wildflower bouquet is possibly my favorite of the year.

Laura & Samuel: Seattle, Washington -- Photographed by Kevin. After the ceremony, Laura changed into her traditional Korean wedding dress, and this photo of her mother helping her creates such a wonderful feeling.

Christie & Dan: Porto Cima, Missouri -- Photographed by Katie

This is one I'm submitting to print competitions. Love Christie's smile and gorgeous gown.

Nickie & Chris: 7 Springs Winery, Missouri -- Photographed by Katie. Nickie's shoes were FABULOUS (and will be appearing on my shoe fetish post soon to come) and made the list because of the "I Do" and the cherries that littered the curb where I set up this shot. I also love this shot of the couple because the sunlight perfectly reflects their bright, sun-sparkly wedding.

Natalie & Brad: Silverstone, Las Vegas -- Photographed by Kevin. I've never met this beautiful girl, but I fell in love after seeing multiple photos like this closeup. The bridal below it is simply amazing -- another of our print competition entries for the year.

Jenna & Edward: Destin Florida -- Photographed by Kevin. One of my favorite shots of the year because you only get to guess the look in Mom's eyes while she looked at her daughter in her wedding dress for the first time.

Helen & Gene: Paris, France -- Photographed by Kevin. Favorite ring shot EVER and most brilliantly wonderful, Eiffel Tower spinning shot. Kev took loads of stunning pictures in front of the tower but this one makes my heart happy. Well done Kev.

Erika & Tyler: Casa De Loco, Missouri -- Photographed by Katie. The simplicity and calm of this wedding's design was breathtaking. And the cupcakes tasted as good as they looked :)

And my favorite shot is....

Drumroll please...

It's a tie!

#1 Favorite: Megan & Todd: Destin, Florida -- Photographed by... not sure who took this one. I love it for many reasons, but here are the main ones: 1. Megan was SO beautiful, SO happy, SO in love with her Todd, that she sparkled more brightly than any other bride this year (in my opinion). 2. Two of these little flower girls are my very own Lux and Hazel (Megan is Kevin's sister). So I'm biased. So what. 3. Megan has the kindest heart--she actually spent the morning of her wedding at a marina for kiddie birthday party she hosted for Hazel and her new daughter Sloan. She is actually late getting ready for her wedding here, because of this birthday party. Oh, and the marina people got her party instructions all wrong. Also, her outdoor ceremony and reception venue was closed due to thunder storms. But is she upset about it? No. I love this shot because her smile is genuine amidst multiple reasons many brides would freak out. And because she loves her nieces wholeheartedly, which shows in this shot.

What a girl -- Love you Meg.

#2 Favorite: You already met Chris and Shanna at the top of this post, but this wins the spot for favorite of the year because of this: These early morning bridals began at 5:00 a.m. on the wedding day, when the mosquitoes were awake but everyone else was sleeping (wedding party had a late night drinking). Shanna, in her beautiful simplicity, came out with simple hair, no makeup, and her calf-length dress holding Chris's hand. Throughout the shoot, Chris carried Shanna's veil, lights, and reflectors, he swatted mosquitoes off of Shanna's body, he held our flashes, he picked up and actually placed Shanna in all the weird spots Kevin and I wanted her to stand -- helping however he could. He was probably only paces away from her at any given time. There is something so special and wonderful about that morning, and this couple in general. Kevin snapped this shot after Chris gave Shanna a reassuring kiss -- bridal sessions can be rough! This photo represents what I love about photography: meeting new people, being privy to watching hearts on sleeves, photographing stolen moments, and watching the sun come up with my own sweetheart. Love, love, love this shot.

Tell me which is your favorite! And Happy 2011!!!