So Much Fun!

Today was a blast! I hung out with my Dad, Uncle Tom and Aunt Miki. We drove up to northern Arizona to the Tonto Natural Bridge. It is the largest natural bridge in the world standing at 180 feet tall on the inside it definitely makes you feel tiny.
There is a natural spring that also flows above the bridge and over the side into the creek bed below. It makes for some great photos and helps keep it cool for when its hot up north, like today (90degrees).

So, I was still pretty tired when the came to pick me up this morning and I wasn't thinking because I was only wearing my flip-flops. I realized once I got there that I had totally forgotten my cross trainers. So I had to hike the trail with my wonderfully thin flip-flops. But thank goodness the old trail had been shut down for a little while because it looked pretty treacherous(see pic below).

Here's some pics from today!

The spring water pouring over the edge of the natural bridge.


Uncle Tom check out the surroundings under the bridge.


The ceiling looked so amazing!


Spring water hitting the rocks below.


All of us under the bridge.


The old trail. Thank goodness the new trail was so much easier, especially since I wasn't smart enough to bring real shoes.


My Aunt and Uncle!


Some cattails near in the spring water.


The flowers around the plantation house were really pretty in the summer sun.

Dad's Dancin'!

Ok, so my dad is going to kill me but I thought this was way too funny not to post. I was over at his house last night and we were starting up a DVD and jumping through the previews when the Mission Impossible 2 trailer came on. I told him I wanted to watch it since I hadn't see the film yet. He turned up the volume and then started dancing. It was just too funny not to capture, so I jumped for my camera (always near) and started recording. He thought I was taking stills the whole time, so this will be a nice shock for him! Ha!

Check out the video below.


The cute dog at then end of the video is Louis.

Japan is Back!

My Aunt and Uncle are back again for a few more days so we're going to head to northern Arizona tomorrow. I think we're going to check out Tonto Natural Bridge so I'll be sure to post some of my pictures from the day.

Dinner with Friends

Last night I was invited for dinner at Elizabeth and Billy Dahlberg's home. I had a great time chatting with them at their two girls as some great food was being prepared. I don't get the luxury of a home cooked meal too often so I always make sure to enjoy it as much as possible.

Elizabeth and Billy just launched their awesome new site last week and they are really excited about it, as they should be. The new design is so cool. Check it out here,

And because they don't yet have a photo of themselves on their site I'm going to have to post a photo of all of us.



And we can't forget their mascot, Gen! She was worn out after jumping all over me! ;-P

I Love My Clients!

I don't think I've mentioned enough how much I love all of my clients. My life has changed entirely since I started my photography business and I've loved every moment of it.

I was going to back through some of my emails from this summer and I ran across this one that Brandon had sent me. This email definitely cheered me up and encouraged me.



Thanks Carrie and Brandon! You're engagement session in Cali was awesome and I can't wait for the wedding!

Here's the cute couple!


I've also got some other great recommendations HERE

Kari + Kevin's Album

I'm really excited to show off one of our recent album designs. We've been working hard to get a few of these done recently and I'm really excited about how they are coming out. I'll be posting a couple more soon.

Check out the slideshow here ---> Kari + Kevin's Album

Book Online

I'm going to be out of town for most of September, so I won't be able to meet with couples easily.

So, for those of you interested in booking fast, I now have some quick packages built to speed up the process. You can now view the package information and payment plans by going to http://p3.pictage.com/ and entering JP046 for the Studio ID. No password is required.



If you're ready to book, select the package and enter your wedding date. Then view the payment schedule and click "Contact the Photographer."

As always, you can purchase additional albums and prints at any time.

Child Life Portraits!

I'm starting to shoot children and families. The key is that I want them to be 'Different'. Let me know what you all think!

So, yesterday I went over to a friend's house to take some pictures of their two children, Eden and Eliana. I had a blast just hanging out with the kids. I can't believe how fast they grow up though.

Eden playing his video games.


Eliana in the backyard grass.


Aren't they both so cute.


Eden was puzzled over something.


Comfortable in mom's arms.


If you're interested in some photos of your children, just send me an email.

Check out the slideshow here ---> Child Life Portraits!

In From Japan

I'm so glad that I'm in town because my Aunt and Uncle are visiting from Japan. I don't get to see them often, so I always enjoy the time that they spend here in AZ. I am hoping to book a Japan wedding for next spring though, so I might be able to visit them while I'm out there.

My Uncle Tom has been teaching English in Japan since I can remember.


My Aunt Miki is from Japan and she's an amazing cook. We always ask her to cook something new for us to try. Last night she made a Thai stir fry that was pretty spicy, but tasted incredible!


Here's all of us over at my dad's house.


The guys being goofy as usual.


My dad and uncle.


A little fun with the fisheye lens!

Wedding Chronicle Article

I'm excited because the July/Aug issue of the Wedding Chronicle in Arizona highlighted one of my spring weddings from this year. The wedding was beautiful! Amy and Luke had worked hard on planning the event and it really showed because the day ran so smooth and the only problem was a little wind that knocked down some flower displays, which happily found a home on the grass instead of on a stand.



You can check out the article by Clicking HERE!

Newsletter

I thought I would post the link to my latest newsletter since some of you may not receive it. (I don't know why!)

Check out July's Newsletter.

And make sure to sign up for it at the bottom of the page if you don't get it monthly.

Emily + Anders Wedding

With traveling so often and a number of my couples being from out of Arizona I don't always get to meet with my couples before the engagement session or the wedding day. But a few weeks ago I finally had the chance to meet Emily and Anders when we shot their engagement session. I knew after the session that they were going to be a lot of fun to shoot on the wedding day.

Sure enough! Emily was all smiles yesterday and I can understand why. Anders is such a stud.

I had a blast spending the entire day with them and their family and friends.

Emily and Anders's first meeting on the wedding day.


On the way to Seattle Espresso for a cup of joe.


Out on their Mini-Date to the coffee shop with the bridal party.


I love how unique these images are. Who ever said you needed a park to shoot in?


This is probably my favorite of the day. It just tells their story...his arm on her while she's smiling nice and wide.


This is their nephew Kiefer. He was so cute in his tux!


Husband and Wife...finally!

Check out the slideshow here ---> Emily + Anders Wedding

New Video

I just thought I would let all of you blog readers know that I just posted a new video on my homepage. So check it out and then come back and let me know what you think.

Click HERE to view it!

Emily + Anders Session

Emily and Anders are such a cute couple. They met in college around 4 years ago and they're getting married next Saturday (Aug 12th). I can't wait to shoot their wedding because we had a great time together while shooting some of these photos of them.
Emily is actually a sister-in-law of a friend of mine and I'm so glad he hooked me up with this wedding. We've got a fun Mini-date planned for the day of the wedding and I know we're gonna have a blast hanging out and celebrating!







Make sure to come back next weekend to see their wedding pics!

Check out the slideshow here ---> Emily + Anders Session