Jayme Kanani Photography

For Amber...

2011-12-15T22:20:00.003-07:00

Baby Jace

2011-11-23T01:36:00.009-07:00

Meet Jace. He's 4 months old but truly looks the size of a one-year old. He is solid but oh so sweet! His mama is a fellow photographer friend and we've decided that we're going to be in more pictures with our kids... dang it! I would absolutely love a session like this in my room with my baby girl and two other kiddos. Hopefully we can make it happen! Until then... enjoy!

Btw, who is so proud of me? A blog post with more than one picture?? It's about time... however, it is now 2:30 in the morning. This is why blogging will be the death of me. Yikes!

Darling Girl

2011-11-08T20:34:00.002-07:00

I have soooo many pictures that I want to post but no time. So I have to do bits and pieces of my sessions but one day possibly a full post?? We shall see.

For now, sweet, darling Breanne. She is beautiful.

The "Original" Batman

2011-11-04T15:12:00.008-06:00

For Halloween this year my little man knew exactly what he wanted to be... the "BLUE" Batman. Not the black one, the blue one. He told me that the day he wore his costume to school there was another black batman there that told him that he wasn't really batman. And I told him, "Anyone who tells you that you're not batman... you just tell them that you're the ORIGINAL Batman." It was so cute to hear him say "original." And he would say it over and over... "I'm the original Batman!"

He is seriously so fun to shoot and especially when he got in this costume. He channeled Batman as much as he could... LOL!! He is one of the most beautiful little boys I have ever met. And I love that he is mine.

And then there's this girl. Batman's right hand woman... Wonder Woman. I was thrilled when she allowed me to get this costume for her. Her top pick for her costume every year would be a princess (of course) but I'm mean and won't let her. However, I do think she had just as much fun acting like a super hero with her brother and, honestly, I didn't see ONE little girl with that same costume. She wore it proudly! I love that she's such a poser...

Oh, and then what super hero squad would be complete without Super Girl... or in our case... "Super Mom!!" I usually don't dress up for Halloween anymore but as my kids get older I think I just might start again. I loved doing this together.

Our Halloween weather was absolutely perfect. We could not have asked for a better night. And now Liam asks me everyday... When is it going to be Halloween again? Oh, Liam... it's going to be a long year... :(

Some B&W's

2011-10-18T13:20:00.002-06:00

Something pretty for today...

I think I like this...

2011-10-05T09:47:00.005-06:00

So can you tell I'm starting to get back into the groove of things? Blogging can seriously be therapy and I think I like it.

I love series photos. How adorable would this be in matted simple frames all arranged in a row just like down below. I would absolutely love something like this in my home. Love it!

What I'm working on today...

2011-10-04T16:45:00.002-06:00

Headshots... from some lovely people over at Beneficial Corp. And, really, aren't they all just lovely?? I love what I do!!

It's always better with two!

2011-10-01T21:53:00.005-06:00

I had a good day today. This family let me into their home and I got to take a peek at how life is with two little bundles of joy. Both of these babies are already crawling and one is already pulling herself up onto things. Note: they are only 7 months old. You think these parents are in for it?? Probably. But they are so gosh darn cute that they certainly make up for it. And already their little personalities shine through. Oh, I am dreaming of a full post of this session soon...

Gotta love the outtakes!

I'm still here...

2011-09-30T22:34:00.009-06:00

Oh my... life is so gosh darn crazy. How I made it through this month I don't even know. For those of you who know me... you know that it has been a rough one. But I want you to know that I'm still here and I'm still working and I'm still making beautiful images. This one is for my girl, Bekah. Probably the kindest person I have ever met. Seriously. I was in awe of her connection she had with each and every person that was there to share her wedding day with her. It really was just what I needed at a time like this. I hope this post did not disappoint. Sun... you are my very best friend. Period. The end.

Studio 5

2011-08-11T15:39:00.005-06:00

Ok, let me just tell you that I am not the world's best speaker. And I get nervous when all eyes are on me. REALLY nervous!! So the fact that I even agreed to be on this show and speak for a good 5 minutes on live TV is completely beyond me. It was a huge accomplishment for me and I hate watching myself but I thought I would share just in case you missed it. Oh, and maybe you'll learn something too!

Also, If you're interested in seeing my full post of the two little girls playing, click here.

New Logo

2011-06-16T02:06:00.005-06:00

The logo has changed yet again. Still sticking to the same idea but changing it up a bit. I think I like it!!

On a side note: I have a question for anyone who knows blogger HTML really well. I have tried for the life of me to get rid of the huge white spaces in between each of my pictures. Check out my post below and you'll see what I'm talking about. First my pictures started out with white borders around them and after tons of googling (is that even a word?) and searching I finally figured out how to get rid of them but then I can't get rid of the space that is now left behind. Help! Please? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Uh, is it really 2 in the morning? I am dead tomorrow!

Summer Love - Part One

2011-06-15T10:44:00.014-06:00

Hillary & Jason. Met at Utah State. She's from California. He's from Utah. Oh, and he's also 6'7" tall.

Loved this location and I'm so happy they were willing to bring the canoe. We had a blast!

Jailyn: Getting Ready

2011-06-09T15:21:00.006-06:00

One of my favorite things to shoot at a wedding is "the before." I love watching the bride as she dresses in sheer nervousness. As she contemplates the anticipation of walking down the aisle in just a few short moments. Making sure to include every tiny detail... the necklace, the bracelet, the hair piece. Jailyn was absolutely stunning and the day could not have gone any better. I was so happy to share her day with her and hope to share the rest of the wedding soon.

Beautiful Wedding... coming soon!

2011-06-08T14:43:00.007-06:00

Just had to post one today. I love seeing a bride looking so happy surrounded by all of her beautiful bridesmaids... um, and she had NINE!! That's right... NINE!

Hannah.

2011-05-20T23:22:00.009-06:00

I am absolutely thrilled with this session! Let's just say this girl's got beauty and, um, Senior Class President on top of that??! Such a great girl. And she's actually the younger sister to two twin girls I shot two years ago and I was so happy that she brought them along with her... I loved seeing them again. Oh, and the location? Ah-mazing!! I was starting to feel a little "Anthropologie-esque" in some of these images. LOL! Yeah, a photographer can only dream!

Happy Graduation, Hannah!

Camille & Chris - Part 2

2011-04-25T22:59:00.004-06:00

Our last location... I always love the orchards. I seriously never get sick of shooting there. And the light at the end of the day is always my fav.

Camille & Chris - Part 1

2011-04-19T18:25:00.010-06:00

All I have to say is... these guys were fun. I loved everything about this session... the guitar, the laughter, the sweetness. I felt like I had known them forever. And they were so willing to do anything. I had to name this "Part 1" because I really do have another part of this session that I want to post but because of time I'll have to do it another day. Enjoy!!

Btw, they really do both play the guitar. And Camille actually wrote a song for Chris and sang it to him during our session. I about died. One of the sweetest things I've ever witnessed.

I cannot get over this last series. I was seriously laughing out loud while editing them.

Miss Charlotte

2011-04-11T13:39:00.009-06:00

I'd like to introduce you to my new little babe... Charlotte. She is pretty much the sweetest thing ever. She has the best smell, the best sounds, and she's the best snuggler. I am in love. I love that I have another little girl. I love that my daughter has a sister. We are loving every moment.

Here she is at a little over 7 weeks with her own mini photo shoot in her room. She's just now starting to smile at me and it melts me every time. Love you little lady!

All tuckered out.

In case you're wondering... I haven't always loved the name Charlotte. Not that I hated it I just never envisioned myself giving my little girl that name until just a couple months ago. I searched the internet for baby names A LOT while I was pregnant. Sometimes into the wee hours of the night. And not just baby names but baby GIRL names because I could not find one that I loved. One night I came across the name Charlotte and people had left comments on the website that they loved how Charlotte came with the nickname "Lottie." As soon as I saw this I was smitten. You see, my mom's name is Lottyann and her mom's name is Lottie. It was a perfect fit. And when she was born and we found out she was a girl... it hit me that I was really going to be able to use the name. So exciting. And now I have my "little Lottie."

A little video...

2011-03-26T00:00:00.007-06:00

I had the pleasure of working with the very talented Ryan Hinman during Kenzie & Tanner's wedding. If you're contemplating having your wedding filmed... he is absolutely amazing.

Take a look and see what you think...

Tanner + McKenzie from Ryan Hinman Films on Vimeo.

P.S. In case you're wondering... I had my baby. If you're curious to know how it went you can view my birth story here. We are beyond overjoyed!!

Elise & Randy: Formal Session

2011-01-31T17:42:00.007-07:00

This session is long overdue... I took these back in July of last year... JULY!!! Total blog slacker, I know. But because my mind is wishing for beautiful, warmer weather... I thought I would share.

Loved the orchard and the apples. And this couple was so sweet! Some of my favorite bridals to date.

Oh, and how much do you love the chair? So happy I was able to use it at such a fun location with some great people.

As promised...

2011-01-29T13:07:00.004-07:00

Meet McKenzie & Tanner. This was probably one of the coldest days to get married... but I absolutely loved it because we had the Salt Lake City Temple pretty much all to ourselves. Plus, given the fact that I was about 7 months pregnant while shooting this wedding, I was actually nice and toasty with my mini heater tagging along. As for my bride... not so much! But she was sweet as can be the entire time and I'm so happy I was able to capture their day for them.

Just a heads up to anyone thinking about booking a wedding this Spring... as of right now I'm scheduled to deliver my baby on February 21st and will be taking about 4-6 weeks off depending on how I feel. Chances are I'm going to be dying to get out of the house and start shooting again so I'd say end of March I'll be available to start booking for weddings.

Oh, I so can't wait for the warmer weather to get here... anyone with me?

A Wedding...

2011-01-28T23:05:00.005-07:00

Can you believe it? Big things comin', people! The rest of this session will make an appearance tomorrow...

so excited to share!

Winter Bride

2010-12-29T20:30:00.005-07:00

I'm so loving this session from this week. I've gotta say, it's been a while since I've photographed a bride and I am missing it. Brides are some of my favs and she was just lovely...

A little explanation...

2010-12-14T15:09:00.006-07:00

So let's be honest here... I have not been a good blogger and quite frankly, I kinda forgot about my blog. Sad huh. I am the worst at keeping it up and all I can really blame it on is lack of motivation due to my little bun in the oven. My days consist of trying not to sit at my computer desk longer than I have to because it seriously is so painful to sit for so long. I am 28 weeks now and carrying this baby so low that a girl recently told me... "it looks like it's going to fall right out!" (Really?, I thought.) That's when I realized um, yeah, it is low isn't it? I am dying and I still have FOREVER to go. So pathetic, I know, but this pregnancy has been dragging on. I am so eager to meet this little mystery human being. I can't even imagine what our life is going to be like with a new babe in the house. So here is my apology, again, I am so extremely sorry for the lack in blog posts. However, I do have to say that if you are friends with me on facebook... I have uploaded bits and pieces of sessions there. It's kinda all I can do right now. So find me on facebook and, hopefully, in the meantime, this blog can get some love.

Love,

Jayme

A post does deserve some pictures, though, right? Check out the sweetest little boy I've ever known. I cannot get over his cute little face in the ornament. Merry Christmas to all!

My turn.

2010-10-29T10:25:00.005-06:00

Posting the previous prego belly pictures got me to thinking that I need some of myself. Hubby was gracious enough to snap these shots for me and I didn't even yell at him this time... ;) Actually, I don't think people realize how tough it is being a photographer's husband and being responsible for taking a picture of the photographer. Can I help it that I want to be in some decent pictures too? Love him for doing it. :)

21 weeks... and counting...

Sex of the baby is still undetermined... this will be our surprise baby!! LOL!

Baby oh baby!

2010-10-21T11:53:00.002-06:00

Beautiful light, beautiful mama, and beautiful dress! These shots were taken at a baby shower I had the pleasure of shooting in Chicago a couple weekends ago. This baby shower was unreal!! I was sooo happy to be a part of it... totally gorgeous decor and everyone had a great time! I may be posting more... aren't you all so proud of me? I'm actually blogging again. Now that my computer is working like a gem... it's actually fun again!! :)

A peek...

2010-10-20T09:44:00.002-06:00

This was one of my favorite weddings of all time. 1930's theme, airplane hanger, vintage plane, stunning dress... ahhh! It was absolutely perfect. And the couple couldn't have been more gracious and fun to photograph. More blogging coming soon!

How about a little playdate?

2010-10-18T23:55:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday morning I had the pleasure of laughing and giggling with these two sweet little girls. We danced and twirled, played make-believe, and even jumped on the bed... a little!! ;) I'm totally in love with these images because I know that these are the things that their mom will want to hold on to forever. You can tell that she has put so much thought into their rooms... they are ah-mazing!! She kept telling me that when she was young she had such an adorable room and has not one picture of herself playing in there. So for her to have these is priceless.

Miss Scarlett

2010-10-14T09:05:00.001-06:00

Pretty little girl. Pretty little name. I love newborns!

I'm back...

2010-09-20T17:19:00.017-06:00

And making some changes!! I have been well overdue for a blog face lift, don't ya think? And I'm so happy I finally figured out how to get rid of the right sidebar which allows my pictures to be bigger. Wahoo!

My brother... continued... enjoy!

My brother's gettin' hitched!

2010-09-07T11:17:00.008-06:00

This is my big brother. And in just a few short weeks he's "tying the knot" to this gorgeous beauty. This really is such an exciting time for our family because we've never seen him so happy. We're soooo happy that he's found someone that he adores and so happy for him to start this next phase of his life.

This shot is my absolute fav from last night. Aren't they the cutest?? And I love how their outfits are totally casual. Fits my brother to a "T."

Congratulations, Tim and Angie!

Also, I'm trying to decide how to put my logo on my pictures. I always liked it on the side but then realized that it's really, really easy for people to crop it off which kinda bugs. So should I just start putting it directly back on the picture itself? And maybe it would look better all white? Not sure... thoughts??

The bump has arrived...

2010-08-30T19:21:00.003-06:00

well, being that this is my third pregnancy... this bump had arrived a long time ago... unfortunately. I swear, there is no way I would have been able to hide this pregnancy even if I wanted to. Almost 14 weeks and everything is looking good so far! We are sooooo excited and my daughter is hoping and praying it's a girl. So because of that, I think I have a little hope for another girl too. Hubby would totally disagree, though. We shall see.

Other exciting news... my computer is FIXED!! We are back in business people! More posts with more pictures and substance will be coming in the near future... promise!

Computer Issues...

2010-08-21T08:34:00.007-06:00

Uh, hello?... is anyone there? Does anyone even look at this blog anymore? (LOL!) I'm writing to say that I really have so much to blog about. Like, sooooo much... to name a few... three weddings, seniors from back in spring, bridals and engagements, family sessions etc, etc. and it just isn't happening for now. My computer (imac) is totally dying. Therefore, a lot of my work has been put on hold. My dear hubby is actually on the phone with apple tech support as I type this. It's been diagnosed with needing a new hard drive and I've been spending all my waking working hours to back up all of my files to get it ready for this little undertaking. Problem is, when you have a bad hard drive then it makes it even harder to copy files over. Overall, it hasn't been easy. I want to swear at it everyday... but I don't... but I do cry from time to time. And when that starts happening I just have to walk away and make hubby take over. He is so much better at the techy stuff and, oh, did I mention that I'm pregnant?? Um, yup... so throw that in there and basically you have one frustrated and stressed out girl... plus, super hungry and tired ALL the time. I have to thank my dear clients for being so patient and understanding with me. This has been the worst. Really, the worst. I'm hoping to have this all resolved within the next week but seems like we keep running into unexpected problems along the way that keep setting us back. Just not sure I love macs as much as I used to. They just don't last. (I've only had the computer for a year and a half and this is the second item I've had to have replaced. I can't stress enough... buy the extended warranty!! You will need it!)

Thanks for listening... I'll keep you posted.

More to come...

2010-07-17T11:18:00.003-06:00

from both of these couples... can't wait to share!!

This weekend...

2010-07-05T23:00:00.005-06:00

Fun night up in the canyon... loved this couple and the setting!

Hope everyone had a happy 4th!

Randy & Elise

2010-06-29T10:48:00.008-06:00

I'm pretty sure this is totally a record for me. You are not going to believe how many pictures are in this post! Can I just say that I'm soooo happy with this session?! It makes my heart happy just looking at these. And the couple, some of the sweetest people I have ever met. I'm soooo excited to be shooting their wedding in August. It's going to be absolutely beautiful!

Also, a big "thank you" to my wonderful assistant for the night, Natalie. You are so hired!! LOL!

These really were such tender moments during the session. I was dying!! Soooo beautiful!

Isn't this girl absolutely stunning? She rocked everything!

Love, love, love!

And a little silliness to end on. :)

Only a teaser??

2010-06-24T23:29:00.005-06:00

Oh my, it is soooo sad how long it's been since my last post. I feel so sorry for any of you who follow this blog. Well, "followed" would probably be the correct term. Don't give up on me... I really have good intentions to post a wonderful project that I'm still in the middle of and not to mention some pictures from a fabulous workshop that I hosted last week. All these things... plus, being a mom have really consumed me lately. I really am so sorry... and I'm really so sorry that every post is an apology for not posting. Sheesh... I need to get my blog up higher on my priority list. Until then, just a teaser from a fantastic couple I hung out with for like 5 hours last Saturday!! We're totally best friends now... for life! LOL! Love their session and hope to share it among other things with you soon!

Photo Challenge : Flowers

2010-05-19T22:02:00.004-06:00

So I have to admit... this is probably my favorite photo challenge to date. I have this love for flowers and leaves that kinda takes over everything I design... hence the leaves in my logo. So when I was told that this was going to be the photo challenge I didn't even need to go out and take pictures because these shots were pretty much just waiting for a reason to be shared.

All of these images were taken with my macro lens in my in-law's backyard. I also used the jpeg vivid setting and so all I really did in photoshop was a small curves adjustment and sharpened and voila!!

Btw, the leader of the photo challenge group has been slacking... not me... LOL!!

Busy as a little bee...

2010-05-14T23:38:00.004-06:00

I am soooo sorry for the blog slacking lately. This blog haunts me daily... I know I haven't done a full post for weeks now but there is good reason people. The busy season has officially started and so therefore the blog is a little neglected.

Here is a little taste of my session today. And I could not be more excited about it!! High School Seniors seriously rock!! I have had some of the most beautiful and fun girls you could ever work with and there's probably about five or six other sessions on top of this one so, yeah, you could say I'm soooooo behind.

I'm also taking the weekend off to enjoy a little R&R with some pretty fun ladies up in beautiful Bear Lake. Cannot wait to have some much needed girl time where we can just play and giggle... see you when I see you!

My weekend...

2010-05-11T12:57:00.002-06:00

Had a great time with these two...

And I think I've found my couple for my project... thanks so much everyone! I'm excited to share it with you soon!!

A little project...

2010-05-06T14:22:00.004-06:00

I'm working on a little project and need help from a fabulous couple out there. So I'm offering a session with NO SESSION FEE to a wonderful couple that would be willing to help me out. You don't have to be newly engaged or newly in love for that matter... just in love. However, if you are engaged and are looking to do an engagement session, then I'd love to have you as well. The only stipulation is you have to be available on May 21st in the evening. That's about two weeks people! So quickly send me a message or leave a comment here on my blog and I'll get back to the lucky winner once I've made my decision!

Chantel & TJ

2010-04-21T10:17:00.004-06:00

Oh, how I love weddings... this wedding was full of love and laughs. I second shot this wedding with Miss Jen Herem. And we had a grand ol' time! Everything was absolutely gorgeous!

This location was completely amazing... the natural light that poured in was beautiful!

Oh, the blossoms... how I love the blossoms!!

Some of the best shoes I have ever seen... bride and groom!!

I love this shot... all of the nieces and nephews... almost like the Brady Bunch isn't it?

Handsome little devils...

Some pretty people...

This lady had such a great poem that she read about the bride and groom. It was really such a sweet moment during the dinner.

I love that this couple did a bride's cake and a groom's cake. They are absolutely phenom!!

The theme for the wedding was chandeliers. There were black chandeliers hanging everywhere and imprinted on pretty much everything!! Really so creative.

The photo booth.

Such a fun night... I'm so glad I was able to be a part of it.

Spring is finally here!!

2010-04-19T13:19:00.001-06:00

I don't think I could ever get enough of cherry blossoms in the spring... there's something so whimsical and absolutely gorgeous about them.

These particular cherry blossoms are from a wedding that I had the pleasure of 2nd shooting at this last weekend and if this is the only shot I get of these gorgeous beauties this year... I think I might be satisfied... maybe. I need someone to photograph in a gorgeous orchard full of these... any takers???

Such a short-lived beauty... happy spring to all!

2010-04-15T14:35:00.003-06:00

This boy melts my heart...
to see more go here.

2010 Seniors!!!

2010-04-13T15:55:00.005-06:00

Graduation is coming close... time to book your Senior sessions! If you've ever wanted to feel like a model and just have a great time doing it then contact me... all of my seniors have become like my little sisters... we really do have so much fun! And, boys, I'm always up for a male senior photo shoot... you need some rockin' pictures just as much as the girls do... now is the time! LOL!

I'm including 50 3.5x5 prints for announcements with all of my Senior sessions.

Congratulations class of 2010!!

WPPI 2010

2010-04-10T11:10:00.010-06:00

(in camera radial blur, no photoshop... taught to me by Miss Jessica Kettle)

I had the most amazing experience at WPPI this year. It reminded me of why I made the decision to become a photographer. I love making something beautiful for someone else and I love that they'll be able to hold on to a moment that they don't want to forget. It made me re-evaluate the way I was running my business as well... in a good way! :)

I'm so happy there are so many talented and smart photographers out there that are willing to take time out of their lives to share what works for them. I swear in every class I was like... "I wanna be more like that..." or "I wanna do that!" There was a lot of good stuff going around! But mostly, I want to connect with my clients. I think on some levels I do, but there are times that I know I could do better. So that is my goal this year. I want to implement fun and meaningful experiences in my shoots and I'm hoping with each one I can accomplish that.

This is probably what I looked like the whole time... just in awe! LOL!

Now on to the fun... These are the lovely ladies that I got to hang out with while in Vegas and let's just say we're all posers!!

Good 'ol Victoria's Secret... yes, we did some shopping. Much needed girl time.

Tip that I learned from Audrey Woulard... all of my pictures were shot in jpeg vivid. I don't know if Canon has the setting listed exactly the same in camera but on Nikon you can change your Picture Control to VIVID and it is pretty amazing what your SOOC looks like. For some reason with raw you lose the brightness so you have to shoot in jpeg. I barely did a thing to all of my pictures and the color is pretty powerful. Try it!!

Here is Miss Marissa Vargason...

Ashley Hawkes. This night we actually were lucky enough to get to hang out with the lovely Ali Hohn from "Rock that OCF." And so these shots take on a totally different feel using off camera flash at the Venetian. Thank you Miss Ali for showing me the ways... you are so talented, lady! And so fun too!

Thanks for a wonderful trip, ladies! Until next time! Muah!

Mini Websites

2010-04-07T08:36:00.008-06:00

Introducing...

Mini Websites!!

I am now offering these fun sites to all of my clients who book an engagement session with me. Includes your favorite images from the session, a section to include your "love" story of how you met or how he proposed, a guestbook, an RSVP section for your guests, a way to share your event details and accommodations all in one place. Plus, you get to customize the look and colors of the website yourself! Such a great way to share your wedding plans with your friends and family. Click here to view an example.

The cherry blossoms should be arriving soon, so contact me to get your spring session scheduled!

Isn't she beautiful?

2010-04-05T12:35:00.003-06:00

My husband's aunt has a foreign exchange student staying with her from Japan. She sat across from me at our Easter brunch and I could not stop admiring her gorgeous face. After we finished eating... I pulled her aside and said, "I need to take your picture!" And I'm so glad I did! Wow!

Herem Family

2010-04-05T11:50:00.005-06:00

OK people this is a huge accomplishment for me. Blogging has been the last thing on my mind lately but I know I'm well overdue for a post. So sorry to all of you that follow this blog and have come up sorely disappointed everyday for the last MONTH! Yeah, it's been a month! That is bad... I'm sorry!

This is my new friend Jen and her adorable little family. She's a fellow photographer herself. And she is absolutely fabulous at what she does. We had a great time talking photography and getting to know each other better... and we were FREEZING!! April... you are not being good to us!

I'm pretty sure she has the coolest eyes ever! Wow!

This next shot was kind of a joke but totally reminds me of how things tend to go in our family. I'm running around town, taking pictures, editing and trying to run a business and there's always my sweet husband right there taking care of the kids and holding things down at home. It's so great we have these guys to help out and make things A LOT easier!

Then we started a little couples session... downtown Salt Lake City.

She kept telling me she didn't know how to pose... I didn't believe it. She rocked everything!

The End.

Where in the world???

2010-04-05T00:20:00.004-06:00

I know, I know, I know... it's been a long time, hasn't it? And I'm sorry to say that it's not even going to be a full post tonight. Let's just say that WPPI really made me think about the way I was doing things... so I've been focusing a lot of my attention on the business aspects of photography. And, quite frankly, I'm not a business woman but apparently I signed up to be when I started this whole roller coaster ride. It was so great to go to WPPI and gain a new perspective on things. I was completely inspired and overwhelmed the entire time. It's definitely a lot to take in. But I think the goal really for anyone who attends is to take what ever you can with you and make it work the way it suits you. Wow! It was really mind-blowing at times! I am soooooo happy I had the opportunity to go... so happy! And, man, there is a lot of amazing talent out there. Makes you feel kinda like a "small fry." But, hey, they all started somewhere, right? So here's to hoping for future success and happiness... and possibly some blog posts with more than one picture?

Just a little taste of my weekend...

I'm out...

2010-03-06T22:06:00.004-07:00

Out of the office that is... tomorrow I will be off to Las Vegas to experience a photographer's heaven at WPPI. I'm lucky enough that I get to spend the week with eight other lovely and talented girls and we are going to PAR-TAY!! Wish me luck!

GOOD BYE!! See you when I get back!

Oh, I almost forgot, I have exciting news...

Jayme Kanani Photography "the website" is officially up and running!! There are still more galleries I need to add but I'm pretty much official now! And it feels pretty good! I'm so happy with how it turned out and I guess this means the name is stayin. So go check it and see what you think!

Photo Challenge: Shadows

2010-02-27T18:12:00.002-07:00

A twist on "shadows." This one was a fun one!

Good Friends

2010-02-19T18:43:00.007-07:00

This is one of my best friends and her extremely adorable family. I posted the black & white couples session we did but somehow never got around to posting the family. Let's just say this winter is a time for catching up... and that I am doing!

I could not believe her kids in this shot. Like perfect little angels... even big brother has his arm around his little sister. So cute!

Pretty much the cutest little stud ever!

The couch is an heirloom from Grandma... so so so amazing! I'm so glad they brought it.

He was pretty much done taking pictures and, of course, little sister is right there to console him. She is such a sweetie... one of my favorite personalities.

And my two beautiful friends... I'll just leave it at that. :)

Oh, P.S. Today is her birthday... we are the same age and we are old. Blah blah!

Photo Challenge: Self Portrait

2010-02-18T20:35:00.011-07:00

Here's the setting: tri-pod, camera on timer mode, up in the canyon... no one but me. And I probably looked like THE biggest idiot trying to pose for my camera, then quickly running back and forth to check the shots. Oh well... I guess I'll do anything for a photo challenge! :) Well, maybe not ANYTHING.

The hardest thing to master on this was the focus, obviously. So I think most of the time I just got lucky. But oh how I do love my little black dress! One of my favorite finds!

Alexis

2010-02-16T18:33:00.003-07:00

Snow capped winter wonderland... aw the joys of winter. So cold! But we survived!

Check out her hat... isn't it so adorable? Enjoy!

Olivia & Chris: Part 1 - Getting Ready

2010-02-15T13:27:00.006-07:00

Who doesn't love them some vintage hair... pin waves? So loving it!

I love this next shot...
Mom and Aunt trying to figure out the bussel.

The dress is on and feelin good!

Now for some finishing touches.

BTW, aren't the bridesmaid hats adorable? I love this girl's style!

The groom was easy... straighten this and straighten that... and... you're done!

How about a little "L-O-V-E"

2010-02-14T23:53:00.004-07:00

On the most romantic day of the year...

I love hot and steamy shots like these where you wish it was you... crazy-in-love and looking fabulous!! I'm so thrilled these two asked me to photograph their wedding this weekend. The bride is my husband's cousin and she was absolutely beautiful!! I am dying to show you more... dying... soon!

BTW, I'm seriously contemplating about changing my photography name... ultimately I'm just tired of the confusion with it. It's obviously not a common name (at least not in Utah) and I'm just needing something else. I already have something else in mind... just not sure I'm going to be telling... YET!! We shall see!! :)

More weddings...

2010-02-12T02:08:00.005-07:00

Today I had the fabulous opportunity to second shoot a wedding with the super talented Jessica Kettle. I really feel so lucky to have had this opportunity because this girl knows her stuff, plus, on a personal level she is completely genuine in every way. I know I always say there's more to come but really... there is more to come...

Be Mine...

2010-02-06T21:21:00.004-07:00

From today... who knew that boudoir sessions could be so much fun!

So recently I joined a group on Facebook called "The Photo Challenge." A friend of mine started it in hopes of pushing people to think outside the box... so to speak. He gives a weekly challenge such as an object to photograph and the goal is to capture it in an interesting and intriguing way. So I think I'm going to start sharing my photo challenges here on my blog... it's been fun for me to get creative and photograph things that I probably wouldn't normally. So up above is our 2nd week's photo challenge: "something red"

And down below was our 1st weeks: "traffic signs"

Oldies but goodies...

2010-01-31T12:18:00.006-07:00

I'm not sure why I didn't ever post these. These are actually from last year in the summer... I think. I've been doing some major file organization and came across these and thought I'd share. Her theme was a masquerade... enjoy!

It started to rain so we went to this parking garage... and I'm glad we did!

Beautiful!

Like a damsel in distress. Love it!

Weddings. Weddings. Weddings.

2010-01-29T00:33:00.007-07:00

This wedding is back from September... super slacker... I know!!

I absolutely love this couple! I had such a blast hanging out with them and their family all day. Enjoy!

Just can't get enough of that fake laugh. They look like they're having so much fun, don't they?

Such a sweet shot with father and daughter.

Ice sculptures amaze me...

This next shot is so Angie and Chris. Well, mostly Angie... she is a crack up!

Gettin' sassy for the camera. And, yes, that is my sister-in-law as a bridesmaid. We like to stick together.

The "photog" and the happy couple.

You are not going to believe these next pictures... I'd like to know how many weddings you've been to where the bride actually jumps into a swimming pool with her gown on. None?? I'm guessing? This just goes to show how awesome Angie is! I dared her and she actually did it!!

Probably one of the best dares I've ever witnessed. Love you, Ang!

Congratulations to both of you!

Sweet Boy

2010-01-27T13:50:00.001-07:00

How about a little sneak peek? Adorable little boy in every way!

Chelsea

2010-01-26T22:57:00.003-07:00

I love, love, loved this location. And this girl was pretty much rockin' every shot. Absolutely stunning young lady and I'm so happy I had the pleasure of hanging out with her for an afternoon.

Aren't her eyes amazing? I mean could that sweater have been any more perfect?

My girl on her wedding day...

2010-01-25T00:14:00.004-07:00

A breathtaking wedding... perfect weather, perfect location, perfect day. I was so happy that these two were able to begin their new lives together in such a beautiful and memorable way. It really was like a fairytale wedding. Congrats to the both of you!

I was not the "official" photog for the wedding because, you see, me + bridesmaid does NOT = photographer. But there was no way I was leaving my camera at home. And I'm so glad I didn't.

These were probably the only shots I got of the couple that night but they truly show what these two are all about. They love each other so much and absolutely love to have fun. I'm so glad I was able to be a part of it.

Furniture for Sale...

2010-01-22T17:43:00.007-07:00

So this is truly so random but we're trying to sell our bedroom furniture set and thought why not post it here? So I am...

Here is the KSL link if you want to see more pics and full description:

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=9433077&cat=534

Feel free to share with anyone you think might be interested.

$500

(come on people... it could be totally gorgeous painted!!)

Q&A Answers

2010-01-13T09:33:00.022-07:00

Wow!! Thanks for all the questions everyone! It seriously was a lot of fun for me to do this. If something doesn't make sense feel free to leave a comment or email me and I'll clarify. Here we go!!

Aubrey said:
Um....so many questions, so little space...

What setting do you use on your camera for inside pics? My camera is always in manual mode to have full control of the light situation. If I'm doing an inside shoot it really depends on how my lighting is... if it's nice and bright I usually have my ISO set to 200 and my aperture set to 2.8 depending on how many subjects are in the shot (inside usually I'm only doing one or two subjects) and then I'll adjust my shutter speed accordingly being sure not to go below 1/125. Once you go below that you'd better make sure you are super steady so either use a tripod or have a place to brace yourself and also that your subject isn't going to move otherwise it will be blurry. White balance is usually set to "cloudy."

And outside pics? Same thing for outside... it always depends on the light. If I'm starting to lose light then I will start to bump up my ISO and adjust my aperture and shutter speed as needed. This is the joy of shooting in manual! To master this you just have to practice and see what works.

How do you get your pics so bright? Photoshop... I up the contrast in Adobe Camera Raw (Bridge) and use a curves action and another action called Lovely & Ethereal (it's a free action from Pioneer Woman).

Marla said:
Yay! Awesome! Thanks for this! Hope there's not a one question limit. . . Here's a few for you:

1. Actions: Love 'em? Hate 'em? Use 'em? Any particular ones you love/use the most? Make your own? I look at actions as a way to speed up workflow so for that reason alone I love them. I have only a certain few that I ever use though. If you haven't downloaded the two free sets from Pioneer Woman then I suggest you do it because they are wonderful and uh hello they're FREE! Lovely & Ethereal (without the Gaussian blur) is the one I use the most. But I also like warmer and cooler just for a quick fix in white balance if needed. I have a curves action that was shown to me by another photographer and I run it on pretty much every image but I seriously cannot remember how I made it... sorry! The flowers set from Lilyblue is a great one too. And then there's Totally Rad... I think pretty much every photographer has that in their actions palette... I love the get faded series, lux (soft) and Lights Out. Oh, and can't live without MCP's Powder your Nose...

2. Workflow: Do you have a specific system down? Do you edit all pics that you like? Do you ever show clients unedited pics before you do the edit process? Although I love it, it seems that it takes me for-freakin-ever to edit. Honestly, no I do not edit every image I show to clients. To me, I'd rather edit and spend time on images that I know they love rather then spending my time on something they won't even order. However, I do run a quick edit on all the images I include in their gallery in Bridge. So it isn't necessarily Straight Out of the Camera images. I will also include some fully edited images that were my favorites from the session so they can see what the finished product looks like and then I'll usually use those images for my blog as well.

3. Camera Settings: Got any favs? Are you an AP or SP gal, or do you run fully Manual? What about white balance? Auto or are you more specific? Pretty much Manual all the time... I went straight from Auto to Manual when I was starting out and so I honestly don't really know how to shoot in the other settings. :) White balance... I usually shoot in "cloudy" but will change to other settings depending on the situation. I don't normally shoot in Auto White Balance unless I'm inside and nothing else is looking right.

4. I've heard of a technique called Back Button Focusing - can't find a whole lot about this, and don't understand what I've read. Do you have any idea what this is and how to do it? Yes, hopefully I can explain it well... you can set the backbutton focus button to be your actual focus button on your camera. Totally makes sense, right? For instance, most people will push their shutter down half way and that will create the focus. So you actually are moving your focus button from your shutter button to the backbutton button. Ahhh! So confusing I know... and why would someone want to do that? The answer is because let's say you have a specific area that you want in focus but your focus point won't go there but you really want your picture composed a certain way. Use the backbutton focus button and put your focus on your subject, then you can move your camera to where you really wanted it and your subject should still be in focus. It's basically a focus lock. I've had other photographers tell me that they've had better results with backbutton focusing all together so they use it all the time. I used to use it on my D90 but since I got the D300 I haven't changed the settings yet. But good question!

5. Any books or websites that you read that you really loved or felt really helped you when you were first starting out in photography? Not necessarily eye candy sites or books, but more like "how to" type things. . . . Pioneer Woman Photography, MCP the blog (the links are located in my sidebar), Jessica Kettle's Q&A... seriously probably the most helpful ever!! and Prop Insanity. And millions of other random places I probably couldn't even begin to name off.

Annie said:
ive got one... how do you take pictures without the flash(what setting) AND without the picture looking so blurry!! Refer to Aubrey's question... really if you want non-blurry pictures, shooting in manual is the way to do it

Antique Autumn Photography said:
How did you get started in photography? Did you go to school for it or are you self-taught? I was inspired by another photographer and my intrigue grew. I would love to go to school and study it even more but I haven't as of right now. I wouldn't say I'm completely self taught because I've had a lot of mentors helping me along the way.

Are you a Canon or Nikon girl? :) Great post btw! Nikon

Marla said:
You just posted that you got the 24-70mm/2.8 lens. I DREAM of having that lens. . . one day. Hard to justify on a hobbiest budget. . . but, I digress.

1. What was you main portrait lens PRIOR to your new purchase? Well, actually I purchased the 17-55 2.8 lens and before that I was using my 50mm 1.4 mainly.

2. How do you like your new lens as compared to what you were using before? I understand it's a wide angle lens, but other than that, what big differences are you noticing? The 17-55mm is also a zoom lens and so it's been an adjustment for me to realize that I can actually stand in one spot and zoom in and out rather than having to physically walk closer and farther away from my subject. So very new to me because I've used prime lenses for so long. Also, with the wide end of the zoom you can get some pretty awesome shots that are completely different than anything I could have ever done before. I love it more for that reason than anything else... oh, and it's ridiculously sharp!

3. Did you ever consider the Tamron or Sigma alternatives in the same spec range? Honestly?? No. I've rented this lens many times before and knew it was the one I wanted.

On the business side:1. Did you do free sessions for friends when you first wanted to get into photography? Regardless of that, how/when did you decide to start charging for your services? I did a session for fun with my sister-in-law and her husband as my first official "let's see what I can do with this camera" session. My intent was not to start a business in photography at all. I put the pictures on this blog at first just to show the fun shots I took and that was it. But because of the blog, I had a friend who saw the pictures and asked me how much I would charge to take pictures of her little boy. I charged her $50 for a disc with 10-15 images on it. Up until that session I didn't have a camera of my own so I purchased the Nikon D90 and decided I wanted to do this for real. And the rest is history...

*This shot is from my first paid session for my friend.

2. About charging for your services, how did you come up with your fees? I did research of what other photographers were charging in my area that I felt were comparatively at the same level as me. I also knew that I wanted to make sure that people weren't just getting the disc. Professional prints are important to any photographer and so with the way my prices are set up it allows my clients to get the best of both worlds.

3. I read on your blog that you recently took the plunge and went into photography full time (good for you!!). What was your personal goal for this to happen? (like, did you decide a year ago that you would just make this happen, or did you have a financial goal or amount of clients goal in mind before you went full time?) My goal was one year... I knew that it would take me at least that long to gain a big enough client base. Plus, I was to the point where my job at the Credit Union was starting to get in the way of my photography and I knew that one or the other had to go. I was getting too busy and had no time to work on my business. So it only made sense for me to focus on it completely.

4. Where do you get your client images printed? Most of the professional sites require a business/tax ID#, and as a hobbiest, I don't have one of those. Any thoughts on that? I use Colorinc and WHCC. I actually think that Colorinc doesn't require a tax id#.

5. Speaking of business/Tax ID's, was that a hard process to go through? Officially setting up a business seems so daunting to me - although a write-off on some new equipment would be nice. It really wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. The nice thing is that all of those things can pretty much be done online.

6. Do you use reflectors? If so, got a favorite? Yes, I have one reflector and I can't remember the name of it but it's a triangle shape with a handle so I can actually hold the reflector myself if I really need to. (Just went and looked at it... the brand is Lastolite.)

*Reflector was used in this shot.

Meg'n memories said:
Do you do any indoor shoots with natural light? I have yet mastered this and want/need any tips. I have the cannon 7d and know you are a Nikon girl but what should I be doing or looking for... All of my inside shoots are done with natural light. (Refer to Aubrey's question for settings.) I have a large window in my front room which allows a lot of light in. I think the one thing that changed my inside shoots was the way I was exposing the subject. You want to make sure your whites are white and that your blacks are black if that makes sense. Try using a white backdrop first and get your settings to where you think you want them. Take your first shot and if your white backdrop looks gray then you probably need to up your exposure. Keep doing it until you get your backdrop white without overexposing your subject's face.

Jamie Alyssa said:
How do you get such beautiful sunflare?? do you have any tips I could follow? Yes, there's a great article by Pioneer Woman about how to do this here.

Also, if you don't mind, I have one more question, in a low-light situation, indoors, with an active child, how would you personally adjust your settings to reduce motion blur? I know it can be done, but mine always end up to dark, or too much motion blur. I would say that this can also depend on what type of camera you have... the Nikon D700 is supposed to be miraculous in this area because it allows you to set your ISO so much higher and has very little noise. My camera does pretty well but I do still get quite a bit of noise with it in the high ISO settings. Obviously, you're going to set your ISO as high as it can go and this is why it matters what type of camera you have because some cameras will go higher on the ISO than others. And, like I said before, I never like to go below 1/125 on shutter speed especially for moving children and even that might be too low for moving children. Plus, if you have a lens that will let you open up your aperture really wide like 1.4 then that will help a lot too. If your lighting is ridiculously low then you might just have to settle for flash. To eliminate the "flash light in the face" look, I purchased a sweet little diffuser called "The Puffer" for $20 online. It's pretty awesome when you don't have any other option but to use flash.

The end.

New Lens!!

2010-01-10T01:13:00.003-07:00

I just received a new baby in the mail yesterday and I am dying!! I feel like I've been a "wide lens challenged" girl for way too long... majorly! This shot is just me playing with the wideness... LOL! It's like a whole new world for me. I'm seriously standing right next to her. Say what?! :)

My shoot today was wonderful! I've said it before and I'll say it again... seniors are so my favorite! These girls are darling and I have a blast every time. And our location was one of my favs too... first time shooting there and I have a feeling it won't be the last. There will be lots more from this shoot just wanted to share my exciting news!

Oh, and keep posting the questions for the Q&A... I'll be sharing a post with answers soon! Thanks, everyone!

(Shot with my new Nikkor 17-55 2.8 Wahoo!!)

How about a little Q&A?

2010-01-09T01:11:00.007-07:00

How fun would it be to do a little Q&A section right here on this blog? I have learned so much from the help of other photographers who have been willing to share their knowledge and so in turn I'm going to pay it forward.

So ask me anything...
What is it that you want to know about photography?

(Please be aware that I am not technically sound in the art so if you're going to get super high tech with me... I may not be able to respond with the answer you're looking for. LOL!)

By the way, yes, another Fairy Wonderful dress... and isn't she adorable? More of these to come...

My Brother...

2010-01-07T17:50:00.005-07:00

He's from Hawaii and has never done a shoot in the snow before... lucky him.

Pretty much we played and he let me do my thing.

Love this next one.

And look... we found October in January!! Amazing in Salt Lake City.

I did hand the camera to him at one point. I wanted him to show off his photo taking skills (he used to shoot weddings back in Hawaii.) I must say, I like his composition and my fake laugh. Oh those are the best!! :)

Head Shots

2010-01-07T16:15:00.005-07:00

How about this girl for your real estate agent? Pretty much a bombshell if I do say so myself. We got together today to take pictures for her business cards and then some fun shots, you know, just for fun! :)

Here's the winner for her business cards.

Lookin' sassy for the camera... so cute!

2010-01-07T01:47:00.002-07:00

Changed my logo tonight. I think it's pretty. Nighty-night.

Dress Ups

2009-12-22T15:19:00.009-07:00

This little photo shoot was a dream come true for my little girl. She had the excitement of a bride putting on her wedding dress on her wedding day. I'm not kidding... it was magical for her.

I am so in love with these designs. They are from none other than the fabulous FAIRY WONDERFUL.

These are new dress designs which come with two parts. The first is the dress itself and then the second is the tulle overlay. So you can mix and match the colors to your hearts desire. How awesome would these be for flower girl dresses?

I absolutely love the little tiny rosettes in this first one. Probably one of my very favorites.

So just to give you an idea... this cream tulle overlay in these next photos is the same overlay that I used on the first dress. What a fun and creative idea! And there is seriously about 10-15 other dresses that I have yet to photograph. I'm so excited to share all of them with you.

Have yourself a merry "little" Christmas

2009-12-17T19:59:00.003-07:00

He's makin a list,
checkin it twice!

Have you been naughty or nice? My little Santa wants to know! :)

Meet the Curtins...

2009-12-10T21:48:00.009-07:00

This is my next beautiful Senior and her quite handsome brother. I had a blast during this session! I've never shot older siblings before and it's amazing how well they listen!! Really, I'm so used to running around looking like a fool trying to get the little ones to look at me so when we were done, I was like... really? That's it? So easy!

Isn't he so "J.Crew?" I thought so... and he was happy about that. :)
Love his style.

I really cannot get over how beautiful she is.

You'll notice that I had both girls try this pose and I was shocked to see that both of them had such a hard time holding it. Like it really put them in pain! I kept saying it's ok we don't have to do it, but they both insisted that they could do it. Hey, I'm not going to argue... it turned out awesome for both of them!

Also, funny story about the boots... they're mine. LOL! They went perfectly with her belt which, might I add, is probably soon going to join my wardrobe... love it!!

Such a sweet girl.

Miss Sadie

2009-12-07T15:40:00.006-07:00

I have been slacking... and I apologize to all of you who follow me here on my blog. I am well overdue for a new post.

Seniors pretty much rock! I had so much fun with this girl and I had the chance to photograph her friend as well... her pictures coming later. Enjoy!

Fabulous furniture find... it was just sitting there waiting for me!

A snippet of my day...

2009-11-21T23:17:00.004-07:00

I am so excited to announce that this next week is my last week working at my 2nd job. My notice has gone in and I am done! I will be pursuing photography full time now and I couldn't be happier!! I can't tell you how amazing it feels to have found my passion and to be able to focus on it completely is just the icing on the cake.

Now on to the pictures...

Here is my first Senior session for the class of 2010 and it's made me realize that I absolutely love doing these sessions!! And this girl was adorable, sweet and incredibly stylish... bring on the Seniors!

Next, I had the opportunity to meet this sweet couple. And if I'm being honest... I really like these sessions too! It's amazing to me that I was "working" today but really I was just having fun meeting new people and making them look good... ;)

I love what I do!

Libby.

2009-11-18T10:27:00.002-07:00

Meet Miss Libby. This picture cracks me up... feed me mom!! :)

The blanket is from Libby's room and how adorable to have it as a backdrop to match. I adore it!

Here are some of the other sweet knitted props my friend, Karina, made for me. I absolutely love them all!

Remember this one?

Her eyes are so soft and sweet in this next one.

I think one of the best things about doing newborn shoots is the gorgeous, wonderful mothers that I get to meet. It's so fun to witness the interaction between mothers and their new babies. This mother was no exception. One of the sweetest ladies I have ever met and so loving and nurturing to her children. Plus, she's beautiful!

A fun fall night...

2009-11-17T19:42:00.005-07:00

Remember this little one? I absolutely love all the colors in these shots... great location chosen by my sweet friend Melissa. Fall is ridiculously beautiful and I'm so depressed that it's pretty much gone. Boo!

Notice the little gold shoes? How cute are those?

Love this blue background... matches this little one's eyes perfectly!!

Wedding Albums

2009-11-16T10:23:00.005-07:00

I'm so excited about these! Amazing quality and totally customizable. The size of the pictures in this book are 12x12 just to give you an idea of how big it really is. I honestly think this is one of the most important wedding necessities... which is why I'm including it with my future wedding packages.

And who could forget this amazing couple?

I absolutely love how the pages are hinged to lay flat. It's so sleek!

Isn't it fun?

Off Camera Flash... an experiment

2009-11-08T22:18:00.008-07:00

Tonight I tried a little experiment with my speedlight. A couple weeks ago I went to a small portion of a workshop called "Rock that OCF (off camera flash)" with Ali Hohn. And by no means am I an expert in this area at all... but I was so curious to try it out for myself to see what I could come up with. Btw, because of scheduling conflicts I wasn't able to attend the entire workshop but I am so there when she comes in the Spring!!

Here are some of the results... flash was once not my friend... and now look how fun!

These two are always the guinea pigs when I want to try something new. They're such good sports.

And could it be? Yup, it's me. I decided I wanted something new for my blog so Will took a couple for me. He did a great job! I'm pretty excited to experiment more with this. It's opened up a whole other world of photography for me and how cool is that?

You can view more of me here. I know you're dying to... ha, ha, ha!

Camera For Sale!!

2009-11-05T21:42:00.005-07:00

So my hubby talked me out of selling for now... sorry!

Hey, photogs, I'm looking to sell my Nikon D300. I purchased it in June of this year so it's about 5 months old... still a baby. It's been absolutely wonderful... just need something with video. I purchased it for $1700 plus tax and I'm asking $1300. If you or someone you know is interested then email me.... please!!

Oh, I'm also selling my 50mm 1.8 lens as well. Purchased it for $130 plus $20 for the lens filter. This is a pretty sharp lens for the price. I think almost every photographer starts out with this little guy because of the low aperature settings making that wonderful blur. A must have!! Asking $100 for the lens and filter.

One Year Anniversary

2009-11-03T13:03:00.012-07:00

I actually have never done this before but today I'm going to show you the BEFORE and AFTER of one of my shots from last night. All I can say is "Thank heavens for photoshop!" There are a lot of people out there that believe true photographers don't need photoshop... well, I beg to differ. Granted, that doesn't mean you still don't have to work to get your exposure and other settings correct in your camera first (sadly, that was my mode of thinking when I first started... I can just fix it in photoshop.) But the truth is, I HATE FIXING PICTURES!! So my goal is to always get it right with my camera first and then ENHANCE the picture later in photoshop. That is when the fun begins!! Isn't it amazing how flat and muted the colors are in the first one?

Since November is my ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY as a photographer professionally... I'm giving all of my clients who book sessions in November a free 8x10. So 25 free Holiday cards for family sessions (in case you didn't catch that in one of my earlier posts) and a free 8x10. Pretty cool if you ask me! What a crazy year it has been... I really am so grateful to have found something that I truly love and to have the ability to express myself creatively... which is what I've always hoped for.

Happy One Year to ME!!

Black & White

2009-11-02T08:53:00.003-07:00

I love when I have a vision of a photo shoot and it's carried out through good friends. These two are some of my best friends ever and some of my most gorgeous friends ever too! I've had this vision in my head for a while now and I'm so happy they were willing to play around with me.

This is going down as another favorite location.

Isn't she absolutely beautiful?

We actually took family pictures this day too... so those will be coming.

Thanks so much for such a fun night!

Little Punkin!

2009-10-26T22:40:00.005-06:00

Today I had the pleasure of meeting this sweet little punkin. Doesn't she have the cutest little squishy cheeks?

Btw, the adorable pumpkin hat was made by my sweet friend Karina. She is so talented with a ball of yarn... I mean really talented. She sent me a ton of gorgeous little props to use for my photography and I am so excited to show them to you! I actually used quite a few of them in this session and will be sharing them soon! Sorry, only one pic for tonight...

Happy Halloween!

Love this girl...

2009-10-19T14:07:00.004-06:00

It has been killing me keeping these pictures all to myself!! I have so much love for this girl... my seriously gorgeous sister-in-law, Jen. She is the posing queen... no kidding!! Most of the time I just stand back and let her do her thing and start clicking away. This whole photoshoot was seriously one of the funnest shoots ever... she ROCKED IT!! And how much do you love this Coca-cola wall?

She's almost like a modern day Marilyn Monroe... love it!

Love, love, love this house!!

This next one... one of my favs!

Isn't her hair to die for? I've never seen anything like it... love your style, Jen!!

This next shot is such a sweet one... it's a picture of Jen's grandpa who passed away last year. It was so cute because as soon as I took the picture and showed it to Jen's mom, she started to tear up. I thought it was a darling idea and how touching to make him a part of it.

Absolute favorite shot of the whole day. When I was finished editing this picture I pretty much couldn't believe what I had just done. And it's totally going on my business cards. She is stunning!!!

And love the lighting in these last three.

I seriously wanted to cry the night I came home and looked at these for the first time. Jen and I have been sharing ideas for over a year now of what we were going to do for her bridals and to see it all come together, I think, gave us both the biggest sense of accomplishment. And through it all I think it brought us closer which is why I love to do this. I get to bond with people in ways that I never would normally and I'm loving it!

Let's hear it for the boys...

2009-10-19T00:21:00.009-06:00

I just can't get enough of this picture... the entire time I was editing it I could not stop smiling. Doesn't it just crack you up? This is Kami with her four extremely fun and adorable brothers. And, believe it or not, she actually has one more brother that wasn't able to make it to the ceremony. I could just tell that this family is no stranger to fun and enjoys being with one another. It was such a fun day and I'm so happy that these boys were such good sports. There was no warning for them that bare legs were going to be required and they did it with very little complaining! ;)

Oh, and sorry for all the one-picture-posts. I really have so many things I want to share and hope to be able to do it soon! Honestly, it's become the story of my life... please stay tuned for more... this week, I promise!!

Sneak Peek for Aubrey...

2009-10-14T21:08:00.003-06:00

We had so much fun tonight chasing after this little misses. I just adore this house and it's charm. It's always so much fun finding new locations. And in case you were wondering I've decided to start shooting in RAW... for all you photogs out there I'd love to hear what you LOVE/HATE about it. I'm loving it so far and kinda wished I would have started sooner...

Missed one...

2009-10-08T18:09:00.003-06:00

I was going through these pictures and realized that this one was ready to be posted but never was. Such a shame... it was too pretty to pass up so I am sharing.

My Signature Move...

2009-10-08T12:51:00.003-06:00

I'm calling this my signature move... (hand behind the neck)

You know you loved it with Angie & Christian so I brought it back. And it's probably gonna pop up every now and then in future posts. Still love it just as much as I did back then.

Sneak peek for Paige!

Holiday Cards

2009-10-06T20:52:00.005-06:00

I am so excited for the holidays!! This is such a fun time of year. It also happens to be that time of year when you're thinking about family pictures and what the heck are we going to do for a holiday/Christmas card? I absolutely love designing holiday cards for clients and their families. So this year I've decided to do a little special. Anyone that books a family session for the months of October and November will receive 25 double-sided 5x7 press printed holiday cards!! (oh, and envelopes, too!) Wahoo! How fun is that?

For those of you that think 25 cards isn't enough... you can purchase an additional 25 for $50. Pretty cool!

The Lane's

2009-10-06T10:49:00.003-06:00

And here's the rest...

I could not get enough of these girls... they were so silly and did I mention BEAUTIFUL?? I could tell that they really have fun together. It was so fun to watch.

Little posers too!

This little guy gave me a run for my money. But, honestly, I'm used to it. Playing is much more fun than sitting still and smiling for pictures... but, man, he is gorgeous!

These next four are my very fav. The sun was absolutely perfect for me that night. And these girls couldn't have been more photogenic. I seriously had goose bumps when I pulled these up for the first time!

And, of course, Mom and Dad. Beautiful couple! Such a fun night!

Sneak Peek for Cami

2009-09-27T23:46:00.004-06:00

Gorgeous family... and I had such a great time!

So excited to show the rest...

Angie's Bridals

2009-09-23T21:30:00.003-06:00

Can I just say that I love this girl? She is the most hilarious person I have ever met!! I never stop laughing when I'm around her... really, one of the coolest personalities ever! And to top it off... she decides to fly me to Wyoming for our shoot... yes, fly, in a plane... and she couldn't have picked a more gorgeous place!! This is Jenny's Lake right next to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. The most amazing scenery and really what more could we ask for? The sun shining through the mountains and along the lake... Amazing!

This next one, my fav!

Oh, and then she decides, "hey! I'll climb up in that tree!" I'm like, "you really don't have to, Angie! It's ok." Did she listen? Nope!

Last shot before we had to go... just needed more of the sun setting... love it! Her wedding is soon to come!

I have to laugh...

2009-09-15T15:51:00.005-06:00

because my 3 year-old daughter took these pictures of me. What?!! Yeah, I'm shocked too. Please be aware that we did have the tri-pod so that helped but she loved pushing that button. And I have to say that I'm impressed with her work... ha! ;) So here's a post just for fun showing how unbelievably talented my 3 year-old little girl is. We like to teach 'em young around here.

Oh, and her middle name is Kanani, too... aw, special!

Well overdue...

2009-09-14T01:35:00.005-06:00

Um, yes, it is time to share with you one of the most beautiful couples I have ever met. You wouldn't believe how giddy I was when I first walked up to meet them. So super giddy... I love, love, love their style!! It was a match made in heaven!!

I'm trying out this larger size image. Can't decide if I like them this big or not... comments?

I'm trying to figure out new edits which can be a lot more time consuming but in the end very much worth it. You'll notice more textures here and there... they make me happy. :)

Isn't her head piece fabulous?? She was seriously perfection!!

These inside shots have got to be my very favorite.

And see what I mean about perfection?? I barely did a thing to these next images. She is beautiful!

And this dress is amazing! Love, love, love it!

Thanks for being so patient with me everyone... things are starting to get a little less crazy around here but I have a feeling that won't last long with another wedding to shoot this weekend.

Ciao!

Family Pictures... finally!

2009-09-06T00:53:00.000-06:00

My friend Marissa Vargason took our family pictures this week and, man, it was stressful! I now know how my clients feel when it's picture taking time... not fun! But we succeeded!! Yay! I have more to post but wanted to share this one for now.

Vargason Kids

2009-09-01T10:11:00.003-06:00

This post is for Marissa...
Your children are gorgeous! I know you know this but I'm just here to reaffirm it to you again. Absolutely gorgeous eyes on each and every one.

This little one was not into picture taking... not one bit. I could tell her mind was constantly thinking of ways to escape. But I don't give up that easily... ha!

Sisters... aren't they the best?

Hard to pass up the b&w on this one.

Thanks, Marissa, for letting me capture them for you!

One cute fam...

2009-08-31T15:37:00.004-06:00

Here is my sweet friend and her extremely cute family. I was so thrilled about her color choices... aren't they wonderful?

Her mom made these adorable petti-skirts. Well done to the mom!

This little one gave me a run for my money. Surprisingly, she was the hardest but in the end had the most shots to choose from. Go figure!

Don't you just want to squish those cheeks? I do!

Looking at these next shots just makes me hopeful that one day I will have great shots with me and my children... one day...

This is her "I'm ready to go" face. Kids always have it rough at photo sessions... everyone constantly asking them to smile and be happy and look this way and that. It's hard being a kid... especially when it's picture taking time. ;)

Squishy Goodness...

2009-08-26T00:39:00.002-06:00

I could hold this little baby girl forever... and I pretty much did. She has the squishiest little cheeks and arms and legs and... pretty much everything. I just loved her to pieces!

These angel wings were made by "Fairy Wonderful." Love them!

And yet another tutu and wings set made by "Fairy Wonderful." I seriously can't get enough. Everything is so beautiful and creative and FUN!

It is time...

2009-08-24T23:46:00.004-06:00

for some new faces...

These two adorable children are brother and sister... yes, different fathers but brother and sister, nonetheless.

And can we say "stud muffin?" Yeah, he's going to be fightin ladies off left and right when he gets older. Such a handsome devil... ;)

I was so impressed with how well this little lady did. She was so easy to shoot... I mean, really easy. It was so fun to watch her interact with her family behind me.

Seriously, where did this boy come from?

Another "Fairy Wonderful" tutu... isn't it darling? The colors are fabulous!!

Thanks for such a fun shoot, guys!