Seriously.....I miss the Christmas music, I miss the cold weather (here in Phoenix it has already hit 90 *boo*), I miss the decorations, and I miss the elaborate dinners!! So today, I am going to throwback to one of my Christmas sessions and inundate my senses with red and green ;) Tell me what you miss most about the holidays in the comment section!
When the day is done.....What's left?
At the end of the day, when the vows have been said, the lips have kissed, when the last strains of music have faded,(...) what's left?
I have a confession to make; I spend a LOT of time on photography forums ;) I love it because I get to hear life experiences, different ways of doing business, see TONS of different bodies of work, and hear lots of different questions.
One scenario I see happen quite often is an email that wedding photographers get from clients. The gist of the email is this "We LOVE your work, but we just can't afford the extra $500"
Now before I get to my response, I just want to say this; being on a strict budget is not a bad thing!! Everyone has a budget, and sticking to it is important, no matter how big or small that budget may be. :)
My solution, luckily, is quite simple and practical! Prioritize and itemize your budget!!! It sounds so simple, and yet so many couples don't do this at all! Simply put, when you are creating your wedding budget, make sure you put a priority on each item. So if your top priority is your dress, put a number 1 next to that. Here's the reason for prioritizing; a wedding budget is a fluid thing. You will likely have to move money around within your budget to make everything fit. Some things will cost more, and some things will cost less. So with a prioritized budget, you have a built in scale! You don't take away from number 1, you take away from number 10 to ADD to number 1.
Now one thing to consider when creating and prioritizing your budget; What's left? At the end of the day, when the vows have been said, the lips have kissed, when the last strains of music have faded, the last piece of cake has been eaten, the last bobby pin pulled out of your hair, the dress hung in the closet, the chairs folded up, and you are on your way to your honeymoon, what do you have left of the most special day of your life? Is that expensive meal you provided for your guest left? Are the fancy chairs you splurged on left?
Just in case you were wondering, it's the photographs ;) The photographs are what you have left. Years down the road when you want to remember your wedding day, you pull out your album. You see the expression on your husband's face as he sees you for the first time. You see the tears in your mother's eyes as she gives you away. You see the look of love on your father's face as he sways on the dance floor with his baby girl. You see the day, that moment that has been frozen in time forever, that was the beginning of your life together.
Summer time and the livin' is easy......
....Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high........
I just LOVE Ella Fitzgerald! That song always makes me smile :)
I don't know about you, but summer is one of my favorite times to TRAVEL!!! So guess what I have been doing all summer??? Traveling!! It's been wonderful! Sunny San Diego, the evergreen forests of Pinetop, the cuteness and cool breezes of Flagstaff, the majesty of the Grand Canyon, and the wide open spaces and green cotton fields of Texas. It's been a pretty amazing few months, and here are some photos so you can share in my adventures!!
What did you do this summer?? Spam me with your favorite photos either in the comments, or using #osisummer on Instagram!
September+Patrick: Superhero Theme
I met this sweet and fun couple in February for an engagement session. They were just so in love!! You could cut the sweet with a knife ;) So when they asked me to photograph their wedding, I couldn't wait! These two spent a lot of time and energy making every detail of their wedding perfect. Enjoy the photos!!
Leilani+Hilson: Ceremony and Reception
The final installment! These two were all smiles from start to finish :) I'm so excited to finish off this blog series with everyone celebrating with them :) This wedding was one of the happiest weddings I have ever seen! As friends and family started to show up, the smiles and the laughter just got more and more pronounced :) These two got to celebrate their love along with all of their guests, and I think that's just about the best part of any wedding! Enjoy the rest of the photos!!
Selfie before the kiss!
Finally man and wife :)
Leilani+HIlson: Portraits and Details
So apparently I am really bad at this whole blogging thing......Here is installment number 2 with Hilson and Leilani's wedding! This part of a wedding is so much fun for me! This is where I get to spend quality time with my bride and groom. I get to see their faces light up as they see each other for the first time, I get to capture those stolen kisses in the moments before the ceremony, and I get to capture all those little details that the bride and groom spent months on to create the perfect atmosphere for their celebration of their love. So without further ado, here are the portraits and details!
Mason Jar MADNESS
Mason jars, mason jars, MASON JARS!! We see them EVERYWHERE (I admit, I use them more than I would care to admit) Pinterest has a million and one ideas for creative ways to use mason jars. One of those million ideas is using them in wedding decor. Now here's the catch; where do you find 100+ mason jars without breaking the bank? I'm going to tell you where I get mine; thrift stores! You heard right. I said thrift stores. I've seen them for as little as 15 cents a piece!
Now for decorating with mason jars, you are on your own! But here's a few photos for inspiration :)
Leilani+Hilson: Getting Ready
This couple was just a bundle of laughs! The whole day with them was just so much fun :) I'm going to split up their photos into three different blog posts because there are just TOO MANY PHOTOS THAT I LOVE :)
I will also be including little tips and tricks that Leilani used to make her wedding GORGEOUS as well as cost-effective!
Tip number 1 is about flowers. Flowers add so much to your wedding day! But they can definitely eat up a large amount of your budget if you choose to buy live flowers for everything. A great alternative is to pick and choose where to use live flowers, and where to use silk or burlap. Leilani, instead of choosing to spend a chunk of her budget on live flowers, cut down on cost by using silk and burlap flowers for her bridesmaids and the centerpieces of her tables. Which means only her bouquet and the boutonnieres were purchased from the florist. Talk about a beautiful way to save money! The burlap bridesmaids bouquets went so perfectly with her venue (The Elegant Barn in Gilbert, AZ)
Now enjoy these photos of the bride and groom getting ready!
Wedding Wednesday: What's the backup plan for my wedding day??
One of the most common questions asked of wedding photographers is "What happens if something comes up and you can't photograph my wedding?"
WOW.
Not something that is fun to think about. You never want to hear from your photographer "Hey I'm not going to make it to photograph your wedding...." It's a nightmare situation, and it's something that needs to be addressed LONG before it actually happens.
So the answer to that particular question should never be "uuhhhhhhhmmmm....." Your photographer should have something in place, or at the very least a general idea.
Are you ready for my own personal contingency plan? Good. The very cool part about Old Soul Imagery, is I have a built in associate photographer with my husband! We shoot very similar styles, and once the photos are all edited, even I have a hard time distinguishing who took which photos. If for whatever reason my husband is not available to shoot your wedding, I have an extensive and AMAZING network of local photographers who could step in and take care of you on your MOST important day! Once they are finished with the actual photographing, I would still take on the editing myself.
Now not every photographer will have the same plan in place. The most important thing is just that your photographer has something in place.
Enjoy some of my favorite detail photos below!
Wedding Wednesday: How to save money on your venue
Hello everyone! We are right smack dab in the middle of one of my favorite seasons right now; WEDDING SEASON!!!! I know a lot of couples got engaged over the holidays, which means a lot of you ladies are trying to plan your weddings right now. This can be absolutely overwhelming to do! Especially when trying to stay within a budget. So I've decided to help lighten your load a little! One of the most major expenses involved in wedding planning is the venue. It can also be one of the most overwhelming decisions! There are so many details involved in just finding a venue. Does it include tables for the reception? Does it include table linens? Plates? Chargers? Silverware? Catering? Decorations? DJ? Sound system? Cake? Chairs for the ceremony as well as the reception? Can I have my ceremony and reception in the same venue? Can I bring in outside vendors? Is there a fee for bringing in outside vendors? Is there restrictions on outside vendors?
Wow. Did you know there were so many things involved in just this one aspect of wedding planning? Because until I started photographing weddings, I sure didn't!
So here's my advice to you future bride; pick your battles. Meaning decide what details you want to worry about.
For example, if the thought of finding table cloths and place settings for your bare tables scares the living daylights out of you, find a venue that offers to include them! If you don't want to worry about chair rentals, ask for them to be included! If you want to bring in all of that yourself, then make sure your venue allows outside vendors and doesn't charge a fee for bringing in your own. If you don't think about these hidden costs beforehand, your venue could end up costing you a lot more than you initially planned on.
Now I'm not saying that just because it's included it will be the best deal. I would recommend doing a little bit of research before meeting with your venue to make sure you are getting the best deal.
Ok, so to wrap all that up and simplify: do research on what's included, and ask about any hidden vendor fees. These two little things could save you thousands!
Just in case you are still looking for a venue, here are a few photos from The Elegant Barn in Gilbert!
Towns Family
Meet the Towns Family! This family of four and I actually know each other from church! Well, Hannah and I know each other. This was the first time I had the pleasure of meeting her beautiful family! I know I say that about every family I photograph, but seriously just look at how cute they are! We met up at this gorgeous neighborhood in Chandler, and just had some fun! At one point I had her son "help" me with taking some pictures. He was a natural ;) I love letting kids get behind the camera and express some creativity, the result is just fantastic. And of course, any time I can foster creativity I am one happy camper! One of these days I will have to share some of the photos my oldest daughter has taken with "her" camera. Until then, here is the Towns family!
This is the one that Hannah's son took :) Didn't he do a great job!
Just For Fun
Lucky for me, I married my best friend. :) My bff and I happen to both LOVE photography! (He also happens to be my associate photographer) Sometimes the two of us like to go out, drop the kiddos off with Mimi, and just take photos. We will take photos of pretty much ANYTHING! Dumpster in an alley? Check. Waterfalls in Sedona? Check. Pinecones in Pinetop? Check. Every time we go out together it is a whole new adventure! Here are a few the two of us took while traipsing around the Tempe Center for the Arts. By the way, if you haven't been there, click here and we will plan an adventure there together!
Also, if you are interested in purchasing any of these photos for your walls at home, please feel free to contact me and we can get those printed up for you!
Which one is YOUR favorite? I think mine is the one with my hottie husband in it ;)
Let's play catch(up)!
The last few weeks have been soooo busy! That is one sure sign of the holidays! I wanted to share with you some photos from different sessions over the last couple of weeks. I've been privileged to meet lots of new families, and capture their beautiful faces with my camera. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
The OTHER side of the lens
My family and I were privileged to have Leah Hope Photography take our family photos this year! Being on the other side of the lens was a lot of fun! Leah was great at capturing our family and being patient with our crazy two kiddos :) Here are some of my favorites! And don't forget to look at www.leahhopephotography.com for more of her awesome work!
My baby turns ONE!
My youngest daughter just turned ONE today!! I can't believe it! Munchkin and I went to do a photo shoot last week, and the two of us had so much fun :) She had her very first cupcake and I took about a MILLION pictures while she was eating it. I just wanted to share a few of them with you!
I think this last picture is my favorite! Show me your favorite pics of your kiddos, and don't forget to credit your photographer! :)
Downing Family
The Downing Family and I got to hang out at the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall last weekend (aka the LOVE statue) and took some photos. Their family is such a joy to watch together! These kids love each other SO much! And mom and dad are just adorbs ;) Here are a few of my favorites from our session!
How to find the perfect family photographer for YOU!
The holiday season is almost upon us! For some people, that means scrambling around to find "the best deal" on family photos to send out for Christmas cards. Let me tell you, I have been there and done that! Thinking to myself "wow I got a steal of a deal on this photographer!" And then.....I get the photos back........and I understand exactly why I paid so little.
Let me be clear, I do not want to put down another photographers work. Everyone has to start somewhere, and I definitely did too! Here's what I want to convey to you; it is so very important to consider more that just a photographer's pricing!! You should be searching for someone who will capture a memory, not just snap a few photos. You want to be looking at a photographer's body of work, not just their pricing. Trust me, there is ALWAYS a happy medium! There are so many incredibly talented photographers out there, and they come in EVERY price range!
Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you find the right photographer for you and your family.
- Do I want my photographer to capture my family interacting with each other naturally, or do I want the photos to be posed? Or do I want a little of both?
- Do I want my final product to be digital, or would I rather have physical copies (ie canvases, framed photos, a photo album, small prints, etc) or a mixture of both?
- How do I want my photos edited? (ie-crisp, clear, and bright, or vintage/rustic, or dramatic, or maybe with a matte finish)
- Do I prefer a more intimate feel (ie-more close up) or do I prefer to see a lot of the location in the backround? Or do I like a mixture of both?
- Are the photographers photos edited consistently? (ie-is the quality the same throughout their body of work, or is there a definite difference from one photo to the next?)
Now here are a few questions you can ask your potential photographer.
- Do you have any specials or mini sessions running for the holidays?
- What is your turnaround? (So you can make sure you have enough time before the holidays!)
- How do I get my finished product? (Do we have to schedule an in person sales session? Do I get them via digital download? Do I get them via USB drive? Are my prints mailed to me?)
- What is your availability?
- Can I change outfits?
- How many people does the session include?
I know it can seem like a LOT to think about! But trust me, when you get your photos back this year, you will be glad you took the time to find the right photographer! Post your FAVORITE photo of yourself or your family below, I would LOVE to see them! And don't forget to credit your photographer ;)
This is one of my personal favorites taken of my oldest daughter :) The credit goes to a really great friend, who took our family photos in 2012.
Martinez Family
This family is just absolutely ADORABLE!! We went to spend some time together at the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park while we took photos. We went and looked at the trains, ate some ice cream, and road the train around the park. It was so much fun! As well as taking some updated family photos we took some of just little DJ for his first birthday. Here are a few of my favorites from this session!
A Wedding in Durango - Andrew+Ashlynne
Ok, so it has been a LONG time since I've blogged!! This past month has been spent searching for and moving in to our new home. It was a process, let me tell you!! BUT, now we are all moved in, and aside from unpacking and redecorating, things are back to normal. So, that being said, it is time for me to post the photos from Andrew+Ashlynne's wedding at the BEAUTIFUL Leplatt's Pond just outside of Durango Colorado. This wedding was a TON of fun, and the bride and groom were just a joy to work with. These two have been together since high school, and oh wow have they made it through so much! They have already been there "in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer". I cannot wait to watch these two spend the rest of their lives together! And now, without further ado, here is the beginning of one of the most important chapters in their life!
A Moment in Durango
Sometimes when you are doing a photo shoot, you turn around and see something totally unexpected and beautiful. That happened to me while I was shooting Andrew and Ashlynne's wedding in Colorado. (You will have to wait to see their AMAZING wedding on a later blog post :) Anyways, I turned around to look at the incredible scenery that Le Platt's Pond features, and I saw Mae next to the lake. So I snapped a few photos. Let me tell you, I am in LOVE with this moment I was able to capture! Which of these photos are your favorite? Leave a comment and let me know!