Lil' T-West Out on the Ranch

 Almost 5 years ago I headed to the outskirts of Flagstaff's rural region to the base of a cinder hill to photograph a wedding. The bride and groom were meeting at their log home before heading into the fields to seal their relationship with a kiss and a vow atop a grassy knoll in the desert. It was a day I remember well and people I remember fondly. Both are creative, (Alex is a phenomenal artist!!) free spirited and blessed with open minds and hearts and it was the first time I was released (actually encouraged) to photograph exactly how I wanted to. It showed in their photos. It turned a new page in my career. Anyway I digress... fast forward a few years and I was heading back down the same bumpy lane toward the same log house... and the same dapper groom and stunning bride walk out onto that rustic porch as I rolled in. Only this time between their legs ran a rambunctious little boy bursting with life and ready to show me his ranch. It felt like I was watching one scene fade into another on a Cameron Crowe movie... only better actors. And boy... that little guy didn't disappoint. He loved the camera and it loved him! Thanks T-West for showing me around your neighborhood.

Bees or Hornets or Wasps?? Oh my!

Well it's been a few years since I've been shooting families, weddings, couples etc. and anyone who follows my blog knows I'm not the studio type. The more rugged and rusty, the more backwoods and earthy... the better. Nature lends itself as the ultimate backdrop for me. I've waded brides knee deep into muddy ponds, walked fancily clad couples into the dunes of the painted desert, spend too much time to quantify in the forests and dips and hollows seeking out great light and beautiful canvases for people to stand against. I've never leant a second thought to anything going wrong with all of these equations. AND ALL THIS TIME... I've never had anything bad happen. Thank God. No snake bites, no scrapes or bruises or bumps - nobody has even left with any remnant of harm besides a little dirt as a souvenir of the journey. Until last week.

I've been photographing this little family (who happen also to be friends) for a very long time. We decided to haul their kids AND my kids up the mountain to look at the golden aspens and take family photos. It went splendidly. Beautiful leaves, cold crisp air, golden light... oh that golden light. The last 10 minutes of daylight when it gets inexplicably beautiful and everything is dripping in yellow. And RIGHT when those last golden rays reached my lens I looked down  to see that we were standing directly over a hornet's nest.

Ember (my friend's 3 year old) had already been stung by what we thought was a bee 10 minutes earlier but I could tell from the hole they were pouring out of that these were yellow jackets. I calmly told everyone to move slowly away but right as I said that the first stings were being delivered and panic ensued. Lydia had them stuck in her hair and tights (yeah... no idea how that happened?) already and  I lurched to get my kids away from the nest. In the process I had what I think must have been 5-7 hornets fly UP MY SKIRT. I dropped my kids away from the insuing disaster and started wildly flapping at my legs. I looked up... Jimmy was staring at me yelling "are you okay?" - and I looked back in horror at him and the line of innocent bystanders standing on the ridge attracted by the screaming. At this point my mind started urgently trying to recall if hornets could sting more than once and as I leaped around the field like a pin cushion I began to conclude that evidently - they could. I knew what I had to do - my clothes were working against me - and I had no choice but to shed them. As you can imagine the rest of the ordeal turned into me hysterically laughing because the only other option was to hysterically cry and just about the last thing I want anyone to see... is what those hornets were seeing. All in all I was stung 7 times and the group combined got about another 15. I made it back to the car in my clothes, glad that it hadn't been an entire wedding party I had to disrobe in front of, or worse a bride's dress that those angry little creatures had found to borough into.

Mostly I was just thankful that between 7 of us nobody had an allergic reaction. We were too far from help to have done much about it. From now on a bottle of Benadryl will be part of my photography arsenal .I have to say that despite the whole ordeal I would choose this or any of our other beautiful Northern Arizona locations again... this beats any studio... hornets aside... don't you think? Thank you God... once again... for watching out for us!

The Olsens

It's hard to believe on this balmy weekend in March (temps reaching high 60s) that a month and a half ago it was 0 degrees and I had to scramble for an indoor location at the last minute because the outdoors were too cold for a 4 month old. Amber and Richard came out from Canada to visit family (the cold was nothing new or exciting for them) - and for their photo session I chose the conference center because it was the only place I could think of that would have hospitable lighting conditions and enough space for a 3 year old's style not to be cramped. It's no substitute for the red cliffs of Sedona or the majestic peaks but the big windows certainly did the trick. I love this little family. She is a beautiful person inside and out (and has a phenomenal pianist and singer/songwriter) and he I discovered is a bush pilot and farm equipment mechanic. (Think flying into isolated farms where the only landing strip is the driveway...!) They had a long journey to parenthood - their children are miracles. I love seeing their little family grow and knowing that God answered their prayers. Hope you guys enjoy your photos.

Daulton Family (+one on board)

Jimmy and Brynne were my debut blog post with their first maternity session. It's amazing to see what a long way I've come since then. Practice may not have helped me reach perfection yet but I think I've matured a little in my imagery since then. Brynne breaks every rule of regency being an awkward, bloated, less than attractive time in one's life (like a lot of us feel right there at the end). With just weeks to go I think she was at her most beautiful ever. So a little trip to the creek was in the works. Much to my surprise - even Ember wanted to smile at me this time. :) Ironically.. my favorite photo of the session is one of her not smiling. Go figure!

Can't wait to meet little Sawyer (who seems to need a little more time to cook - I look at Facebook every day to see if he's arrived yet...but alas... no luck yet!). UPDATE: He arrived right while I was posting this blog:)

Morris Family Photo Session

Just when I thought they couldn't get more beautiful... they did. Hard to believe that already a year ago this little family was in my house getting newborn photos done of baby Ella. Where has the time gone? To me Olivia picked a perfect ensemble of clothing for family pics - coordinated but not too "matchy" - and fabrics with lots of interesting layers and textures. The blues and teals are also opposite on the color wheel of the reds and oranges of Sedona so it makes them stand out in their surroundings. Just a little pointer for future family sessions. Was lovely seeing you guys again... and well worth all the hard work to make Ella smile. :)

P.S. trying something a little different with the blog layout... loading it all as one image instead of many. What do you guys think? How long did it take to load? Better old way or new way? Going to redesign the blog soon too I think so feedback appreciated.

Avery & Vienna

Meet Avery. She likes Dr. Seuss and her wiener dog Vienna. Sometimes she uses Vienna's ear as a blankie when she can't find her own. Her mom made up a rhyme about it. More to come of Avery and her brand spankin' new brother (whose ear she does not pull) later this week.

The Dickersons

"It's easy to let go of your heart when you trust the hands that hold it. It's even easier when they allow you to hold theirs in return." ~ Anonymous.

Becca and Jeremy... you two are one of my favorite love stories!Thanks for all the cell phones (haha) and it was a pleasure returning the favor!

The photo below is one of my favorite ever shot: when the back lighting from the sun fell perfectly to bounced off Hayley's face onto Becca's to literally light her up. The look on her face also so perfectly tells how one feels about one's child. It's not too often that you capture a genuine fleeting moment and your lighting and composition is right too. Was very happy with it!

Isabella and Her Beautiful Family

Beautiful family... beautiful scenery. What more could I ask for? I love sunflower season! Here are my favorites from this shoot...

The McGinleys

You know that old saying "It takes a village to raise a child"? It's true. There are those who offer emotional support through pregnancy and child rearing, those who help you look after them when you can't, those who teach them and those who help clothe them. Liz has fallen into all the above categories... especially the latter. I can't really begin to imagine what I would have done without all those little shoes and dresses that she kindly sent our way. She is always faithful and someone I admire and look up to as a mom. I wanted to do some photos as a thank-you. It's not enough but it's atleast a gesture. :) Enjoy my favorites from our little session.


One thing we learned on this trip is that John-John is NOT afraid of horses. Unlike me. ;)