Carrie + Paul Engagement Portraits

This is Carrie.



Carrie loves Paul. This is Paul. Paul loves Carrie too.


They are two of a kind. That much is clear the moment you meet them. On Friday, Kirk and I got to spend a little time getting to know Carrie and Paul while taking their engagement portraits. We learned a lot!


We learned that they are in love....



And have a great aptitude for making awesome silly faces. Seriously! Awesome.





We learned that Carrie has fabulous taste in shoes! I mean, who wouldn't love these...






We learned that they are brave enough to sit in wet grass...


and jump from highish places, so long as they are holding hands....


We learned that Paul has nice taste in rings (nice work buddy- its perfect on her!)....


Paul learned the superman hold, guy lean and how to properly dip a beautiful woman...

We learned that Carrie and Paul are VERY sweet on each other...Awwwww....






We even learned that they are not too afraid to get their pant legs a little damp for the sake of some fun fountain photos! (ok, we rolled up the pant legs, but only a little!).

We had a really fun time working with Carrie and Paul and we can't wait for their wedding at the end of this year!

Their slide show, like a lot of the ones we put up is awesome. You would learn a whole lot more if you watched it too!

Linsey + Matt - Engagement Portraits

Earlier this week, we spent some time with Linsey and Matt taking some beautiful engagement portraits.

These guys are getting married in a little less than a month and we are so excited for them!

It was an incredibly fun session-Linsey and Matt laughed for quite a lot of it. They brought a friend who is also a videographer to capture the session too!

Click these images to view them bigger- you will want to- the details are amazingly beautiful!



These two are so incredibly sweet together! I know I say it time and time again, but really- I love love!


Linsey is incredibly beautiful and in the evening light her hair almost glows! Matt is one lucky guy- and I think he might know it too!


I absolutely adore sunset sessions. So much delicious warm light!









Her ring is sooo beautiful! Matt did a good job.


There are some images I love enough to share multiple versions of in previews. They are just too sweet not to!


This one I loved because as Linsey was telling us the story of "The Happy Meal Smile" she was just lit up with laughter. A mild cross process and some texture gives this image so much pop, I can almost hear her laughing again!


This one I did multiple versions of too. Everyone who has ever worked with us knows that if we edit an image, you get copies of each version. A lot of that is because we recognize that personal taste is a factor...the rest of this is that I love them all and think you might too! Gorgeous, are they not? You can just feel the romance!



Check out the slideshow! You know you want to! Its a reeeeally good one.

Mariposa Monarcha

For the fifth (I think...) year in a row, the Desert Botanical Garden has their Monarch migration exhibit- "Mariposa Monarcha".

We took a little time to stop in yesterday and visit their beautiful aviary teeming with hundred of these beauties.


God what I wouldn't give to have wings like that some days.

If you get time to stop in between now and Nov. 2nd, its worth the visit and an incredibly awe inspiring exhibit. This time of year the garden also offers live concerts, fine dining, luminarias, and a free pumpkin patch for the kids. Very very soon they will have an incredible glass art exhibit throughout the garden...staring Nov 22 (until then parts of the garden are off limits due to construction- but it will all be worth it!).

The weather is getting nicer (sort of...) get out and see something amazing.

Do Good. Hear Beautiful.

If you don't have plans on the 25th, and you like really amazing, truly beautiful music for good causes...you should go check out the Mindy Geldhill concert. (click for bigger!)



The concert is selflessly in benefit for the Neilson's, a local family from Mesa who had their lives changed back in August by a tragic plane crash. Pilot Doug Kinneard did not survive. The Neilson's survived, but their medical treatment has and will be long, arduous and expensive. They have a very long road ahead of them. Meanwhile, their incredible family updates the world regularly through blog posts and keeps Stephanie Nielsons inspiring blog about the joys of family life and love alive through reposts of favorites requested by thousands of readers.

The whole thing thus far has been an amazing demonstration of the good left in the world. In times of hurt, fear and uncertainty, hundreds have worked together to help, thousands have sent well wishes, good thoughts and prayers to the family- many of them knowing Stephanie Nielson and her family only through her heartwarming and openly honest and sincere blog.

In addition to being entirely for a very very worthy cause, Mindy's music is incredible. Seriously. Check her out. After listening to just a couple songs, I really could just listen to them over and over.




The concert begins at 7pm at Mountain View High School in Mesa. Tickets are available at www.mindygeldhill.com. Get the full story and updates on Courtney's (Stephanie Nielson's sister) equally amazing blog.

Do Good. Hear Beautiful.

A Colorful Diversion....

Over my years working with images, I have developed an intimate relationship with color. My world revolves around hues. I dream about them at night. I throw fits when my monitor is not perfectly calibrated. Its an obsession.

We all have a relationship with color, as part of the world around us. But how often do we test that relationship?


Well, now is as good as ever. I dare you to test your color IQ. Its easy (or is it?). Just arrange the colors in order in each row!

This was sent to me by a friend, and I decided to try it. I took about five minutes of rearranging and I scored a 0, which sort of surprised me. How did you do?