Photography by Noelle

Lundholm Family + Snow Day + 14 Degrees

2012-01-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

Maybe the title of this post says it all? The Lundholm Family was in town for Christmas and we only had one day to work with... it was FREEEEEZING and sunny. So we found the perfect spot of open shade from this little red barn and my neighbor had these awesome sleds she let me borrow (thank you!). It was worth it in the end and we got some really cute smiles! Lindsey has the best taste for boys clothes. Her kids always look adorable!

Mini Session: Andrews Family

2011-12-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

My sister welcomed baby Tyler into their cute family this June and needed a new family picture! SO over Thanksgiving we headed out into the 11 degree weather to brave the cold and try to get some smiles... Tyler is usually the smiliest little boy. His eyes are smiley and when he flashes a big one it just melts my little heart! At least he isn't crying but it still turned out adorable of him. Next time we'll get the big ones! Maddie and Ella are the sweetest older sisters. Little Ella just turned 3 and does the cutest things. I kept asking her to give me her prettiest princess smile and she would give me the funniest, crooked little face. Maddie's turned out just like her: so sweet.
{front}

{back}

I wasn't able to be there to take his newborn pictures because I was far away in Texas :( But, I got to design his baby announcement. I think it is my favorite.

Autumn Colors

2011-12-21T11:21:00.001-07:00

I love the fall time SO MUCH and I thought Idaho had such a beautiful fall season this year. I got to enjoy it from my car and house windows because it is right when I had my babies, wishing I could get out and really enjoy it... meaning get out my camera and take lots of pictures! Some people have a great photographic memory and are able to remember details about everyday of their past... well that's NOT me. So, I take pictures. That's my memory. I was so excited when Tiffany and Kolby asked me to take some pictures of them for Christmas presents for parents and grandparents this fall. It was so beautiful, crisp, and full of amazing colors only enhanced by the setting sun, and a gorgeous couple! Now I feel like I experienced fall :)

Baby Love

2011-12-18T23:15:00.000-07:00

My newest nephew was born over the summer and I counted lucky stars that I was able to take his newborn pictures and meet him before my babies made their debute a month later! Bodie is such a sweet baby boy. He was so sleepy, never cried, {still doesn't}, and is so calm. It is so fun to see my sister with her two boys. Daxton is a little mini me to her as a child and Bodie looks exactly like his Daddy. These two boys are some of my favorite little guys... Daxton is so sweet with his brother, always giving him kisses and loves just like the picture above. He did that all by himself! I love it!

A Little Sunshine

2011-12-16T22:50:00.001-07:00

Seems silly to be posting a photo shoot with so much beautiful sunshine during the dead of winter! But, it actually makes me happy. :) It reminds me of a warm breeze through my hair, the smell of wild flowers, a sunrise seen from outside...not from my window, flip-flops, and this gorgeous morning when I got to take pictures of this beautiful family.

What Keeps You Busy?

2011-11-21T21:45:00.001-07:00

I love sharing my pictures with you on this blog! I apologize that it has been few and far between these last months. What keeps you too busy to post you ask? Well friends, here to make their debute on my blog is my beautiful {new} babies! Ava and Ty were just one week old in these two shoots. I have been wanting to share and announce this for a long time {they are now 2 months old!} but like I said, I've been busy! :)

Being a mommy to twins and my soon to be 4 year old is my favorite job in the whole world! I have so much to share about them and my new life, so little time to document it here. So you can find me more often here. I will catch up someday friends! I still have photo shoots to share with you from too long ago to mention :)

Orchard Romance

2011-10-17T16:57:00.000-06:00

This past August my sister I got the privledge of helping my sister, Emily, add to her wedding flowers portfolio. She lives in Phoenix and flew into Idaho to do her sister-in-law's wedding. I don't think that I am biased when I say this girl is super-oober talented. The location was a beautiful apple orchard of a family member and the bride did an exellent job planning and designing her wedding reception. It had a very vintage feel to it. I wish I had taken pictures of the rest of the details but I was mostly concerned with getting pictures of all the beautiful flowers for my sister's portfolio. It was such a perfect summer night and her flowers made it even more magical. I am just in love with them!

You can view more of Emily's work here and see previous posts on my blog here.

I also wanted to share this adorable idea. The bride wanted to mix things up with the sign in book. She saw the idea and asked me if I could put something similar together and this is what I came up with. We loved it! She printed them on cream paper and filled a cute album with the notes people had written her.

I feel like sharing it with anyone who wants it! Click on the image and it will take you to flickr. Click on actions>view all sizes>download the large size of this file. Then save it to your computer!

Enjoy! :)

Eric + Bree {Engagements}

2011-09-02T22:05:00.000-06:00

These two, I love these two! I got to meet them this summer in Austin and see their love story unfold. It is a fun story... but first, I just have to say, they were so fun to photograph! I LOVE Bree's style and her hair is TO DIE FOR. She is also so genuine, sweet, and in love which radiates in her pictures. Eric is so cute and so in love with Bree. I got lucky again to be able to shoot such a beauiful couple!Also, another shout out to my style coordinator/assistant, Krista! It is so fun to have a friend to talk to and share ideas with during the shoot.

So, their love story began on their first day of work for Vivint Inc. Both from different cities and ended up in the same Austin, TX office as sales reps. They are both fun, spunky, and flirtatious and hit it right off. Working together turned into hanging out, which then turned into l-o-v-e. Eric proposed, Bree said "Yes!" and they tie the knot on October 8th.

Congrats you two!

Swede-eeee

2011-08-29T22:16:00.000-06:00

Swede is one of my friend's little boys and I was so excited when they decided to hop on an airplane and come visit me in Austin this summer so I could take pictures of him! Mom {Sarah} and loved the session from his cousin last year in this same location, which is the club house of the apartments we lived in while we were living in Austin.

I also brought my new found lovely assistant/set designer, Krista, with me. Like I said in my last post, I just can't do it with out her anymore. Being pregnant with twins and not as mobile as I'd like to be, she does what I can't do! She brought along the blocks and the monkey. She also was the entertainment behind me and the camera! That's how we got so many great smiles of Swede. But, he is also one of the smiliest, cutest little boys EVER so it wasn't much of a challenge...

I love Swede's spunk and personality. He is such a busy little boy and so happy. I love what we were able to capture of his 1 year mile mark!

All About Ann

2011-08-24T22:23:00.001-06:00

Sorry for not posting forever! I have been trying to get everything ready for my twin babies to make their debute, traveling, and lots of editing. I have much to share!
First up is the most beautiful Ann! It is Ann wedding week, with lots of festivities going on all week. I want her to feel like the special bride she is! I wanted to share our photographs with all of you before her big day on Saturday!

Ann, Krista (sister-in-law and my WONDERFUL assistant), and I went on a trek the morning of this shoot. This shoot was extremely last minute (as in we decided to do it the night before!) so we were a little undecided where we wanted to take the pictures. I had an amazing place in mind, but after a driving there, asking the home owner if we could take pictures in their amazing yard, and her being SO RUDE we ended up at this wonderful barn. Which I am so happy with . But honestly, I am happy with all pictures with Ann in them. She is such a natural in front of the camera. Also, Krista showed me that day that I couldn't do anymore shoots without her. She was the detail in my eye, making sure Ann looked perfect in every way and even bringing in props from the dusty barn behind us. She is seriously talented guys. Love her.

Anyway... on to sharing!

Baby Dominic

2011-07-19T21:10:00.000-06:00

I wish I lived in warm weather all year round for two reasons: #1: because it makes me so much happier to soak up the sun, even if it is through my open door and windows while sit in my nice air conditioned house, and #2: so I can do newborns outside. That's all, and I would be one happy girl, thank you!

Baby Dominic is such a cute little fella! Though he kept his mama busy and us all watching out for the aftermath, we caught some beautiful shots of this new little family. I was so excited that Kim agreed to do the shoot outside in the beautiful fields of sunflowers. Scary story though... As we got out of our cars and walked all of us and the props to the beautifully lit field a police officer stopped us and asked what we were doing. I thought, "Shoot, we're not gonna be able to do them here! We must be trespassing!" I hate being told I can't do pictures where I want to do them! It makes me feel like I've been sent to the principal's office after talking in class or something... anyway... He ended up telling us that they had spotted a mother bobcat with a litter of babies a few days before. WHAT?! In the middle of a busy city? He said, "If I were you, I wouldn't bring a baby around these parts, you never know..." That left a beautiful image in all our heads. Thanks a lot officer. No, really thanks a lot for saving the life of sweet Dominic!

Anyway, enjoy :)

I + the Clark Family

2011-07-12T14:05:00.000-06:00

LAAAAA... LAAAAA... LAAAAA... I feel like singing! I am finally able to share with you more of the beautiful people I have been photographing lately. I AM IN LOVE with this session, I wish it was my family sitting in them. {I also wish I looked like Krista!} Isn't she the most beautiful woman?

Krista came to me with an idea in her head and we orchestrated it together, with mostly her influence :) We found the fields close by our apartments in Texas, the lovely chair and books we found at Goodwill, and she added the special touch of the "LOVE" blocks and her end table. I love the little details too... Zaylee's cute little bows Krista makes herself. Zaylee's little piggie, and even the owner of the field's dog was an added touch!

My most favorite thing about photo shoots with children is that they create moments adults can't even come up with. So, thank you Zaylee for making the candid moments.

I heart the Clark Family.

Patriotic

2011-07-01T21:22:00.001-06:00

Crafting with my daughter yesterday, I couldn't help but notice the lovely colors that represent our land. I had to take some detail photographs. Though the subject matter may be foam stickers and ribbon from my crafting box, they made me feel patriotic and think about just how much I love my country. I am lucky and blessed to have been born into the United States of America. To live in freedom. Freedom of religion, of speech, of living my life the way I want to not the way someone tells me to. I am grateful for my beautiful country. The mountain terrain, green fields of farm land in the summer, white snow in the winter in my home state, Idaho. The beauty of wildflowers in the golden fields of this huge state of Texas. I think that is my favorite part about the 4th of July. It makes me stop and think just how lucky I am to live in America and enjoy it's beauty everyday.

Happy Independence Day!

Pretty Awesome!

2011-06-13T20:36:00.000-06:00

I just had to share this giveaway with all of you! If you are wanting to take your photography to the next level and have SO MUCH given to you that you pretty much can't help but be the most amazing photographer out there... enter this giveaway! Soulographer for photographers blog is my best recent find!

You can't see the pictures?

2011-05-25T07:45:00.000-06:00

I'm so sorry to those of you who can't see these pictures! I can't figure out the problem, so for now you can also visit Photography by Noelle on facebook! I will get it figured out shortly :) Thank you for your patience!

Ann + Taylor

2011-05-23T20:56:00.002-06:00

I can't wait to share these engagements with you! Ann and Taylor are the perfect couple with amazing style that wanted just the photography I have been dreaming of doing. I feel lucky they asked me!

Beautiful couple? To say the least... Ann and Taylor have to be, by far, the easiest couple to have ever been photographed! The magic between them is so real, romantic, and perfect.

I hope you enjoyed them as much as we did :) Let's help her choose the one she should send out with her wedding invitation... Which one is your favorite?

How can I not?!

2011-05-13T14:09:00.003-06:00

When there is 4 adorable girls in their Easter dresses how can I not take them to a field of flowers and snap, snap snap?! All I had to do was tell my friends what I wanted to do and they didn't hesitate on some free pics of their girls :)

My little Emrie is finally at the age to pose for me and do what I ask her to do... she is also a little ham... I didn't include those!

Best little buddies...how sweet will this picture be when they are all grown up and still best friends!?

Beautiful Avalynn

Oh, adorable Kylee Mae !

And so lovely and sweet Emery!

Oh, it was so fun! No pressure... I just followed the girls around and tried to capture each girl for their mama's to remember this fun day. :)

Adam's Family

2011-05-05T13:40:00.001-06:00

This is Adam's family... not that one silly. Though I used to love that one too, this family is a whole lot nicer and not scary at all :) My cousin Adam has the sweetest family. I'm so glad he married his sweetheart, Rachel, because now I get to call her my cousin too. They have 3 kids Kyler, Hayden, and Annalee.

Kyler was my BIGGEST helper. He is suc h a good older brother and would do exactly what I asked of him. He is also so handsome and a funny kid too!

I am so glad I got to spend time with this little guy. Hayden sure is straight from Heaven. He is such a sweet boy and I just fell in love with him. Adam and Rachel are so blessed to have him in their family and I must say he got really lucky to have them as his parents. There is no better, patient, loving couple than them. Isn't his smile to contagious!?

Oh and chunker, Annalee, never even cried once! I love her chubby cheeks and she was so patient with me to get her pictures just right! I wanted a picture of her looking right at me with her HUGE smile... but I these are almost cuter :) Such an innocent look in her eye just makes you want to gobble her up!

Baby Ryelyn

2011-05-02T20:29:00.000-06:00

Oh, oh , oh my goodness! I couldn't be more in love with this little girl! She belongs to my cousin and I am so glad I got to finally meet little Ryelyn. She gave some of the biggest, sweetest smiles... just not looking right at me... but mom, dad, and I still had a hard time picking favorites. Thanks for letting me chomp on those chubby cheeks, Merissa!

Talia + Klint

2011-04-01T21:13:00.000-06:00

I LOVE ENGAGEMENTS! Call me a sap, but I just love watching, reading, seeing love stories. Talia and Klint didn't let me down! I could see how crazy he was about her. And I could tell that Talia has just been swept away! It was also a little chilly and windy so they didn't let go of each other for a second. All the better for me :)

Just a beautiful couple... I am so glad they asked me to document the beginning of their story!

Mommy and Me

2011-03-27T21:10:00.001-06:00

I had the pleasure of meeting this mommy, Danielle, and adorable,adventerous Connor. We took him to a little boy's dream playground. I chose it for the awesome walls, obviously! But I think Connor loved everything else I didn't notice... dirt,wood, tractors, and piles of junk! I just followed him around as he discovered his surroundings. And isn't mommy so gorgeous? I am so in love with the outfits,especailly hers!

The love between mom and son is so sweet. I am glad I was able to document their relationship for their memories!

Forgot a Few

2011-03-04T08:47:00.001-07:00

You can check out more pictures I took on our trip to Hawaii at the home front. I am so in love with this place. It is magical. The sunset picture was the last picture I took in Hawaii and there was no mistake in that! How can it get more breathtaking that this?

M Family

2011-02-26T21:03:00.001-07:00

When the M family showed up for their pictures I immediately knew that it was going to be a good day! They were SO MUCH FUN to be with. I was highly entertained by the kids AND the adults and smiles were not hard to get!

If you are ever wondering how to dress your family for a photo shoot, learm from this family! Everyone is in coordenating, vibrant colors. Lots of layers and lots of diversity. I couldn't ask for more!

Daxton + Mom and Dad

2011-02-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

My beautiful sister has been so patient to wait for her pictures we took in the fall! I am so behind... but I still wanted to share these with you! Little Daxton has the best smile and has it on all the time. I hope it is as contagious to you as it is me! I love taking pictures of Dana, she is so photogenic and Landon is so good at cooperating... at leat I thought so until I looked back at the last few pictures I took. I must've been looking at Dana cuz I missed Landon's silly faces he was pulling! Poor guys just have to do what I say until I get what I want. :)

Daxton turned one over Christmas so we just set up a little mini session and got some cute shots by the tree and a few with a back drop. We had to keep him contained on a chair cuz he is a little wiggle worm and wanted to crawl all over the set. :) What a handsome little man, eh?

What took so long?!

2011-01-19T20:12:00.001-07:00

I am finally posting this little gal's 1 year pictures! I am sorry to keep you waiting on this cutestness!

There is no better little girl to dress up in all pink and frills than Avalynn. She is so dainty and pretty. When we sat the cake in front of her she just dabbed at it, poked a little, and nibbled like a little princess!

I just love this little girl to pieces.

Please Excuse the Interuption

2011-01-11T17:38:00.001-07:00

I think I have a pretty good excuse for not posting for 2 weeks! My hubby love's job paid for us to go on a cruise {you don't have to ask me twice!} I feel so grateful for the opportunity to see the beautiful places out there you only hear about. We docked in Miami and sailed for a day and night. Out first port was in Ocho Rios, Jamacia where most of these pictures were taken. The next day the port was The Grand Cayman Islands, sailed a night and a day again and we were back in Miami.

Sunsets are my most favorite thing ever. Our room had a balchoney that let me enjoy each one... still a camera cannot do justice. It was a little frightening to be out there when the light went down just because the water is such a mysterious, dark power... but beautiful at that. I will go back as soon as I can! But for now, back to work!

PART-AYYYY!

2010-12-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Avalynn is the luckiest 1 year old girl in the world! She threw such a great party full of pink, candy, and fun! I love the details of parties because I just love to higlight all the work put into it and how cute it looks when it all comes together.

It is fun to party in style!

If you are a photographer... you might want to check this out!

2010-12-16T17:48:00.002-07:00

Check out this amazing giveaway of Life. Camera. Actions. at http://www.photographercafe.com/

Sydney + Tyson

2010-12-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, if you don't know about The Daybook by Sydney you need to know about it! It will change your life! She is the most be autiful, loving, creative, modest fashion blogger. To sum her up...effortlessly ADORABLE. That also goes for her husband too. Seriously you guys, you won't meet a sweeter hubby. Love exudes from him. I am so happy with this shoot because it tells you the story of just how they are.

This is dream day in the life of Sydney and Tyson... A little bit of reading...snuggling...Tyson watching football...Lots of time on the computer! Tyson gets sick of it... throws a pillow... she throws back... he lifts her up with one swoop and she is down for the count!

Also, you better check out the giveaway on her blog for shopruche.com! You will *die* over the clothes! Even if I don't win, I might have to buy this dress!

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner!

2010-12-06T09:41:00.004-07:00

We have a winner!!!

I numbered your comments from 1-20 and depending on how many times you entered you could get up to 3 numbers... I plugged the numbers into random.org and it chose #18 which was one of the numbers for Ashely Abegglen!

So the WINNER IS...

The Abegglens said...

Noelle, I love your designs. You are so creative. Ok so I'm going to post this on facebook, on my blog and become a follower! I really want to win. So I like the Holly Jolly 4 and Believe 4 as well. So please pick me!! ;)

So contact me by tonight with your pictures and we will get your card ready to print!

For all the rest of you that enetered and waited... thank you! It pays off... So for TODAY ONLY you can order the design you want from me for 25% off! You have until midnight so shoot me an e-mail telling me which one you want!

Thanks everyone!

Baby Huxton

2010-12-06T00:26:00.000-07:00

I got to photograph the cutest baby and his adorable, proud big sister. Baby Huxton was so sweet and sleepy for the first shoot... the second shoot we had daddy come {Coleby Clawson who played for BYU} so we could get some pictures with his helmet. And Little Man decided not to sleep! So I got some cute ones of sister Chesni instead! But I loved it! She was so good at smiling and looking at me. And she had the CUTEST little voice. I love her!

Just us 3

2010-12-02T16:17:00.001-07:00

This little family of 3 were so sweet and fun to photograph! I love little girls! Especailly when they are so cooperative and smiley. Kaybree is the most adorable girl.... she was so well mannered, somewhat shy at first, but so sweet.

Her parents are good friends of ours, Kirsty and I were pregnant together. We used to talk all day about our future girls, what their names would be, our nursery colors, and everything else you could think of! So it was so fun to see Kaybree all grown up since we haven't seen them in a few years. Emrie still talks about her!

Christmas Cards 2010 {GIVEAWAY!!!!!}

2010-11-30T17:04:00.002-07:00

Friends, friends... isn't it ABOUT TIME I had a giveaway!? Yes? I thought you'd say that!

One lucky person will win a free custom Christmas card design!

I am utterly in LOVE with the Christmas cards I have to offer this 2010 season! I want to know which ones you love too!

Believe 1 {5x5}

Believe 2 {5x5}

Believe 3 {5x7}

Believe 4 {5x5}

Believe 5 {5x5}

Believe 6 {5x7}

Hold onto your socks people... here are my favorites! These can be printed as die-cut cards. If you don't know what I am talking about... go here. They are the hottest trend for Christmas cards this year!

Holly Jolly 1 {5x5 circle}

Holly Jolly 2 {5x5 scalloped circle}

Holly Jolly 3 {5x5 scalloped square}

Holly Jolly 4 {5x7 ornate}

Holly Jolly 5 {5x7 scalloped}

I am selling the designs for $10. If you want to buy the design I will place your picture on the card, change the fonts, colors, and wording to be exactly what you want. Then you can choose to print them through me or by yourself. I STRONGLY recommend printing through me because I do all the work and you just sit back and relax while you wait for them :) Also because I know where the good deals are for printing! But, if you insist, I will let you print them where ever your little heart desires.

Printing Costs? They start at $.60 per print and go to $1.10 depending on what you want. Envelopes are $.09 cents per envelope and shipping is $5.95 flat rate.

Paper? You can choose between plain photo paper {a front only card}, cardstock, linen, pearl, pebble, or pearl linen. You can choose between front and back, folded, or die cut.

Ok, so now that I have you overloaded on information all you have to do is one small thing to enter! Leave me a comment telling me which card you like best!

One entry per person please! But you can leave extra entries if you:

1. post this giveaway on your blog {tell me if you did}

2. post this giveaway on facebook {tell me if you did}

3. become a follower!

The winner will be selected and announced on Monday December 6th!

C+B

2010-11-29T21:58:00.001-07:00

C and B are so in love!! And I am IN LOVE with doing couples... engaged or married. I love seeing the images in my head actually happen and without so much effort to get smiles! C + B were the perfect couple to sit back and laugh with while shooting... it felt like we were just kids having fun! They made me laugh so hard!

This girl is one classy lady... so I wanted to go for a more sophisticated yet easy-going look. It makes me happy to capture this truly amazing couple. I adore her and look up to her so much.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-23T09:23:00.001-07:00

This time of year just makes you think of all the things you are grateful for... a toothbrush {!}, a roof over my head as it is blizzarding outside, and 2 4 wheel drive vehicles to drive in the snow. I am grateful for my sweet little daughter that loves morning cartoons like Cat in the Hat and Super Why so I can get things done like this! I am so grateful for my camera and that I have a talent to share with those around me to catch their happy times. I owe a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have let me share my talent with you. It brings me happiness to be able to give you pictures that you will cherish forever.

My husband's family is so much fun. They are so laid back and loving. I feel so lucky to have a mother-in-law that I can call a close friend. I think I can also say that I have the cutest neices and nephews!! We are heading out to spend our Thanksgiving holiday with them. So I will see you all next week! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Let's hear what you are thankful for this year...?

Of What is to Come...

2010-11-15T15:08:00.002-07:00

Wow! I love this time of year! I am super excited to be sharing with you all what is to come... I can't wait to show you more!

As I will be editing lots over the next few weeks and getting Christmas cards ready I will only be available for a few more shoots until after Christmas. So ask fast!

Also let me know if you would like a custom Christmas card this year! I will be posting some ideas soon. Get your order in before December 1st!

Now get ready for what is on the way:

                                                                      {Murray Family}
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                                                                {Cara + Brandon}
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                                                              {Hintze Family}
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                                                                 {Sherwood Family}
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                                                           {Baby Huxton}
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                                                             {Sydney + Tyson}
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Whew!

Ames Castle

2010-11-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

You've seen this little princess grace my blog before... and this couple is where she came from. No wonder she is gorgeous! They were such a fun family to shoot. Avalynn is such a sweetie always giving me smiles! And don't you love Brennen's tie? Cassie and I made him wear it and I'm glad we did! I love the colors Cassie chose. Purple is my favorite and paired up with the turquoise and grey... LOVE IT!

Haynie Fam Fam

2010-11-04T22:20:00.000-06:00

These kids are the cutest kids ever! Don't they all have the most amazing eyes? When my camera focused on Jenna and Paul, I understood where those eyes came from! Hudson has brown, Bella has green, and Nixon has all colors in the rainbow. Loved this family and I love my job! They sure make me look good :)

Happy 18th!

2010-10-28T01:04:00.001-06:00

The girl with the red hair is...
.my {little} sis {in-law}
.gorgeous
.hilarious
.graduating from Mountain Crest in 2011
.patient, let me snap 1000 pictures of her and wait 2 months for them
.a natural
.persistant, having to drag me into scary abandonded warehouses
.awesome
.gorgeous... oh I said that!
.18...10 when I met her
.not little anymore

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAT!!!!

Secret Garden

2010-10-13T14:06:00.001-06:00

It is so fun to take pictures at my mom's house! She takes such great care of her garden and flowers. It was the perfect place for my sister's family pictures. She is a green thumb also and loves all things green and beautiful. Check out her blogsite here.

Singin in the Rain!

2010-10-12T22:09:00.002-06:00

This shoot was in my mom's backyard with the air full of smoke from the fires in Twin Falls. It was morning and a little rainy. My mom made these adorable little dresses from patterns she had from the 70s. She had umbrellas too. So with all the cousins together, we had to take some shots! Maddie is the oldest, then Emrie {my girl}, then Ella {Maddie's sister}, then Daxton. It was fun to just watch them play and then try to get them all to look at the camera and smile at the same time! What is your trick? Please do share!

Another mini family shoot coming up...

So Happy!

2010-10-12T14:47:00.000-06:00

I am so happy to be back in Rexburg, ID and even happier to finally have the internet again!!! I did a few mini family shoots on a beautiful smokey day in Twin Falls. The smoke made the lighting so beautiful all day! Here is some of what you have missed:

You've probably seen this family a couple months ago, but now with baby boy #2! Thanks for the fun evening and for hiking up and down hills with me, Lundholms!

Princess Avalynn

2010-09-09T20:17:00.000-06:00

Avalynn is probably the most beautiful baby girl in all the world! Her mama, Cassie, is my friend and I felt too lucky to take photos of this little princess. I hardly had to touch the pictures because her skin is naturally smooth, her eyes beautiful and blue, and her lips are perfectly plump and shiny. I just can't get over her beauty! See for yourself...

What a doll!

Amazing Giveaway!

2010-09-08T22:28:00.000-06:00

{Not from me.... yet....}

The Savvy Photographer is one of my favorite blogs to read. She is having a wonderful giveaway on her new blog. Visit is here. Photographers, what is better this time of year when you are editing your brains out to have the cutest Christmas cards all ready made for ya!? And for customers, these Christmas cards are designed so perfectly, I couldn't do it any better myself. I really hope I win! Head on over if you would like a chance also!

Green Family

2010-08-27T13:48:00.001-06:00

I love photographing for my good friends and family. It is so comfortable and I feel like since I know them in real life it is easier to capture their candid moments. I know how they work and how they get their children to cooperate. That part doesn't always come easy, but we worked hard and got some awesome pictures of little Emery!

I love brainstorming ideas for where to shoot and what to wear. I love getting their honest opinions. Calene {the hot mama} and I found these beautiful streets in downtown Round Rock, TX. Right away we knew we wanted to take their family pictures here! They are such a cute family!

Emery is a mischevious one... always on the go and never looking at me!
But these really explain her curiousity the best.

Ahhh! Finally! Some of the cutest pictures I have ever captured of a little girl laughing!

Handsome Little Man

2010-07-22T22:31:00.000-06:00

Jacob is the most handsome little man! He was so full of energy, giggles, and the silliest faces!

And oh my, his suit was just perfect for the location. It was so much fun to try out my new lens on this little guy.

My New Love

2010-07-18T21:28:00.000-06:00

Hello. I got a new camera! And a new lens. These two things were indeed VERY over due! I can't believe I waited so long to get them. I debated whether to go with Nikon or Canon or just stay with Olypmus because that's what I've been using all this time. After much research and actually handling all 3, I decided to stick with Olypmus. I am so glad I did! So I got the Olympus E30 with a 50mm f2.0 lens. My old lenses, batteries, cards, bag, etc., all fit my new camera and I understand it competely! The Canon's and Nikon's were like spanish to me. I'm just so used to the way Olympus has there buttons and their menu's set up. The price difference is CRAZY and all three brands are equally good. I am just IN LOVE with it!!!!

Here are some reasons why I love my new camera/lens:

1. The ISO goes up so high! I haven't tested the limits all the way, but I did a session the other day inside with some limited lighting and I had the ISO at 640 or even 1000 and the grain was minimal. Easy fix with surface blur in photoshop. My old camera got really grainy at 400 ISO!

2. I got a battery grip. Its a part you hook on to the side of your camera with 2 slots for 2 batteries and a seperate shutter release button. So when I'm shooting(like the session the other day) I can chase around a busy little body and just flip the camera over and there is a button ready for me to push! It is amazing! A way good investment!

3. I love my new lens. I knew I would. I've been wanting it FOREVER! Its a semi- macro lens. So it gets amazing close-up shots. This is embarassing to admitt, but not very long ago my understanding of getting a lot of the background to be out of focus was to have my apeture set the lowest I could get it which is the truth. I would get lucky sometimes and get great depth of field, but most of the time I was just so frustrated that I couldn't get the awesome shots of wedding cakes, eyes on a child, close-ups of still subjects. I didn't understand just how important a lens was for this purpose. All the photos that I compared to mine were taken with lenses that had the capability to do those things. I knew my camera and lens were limiting me but I never realized just how much. Now that I have this wonderful lens, I find it so easy to get amzaing pictures. I wish I would've had it soooo long ago!

4. The mega-pixles is much higher than what I've been working with.The clarity of my images are incredible!

5. I can shoot 5fps. (Frames per second) So from now on, I will never have an excuse for missing a child's smile tha t is gone in a second! It was amazing the other day with my shoot. I took twice as many pictures as I usually do because of it though!

I could go on and on.... but I will stop for the sake of your bordem! (or if you're rolling your eyes begging me to stop bragging!) Just one more thing: mostly I was excited to shoot pictures like these of Emrie.

I wanted to show you a closer crop of this one. Look at the detail in her eyes! You can see the clouds in the sky that she is looking up at.

I'm basically telling those of you out there that are taking your photography seriously to go get this lens! It is around $500 give or take, but it is the best thing I have ever done!

Baby Kylee

2010-07-08T14:28:00.001-06:00

I'm back and here to share with you one of my favorite little baby girls... Kylee! She is just scrumptous!

Happy 9 months!

Emily's Flowers Part 2

2010-06-07T13:35:00.000-06:00

Why not?

I am a photographer, she {Emily} is a flower girl and we saw the opportunity.

We went and photographed her beautiful bouquet. Emily just got married last year too, so it was exciting for her to get back into her wedding dress and model for me. Who wouldn't want to do that!? She has always been one of my favorite people to photograph. Very comfortable in front of the camera and I am comfortable with photographing her because she is my sister!

I can say, "Em! Not that cheesey smile, the other one!" Or, "Wait a minute, you have a broccoli in your teeth!" {Instead of not saying anything to the embarassment to both parties involoved. Maybe it was broccoli, ok? And then having to edit it out of every picture} Yes, this may have happened once. :)

Plus, she is beeeeeutiful, so that helps too!

I should've had Emily name the flowers in her bouquet. I didn't get the flower smarts like my mom and sisters, so I just take the pictures. All I know is that I LOVE the feathers and wish that would've been the fad when I got married!

Emily's Flowers

2010-06-02T14:38:00.001-06:00

Wedding details are my favorite! There is so much work that goes into designing the perfect style that describes the bride and groom, not to mention the hours of work put into making all those details come alive and look great with the final result.

After everyone goes home and you and your new husband get to move on with your new life together, the only thing that you have from those temporary details are the photographs. I am sure some people will remember that the wedding was beautiful but other than my mom, I don't think anyone has the mind to rememeber exactly how things were displayed, what color each flower was, and how many layers the cake had. They may remember the taste though!

So that's why I love it.

I have two sisters that are amazing with flowers. Lauren graduated from BYU in horticulture, but also loves to arrange for weddings, showers, and parties. Emily is graduating from BYU-Idaho in floral design and this post is a showcase of her amazing talent.

Every year there is a bridal show at BYU-Idaho where the floral majors design a wedding and decorate a room with their ideas and arrangements. Anyone is welcome to go to the show and get ideas and even find future clients through this show case.

This was every photographer's dream! If only the lighting wasn't tungsten and set inside classrooms... but you really wouldn't know when you walked into a room because they are transformed beautifully!

Enough chat... here are some pictures!

My sister, Emily, and her very artistic bouquet.

Love this picture... I didn't mean to capture the kissing couple in the background. It was just chance! But, this room must've made them feel romantic which was the theme of the wedding.

I think this one was oriental... right Em?

Love the wishing tree that is getting so popluar at weddings...

The last photos are of Emily's Retro Glam wedding.

Visit Emily here to see more of her designs!

It just keeps growing ...

2010-05-26T20:58:00.001-06:00

Photographing a large family isn't the easiest thing, especially when it is your own... on a really cold and windy day... with kiddos to keep happy and warm... and no tripod... and no remote clicker. BUT despite the odds against us, we got a great shot! My family just keeps growing! We have added a brother-in-law and finally a baby boy since our family picture last year!

And the result of it being windy and so cold with crying children and numb fingers(mine)... we snapped the quickest shots of each couple, in the same pose! We are truly sisters and mom who think alike and have very similar tastes and style. You really can't blame us for wanting the cute pose!

The new parents are the ones that didn't get one... but they were first up and missed the memo.

They started it:

They jumped in next:

They first started out here, but I moved them cuz...

Let's face it, this pose looks better:

And I insisted on having one too:

Good thing this blog is the only place they will all be next to each other!

What do ya doeeeo with a baby?

2010-05-17T16:06:00.000-06:00

My friend, Ali, from high school found me and my little business and hired me for her newborn photos of little Baby Stella. Ooooohhh, Baby Stella is so precious! She looks a ton like her Dad, but I could see Ali in there. And Ali is the sweetest mommy.

I love doing newborns. They are the hardest to achieve, but I feel the most happiness from the ones that turn out right! So, what do you do when things don't go right?

We started out with my first pose. Laying the baby on her belly (naked) with her head turned toward the camera and her arms underneath her face. We had the heater pointing in her direction, a blanket wrapped around her, she was fed, and asleep. But, as soon as the blanket would slowly scoot off... she would wake up and move. We tried a few more times and got this shot!

So then, we decided the best way to accomplish a good photo was to have Ali step in and keep her asleep. Worked like a charm. Thanks for being my prop, Ali! She just wanted her mommy close by.

And here is her baby announcement to go along with all of Stella's zebra stuff. Oh, how I wish we could've used her nursery too! I've never seen one so cute but it was too dark :(

Mr. Graduate

2010-05-10T14:30:00.002-06:00

Dear Mr. Graduate,

You are a college GRAD! Yippeeeee! Glad I could capture your joy from finally being done with 7 am classes and 48 hour all nighters and all day(ers). LUCKY MAN!

Sincerely,
The girl with the camera.

{He is a senior in college, not high school... but I can still do props pics, can't I?}

Ken's proud supporters, Pam and Diamond.

Breaking Things Up

2010-05-05T20:04:00.001-06:00

No, I'm not breaking up with you or photography... I'm breaking THINGS up! I don't know if some of you check my personal blog. But we have currently moved to Texas for the summer... we will be back to Idaho in August. Don't worry people! I will be back! But, since we have moved here I have gotten a much needed break from my boyfriend, Photoshop. :)

So I broke things up here on this blog to have new things to post over the month... but this is one of my last shoots from March and April.... and I am already starting to feel rusty! So if any of you know someone in Texas looking for a photographer {I'M HERE!} Give 'em my name!

Anyway... this is the family of Lindsey (with the bump) from a previous post. Her little boy Braden is just adorable and he seems so excited to have his baby brother come out to play with him.

My first "AWE" moment

2010-04-28T12:41:00.000-06:00

You guys, I AM ECSTATIC!!!!

Have you heard of Pioneer Woman? The woman who cooks insanely great food, wrote her own cookbook, and recently went on her cookbook tour all over the U.S. She home schools her children, is smart and quirky with her words and writing style, and is an AMAZING photographer. She is my online mentor, my photo hero... I am an avid follower. She has assignments in her photo section where she asks anyone out there to submit their "macros", "portraits", "green", etc. photos. Her last assignment was "landscapes". She looks through all the thousands of entries and pics her favorites. She then posts her favs on her blog in 5 seperate groups on different days. At the end of the 5 days, she pics her VERY favorite from all the 5 groups and the one chosen wins something photography related.

Well, I submitted my favorite landscape I took it a cold winter morning in Rexburg, ID. It was foggy, sunny, white with snow, and gorgeous. So, I went snapping for an hour.

I often submit my photos to her assignments but have never gotten into the groups she puts on HER blog. I know it is a big stretch and lots of other AWE inspiring photos are chosen... but you never know, so I keep submitting my photos hoping someday I will be recognized.

It happened TODAY! With this photo! I am SO happy, people! It has always been a secret goal of mine to have her see my photos and have her like it. So to see my photo on her blog today, I couldn't be higher.

Let's hope I make it to the final group of favorites and maybe even the winner... that's a far stretch, but you never know!

Baby Ty Ty

2010-04-27T15:05:00.001-06:00

My good friend, Tiffany, had her sweet little baby boy. His name is Ty, which I love, but I love him more! He was the sweetest little guy and it was so fun to see Tiffany and Jason as parents. I love capturing this wonderful time in people's lives. It touches mine and makes me so happy for them!

I have a question for mom's out there... When you had your baby how many of you want a picture of yourself post baby? Not many I assume, but from now on I think I will just do it anyway. In this case and with others, the mom loves candid pictures of the baby and her... and regret not getting one with her face. This is such a beautiful time in a mother's life, that even though we may not look our grandest, that isn't what matters most. After all, that is what having a baby is about.... the new family a baby creates when they come into this world and you want to remember all you can because it changes so fast. So from now on if you want newborns from me, be prepared to be in them, face and all! :)

Little Dolls Part II

2010-04-22T21:41:00.001-06:00

Little baby Avalynn is the smiliest little bug... except for me on this day! Out of her element, this big black thing shooting at her face, and mom and the other lady are acting like clowns trying to get me to laugh... I'd be weirded out too!

She is still the most beautiful little girl and I am glad I got to dress her up for an hour! I can't wait for more!

My Fav

2010-04-20T10:09:00.000-06:00

Realized I never posted this baby announcement I made for Ashley's new baby girl, Addison.

We really liked the picture of baby Addison because it shows her eyes open, which changes the look of a newborn... instead of looking like every other newborn when they are asleep! She just looks sweet and her lips... scrumpcious.

Here 'tis!

Lindsey's Bump

2010-04-15T21:33:00.001-06:00

It takes a lot for a girl to show her belly to the world... especially the second time around, so I just want to say that Lindsey ROCKED it! She is beautiful and has the pregnancy radiant skin... and I loved capturing this moment for her. These were just done in my kitchen (moved the table and swept and mopped the floor :)... and we were both really happy with the results. She is my fellow photog too, so she knows how to pose and do everything without me asking her to. Wonderful!

What a sweet little belly, mommy, and soon to be baby boy. Good luck, Lindsey. I can't wait to meet him!

{e} family

2010-04-06T09:03:00.001-06:00

What happened to the weather in the mountain west people? This snow is making me mad... it was spring for like a week... what a tease mother nature can be! Can I say that about mother nature? Anywho...

I'm glad it was spring for this photo shoot! I got to travel to Bountiful, Ut for this family. It is always fun to get fresh locations and ideas going. Chelsea {the gorgeous mom} found these spots and I couldn't be happier! I LOVE the green "weeds" in front of the awesome brick wall. It added a perfect touch to their green scheme.

And oh, my goodness! Little Boston is the cutest kid ever! He reminds me a lot of a little girl I did back in the fall. {Karen, if you're reading he reminds me of McRae!} He was the BEST little boy I have ever photographed.. He never cried or whined for his mom. He just looked around and was super easy to get him smiling. Oh he is SO CUTE!

This blue bench was in front of the CUTEST boutique I have ever seen! It was downtown Bountiful. I think it is called All Tucked In. If you are ever there, stop by. I bought some great stuff there.

The {e} family had it all put together, they're all pretty to look at, and they were so candid, which I love. Thanks for such a great time guys!

Little Dolls

2010-03-30T18:20:00.002-06:00

Maybe its our childhood ways... dressing up our dolls to make them so cute. Now that we're older and have babies, they get to be our real dolls!

My good freind Bree came to visit Idaho a couple weeks ago. It had been 4 years since we last saw each other, so I took the opportunity to drive to Twin Falls and see her and meet her sweet little girls. We wanted to do a photo shoot too. Her girls (and their cousin) should all be models! They are all so beautiful... just like their momma's.

This is Addi... she is so beautiful! But trying to get her to smile was like pullin teeth... but these turned out cute anyway!

This is sweet {little} Brightyn. Last time I saw her she was such a little rollie pollie. But she has grown up so much! She is so adorable with that serious face and little grin!

All 3 cousins together... that was a hard thing to do! Why is it that dressing them up and making them all sit together when you want them to is just so hard for them!? They do it all the time, but when its forced, it isn't fun for them! But, still cute! I'm glad we got one of all of them looking... for the most part :)

Now little Halle was my favorite! She has the most gorgeous little face and eyes. She also just sat there and did what I wanted her to do... and even gave me big smiles! {It might have been a circus behind me, but it worked!}

The above one is the distressed look I've been trying out... what do you think? I think I like it, but I want to play around more.

I had such a fun time at this shoot and seeing my old friend, Bree. Thanks so sharing your little girls with me Bree and Brittney!

Krew

2010-03-28T22:31:00.001-06:00

Oh, Baby!!! What a fluffy little man... I just love chubby babies. Don't they always seem so much happier?

Krew is as happy as a baby can get! There was nothin' but huge smiles from him... maybe a mean looking growl at the end, but that was just a shot caught in between a smile. How cute though... so I kept it.

This was just a little mini shoot after Krew's cousin, Addison, in the post below. I loved it! We got great shots really fast and editing was done in less than an hour. Now that is what I'm talkin' about!

Baby Addison

2010-03-18T14:45:00.001-06:00

My goodness... this little girl is SO SWEET!

I was so sad that the day we did them was really cloudy and yucky outside, thus bad window light! We did them at Baby Addie's aunt's house GORGEOUS house! She has the best furniture, the most beautiful rooms, hard wood floors, wonderful places galore to take newborns! We are taking some more this weekend and it is supposed to be SUNNY so, I am excited! But, sometimes just not everything falls into place so you have to work with what ya got.

Anyway... I loved the green damask (DU-mask or DAM-ask?) bench since I saw it about a year ago. You can't really tell its a bench, but it is. Just believe me when I say how cute it is.

Baby Addison was the BEST newborn I have ever done. She slept so easliy and never cried once! She did pee... and spit up a lot... just not on me! HA!

Baby announcement to come... I just don't want to post it til they get delivered in the mail to their recipients. It is my FAVORITE one I have ever made. :)

{ Blessed! }

2010-03-15T23:40:00.002-06:00

So, before I go into the typical "I'm so sorry for not posting forever speech" that slacking bloggers give... for the reasons:
1. too busy with other things
2. have no pictures to talk about
3. are just plain lazy
I am the first of these things! I just don't know where time has gone! I AM SORRY my friends.

Ok. Here is my SWEETEST nephew, Daxton. Seriously? He is so squishy, so calm, and so handsome!

We went down to Utah last weekend for his big blessing day. He was blessed at church by his Daddy. Which was beautiful. It was such a wonderful day to share with Landon, Dana, and Daxton.

I told my sister, Dana, after our photo shoot that I really feel like a bond is formed when I get to photograph Daxton so personally. Even though his focus is all the people around him that are hovering around me to make him look at me... my focus is solely on him. I love looking through my lens at him to capture his emotions through his eyes and smiles. It is just like holding him and starring at him for 1/2 hour straight. I really love doing it because I can't get enough of him!

...little details...

...angle from this side...

...angle from that side...

...top side...

...and yummy toesers...

Do you feel closer to him now too?!

Birthday Boy Braden

2010-02-25T21:56:00.001-07:00

Braden's mom and I headed out for an adventure this past Saturday... snowy + 11 degrees + 2 year old = red, runny noses, teary eyes, and frozen toes! But the pictures turned out SO CUTE!

Braden is one of the cutest kids you'll meet and very photogenic! He also held perfectly still! WOW... that is amazing. I have never photographed a toddler that wasn't running in all directions and purposefully ( I swear) NOT looking at my camera. He was the best client I've ever had :)

Isn't he so handsome?

Shirt and tie, just like Dad. (eating a gummy to keep him smiling... or pulling a weird face)

This red hat is my favorite. I just love the yummy warmth it gives to the photo... cuz you KNOW he's freezing his little hiney off.

And I'll leave you with this one. Silly kid.

Happy Birthday Braden!

Icicles, Shutter Speeds, and Apetures

2010-02-16T22:24:00.001-07:00

How can you explain in words something you think is beautiful? I am no writer... so I'm not very good at it. When I read a book and the author is describing the setting in such eloquent wording and I just feel as if I am there... I just don't know how to do that. So I take pictures of what I think is beautiful so I can always remember. I also don't have the best memory so if I don't record something right then, I just might forget it!

Since we live in the land of ice and snow we always have icicles hanging from our roof. I can see them as I gaze out the window or look at my neighbors homes. They really are magnificent!

One day when the sun decided to give us a little lift in our spirits and appear for a day, I noticed just how lovely these icicles were. We have a rain gutter attached to a chain outside our home. There was so much ice build up around the chain that is became one huge icicle. I would pass it everyday thinking, "I need to take a picture of that before it melts". So I finally did and I am glad! It melted that day... but we have another one now... don't worry!

These were taken at about 4 in the afternoon. The sun was beginning to decend. The sky was SO blue with not a cloud for the sun to hide. These are times I have to mentally and physically take a snapshot.

I wanted to share these next two pictures with you to try and teach someone out there about what a difference a shutter speed (exposure) can make!

At first glance the two pictures may look very alike. But look closer.

The top picture's background is in more focus and the little drops are blurred into a line.

The bottom picture's background is more out of focus and the little drops are their own little round shape.

I will try and teach you why that is! I'm not very good at explaining... so hopefully we can both put our thinking caps on and tackle this one!

Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/22.0
Focal Length: 48 mm
ISO Speed: 200

Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/2000)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 48 mm
ISO Speed: 200

Say you are at a soccer game and you want to STOP the player in mid air kicking the ball. You would set your shutter speed really fast (a larger number) like I did with the bottom picture. It is at 1/2000 of a second. So that means the shutter in my camera will open, close, and re-open in a 1/2000 of a second. This obvisously will catch the soccer player's kick in mid air.

Say you are on a hike in the mountains and you see a beautiful stream. You want to take a picture of what the stream looks like as it is moving... just like what the eye sees. So, you would use a really slow shutter speed (or a smaller number) like what I used with the bottom picture. I took it at 1/13 of a second. So that means my shutter will open, close, and re-open in a 1/13th of a second. I know that doesn't seem much different than 1/2000th of a second to a human eye, but to a camera it is totally different! I could've even lowered my shutter speed more to say a 1/1.6th of a second. That would've made the little drops one straight line. Your shutter can even stay open for mintues at a time. My camera only lets me have it open for 30 seconds... but there is a special little cord you can buy that will let you hold open your shutter until you release the button.
I have seen awesome pictures like that of rivers, oceans, and starry nights.

Ok so we have gone over shutter speed... now we have to address why my aperture is different with both pictures.

The aperture of your camera is the little round circle inside you camera that gets smaller and larger depending on what effect you would like. Picture a round circle opening hiding behind some curtains. The circle is the aperture and the curtains are the shutter speed. (like my analogy!? I hope it makes sense.)

My camera's aperture goes up to f/22. That means that the round circle in my camera is the smallest it can get. When your apeture is like this it means that just about everything from you to the furthest point in your picture will be in focus. It also means that very little light is reaching your camera because the opening is small.

My camera's lowest aperture is f/3.8 with the lens I am using. That means the circle inside my camera is the largest it can get. That means only what I have my camera focused on will be sharp and everything else will be slightly out of focus and my background will be very out of focus. It also means that a lot of light is reaching your camera because the opening is very large.

So, in the top picture I wanted to use a slow shutter speed so the raindrops would be blurred in motion. That meant I would have to let a lot of light in my camera and to make up for the light I was letting in, I had to have a very small circle opening... which is f/22.

On the bottom picture I wanted the raindrops to stop in motion so I used a fast shutter speed which meant I wasn't letting in very much light, so I needed my round opening to be larger so I could make up for the little amount of light reaching my camera... which was f/4.5

WOW! I just read everything I wrote and I sound very confusing... well cameras are very confusing and hard to explain. But, once you get it, it makes total sense! Hopefully I have helped the light turn on in your brain about shutter speeds! It can be so much fun to play around with. And shutter speeds and apetures are what makes your camera work! It can set you apart from the next person when you play around with your camera in the manual setting. Give it a shot! :)

Valen(tiny)

2010-02-12T00:05:00.001-07:00

Hopefully I didn't just ruin my little valentine's to my loved ones... you'll get them soon. At least you don't know WHICH one you will be getting. :)

I felt the need to be a little crafty this week after looking at some amazing blogs. I didn't even scratch the surface of what I saw looking at one blog after the other... but that takes time, money, and talent! All of which I need more of :)

I LOVE Valentine's Day. Always have, always will. Don't call me cheesey...

If you ask me what my favorite shape is, I would never say heart. I like, well, i've never thought of my favorite shape before, a star probably, or a circle. But, when it somes to Valentine's Day, I love hearts! Red, pink, chocolates, flowers, romance, kisses, hugs.

I even like it in the winter time, maybe because it is a day of being warm and fuzzy. Well, making these made me feel all warm and fuzzy for the people I love. My friends and my family... you know who you are! But, I wanted to share them with you too! Hopefully they will make you feel love... from ME to YOU.

I + Photography!

2010-02-03T15:23:00.004-07:00

I love my camera... but at one time I REALLY loved it. When I first got it 6 years ago, I felt like it was a different language. First, I had to understand the language, then I had to learn to speak the language. It felt overwhelming and undaughnting a task.

Thankfully, I had two master professors of photography that helped answer my questions.I also worked for a wedding photography studio called STC Digital where I got to follow around an amazing photographer who helped answer my questions I had even after my degree in college.

When I had my little girl, Emrie, I put my camera down for a while. It happened a little before that... about a year long break. I was a new mom and loved it so much, but there was something missing from my life. There was nothing that I did just for me. I started to realize that I wasn't as happy as I thought I would be and that's when I picked my camera back up. And that's when I started this blog.

I am so glad I did it. This blog helps me everyday think of what I want to do and share next. It challenges me to be better than what I THINK I can be. Over this past year that I have shared my work with you, I feel like I have grown a ton. Much more than I recall growing in college when I had awesome classes, professors, galleries to put my work in, etc. I love sharing my work with you. It makes me happy to feel and know that other's like my work. And if other's get on here and try to learn from my work... thank you! That is such a compliment to me. Latley I have been receiving lots of questions and that makes me feel so happy that I am a girl that someone can come to for answers.

On the other side, I am sure there are others out there that may think I need to improve on this and that... and believe me, I do! You are right... I still have so much to learn. After picking photography up over 6 years ago, I still am learning everyday.

So, I just wanted to say thank you for checking my blog and writing me comments, and giving me hope that I can be better than I THINK I can.

What a shpill! I wanted to talk about my camera and got off on a tangent.

I LOVE my camera and have been using it for so long. I feel like I know it in and out... there are still a few dark areas, but I love it. It has gotten much use, and some abuse. (see the little teeny line on my photo? Its a teeny tiny scratch on my lens that I have to photoshop out of every picture!) :( At this point, I feel like I have finally grown out of my camera. I sometimes feel like it is holding me back. When I go to a shoot and it takes a while to process and can't just take, take, take... it is so frustrating! 8 megapixles just isn't enough anymore. I want MORE!

I have felt this way for a while now... until I learned about lenses. I had NO idea they could change the way you photograph. SO MUCH! I have always had the lenses that came with my camera in a kit. I have an Olympus E-Volt 300 with 14-45mm lens and a 40-150mm lens. Both have done me well... but just not GREAT.

I can't wait to get my new camera (I think I'm getting the Nikon D 90 with a 17-55 mm, 50mm f/1.8, 85mm 1.8, and the 18-105mm lenses.) It isn't the top of the line Nikon obviously, but I feel like it is my next step up. Not too big of a step for me or in price either. I have been saving up for it and I'm halfway there! I can't wait to get it. So, until I get my 50mm 1.8 lens, I will pretend I have one.

A 50mm f/1.8 lens does what the photo above has... a lot of bokeh (in layman's terms... lots of blurriness in the background with one main subject in focus... or really shallow depth of field.

I took this shot with my 40-150mm lens which is a zoom lens. Meaning, you can stand really far away from your subject and zoom into it and get great shallow depth of field.

So that is what I did. I love it when there is only one tiny thing in focus and the rest is blurry. A little or a lot... I really like A LOT of blurriness better, but this will do until my new lens makes its enterance.

Exposure: 0.125 sec (1/8)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 150 mm
ISO Speed: 400

I hope there is still someone reading this long post... anyone there? Thanks for making it this far!

Anyway... just wanted to share one picture and a small(!) story with you.

Amazing Eyes!

2010-01-27T20:54:00.003-07:00

My very favorite thing on a person is their eyes... brown, blue, green... it doesn't matter. They are all gorgeous. This family ALL have the best eyes! I love when I don't barely touch eyes in photoshop but it looks like I did a ton of work on them. I promise I didn't on this family. Just a little lighten made them *POP*!

Another snowy, freezing day in Rexburg... but it was so pretty! New fallen snow that hadn't been touched. Good thing for over hangs! The one family picture I put up has some snow in it, but I meant to put up one that didn't. Ooops... it looks the same though, just without snow.

Such a beautiful family... they were a joy to work with. I can't wait to do more of little Breckley and try to get more of that cute smile of hers. Maybe on a sunny, warm day! :)

Enjoy!

The Funnest Family

2010-01-18T14:44:00.004-07:00

I know "funnest" isn't found in the dictionary... but I think it should be. Most fun just didn't sound as good. This family was hilarious! My cheeks hurt after their shoot. I love when everyone is so happy that the smiles are genuine and its less work for me when they are making the jokes, not me! {Cuz what kind of jokes do you tell adults? I'm a photographer not a stand up comedian... maybe I'm in the wrong profession though :)}

Anyhoo... it was sooooo cold and snowing the whole time but we thankfully had a cover most of the time. I loved the way they turned out!

This I loved the end of our session because we basically got everything we wanted so I just told them I was going to do some candids. I'm glad I did cuz we got some great shots. This family is from down south where there isn't such thing as snow, so they got to play in it for the first time (some of them), and Dad even taught his boys how to write their names in the snow. I'm not a boy, but pretty sure every boy has to do that at least once!

{This sessison lasted 2 hours at 2 locations and they got a free 8x10 for $200. They got a CD of 80 imgaes for $25} I also have a session for 1 hour, 1 location for $175 and a CD for $25.

Baby Kaia

2010-01-14T14:07:00.004-07:00

{OH SWEET BABY}

Seriously... this little bundle is so beautiful! This was my first time doing black backgrounds... I have stayed away from them because I thought it would be hard to get the black BLACK in my camera and not have to photoshop a ton... well I did a little bit, but I LOVED the way they turned out! It was a lot easier than I thought and I'm so glad my friend Amber had me do her little one's pictures. Not only is the baby adorable, but her parents really are that gorgeous in real life. It sure made my job easy!

I can't wait to do more black backgrounds now... I will not shy away from you anymore! Anyone? Anyone?

3 Silly Girls & 1 Handsome Little Guy

2010-01-08T07:15:00.004-07:00

Oh, my! You should've seen this shoot! It was hilarious. These are my nieces, my NEPHEW, and my lil' Emrie. Grandma bought these cute outfits (my sister bought the ones in the rocking chair) and she wanted a picture of them all together for her walls at home. It was quite an ordeal... a brand new little precious baby and 3 crazy girls. It was hard to get them all looking AND smiling at the same time. Though there isn't many that I accomplished that, I sure got some cute candids. (I was trying to get one of Emrie by herself too for the gift I gave to my mom for Christmas. So, sorry for the many of Emrie.)

The other thing that was really funny was their skirts and the bench are both made out of slippery material, so after we made them hold still for a few with the baby, we let them go to town. They were slippin and slidin on their bellies and bums. They are so silly all together. I love their ages right now... so expressive and funny. Its easier to make them laugh at my stupid jokes and it helps that they are all so adorable.

I hope one of them works for your frames, Mom!

D is for Daxton

2010-01-02T23:05:00.004-07:00

Oh! Isn't he perfect?! I might be a little biased because he is my newest newphew! {The first on my side of alllllll girls!} I am so in love with him. I am so happy for my sister, Dana, and her husband. They deserve so much happiness... and what a better gift for Christmas than a miracle baby? Thanks, Dana, for letting me take some photos of the precious. Enjoy!

{SO much more to come... 2 families, 1 more baby, and 3 little girls}

Check back soon!

Merry Christmas, Baby

2009-12-13T22:28:00.002-07:00

*I did not take these photographs, I just made the card :)*

I made this for my friend all the way in Florida! Her girls are just beautiful, don't you think?

If I don't see you until after Christmas... have a merry and joyful Christmas full of family, friends, and too much chocolate and pies.

I have LOTS to share with you when the holidays are over... 3 or 4 families and 2 new babes. (yay!)

Girls in {Gold and Olive} Dresses with Pink Satin Sashes

2009-12-07T13:42:00.004-07:00

This darling family is starting to be regulars on my blog! It makes me happy to capture such special times in their life...new baby, birthdays, quality family time, and the love that Christmas brings. These little girls are just adorable in their Christmas dresses... with such attitude and giggles. I just loved their session.

Little Miss

2009-12-05T22:29:00.004-07:00

I'm on the wrong computer to share the rest of this cute little one and her family's mini photo shoot... so there will be more to come. But I had to share this one! She has the most beautiful blue eyes that just shine without ANY photoshop. I love it! I also love her vintagey/modern style Christmas dress. And the awesome yellow door. Doors have always had a soft spot in my heart. I often find myself scouting unique doors when I'm supposed to be driving... but I can't help it! I'm rambling... more of this to come soon.

Custom Cards

2009-11-22T15:08:00.004-07:00

Get your custom made Christmas card before its too late! I will be taking orders through December 18! That is cutting it close to Christmas, but I figure getting it out 1 week before Christmas is better than none at all :) Right now I'm trying to build my portfolio of cards, announcements, and invitations. So let me make anything your little heart desires! I love doing it! So, please comment, e-mail me, or call me to get your custom made cards and pricing! (If you like one you see and want to use that as your Christmas card, by all means, just ask) Also, you don't have to use me as your photographer to have me make your card.

Cutest Family Ever

2009-11-12T09:14:00.003-07:00

Can this little family get any more photogenic or adorable!? It was such a joy to photograph this family! What do you get with a gorgeous family, amazing smiles, CUTE clothes, and lots of giggles? Answer: TONS of great pictures!

I love it when the dad says "These feel like when we got our engagements done!" Its not very often after kids come along that you get a great photo of two together... All because two people fell in love! {ohhh, sweet!}

Baby McRae was so sweet! She has the best smiles... my fav is her little smirk. What a happy and adorable baby! And at the end when she had had enough... just turn her around and you can't tell she's not smiling! :) Good thing she had the perfect shirt on to do it!

Designs I've been Lovin On

2009-11-05T23:20:00.003-07:00

Way back in when... I took a Graphic Design class in college. It felt totally over my head and I was really not interested in it. Now I wish I would have tried harder because it can be fun! I love being creative. I recently have LOVED designing in Photoshop. I have only used what they have to offer as far as shapes and tools. I have a few brushes that I bought a while ago. But I would love to buy more, or getting free stuff is even better! I have been working on a few things here and there for sisters, friends, and getting ready for Christmas Cards. Here is what I've been doing: (I am still learning!)

These next few are actually headers for my sister's blog about horticulture.

These are for my future nephew that is due on Christmas Day!

That is all for now... but I will have more to come! Please feel free to comment if you know of any great places to buy or download free fonts/brushes/designs. :)

Baby Nixon

2009-11-02T12:08:00.004-07:00

I know, I know... it has been a while! Good to see ya'll again! I am so glad to be back up and running, you don't even know. Please don't forget about me! :)

I was just IN LOVE with Nixon because he was so easy to work with... and he fell asleep, which was amazing! He let us do basically anything with his little limbs. AND I LOVED his mom's props. We just tagged teamed with everything we had and got great results. I love this sheep skin rug. (I'll have to make my husband go shoot one and get it skinned... haha ya, right) or maybe I'll just go buy a fake one! It was such a great prop. Nixon's mom is so crafty, talented, and amazing. She made the sling (and is holding it) in the picture below. Visit her site here.

Baby Brady

2009-08-27T17:54:00.003-06:00

{ Sweet Baby Boy }

I loved this photo shoot since it was just in a natural setting (at the home and bed where he came into the world!) and with natural light coming through the window. I love his smiles and kicks for his mamma. I just tried to catch everything as it was (except I couldn't resist putting him in the little basket).What a sweet little guy. I loved his blessing outfit the most. He looked so handsome!

Little Treasures

2009-08-24T22:26:00.005-06:00

{What a darling family!}

We found a perfect little meadow for just what I had in mind. I played around with the sepias and the black and whites so there was a little color left. I think I like it! I know I love this family (as it is my sister) and I loved this shoot!

Wedded Bliss

2009-08-19T22:27:00.005-06:00

Introducing... Ren and Emily Guthrie

I can't take credit for the artistic craftmanship of the monogram but the boredum of the groom's brother at the reception made my day!

It was a gorgeous wedding with lots of bright and colorful details that I just couldn't take enough pictures of! And too many great candid opportunites... my favorite!

What a stunning couple!

{ all flowers designed by Emily and arranged by Emily and my beautiful and very talented sister, Lauren. If you need flowers for any occasion, ask them! }

Justin + Lisa

2009-08-06T17:01:00.002-06:00

So, I'm a little more than behind... I know. But, I'm here to make up for it! I have lots to post! Here is an adorable couple (who you'd never know is 12 weeks pregnant) that never got official engagement or wedding pictures! WHAT?! Well, my friends, now you have pictures to document your love... before the baby comes. They were so much fun to work with. They weren't shy about kissing lots and I wasn't shy capturing them. And... Lisa's eyes! Stunning!

Ren+Emily

2009-07-20T14:19:00.002-06:00

Emily and Ren were the best couple to take pictures of! They were so bright and colorful and creative! I LOVED it! It really helps to get my creativity going when the couple is so fun. What else can I say other than this couple is HOT. I can't wait for the wedding... in two days. I'll have so much more to post. Check back soon!

Too Precious for Words

2009-06-26T15:43:00.006-06:00

{Front}

{back}

I wish I could say I did these photographs of little Miss McRae but I did not. I DID do the announcement though. It only looks so good because of the unbelievable cuteness of McRae and her little purple tutu. It makes you just want to jump through the photograph and just squeeeeeeeeeze her. It was a pleasure to make this. Thanks for the experience, Karen! Congrats on being a new mom. And a special thanks to Breanna over at http://designinkorporated.blogspot.com/ for helping me find a great place to print it!

Emery

2009-06-23T17:36:00.003-06:00

Just look at that chub! It had to be captured on camera to be remembered. I love chubby babies... always so happy and content with life. Thanks for being so smiley little Emery!

Breeana {Prego}

2009-06-20T12:52:00.004-06:00

Don't we all wish we could be this beautiful while pregnant? Breeana is one lucky girl! We took a chance and did these photos when it was rainy and twilight outside. I was very nervous that we weren't getting good lighting, but I was happily surprised with the results. It was beautiful lighting and a beautiful mother-to-be.

Since it has taken me so long to post these, I'm happy to report the safe arrival of little Brady! I can't wait til I get to take pictures of him!

Little Flower Girl

2009-06-20T12:12:00.004-06:00

This little girl loves flowers... I bought an azalia bush from Winco for like $5 and it was, yes, was beautiful. I am a horrible plan waterer. Never hire me to take care of your plants cuz I have a curse and end up killing them. But, it was beautiful while it lasted and Emrie loved playing with the petals. So, in memory of our little friend, here are some photographs:

Spring Sunday

2009-04-20T09:24:00.002-06:00

Sunday was absolutely beautiful! It is the start of very nice days ahead and I couldn't be happier! We had to take advantage of it and play outside a bit. Flowers are calling my name and toys are calling for Emrie.

These next few are so sweet between Zak and Emrie. I love when I have the camera at the right time. There is something so sweet about her little hand wrapped around his one finger... It is very symbolic!

Flower for Mommy...

I just had to put these last few on here... not anything great compositionally... but her expression says it all!

Easter

2009-04-16T13:11:00.003-06:00

{Happy Easter!}

Knudsen Family

2009-04-10T11:04:00.002-06:00

I had the pleasure of taking family Easter photos for the Knudsen Famliy... it was so much fun! I brought along balloons, candy, and bubbles to make it even more fun. The girls were all such great posers! You can tell they must've been practicing. And isn't that one hot mamma? She is beautiful and so photogenic. It was hard choosing but these are some of my favs.

Ella

2009-04-09T15:53:00.005-06:00

Introducing.... my very edible, very delicious, newest neice.... Ella! If you are wondering, her cheeks are very tasty. Good thing we don't see her often enough for her cheeks to be eaten off... by me. Love you so much little girl!

Jensen Family

2009-04-06T17:00:00.011-06:00

Family all together in one place at one time= capturing the moment.

This doesn't happen too often so we had to snap some! Grandma got the cute dresses for the girls at Old Navy and now that Ella has recently been added to the family, we had to get all 3 cousins together. I can't really take credit for the pictures that I'm not in... luckily we had a couple extra hands around. Thank you! It sure was a lot easier than running back and forth between the tripod and the pose! i'm frustrated because none of the pics are as vivid once I loaded them on here as they are in photoshop. {Anyone know what to do about that?} But here are my favorites! let me know what you think fam damily.

Blooming Beauty

2009-03-25T21:13:00.005-06:00

There is nothing more beautiful than life coming back to earth after a long winter. I don't know if it is because I am so ready for it this year, or if it is the promise of sun-filled days ahead, but I can't keep my excitment to myself!

Buds are in bloom!

{right out my window}

This means lots of photo shoots outside! Yay!

More Tutus

2009-03-12T15:12:00.008-06:00

We dabbed into the tutu pile I have in my guess room closet upstairs aka my makeshift photography studio. Wow! It was so much fun but tiring. I need to figure out somehow to make it easier on me to do the shots! She didn't stop for a second. At least she wasn't cranky or crying. We only did two colors... but there is endless possibilities! Lots of different fabrics, bows, and tutus, jewlery, and even some boy stuff! I can't wait to try them out on more babies!

Tutus!

2009-03-11T11:07:00.003-06:00

My mom just made me tons of tutus for little girl photography! They are all differnt colors and sizes. I am so excited to use them! We just experimented but I will have more to come soon!

Price Changes

2009-02-24T10:35:00.003-07:00

I just want to thank everyone to taking the time to look at my portfolio online! I am excited that I have gotten positive feedback from everyone. Thank you for your kind comments.

After looking more closely at other photographer's pricing and my own I decided that I needed to raise my prices a little for my hard work. I still am so much less expensive than most photographers out there!

To be fair to you guys (who read and check this blog) that if you have commented or will comment on this blog before March 1, 2009 about wanting a photo shoot from me I will still honor the old prices. The photo shoot doesn't have to be before March 1 but if you comment or contact me before then, I will honor the old prices. Fair?!

Thanks for being understanding!

I hope to be doing some pictures here soon!

Candid Baby II

2009-02-23T22:31:00.003-07:00

I know these aren't my greatest work... but my subject is! I love her long eyelashes! She just happened to be so enthralled with finally being able to play outside and all the new discoveries that she wouldn't look at me for a second. I caught one... and don't look too close if you don't want to see her runny, boogery nose.

Cards

2009-02-20T11:15:00.003-07:00

Pictures on the 2 previous cards and one of the pictures on the card below are not my photography. Her name is Megan Sagers and she is an amazing photographer. To see her work visit http://www.megansagersphotography.com/

I have started to dip into making cards. I'm still new at it and am trying to figure it out. I would love any one interested in baby announcements, invitations, or holiday cards to contact me. I would love the experience!