Loveliness at Lone Summit

What an exciting wedding and an amazing couple!


We were at Lone Summit Ranch this weekend to celebrate with the couple in love, Rachel and Dave.  Everything, top to bottom, made the day perfect!  The food was phenomenal and Amber, who keeps the Ranch running, was completely on the ball as usual.  I can't say that I've ever had such succulent meat - pork and prime rib - before. Oh, and the rolls?!  We could smell them baking from the time we arrived at 11 to set up for pictures. YUM!


Rachel and Dave were fabulous.  A completely straight shooting couple who were just genuine and not afraid to tell you like it is.  Rachel had the most gorgeous hairdo (thanks Clint!) and was all around stunning!  I'm positive Dave would agree.

They asked so little from us specifically as photographers. We had our checklist in hand and followed it, but there was little need for actual direction with these two.  They were at such ease with each other, just completely comfortable and a natural fit.  We joked that they were already acting married, like an old married couple honestly.  They are so in love!  When I asked them, as I often do with couples, to talk amongst themselves when shooting their first private intimate pictures, we overheard one asking the other if they had bought dog food.  It was priceless!  The shots just created themselves.

As for the ceremony, we couldn't have asked for a more picturesque day. The enormous fluffy clouds really looked like they popped straight out of a painting.  The gathering was intimate, by no means a crowd, which made the entire event a little extra cozy.  Sometimes I like the smaller groups the best - just invite the immediate family and friends and you have all your closest people present to share the special day.  And believe me, the day was special in every detail!

I cherish the weddings that keep me grinning for days after!

I wanted to share some of my favorite shots that I printed to put in the album Rachel and Dave took with them.

You can also visit this link to their full slideshow.

 

A Moment Between Moments

You have to appreciate the wonderful, innocent lessons that children teach us daily.  I have five faces and personalities that get to impact me every day.

This summer in Vacation Bible School the kiddos learned and discussed "God-sightings."  The small, crazy, random things in life that make us pause and remember that there is a God who is bigger than all of us and who works in wonderfully magnificent ways.  We have to be open to receiving the blessings of these sightings; they can so quickly pass by sometimes.

Every once in a while I'll experience such a spotting in a picture I've taken or in the middle of a shoot.  Kind of an amazing, special moment in between all the other moments.  I'll pause and smile and send up a quick prayer of gratitude that God allows me to do this job.

There are a hundred of "God-sightings" in life.  For my kids, it may be a fluffy cotton cloud shaped like a dinosaur.  Or for me sometimes it comes in other unique things, such as when I realize I'm speeding a smidge and then see someone stopped by a police officer - it makes me grateful for the reminder and doubly thankful that I am not the one who was stopped!

I remember getting so annoyed with my mom when I was younger.  She'd constantly remind me to see the glass as half-full and not half-empty and to remember that every cloud has a silver lining.  I realize that we probably have all heard these cliches, but the reality of it is that there is truth within them.  Those minor attitude tweaks really can help us to see the positive.  And not only the positive, but the beauty and joy in life all around us.

I thank the Lord for the little "God-sightings," even in the silliest things of life.  Such as when I was taking a shower the other night and noted that all of my family's bath sponges lined up almost created a rainbow.  How neat it was to be reminded of why we have rainbows in the world and to simply be grateful to have running water and the ability to take a warm shower after a long day.

Take the time to pause every now and then and savor the little moments between the big moments.  The tiniest things in life may have some large lessons to offer.  Have you had a "God-sighting" lately? I'd love to hear about it!

Claya & Patrick - A Rainy Engagement

I love getting to know the couples that walk into our studio.

But it is also an amazing joy when I get to know a person over time and watch the journeys down which life takes them.

I met Claya a few years ago when one of my assistants introduced her to me as yet another great person to help out spontaneously.  Now, I've had the awesome opportunity to chronicle Claya's engagement and then her wedding to Patrick next month.  The engagement shoots went wonderfully and I am looking forward to more camera time with this gorgeous couple when they wed in late September!

We had already met once before for an engagement shoot, but for lengthier engagements it is fun to capture more than one season before the wedding arrives.  This also provides an opportunity to learn a couple's make-up and get to know them better from a camera perspective.  So, after one great session, we decided to go for more.

We were set to meet at Unity Village Sunday evening.  Claya and I had been communicating throughout the day and were a little nervous about how foreboding the sky had looked all afternoon.  No raindrops had appeared yet, and we decided to just go for it.  The minute our cars were pulled up side by side in the parking lot the sky finally let loose.  Fat, wet raindrops started splattering the ground all around us.  But, we were determined to stick to the plan!

Here is just a sampling of what the drizzly day brought forth.
This picture is one of my favorites of the bunch!

We grabbed some lights, an umbrella, and the camera and headed into the storm.  We shot some quick pictures beneath overhangs, the umbrella, and wherever we found a dry spot.  At the end, we ventured straight into the rain.  We were all so delighted with the results!  We were able to capture some incredible effects and really portray the rain and the beautiful colors of our setting as well as Claya and Patrick themselves.  If you want to catch a fuller array of the results of this engagement shoot check out the full slideshow.

One never knows what a day will bring, but one rainy day definitely brought us a spectacular engagement shoot and plenty of fun!  Can't wait for their wedding next month!