As a photographer, I am seldom "just a guest" at a special event. The "photographer" personality never rests and the camera is always close at hand. My husband and I recently traveled to San Diego to witness the marriage of the two most wholesome and genuine people on the face of this planet. It was an honor to participate in their fun packed weekend of celebration! One of my biggest challenges was staying out of the hired photographer's way, which meant leaving the room when she entered, which meant missing shots I desperately wanted of this gorgeous bride... But on the up side, when it came time for the ceremony itself, that photographer, by church rules, had to stay behind all of the guests, and I sat front and center in the 4th row with a perfect view. Let that be a lesson to all Brides: find out the rules regarding photography well before the event or you may be relying on your guests for pictures! A little background on my favorite images: What you see- the groom squatting by a window with his eyes covered. What you don't see- the bride and her entourage at the window sill, singing "Going To The Chapel" in perfect harmony. The girls had been singing gorgeous, joyful hymns for several minutes and someone went and told the groom it was something he may want to hear. There is also an image of the Mother of the Groom and Sister of the Groom as Bri comes down the aisle on her father's arm. The final image is from The Admiral Kidd Club, where the reception was held for a very swinging crowd of amazing dancers. There is no reception quite like the reception hosted by and heavily attended by swing dancers! I really ought to have more pictures of the dancing, but, I was right in the middle of it, camera tucked away for the night! A huge congratulations to Jonny & Brianna, words cannot express how perfectly matched you truly are!

Great minds think alike... That must be why there were three professional photographers stalking the same tiny 1/2 acre park with their clients tonight as the sun set over the Huachuca Mountains! Fortunately, we all staggered our arrivals, and lucky for me, hands down, I had the cutest darn subjects there ever were! Sometimes the simple act of "hanging out" can result in the best photo opportunities; the light was perfect, the children superbly behaved, the baby drool slightly out of control, but hey, that comes with the territory. Thanks for a beautiful evening and enjoy your sneak peek!

Can you see me doing my happy dance? I am thrilled to be the guest judge photographer over on I ♥ FACES, the photography website that hosts fun photo contests every week as well as supplying everyone involved with helpful tips, super savvy tutorials, and incredible inspiration! This week is BEACH WEEK, and everyone who knows me well is now shaking their head in agreement that this could not be a better subject for me to judge! I am after all the one who chose a Rotary Exchange to Denmark, because of its tiny size and close proximity to the ocean. I am after all the one who convinced her father to drive clear across the state of Virginia on our way home from a wedding, just to play for an afternoon in the surf. By the way, it was NOT en route to our home in New York, more like 8 hours out of the way. My life is full of stories where I coerce loved ones into escorting me to the ocean for hours of mindless beach combing. I live in Arizona, I subscribe to Coastal Living Magazine...

Thanks for visiting my blog, and most importantly, thank you for participating in and supporting I HEART FACES - because we can all learn from one another, no matter where we are in life.

Here's my youngest, getting his feet wet in the Gulf Of Mexico for the first time:

One of my favorite shoots this past spring was a special family of women doting on their new addition, Noah. As all babies do, Noah continues to grow and change; he's sitting up on his own, laughing, drooling of course, and that swirl on his head becomes more adorable by the day! I was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit with this family again, this time with Daddy involved too. Prepare for your heart to melt, Father's lock up your daughters, enjoy!

It's an odd week over at I ♥ Faces - It's FEET week of all things! Feet are fun, I frequently remind myself to spend a few minutes on feet during each of my sessions. Big feet, little feet, pretty feet, ugly feet, old feet, baby feet- they all have a tale to tell. My husband and I were brain storming our favorite feet pictures and we arrived at this one. I love the formalities you find in the military, and knowing that these feet had all just arrived home safe from Iraq always makes my heart flip flop.

FEET ENTRY:


Go check out all of the other feet entries in this week's contest:

Our military lifestyle doesn't lend itself to long term friendships. Try as I might to keep friendships going strong, more often than not we only hear from people when the Christmas cards start rolling in. One of the sweetest moments for our family this summer was getting to relocate to someplace where we have lived in the past, allowing us to reconnect with a dear family whom we've watched grow only in pictures. Way back in the day, I used to babysit for these precious young ladies. Then there came a time when my husband-to-be joined me in the effort. Then came the morning that I sat in their bathroom, having my makeup applied, my wedding dress hanging in their doorway (they lived a mile from the park where we got married.) We've shared some truly special moments, non-military moments, which are a breath of fresh air to me sometimes, to just relax outside of the military culture. Sure, we don't talk every day and months go by without an update, but when we see eachother again we pick right up where we left off, conversation flows faster than the monsoon waters racing through a Tucson wash. Yesterday we drove down to Tucson to spend the afternoon and late into the night hanging out poolside, getting the scoop on competitive jump-roping (which I am anxious to get my camera on!) and catching up on all of the latest and greatest things these precious ladies are up to. In turn we shared our talent of turning anything and everything into a laser gun and sent at least 20 rocket balloons up to live on their roof! Great friends = Great times! We can't wait to get together again for a real shoot!