All the way from Iowa....

It sounds really cool if I claim that Meagan came all the way from Iowa to have her pictures taken by me. It's sort of true, it's also true that Meagan is a freshman attending Utah State. I like my story better. Tell your mom that the pictures are going out in the mail and tell Nick that I'll post his senior pictures soon. Best of luck at Utah State.

I enjoyed very much "shooting" this family. They of course, were pleasant and cooperative, but most of my families are. The best part was they didn't expect me to be a mind reader. The mother had a pose or 2 in mind, and she asked for them. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I want you to take away the pictures that you have in mind, not just the ones that I might plan on doing. After all, it's your photo shoot, so do some homework before we meet, ask for what you want and I will try to make the shots happen.

When a garden party goes inside.

We PLANNED for good weather, after all it was July. So the backyard was tilled and planted and according to the new mother-in-law replanted. By afternoon as the dark clouds gathered and fat rain drops fell from the sky we HOPED for good weather. The fathers stood on the porch and looked at the sky PREDICTING it would stop, after all it was Utah, it's a desert remember? With one hour to go we finally cried "uncle" and moved inside. So what do you do when things don't go the way you planned? Put on a smile and have a PARTY anyway. May all your major difficulties be handled as easily as "moving inside".

Marriage is a forever kind of thing.

It was so fun to "shoot" this couple. I'm familiar with both of them, having done their senior pictures and some family photography as well, so they were comfortable with me and I with them. I was a little intimidated by the location and confessed my insecurity to the bride. She looked at me and said, "but you have to take my pictures. Whenever you take my pictures you make sure I look good." When your beautiful, Meagan, looking good doesn't take that much work. So congratulations, Meagan and Garrett, may you always be this happy.

What's the best thing to wear?

I'm frequently asked, "what should I wear?" Start by choosing something comfortable that you can move in so you can be positioned and posed so you look your best. Next choose between "uniform" everyone wearing the same thing and "casual" looking better than normal with your hair combed etc. Also avoid "fussy". No big bows, ruffles, labels or loud lettering to distract from the main subject, you and your family. If you wanted a picture of great clothing than you should probably buy a catalog. The second most frequent question is "when should I have my picture taken?" The easy answer is when the light is the most even without harsh brights and deep shadows. ?What?!? The best is a cloudy day but since clouds often hold rain and are difficult to predict as this family well knows since they were forced to reschedule because of our unusually wet weather, the next best thing is early morning or late evening. So get outside and "frame" some memories.

Congratulations! You are Married!

It's always a little sad for me when the wedding is over, and the pictures have been taken, and the editing is done. After looking at hundreds and hundreds of their images they are now getting on with the rest of their lives. It's a little bit like losing a friend. I have so enjoyed getting to know Brittney and Anthony and their families. Good-luck with your future. Youth and love are precious things, be careful not to squander them.

Some of my favorite people in the world.

Pictures record a moment in time...and it's not always a perfect moment. As you multiply the number of children there is a negative co-efficient to "perfection". So have fund and capture a treasured insight into real life. And remember photoshop can only swap so many heads.