Las Vegas: Random Portraits

Before leaving for Vegas i got a new camera and of course had to bring it with to try it out on unsuspecting family members (or are they suspecting by now? They probably should be). Anyway, here are some random portraits from Vegas, enjoy.
Yeah, i know, this isn't really a portrait. But i didn't know where else to put it. Emily decided it would be fun to go out to Red Rock and hike to what a week or so previously had been a really cool waterfall. Go figure by the time we got there the waterfall was more a watertrickle. No, not because it took us so long to hike there, just because it's Vegas and the temperatures had already been in the 80ies for long enough to dry it out. But it was a fun hike anyway.

Ah, my son. How i love that he won't hold still or make a real, non-squinting smile when i try to take a picture... Yeah, i'm just kidding. i don't love that all. i frequently ask myself, "self, why couldn't i have kids who actually like to be photographed enough to hold still for longer than two seconds and make a non-silly face?" Probably has something to do with the faces i made as a youth in similar pictures. Don't ask my mom. But he's cute anyway.




Here's Caden, he's super cute too. And look, that's a good smile with no squinty eyes. Caden was super cute the whole time we were down there. Always ready to cuddle or play, or just have fun. i miss him already.



i don't remember why he was crying, but i wanted to catch the little tear running down his cheek. (No, he was not crying because of me. Well actually, i don't remember, maybe he was).

These are some birthday portraits i took of Gavin. What a handsome little boy! And can you believe he actually held still for a few pictures?



Hey look, it's Jaxon! i thought these pictures were kind of funny. In the last one i can't tell if he looks mad. He wasn't, but the squintly little eye and squished cheek...


I know i should know her from somewhere... She's cute too.

Las Vegas: Gavin's Birthday

Last weekend i met Jen and the kids down in Vegas at Emily's place. (i know, isn't crazy, only a few days ago and i'm already posting some pictures)! Anyway, we were lucky enough to be there for Gavin's birthday and got to celebrate with him and the family. Gavin really wanted a light saber birthday cake, impossible right?

Not with Emily it wasn't impossible. The chef worked late into the night crafting this super tastey light saber birthday cake. And i think the birthday boy (and everyone else) was pretty impressed.


Here's the birthday boy with his cake and presents. He was pretty excited (and surprisingly well-behaved).










It was a really fun birthday party and i'm glad we got to be there to celebrate with Gavin and the family. Thanks for inviting us Gavin!

Dallin & Ashley Wedding, Part II

Here are the rest of the pictures from Dallin and Ashley's wedding. Enjoy.

Dallin & Ashley Wedding, Part I

I know, it's a miracle, right? Another post, and it's only been one month! I like to think of it as a little President's Day miracle. I hope you enjoy it, and guess what - I'll even post again tomorrow. I know, I'm a slacker - especially since I shot this wedding about a month ago. Doh!

This is Dallin and Ashley. Dallin is the son of one of my co-workers and the brother of Kelli (see more here and here), whose wedding i shot back in 2007 - one of my first gigs.

This was actually a pretty short notice shoot too. i came back from seven weeks of business travel, had Christmas and the New Year and then this wedding. No engagements, no bridals, just show up on the wedding day and meet the bride and groom for the first time. Well, actually I already knew Dallin from the last wedding. No, not his, his sister's.

This was also the first shoot where i also used my Canon G9 with my Canon EOS 30d. That way i could shoot wide with the G9 and up close with the 30D. It worked out pretty well and made me realize i really should be shooting with two cameras in general. So go figure, now i want need another camera. Yeah, i know, i'll let you know when that happens.

Fortunately, it didn't matter that i had only met the two of them that day. They were both really easy-going and a pleasure to work with.

So why'd it take so long to get the pictures posted? Besides the obvious fact that i'm an occasional slacker? As soon as i got back from my DC business trip it was time to start wrapping up all my assignments and projects for the class i was participating in. So that kind of took the priority for a while. Fortunately everyone was really understanding.

This shoot was actually fairly stressful for me. Since i hadn't formally met the bride and groom yet, i was a little nervous about the dynamic we would have. And usually, by wedding day (the most important shoot), you've had at least two previous shoots (engagements and bridals) to get used to each other.

And while wedding day is always stressful, by that time, i typically have two succesfull shoots under my belt. These previous shoots have built up my confidence and kind of provide a mental safety net; i can think to myself that worst case scenario, if for some reason the wedding shots don't turn out, at least i've got the engagements and bridals.

Instead, i came in not only not having the two previous shoots, but also not being able to control the location or lighting. Sure, i brought my studio lights, but it's not the same as natural light. Don't get me wrong, i like my studio lights and wish i could use them more, but i like having a good number of natural light shots as well. And quite frankly, shooting in an LDS cultural hall (gymnasium) kind of limits the poses and backgrounds you'll be able to use.

But even with all my anxiety, i think everything turned out really well. Or at least i hope so. And as nervous as weddings make me (i love bridals and enjoy engagements), after everything turns out, i'm glad i have the opportunity to do them.
It may actually be time to start advertising. So far my photo business has been by referral only. But i think as i do more, i'll gradually get more comfortable and less anxious/nervous. And of course i'll get better. i think that as a photographer, i've grown quite a bit since my first shoot. And i enjoy being able to see those results.

Let me know what you think of the pictures. Hopefully with my class finished i'll be able to slowly start catching up on some of my other posts. Check back tomorrow for the rest of this wedding.

Thanks for looking.