Monthly Archives: April 2010

Chad & Shannon have been in love their entire lives, with a long and storied history that stretches all the way back to pre school, when Shannon announced that she was going to marry the neighborhood boy with the  spider plant in his window.  From her lips to God’s ear, this occurred in a stunning ceremony filled with so much love and emotion that by the end of the shoot, my heart was full of joy. 

After meeting with these two wonderful people and listening to their story, I instantly understood the significance of their spider plant centerpiece.  I often say that, above all other vendors, photographer and client should never be strangers on the wedding day.  Good photography is born out of trust and knowledge and it can never be said enough that the importance of getting to know and staying in contact with your wedding photographer is absolutely paramount – here is an excellent example of the benefits of that philosophy in action! 

Chad & Shannon went out of their way to make us feel like a welcome part of their family and words cannot express how wonderful that made me feel.  Towards the end of the shoot, Chad told me that out of every aspect of their wedding plans, we were the one vendor they trusted implicitly.  It meant so much to hear that! 

Chad & Shannon also have the absolute cutest son in the entire world and some of my favorite moments were little Alexander running down the aisle into daddy’s arms and moments later falling fast asleep on Grandpa’s lap.  The couple themselves just blew me away with the love for each other and the elegant, gentle manner in which they interacted.  The shoot was filled with laughter, tears and so many special moments that it would take me hours to list.

Sarah and I absolutely loved working with these two and send our best Mazel tovs to Chad & Shannon.  I know that when I check on them in ten or so years, they’re going to be just as in love and happy as they are today

Joey & Leesa were recently married at View 2-1-5 here in Las Vegas and while we didn't have the opportunity to get to know them as well as most of our clients, the moment I saw them I knew we were still going to have a great time and a great shoot!

 

Mazel Tov to these two and I hope our paths cross again!

Arto and Katriina came to us all the way from Helsinki, Finland!  I love it when we have the opportunity to work with couples from abroad – thankfully, I was even able to recall a few Finnish phrases (which I’m sure I pronounced terribly) from a while back.  We met with these two wonderful people on Fremont street, but unfortunately we discovered that Earth Hour was right in the middle of our shoot and Las Vegas was about to become a very dark place.

Even under the best circumstances, with optimal lighting, driving in Las Vegas can be a questionable experience, with so many folks operating their vehicles while texting and simultaneously looking at all the pretty lights.  Take away the lights and you have folks driving, texting and trying to make out which hotel is which.  I got a bit of a giggle when I saw a driver take out their camera phone while driving and snap a picture of a casino’s unlit, pitch black exterior   Unfortunately, they hit the car in front of them seconds later…Eeek!

Earth Hour in Las Vegas was darker than I had imagined it to be and more hotels observed the hour long holiday than I had expected, but it was wonderful to see a big city like Vegas that’s known for its bright lights to come together and support our environment like that.

Undaunted, we resumed shooting the next day at Calico Basin and I loved the chemistry that these two have together!   It was not only a pleasure to get off of the strip, but it was a treat for both them and us to show them the rest of Las Vegas.  Outside of the strip and downtown areas, Las Vegas is a very ordinary large western town – not at all what one might expect.

Calico Basin is situation next to Red Rock Canyon and if beautiful mountainous vistas are your thing, you will love it.  Look closely and you’ll even spot the carvings and drawings left behind by Native Americans from hundreds of years ago!  It’s a wonderful respite from the crowded strip and is a chance to experience the ‘real’ Las Vegas. 

Onnittelut Arto ja Katriina!