flash isn't THAT terrible

At the end of December I was faced with a challenge...a large family with several of its members in from out of town in the freezing cold winter, on a Sunday. We didn't really have any public locations we could go to because most of them would be closed on a Sunday. Luckily we found someone's home large enought to get everyone in. Also luckily...we had white ceilings to bounce light off of. Now I usually say I HATE USING MY FLASH...and, well, I do. I dread it. It will either flatten the tones....leaving little/no contrast and a dull image...or it will create horribly harsh shadows making the image look really unnatural...or in the case of color images, it will create a warmer cast than I would prefer. That being said, these images had all the desirable conditions for using a flash. To anyone who wants to know, though, I reccommend avoid direct flash most costs! I realize there are moments when you just need to get the shot and it is what it is, but if at all possible, bounce that flash...aka, do not use your on camera flash, invest in something nice that can be attached and its head can swivel, rotate and flip up. That was longer than I anticipated. wow.

the [V] family

the [W] family

Maybe you remember baby [S]? Well immediately after his shoot we went out with the whole family and did this shoot. Such a fun, cool family. And who looks that awesome less than a week after having a baby? Not fair.

the [S] kids

Are these pics refreshing or what? They are waaaay back from September, but feel like a breath of fresh air with the green green grass and bright colors. Ok winter, I'm done.

WOW! it was cold

These pics were taken 1 week before Christmas...needless to say it was freezing! But these kids were so good and didn't complain once.

the [C] Wedding

I was hired on as a second photographer for a friends wedding. This was an interesting experience. I was able to semi-relax due to the fact that I was there to document the evening in a more candid way. It was interesting because I needed to do my job...shoot the events taking place, but try not to impose on the main photographer of the evening...which I hope I did not. Another thing about this evening was the location...the ceilings were purple? So, I hate using direct flash(eeew) but how do you bounce light off of a purple source? Well I made the most of it...these are just a few of my favorites from the evening. Thank you Cade and Anne for allowing me to be a part of your evening. Congratulations!

The [B] family

West Jordan Volleyball...Seniors

I have a multi-talented friend that keeps herself busy with lots of different things...one of them is the Head Coach for West Jordan's Volleyball team. This year she asked me to shoot some of the seniors in action. It was a little challenging but a good change of pace.

the [S] family

Mr. J and Ms. W become MR. and MRS. J

I had the opportunity to photograph these two back in October. When I spoke with the bride to be, I must say I had never spoken to a more excited bride before! They had both raised large families...I think 6 or 7 kids each and numerous grandchildren. She was so thrilled that they had found each other. It was a beautiful fall evening to photograph these two. Congratulations! and thank you for being so warm and welcoming!