Avoiding "The Prom".

I don't do weddings.  I tried a small backyard ceremony once, and I learned quickly, it's just not my thing.

But families are my thing.  And a really important part of family photo sessions for me, is the Mom + Dad time.  It's a priority for me.  Mom took a lot of time to look gorgeous, Dad is trying his darndest to enjoy the process, and often the photos I take of them in our family photo shoot, are the first professional pictures of just the two of them they've had since their wedding.

But here's the thing.  I was really not good at it.  My whole session would flow great, and then we'd get to Mom and Dad, and I'd tense up and get nervous and before you knew it, it was looking like Prom from 1992.  Not kidding.

I decided I needed help and pronto, before the busy season began.  And I could not afford to waste my time or money.  So I enlisted the help of Amy and Jordan Demos, premiere wedding photographers here in Phoenix.  When I saw their engagement photos, I saw connection, and movement, and light.  All things I needed and wanted.  Teach me!

And they did.  I got them all to myself for 3 hours one beautiful afternoon.  And after I had absorbed their incredible brain dump, I mean really, they just opened up their couple posing toolbox and said "Have at it!", they even let me run through a whole practice session with them.  We wrapped up doing another practice session on my good friends, Ryan and Michelle of Michelle Unscripted.

 Not only have we been friends for a couple decades now, they're also incredible photographers.  So yeah, a little nerve-wracking.

But look at this!  I mean, seriously!  Huge improvement and in the nick of time.  Any of my clients from this last season will recognize my new bag of tricks.  Now instead of dreading the Mom + Dad time of the photo shoot, I really look forward to it!

Hurray for Amy and Jordan!  You saved dozens of parents from the woes of looking "Under the Sea" circa 1994.

That's me.  And The Demos.  Seriously.  

Such a fun couple and amazing teachers!

Family Pictures at the Farm

When you have a family whose go-to weekend activity is going hunting together, you know you need a beautiful outdoor setting for their family pictures.  And there's nothing better than the private farm here in Gilbert.

It was so fun to play with three teenagers and then let the little one be his own star.  We played A LOT of running games that day and it reminded me that that's a huge joy of childhood.  Finding a wide open space and just RUNNING.

That is until we almost ran into the snake.  Then we stopped.  Some of us screamed and ran away.  Others said "Cool!" and went in for a closer look.  I might have been the former.