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Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

Valentine's day is kind of a polarizing Holiday. People either love it or hate it. Desiree and I are in a funny situation, you would think as much as we are in love and as much a we work with love we would be big fans... we are not so much.
Valentines day was named after a few Saint Valentines who were early martyrs in the catholic church. There are many stories surrounding these saints and as 3rd century history can be it's all a bit sketchy. But one of the more popular stories is about a young priest who secretly married soldiers during a time in Roman history when soldiers were required to be single, as Caesar thought it would lend to them being better soldiers.
Valentine and the mystery of all three of their persona made them one of the most popular of saints in the 13-14th century.
At the time there was also a pagan celebration, (if it weren't for pagans the world would have no holidays, right?) the Lupercalia celebration was one of being twitterpated, to use the Disney vernacular. Mid Feb is the time that birds in England and France were observed starting to hook up.
As with Christmas, the Christians of the dark ages hijacked the holiday and looked for something to celebrate. As with Christmas, it had no correspondence to the actual date of the christian events they wanted to celebrate. Anyway, they set up the feast of St. Valentine on the 14th of Feb. Since one of the Valentine legends revolved around love and marriage...there you go.

Anyway, one of the first written valentines was written in the early 1400's by the Duke of Orleans to his wife in the tower of London.

Well enough of the history, why don't I like it all that much. Well, it's kind of like a man's get out of jail free card. They can spend the rest of the year treating their wife/girlfriend the same, and then on that one day they go out of their way to do something special and think it's ok.
It's not. Well it's OK when they book a session for their significant other you know, just keeping it real.
We should all be more considerate of our spouses the entire year long. Valentines should not be the one day you give flowers, chocolate, love poems. I am guilty just the same. I know I could do more for Desiree on a more regular basis. I am really going to make a better effort from now on.

So maybe that is something we can give to our spouses; a commitment to love and cherish them every other day of the year.
So for all of you who love V-Day Happy V-Day! if you hate it, good on ya. Either way, if you are in love express it, share it, give it. Give it every day!

Is the love better in Santa Fe?

2012-02-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

If there is one single thing I could do more than what I do. it would be to smile. Yes, there are many things I could do more of but if there were just one, it would be that...
I, all too often, get overwhelmed with life and with work and with, with, with... I forget to stop and take a minute to breathe. To live.

I forget to hug my wife and kids as much as I should.
I don't take time to go out with friends, to relax and have fun!

Toward the end of last year I didn't even have the time to blog weddings. I would post a few images on facebook but I could hardly take the time to write about the weddings. To write about the people we were so blessed to be able to work with. To express my gratitude to them for having us be a part of their weddings.

One wedding in particular, I feel so grateful to have been a part of. Ana and Rob seemed the epitome of those things that I need to be better at. You might recognize them from the blog of their connection session.

You can feel the love and the life in their images. The wedding was not about the location, though the location was beautiful. The wedding was not about the details, not about the favors, not about the food, or drink. It was about the family, the friends, and the love that Ana and rob share.

At one point Desiree walked with the bridal party along the San Francisco street from the La Fonda Hotel to the steps of St Francis Cathedral. I watched from the rooftop of the hotel as Ana and Rob crossed the crosswalk, walked up the stairs and danced in each others arms in the cathedral's courtyard. I heard friends oohing and aahing as they saw their public display of affection. I wanted to run down and join Desiree as she was photographing them. I couldn't join them. I stood there looking through my 200mm zoom. I was like a voyeur, watching a couple falling in love for the first time.

I watched my wife prompting them here and there. I watched her watch them. She photographed them, photographed their emotions and connection. I was able to pause and step out of work and the job and all the running back and forth and just watch a tiny slice of life unfold.

We had a great time that night. It was one of the weddings we waited for and didn't want to leave.

Without title

2012-02-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

Often artists leave images untitled. Sometimes it works for the image sometimes it doesn't. I struggled with a title for this blog. I could always call in Allee and Tom, or I could come up with some sort of trite title... but i won't so it remains untitled, or "without title" Sin Nombre, ohne name... So Allee and Tom are one of the weddings we are looking forward to. Honestly though, because we are pretty selective on the wedding commissions we accept we are excited to work with all of our couples this year. But we are really excited for their wedding. We talked about this connection session a few times and were really looking forward to photographing it. It's not that we put a crazy amount of planning into it. It's just we all thought about it and when we all think about it, sometimes magic happens. The session did start off a little rocky, I totally screwed up in giving them directions. So, we both got to the spots where we thought the other was. unfortunately, there was about a ten mile difference in those spots. It took a bit in traffic but we got it worked out and didn't get too late of a start. Once there, Tom and Allee were perfectly in love with one another. When two people are so in love and into each other as they were, it really makes our job fun. So we spent some time here, spent some time there, did a little of this did a little of that, and well you can see what we got. Oh, did I mention it was f-f-fr-fr-freezing! Poor Allee in that little, albeit amazingly cute, dress kept having to warm up inside her coat. By the time the sun went down and we were setting up our last image, she was bundled up in her coat with Toms arms wrapped around her keeping her warm! Thanks you two for putting up with the cold and crappy directions! So anyway, here they are, 'untitled!'

These two images are all about perspective. Desiree on one camera at one angle, and I on another. It's so wonderful being able to work with her every day. When people ask us what makes us different, this is the top answer. It's both of us together.

How can you argue with love. There is no need for looking at the camera and smiling when you are in love, just be in love and the images just happen!

So this image is all about preparation. Though I may not always give the best directions, Desiree and I are always equipped with the equipment we need for any situation. Even the sunset on the Sandias! This image wasn't planned but but we saw it and we were ready, so we did it and dig it!

This image was just grabbed as I was setting up the last image. Tom was keeping Allee warm, and it's just a quiet, intimate moment! I dig it!

Happy Ending/Beginning

2012-01-11T16:40:00.001-07:00

This is just a quicky! I just wanted to post a quick photo from our latest session. There are a bunch of things that I need to post, but I wanted to get this one up real quick because I really dig it!!!
Anyway, I will post more in a few weeks, when I can get them edited! until then, enjoy this preview!

honesty a two edged sword, and facebook, a place to hide behind and throw rocks!

2012-01-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

Honesty, a two edged sword. Facebook a place to hide and throw rocks.
I felt a rant long over due. So, I wanted to devote an entire blog post to expressing my (Seth's) feelings on a recent email and a passive aggressive Facebook attack that followed it.

Where do I start, where do I start? Well I guess at the beginning.

Desiree and I, as you all know, own and operate Jones Photo Art. We are both photographers, not business people. So, sometimes we make mistakes with our business and we are not the greatest marketers. That being the case, our work has to speak for itself. It does and it has. Desiree and I didn't inherit a studio, we didn't apprentice with a photographer and then take over the business, our parents weren't photographers, we didn't buy out an operating studio. We didn't learn by watching our employers. We built our work, our studio, our reputation from the ground up. We had no connections, no help, no freebies, nothing. Nothing but a talent, skill, and desire.

When we did our first bridal show back in 2002, we were not welcomed into the photo community. In fact, we were met with a hailstorm of anti Jones sentiment. We immediately felt the underdogs on the defense. One of the largest studios in town was not just marketing for their studio, they were marketing against us. We had several couples come over with a list of things they wanted to ask us after visiting this other studio and being told these negative things about us. I quickly contacted the studio owner. Letting that person know all the ins and outs of our business and how Desiree and I were no threat to their business; we were not tying to become the biggest most prolific studio in town. We wanted to be a small boutique studio that focuses on our couples and the quality of our work for their wedding.

I later found out that this studio owner felt threatened because of the quality of our work. This was coming from a studio owner of many years, being threatened by a young couple who just really started out in the wedding industry. I was also later approached by this studio owner and told that they wished they would have used our business model, staying small and focusing on quality and not quantity.

Once we were in the industry we made it our goal to bring photographers together. We didn't want animosity between photographers in the wedding industry. We wanted all the photographers to come together and not compete for work on a vicious level but compete to bring the industry up. We campaigned to increase rates of the full time quality studios in order to set our work apart from the photographers that simply don't have the talent or the ability to competently provide couples with something they will cherish. We also wanted a network to refer couples out to. Instead of just a good luck pat on the back, we wanted to make sure we had a group of quality photographers with a variety of style and strengths that we could match our couples up with when we were not able to work with them or were not a good match for them.

Since then we have seen the wedding photography market grow in several ways. We have seen the quality of wedding photography increase and we have seen the sheer number of wedding photographers increase. With any other industry, a huge growth is not always a good thing. The market has become saturated with people wanting to make money photographing weddings. And as with any other industry, there are people that are amazing at what they do, people who a good at what they do, people who are average at what they do, people who are poor and what they do, and even still people you look at and think why, why, why? I have seen this with photographers, videographers, decorators, planners, wedding publications, doctors lawyers etc.

What happened in this big surge of photographers and what still happens, is that the couples end up suffering. They were fooled by cheap prices and a marketing piece in a bridal publication that showed a couple of the photographers best images. It turned out that those images were the only good images that that photographer had taken. We have had countless couples, over the years, come to us to fix the photos that another photographer had taken. Photographers had stolen the trust from these beautiful couples and left them with a disc of high resolution images not even worth the time to take to be printed. The promised "Lifetime of Memories" they were left with were memories of regret and disappointment.

That whole topic is another blog for another day and frankly I feel I have done that topic to death. Even still, there are other vendors who continue to refer out to these photographers to save the couple a few dollars.

The reason I mention this is because there is a scale of skill talent and ability when it comes to one’s profession. Again there are people who excel and people who struggle. I am not ashamed to say that Desiree and I excel at what we do. It doesn't make me an elitist to take pride in the all the blood, sweat, and tears my beautiful, amazing wife and I have pored into our business.

We are in this business for a few reasons; first we have a deep love for the photographic medium. I studied art, art history, and the history of photography. I love the art of it. I love the creation of it. Desiree loves the medium for other reasons. She loves the reality of it, the emotion behind it. She loves it for giving her the ability to freeze the deepest emotions and heartfelt connections.

Second, we are in the wedding, portrait photography market. Because of our love of people. I can be an abrasive person sometimes. People think I am pretentious, arrogant, prideful, etc. That sucks that some people think that. The truth is and as those that know me know, I am fairly introverted. It takes a while for me to warm up to people but on the deepest level I love and accept all people. On a shallow level I can be quick to judge and can be an apparent jerk. Yes this is to my detriment. Desiree, on the other hand, loves openly. She loves first and accepts people first. Together we balance one another out. But we honestly love people and more than that we love the idea of love. Desiree and I have a great love story. We were married within six months of meeting one another. Ask us about our love story, you will for sure get two different versions of it, they are both as interesting. We just enjoy seeing and working with people in love.

Thirdly, we want to be able to give these couples, with whom we work, something truly special. We don't want to give them a prepackaged value meal. We don't want to give them the same thing that they could get from all the other photographers around. We want them to have, not just a great experience with us before and after their wedding, we want them to sit with us after the wedding and see their images and fall in love with each other and with their wedding all over again.

We did not get into this business to get rich, to have a huge studio with countless photographers, or to be a wedding photo factory. We do however have a family and when it comes down to it we would drop the whole business, and everything related, if it was best for our family. But this business puts food on the table, puts clothes on their backs, and a roof over their heads.

We are not cheap and we are not ridiculously expensive. We charge enough to be able to provide for our family keep the business open and still be affordable for most couples.

Not being a wedding photo factory, we can't work with everybody. Nor would we want to. We are selective on the couples we choose to work with. We want to make sure that not only is our work what they are looking for but that we connect on a personal level. We want to make sure that we are a good match for them. If we are not, we need to refer them to a photographer or a studio that will be a good match for them. Our children are growing and we have less and less time we are able to spend with them. Weddings take that precious time from our family and we don't want to spend that time dreading it because we accepted a wedding for to make a few extra bucks. We want to have a good time and work with people we know we will have fun with. Does this make us elitists, nope. Does it make us exclusive, well obviously. On the other hand not everyone wants to work with us. We do what we do, and we do a dang good job at it. People may not like what we do. And I would hope there are people who don't. It means there is still variety in the world. It means there are people who have tastes similar to our, people with tastes similar to other photographers, and that means plenty of work to go around.

Just because we turn away so many people, and only work with a small percentage of the people that contact us, does not mean we a not humbled by the work we do get. We are humbled all the time when couples send us emails and leave messages saying how excited they are to work with us. We are humbled knowing that some couples with intimate weddings are willing to spend half of their wedding budget to have Desiree and I shoot their wedding. We are humbled when people want to fly us all over the world to be with them on their wedding day sharing our talents with them. We are humbled when couples come over and sit on our couch, watch a slide show of their images and cry because of the emotion that our images invoke. I am also humbled when I get an email from AGWPJA or ISPWP, letting us know that our images have placed in the top of their international photo competitions. I am humbled knowing that people recognize and appreciate our work.

Are we also proud of these things. Yes. Why would we not be proud of these things. Why would we not be proud looking back at what we have done over the past decade.

Are we also thankful for these things? Yep! We and our children give thanks every night when we kneel down as a family together to pray. We are thankful for the work we have and what it provides for our family. Are we also thankful for the relationships we have built in the industry? Of course we are. Mostly because we have built these relationships based on the quality of our work and it’s reputation first. We receive referrals from people and companies we have never met and never worked with. We have never set out to visit other vendors and schmooze with them, in order to be a “preferred Vendor.”
We also just don’t refer people out to anyone because they have asked us to, or because we are members of the same professional organizations. We refer our couples out to others based on merit. We only want the best for our couples, so we only refer our couples out to the best, or at least the best at what the couple is looking for. We don’t and won’t refer people based on what they can do for us, we want what is best for our couples not for other vendors. We would hope that other vendors refer us for the same reasons. And based upon the fact that we are always referred by people we don’t know, we can only assume they refer us based on work and reputation.

So, are we grateful for these referrals and relationships? Yes we are! And we are humbled at the same time, knowing that people we don’t know and have never met, know us and our work and are comfortable referring us. Yes we are!

On the subject of how other perceive us, I wanted to talk about the organizations we belong to. We are members of the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalists association. This was taken from the agwpja website:

“The Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association AG|WPJA is comprised of outstanding wedding photographers, who are at the forefront of the wedding photography industry when it comes to enhancing images. The chief objective of the AG|WPJA is to provide members with a platform where the finest enhanced, manipulated and/or artistic wedding photojournalism in the world is spotlighted and promoted for the bride and groom.”

We are also members of the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers. This was taken from their website:
“The Best Wedding Photographers in the World
The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers (ISPWP) is a rarity among wedding photography organizations. Photographers cannot simply buy an ISPWP membership, they have to earn it.

Our requirements are experience, talent, and professionalism. To be accepted, a photographer must have shot at least 50 weddings, submit their portfolio for review, agree to operate under the ISPWP Code of Conduct, and have an ISPWP Sponsor or four references. And THEN they have to be voted in by current members.

In short, when you hire an ISPWP Photographer, you are hiring a talented veteran with a track record, peer recognition, and a passion for creating heirloom images of your wedding.”

These photographers don’t let everyone join, you have to be tested and accepted. Your work has to be better than average, it has to be exceptional. We are not accepted into these organizations because of other wedding vendors, because we advertise in every local wedding mag, or because we know somebody. We were accepted because our peers, who are leading the industry, looked at our work and said it qualifies to be ranked amongst theirs. They recognize that we have a talent and an ability that is above average.

I am not bragging that we are super great and amazing, blah, blah, blah. I am stating an honest fact, we are good at what we do. Not because I think so but because others have said it.
Do I feel that I am better than other photographers? Of course I do. I have taught classes, and have been a photo mentor for a number of years and if I wasn’t better that other photographers this would not be the case. Does it make me an elitist to state this honest fact, no. I am not bragging about it I am not being overly condescending, I am telling it straight, no chasers. Are other photographers better than i am, absolutely. So, I am honest, sometimes people think that my honesty is condescension, sometimes people think its flattery. It is what it is! And if you are a not so good photographer, give us a call I would be glad to work with you and share my knowledge with you!

So, I'm am getting to the end of this rant and things are starting to fall apart in my thought process. So I’ll wrap it up. We didn’t get where we are for nothing. It has literally taken blood, literally taken sweat, and literally taken tears, and here we are. Call me pretentious, call me elitist, call me arrogant, call me whatever you want, it makes little difference. Then take a few minutes to get to know me, and you will probably take the time to apologize when you realize I am none of these things, in fact quite the opposite! So, we will continue to strive to be the best at what we do, continue to give all that we have to stay on top of our game and on top of the market, regardless of how people perceive it.

So there you are, my thoughts on the state of things. And regarding Facebook, it’s laughable how people use it to attack others, be it photographers attacking photographers, be it jilted lovers, or jealous girls, be it holier than thou business owners trying to stick it to others. How about we all just start being honest with one another and tell it like it is! Lets all stop getting so bent out of shape by what people are saying and accept that we are all different and we are all trying to do what is best for ourselves and our family and just stop the childish pettiness. And if you can’t stop, that's fine, because it gives us in the real world someone and something to laugh at...

Thanks for the time you spent reading this, I hope it was worth your time! And if you want to know what vendors we refer people to, just let us know we are always glad to share the the work of other skilled professionals!

2011, another year of....

2012-01-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

Has it been another year already?
It's amazing that the older we get the faster time seems to pass. It seems like our little girl was just recently born, but she is already two! We have an almost teenager and two other boys who wont stop growing; especially their feet... It seems that we go through shoes like crazy!

Work continues to grow too. We still love the intimacy of our boutique studio, and have fought expansion all year. It's hard to find that balance. We don't want to be managers of other photographers. Yet we struggle to get all of the busy work done. We are artists who got into photography for our love of the medium and our love for the subjects, we are not business people who got into it as an easy way to make a buck.
So hopefully this year we will be able to find that medium and balance our work life with the life our kids need from us! A 8:00am to 1:00am work schedule is not a good schedule for raising kids!

That said, we have loved almost every minute of being able to work with so many great families again this year! But before I give a run down of our work life, I wanted to give y'all the family life for the year.

So this year Kimball, our oldest turned 12. He has decided to grow his hair out and even though I try to cut it every few months, he does look a little better with the long hair. I just get a little tired of the hair whipping to keep it out of his eye! I think he's going to end up with neck problems... Turning 12 is a big milestone for us. At church he is old enough to receive the Aaronic priesthood and administer the sacrament on Sundays. He is is 7th grade, and is doing ok. He and school are not the best of friends. He would rather be taking something apart, building something or shooting something. He is also a boyscout, and loves going to scouts each week and going on camp outs.
It's hard being parents to the tween age. We can see him grow and start those changes that will take him into manhood and that is awesome, but then we also see that pushing of boundaries that come along with the growth and sometimes that makes us want to drop him off in the middle of the desert... He is however amazing with Eden. He loves and protects her so well. It's so cute to see her give him hugs and kisses.

Ammon, is now 10. It seems, however, that he is hitting puberty before his big brother. Picking up the boys from school after a hot date is not a pleasant olfactory experience. The car smells like a whopper with extra onions. Anyway, Ammon is doing great in school, he continues to be on the school council and getting great grades. He is in cub scouts and is still on the illusive 1st place trophy for the pinewood derby. Evidently winning requires a lot more fatherly 'participation' than what is suggested in the derby outline... He loves his airsoft guns as much as his older brother and although he still loves star wars, he is not as fanatic as in previous years.

Kelsyn, our youngest son, is 7 and getting ready to be baptized this summer. He is in third grade and the only one left at his school. He is pound for pound the toughest of the three boys. It comes with being the youngest and faced with the survival of the fittest. His foot length to body height ratio is also the greatest. He has little hobbit feet. I think he might be able to walk on water, given the proper motivation! He is doing great in school as well and is pretty smart, just a little lazy with the homework! He loves being a big brother and is excited to hang out with his little sister!

Eden just turned two and is well into the terrible twos. I think it is true about he red hair and attitude. She is crazy!!! This year she broke her both collar bones. The doctor thinks she will probably have the most broken bones just because she is being raised by a few rough and tumble boys so she thinks she is a big boy in a tough body. Not a little girl in a more petite body. Anyway, she is also so freakin sweet. there are few joys greater than having her wrap her arms around your neck and say 'iyuvyu da-ee' We also recently started potty training. it seems a bit early but she is the one who initiated so we are going with the 'flow'.

Together the kids are all doing well, outside of the house they are all pretty well mannered kids who are helpful, courteous, and kind. In the house they can be hells demons incarnate... This year we took the kids with us on one of our work trips through Texas. They had a great time, we went to schlitterbahn and they loved it. They got to spend time hanging out in phoenix and Carlsbad with both sets of grandparents and have had all in all a pretty good year!

So for work we had a pretty great and pretty domestic year. We normally travel quite a bit with work, this year was a bit different. Most of our work was in New Mexico and we only shot outside of NM a half a dozen times or so. This year we were in Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and California for work. It was nice! This next year looks to take us to the US virgin islands, Texas, California, Utah, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, And more that likely back to Europe. So if you are going to be in Italy or Germany in October, let us know and we'll set up some time for photos!

We are still cutting down on weddings and adding more portrait sessions into our schedule. we love weddings so much but they can be really work intensive and emotionally and physically taxing, so we are going to start being a bit more selective on the wedding commissions we accept.

Desiree is really getting into a groove with her New Day birth photography, it has really been fun for her to experience this huge joy in the lives of her families.

We have been doing a ton of Red Label sessions as well. The boudoir genre is really gaining in popularity and we have a style that id really becoming popular as well!

We have also won a number of competitions with our work, both Desiree and I have placed in the top ten and even first place in international competitions of the worlds best wedding photographers.

We have shot in bathrooms, bedrooms, ballrooms, and beaches. Ancient ruins, mountain tops, snowfields, deserts, and ghost towns. We have photographed mothers, and Mayors, babies, and NFL Ball players. We have seen births and deaths, and everything in between. We have driven and flown thousands of miles, taken hundreds of thousands of images and filled up numerous hard drives. Work continues to be both challenging and rewarding. We are loving life and although we anticipate 2012 being a year of many changes we are looking forward to all that it might bring!

viscious winds and pleasant breezes...

2011-12-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Most of you, well anyone who lives in New Mexico, know about the joyous, lovely winds that can bless (plague)our New Mexican afternoons. We do have kite flying season, but it usually is brief. It's more often Kite flying away season.
It can be quite the gamble having a afternoon spring wedding outdoors in New Mexico. Either it will be beautiful weather or it will be blown away.

Desiree and I left our house in 30mph winds that gusted up to over 50mph. I remember wondering how we would be able to do anything in the wind. we got up to the house in the foothills of the the Sandia mountains to mild breezes. We were shocked at how the location of this particular house is set just so that the wind is dampened by a number of ridges that surround the house.
The wedding was in the backyard, a backyard that had a view of all of Albuquerque.
Distracted by decor turned the backyard patio into a sexy outdoor venue. We love backyard weddings, especially when as much thought and preparation goes into it as went into this one!!

reality

2011-12-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

Desiree and I photograph all types of things. I have mentioned a number of times how much I enjoy photographing our connection sessions. As a couple, Desiree and I like these probably more than anything else we shoot together.
On my own, I love photographing more surreal images. I like creating something that doesn't exist, or something that could exist.
Desiree, on the other hand, enjoys photographing reality. She loves the emotion, the connection, the reality that makes life what it is. She doesn't do a whole lot of posing, doesn't really use props, she just photographs what is going on.
If you read this blog you have probably read the posts about the the New Day sessions that Desiree does. She photographs live births, in the hospital or at home. She photographs the nerves and the anticipation leading up to the birth and then the overwhelming joy that follows!

She also enjoys newborn sessions, within the first week or two of birth. Families who contact Desiree for their newborn sessions want life, captured. They want the reality of the emotion and the connection that they have with their new baby.

David and Angela, were married a few years back and we were able to be there to witness their two lives joining together. They recently had their first baby; beautiful baby Lola. Desiree had the chance to photograph the three of them recently. It's funny when you photograph reality, you need to be ready for anything; crying, sleeping, nursing, changing diapers, puking, and crying some more.

Because of the nature of 'getting pictures taken' people often see the crying baby, or the grouchy toddler and think 'Oh, no' all the pictures are going to be of a crying or grumpy baby. Sometimes even Desiree comes home from a shoot and questions weather or not she was able to capture something that that family would really love. I guess we all, to an extent, do that. We tend to focus on the situational negatives and don't see all the positives that are happening around us. At least we tend to dwell on the negatives after the fact and they seem to outweigh the positives.
So, when Desiree came home from photographing baby Lola and her parents, she was concerned that because Lola was awake for the majority of the session and got a bit fussy during part of it, that she would have nothing more than a crying, fussing baby.
Anyway, I got into sorting the images this morning and found that most of the images were those beautiful reality capturing images. Yes there were some crying images but even those were pretty cute, and showed that slice of life the David and Angela are experiencing.
Anyway, the thing about it is, reality is just that, real; in all of its varying forms. Capturing that means capturing the crying, laughing, kissing, hugging, pooping, sneezing, etc.
And all of that life is what, even though it may cause for some worries after shoots, inspires Desiree, again and again.

Congratulations David and Angela on your absolutely beautiful baby girl!!!

two mormons, a jew, and a catholic walk into a ghost town...

2011-12-09T11:42:00.001-07:00

two mormons and jew and a catholic walk into a ghost town... though it does sound like it could be funny, no, this is not the beginning of a religious joke. We did however laugh, a lot, during a recent shoot in a little town outside of ABQ, NM.

Macall and Brandon are a SUPER cute couple. Macall, full of light and life- Brandon full of patience and humility! (don't worry brandon, I gotchur back). We have been wanting to shoot here for a long time and when we talked with these two we knew that they were going to be a good match for the location! We did not expect the freakin, cold breeze, wait scratch that, WIND, to be as bad as it was.
Ok so the central New Mexico plains are notoriously windy, hence the big ol ugly windfarms that contour the landscape. Anyway, that is a rant for another time!
We started in a old house, that gave us some shelter from the wind. We figured by all the bird nests and piles of birdy-doo, that it gave a lot of critters a haven from the weather. anyway we had plans to kinda shoot all over the town but realized quickly we didn't have to everything we needed was right there.
We did hop across the street to the local motel, still sporting the green shag carpet. (awesome!!!)
The hotel sign was two sided, one side was perfectly normal, the other side... not so much... Instead on New Management it said, new menagement. right next to the "MENAGE"-ment was Lo low rates... HMMMM... I wonder what went on in that hotel!!! Especially in that jungle room with the shag carpet!!
So we continued on and found the old car we were looking for, we closed the night on top of the old car and I would say all in all, not too dang bad!

Seasons

2011-11-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

I was driving the kids to work this morning and we saw things that we haven't seen for a solid year. What we saw may not, on the face of it, appear to profound. The more i think about it, however, the more profound it becomes.
So, what did we see?
Leaves...
We saw falling leaves. There are certain trees along our drive into school and work that just release all their leaves in the space of a day. The leaves are still green, but falling nonetheless. It's like a constant flurry of leaves. Other trees, like the huge, strong, cottonwoods, hold on to theirs. Their leaves slowly lose their green color and turn into a brilliant ocher yellow. The leaves eventually turn brown and the tree hangs onto them sometimes up until the spring winds blow the leaves off allowing for the tree to renew again.
I think that we are all connected and everything hear has a purpose and a season.
We have our seasons too. We go through times of spring where things grow and develop. We go through times of prosperity where we reap the benefits of the work we put in in the spring. We also go through times of loss times of struggle. We all have seasons of fall and winter.
We each have, at one point or another, dying leaves that may burden us. How do we handle those? Do we instantly release our leaves? Do we hold onto those dying burdens clinging on to history until the very last second? How do we handle our adversities?
Regardless of the answer to that, what we can look forward to is spring again. In the deepest cold of winter when the world is frozen and things appear completely lifeless, there are seeds in the ground preparing to break through the frozen ground. A new season is about to spring forward. And the deeper the cold the more snow that piles up on top of the world the more brilliant the spring is.

Nothing is too overwhelming, though it may seem at the time to be so.

My suggestion, release your leaves, endure your winter, and be excited for your spring.

Rain Rain Go Away!

2011-11-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

What a way to wrap up our craziest weekend of the year.
We were photographing Tatum and Mike at Sunrise Springs. This venue as with El Monte Sagrado in Taos is an amazing venue. The grounds are beautiful with a garden, a couple of ponds and a huge deck. Underneath a huge tree on the lower level of the property is where Mike waited for Tatum to walk down the steps and along the path leading up to meet him. the ceremony, performed by a good friend was intimate personal.
We actually arrived at the venue in the middle of a torrential downfall. It was more of a monsoon type storm so we had little doubt that it would pass. It did, and the weather was perfect. Aside from a little rain after dark which caused the reception to be moved inside, their celebration went off without a hitch.

If only the elk wasn't there...

2011-11-04T10:39:00.004-07:00

We had a pretty crazy weekend a few weeks back. We went from Taos to Chamita, then to Angel Fire, then back down to Santa Fe, then just south of Santa Fe. Three days of all day shooting! Though we have posted some image from a couple of the other shoots, this is the wedding that started the weekend off.
If you have not been to Taos, NM you should. It's beautiful. If you have not been to El Monte Sagrado, you should do that as well it is a beautiful resort and a wonderful place to get married. There were only two things that were a little weird for us. First the bridal suite is the Kama Sutra room. And yes, there were Kama Sutra paintings everywhere. I can't say that it's really romantic looking around and seeing stylized ancient Indians in varying sexual positions, but whatever, maybe that's just me! The second thing which I still go back and forth on is the humongo elk sculpture at the end of the central lawn. It's kinda cool in and of itself but as a backdrop to a really nice wedding... seems strange to me...
Anyway, aside from that it is the perfect place for your northern new mexico wedding.
Merissa and David were had an intimate group of friends and family with them as they celebrated their wedding. the weather was beautiful, the food was fantastic, it was just a great time!

Ocean Breeze

2011-11-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

we rolled into phoenix mid afternoon to 114 degrees. We got to my folks place and the kids immediately ran through the house and jumped in the pool. I, of course, wanted to stay in the house where the AC was a little more tolerable. We were there for a couple of days hanging out with the kids and getting ready for our wedding at the end of the week.
we left phoenix in the morning to 112 degree sun and pulled into Redondo Beach, CA to a beautiful 69 degree afternoon. We fought traffic most of the way through the valley and I cursed the LA area, asking why anyone would want to live there. Once i got out into that perfect weather, it became pretty clear.

The AJ and Noelle found a beautiful church right on the cliffs of Palos Verdes. http://www.panoramio.com/photo/57046914

It is an absolutely amazing location. The ocean breeze comes into the chapel through the large glass doors that provide a view of the ocean and coastline to the north. after the ceremony we took a bit of time and went to a cove south of the church and did some pictures and then back to the reception at a a private estate on strawberry lane.

Fall into Christmas 2011

2011-10-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

This time is, in my opinion the most beautiful time in New Mexico. Green chile is roasting, balloons are flying, the weather is starting to change. The long strip of green that follows the Rio Grande, as is make its way south, brightens up with beautiful yellow. It's the perfect time for family photos.

To take advantage of the beauty of the season and to get those often procrastinated Christmas cards out before Christmas. We are offering our annual Fall into Christmas special.

These sessions are always super popular because you get a session that is 45 minutes long -perfect for the kiddos. It also comes with custom designed holiday cards; designed with a modern, classic, or vintage motif. (that's right, you aren't stuck with those tacky holiday cards from the one hour labs!)

In addition to this, you will receive 10% off of any products you purchase from this session. That way you can get some beautiful prints, canvases, books, etc. for your home and still be able to buy your husband that motorcycle he has always wanted.

We are currently scheduling for Albuquerque on the 21st and 22nd of October!!! that's right is not far off!!!

We will be scheduling Southern New Mexico for the first part of November. Details soon to follow.

You get all this (in my best infomercial voice) for only

199.00.

That is 30% off of our standard fees.

Space is limited so book your session time now!

Call 505.890.7707

or email

Struggle, What's it all worth! (a personal blog)

2011-10-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

This blog post is on a more personal note and I likely won't include an image... sorry! but for those of you who hang on through this, I hope you will gain something from it.
I recently taught a Sunday school lesson at church. I was given some resources to teach from but no specific topic. I randomly, so I thought, picked out a subject on overcoming trials that we face in life.
We are all punished or blessed with trials, whether we are punished or blessed depends purely on our perception. I have, for the longest time, been in the punished and persecuted camp. Recently, my paradigm has shifted and I am now under the impression that the trials we face in life our for our benefit. As hard as they may seem, it really is true, at least regarding life's struggles, that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.
I learned a lesson recently about faith from a relative through marriage. She lost her son in a car accident. He was 15 and was struck by a car. It was purely accidental. He showed early signs of making a strong recovery but suffered complications and passed away several days after the accident. The response from his mother was strong and heart warming. She expressed her faith in her creator that her son was now in a better place; free of pain and trials. We all know that, inside, this poor mother suffered a deep sorrow, but she also rejoiced in the fact that she knew where her son had gone. Had we all the humility and understanding of this woman. The humility to know of our place in the great plan of eternity.

What defines us is not the trials we face but how we face those trials, how we endure those things that are placed upon us. Do we wine and complain because we are discontent with our station? Do we tolerate life and it's struggles? Do we use those struggles we face as a way to better our life? Well, if we took hold of those trials, suffered their effects and then took a look at our selves and decided how that trial is going to help us grow into a better person, that attitude would change the world. We would all be on a constant path of self betterment. Peace would prevail, starvation would cease, and we would all grow together as a people. Just think about that for a minute.
Anyway, recently I have decided to make some personal changes and try to be a better husband, father, friend, businessperson, photographer, and human being. Change is not easy and can sometimes seem an impossible task. But line upon line, step by step, we can all change anything we would like about ourselves. My physical appearance is changing, I have recently lost 20 lbs. This weekend I dedicated to changing my spiritual body. This process seems as hard if not harder that the physical changes. My mental state is another issue altogether. I think I'm going crazy and I'm not sure how to change that, but I'll work on it.
So anyway, face your struggles, face em head on. Look at what you need to learn and learn it. Don't pray for more trials but pray to be lifted up and strengthened in order to face the trials you have.
So did I pick this lesson or did this lesson pick me? I believe in divine intervention and I believe that I was meant to teach this lesson so that I as a teacher could also be the student and learn more about myself, about life, and about faith.
Thanks for letting me take a minute to write this and get it out. it may make no sense to you at all but in my broken few minutes I have this morning, it's what I wanted to express.
-Seth

Apples & Asparagus & Red Chile

2011-10-07T12:35:00.002-07:00

Ana mentioned, in our first meeting, that she and Rob originally wanted to have their wedding on her grandmothers farm in Chamita. Logistically, however, it would just not work trying to get all of her guests there, parked and then out a couple of acres to the ceremony site near the apple orchard. So instead of having the wedding there we used Grandma's land to photograph their connection session. We met Ana and Rob on the north end of Española. From there we followed them, literally, over the river and through the woods to grandmothers house! We hung a left at the pillar of smoke rising from the huge pile of grass and branches and stuff that the neighbor was burning. Once we parked at the house we trudged though an alfalfa field that was being irrigated. At the end of the alfalfa field was the old apple orchard. Beyond that, fields of grasses and wild asparagus lead all the way down to the Rio Chama.
Our shoot was awesome, Ana and Rob just came ready for whatever we wanted to do so all we id was mess around and had fun. We laughed and joked, they kissed, we shot. We had a great time.
When we were finished I was looking forward to heading back up to Toas to grab some lunch at the Hunan restaurant. For those who don't know or haven't read my blog post or Facebook update before, I really like the Hunan. It has the freshest sesame balls and the wonton soup is crazy good. Its a huge bowl full of meat and veggies and wontons MMMMM, Anyway, I also digress, so back to the shoot. We were getting ready to leave when we were offered to come in, spend some time with the family and have some pasole and red chili. Generally I am not a red chili fan. I love the flavor of green chili and can eat it with almost anything. I am also not the most social person, Desiree on the other hand thrives in a social environment and was excited to go meet everyone, and I thought the prospect of a home cooked new Mexican lunch. Well about an hour, 2 Frito pies covered in an amazing red chili and some great conversation later, we were ready to head out to get ready for our next shoot. All in all it was a great way to spend a Saturday morning. Ana and rob were married in Santa Fe at the La Fonda and it was a beautiful wedding. I will blog their images as soon and I can! until then, enjoy Ana and Rob's connection session!

-Seth

thirty-something really?

2011-10-06T23:05:00.000-07:00

I was 12-16ish years old when the television show 'Thirty Something' was airing. I remember looking at it and thinking... what do those lame old people have to talk about anyway? So, I never really watched it or attempted to 'get into it.'

Well, here we are 20 something years later. I am thirty something and guess what, there is something to this age. It's like the adult Tweens; coming out of adolescence but not yet a teenager.
So we are coming out of that twenties, where careers are started, families begin and life starts to slow. We are not yet in our forties when you are generally fully settled in your career and you start watching your kids move out on their own.

It's a weird kind of time. It's like adult puberty... Now instead of seeing hair pop out of strange locations we start seeing it fall out and/or turn colorless. Instead of muscles starting to strengthen and develop, they start to go dormant from sitting at a computer all day, they start to ache and slow down that twenty-something spring they once had.

Socially it's a strange tween time as well. We are now almost always older than our clients. We are too old to want to go out to the club but to young to enjoy just sitting at home.We don't get much casual adult conversation. We spend most of our time talking with clients or kids.

Instead of still having some energy at bed time, wink, wink, nudge, nudge. (monty python reference). We are looking forward to going to bed every night just to get a break from work/homework/housework/shuffling kids to activities, etc.

The coolest thing about this time, though, is it's not really ours. It is a time that we are devoting to our children. We are teaching them, we are developing them, and we are providing for them! It's a strange and beautiful time, full of love and life. A time that is unimaginable, and absolutely needed for the growth of the soul and development of humanity.We lose that, what do I want and what about me and we focus our lives on others. This is were we are really tested, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We show what we are really worth. We put into practice all the things that we were taught as kids. We recognize life's importance and try to give our kids some sort of foundation to build their lives on.

This time is probably the most important time in our development as a people and as individuals.

So sometimes when I feel that weird adult puberty thing happening and I just wish I, myself, could be a kid again, I just look at our own kids and realize how awesome this time really!

Angelfire yes....please!

2011-10-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

We have had a very busy wedding season and Labor day weekend was no exception! In fact I think it may have been the busiest wedding weekend we've ever had. One of the sessions that we photographed was Eddy & Janelle's connection session. When discussing a location that made them feel comfortable, Angelfire was mentioned as a home away from home. When we arrived the weather had turned chilly, but that made them just snuggle in a little but more. The two of them are so gentle to each other and the love that is shared between the two of them is evident to all around. Nothing fake or forced, but simple, pure love. The scenery was AMAZING and Seth was even able to practice his manners as Eddy so kindly reminded him!!!!
Enjoy!-Desiree

The messed up paradigm

2011-09-30T10:20:00.001-07:00

I am in a mood again today after some confusion about what we do, and how we do it. There is still this growing thought process that just because you pay someone to photograph something, those negatives/digital files should automatically become the property of the people photographed or the people commissioning the work.
That thought process has really been perpetuated by part time or super low budget shoot and burn photographers that are purely out to make a quick buck off of the people they work with.
In what world does this seem a normal thing to expect?
Here is something to think about.
Commercial photographers:
A commercial photographer has the same job as I do (pretty much). They are hired by a client to photograph a specific event, item, person, location etc. The client pays them a daily or half day rate, depending on the job. This fee, as with a photographer commissioned to shoot a wedding, is for the work involved in and with the actual photographing of a job; the hours of prep, assistant fees, equipment rental fees, image storage, backup, culling, editing, proofing, etc.. In addition to that, they have a usage/rights fee, generally negotiated in advance with the client and based on a single image or a collection of images. At no point does any reputable business assume that they are going to get the entire body of the photographers work free and clear. They know and expect to have to pay for the rights to use the actual images, in addition to the fee paid for the creation of the images.
For a commercial photographer of the same skill and ability of Desiree and I a daily rate would be somewhere in the $3000.00 to $5000.00 range, then to give unlimited rights for the image would be anywhere from a few hundred to to a few thousand per image. Lets just take a super low, undercutting low ball fee of $100.00 per image. If we were to take this fee structure for a commercial photographer and apply it to weddings, on average with 1000 images, for a couple to walk away with 100% usage rights, it would be $103,000.00. That puts a whole new perspective on what we do and it's value doesn't it.

Yes, I understand that in commercial photography the client is using the images to market and increase their revenue. So, the fee should be more that a non commercial client wanting to print images to give out to people. I get that...

The wedding/portrait photography business is kind of it's own monster and there is not a lot I can compare it to. But lets put it into these terms:
(This might be a stretch but maybe some of you will understand it this way)
You go to a fine restaurant, walk in and order a dessert, it turns out to be the best dessert you have had a little pricey but worth every penny. Then, upon leaving you tell the waiter to go and retrieve the recipe from the chef so that you can take it home and make it. That way you never have to come back to the restaurant again, you can make it as often and as much as you want. You can make it for your family give it to all your friends so they never have to go to that restaurant for dessert. Sure it won't taste the same. It won't be presented the same. The atmosphere while eating it won't be the same. But, after all, you did pay him to create it for you. So, you should be able to enjoy it when, where, and how you please. Do you think in ANY fine restaurant this would go over well? The fact is that you would be chased out and likely banned from the restaurant for having the nerve to assume this was an ok thing for you to do.
With our photography, you are commissioning us to photograph your wedding. You are paying for our ability, education, talent, and the time away from our kids on those valuable Saturdays. You are paying for our dedication. You are paying us for our editing. All this is not free. As much as I love our couples, I can't give them 40-60 hours of my life including a full Saturday away from my children for absolutely nothing. Our wedding commission is for all that work that goes into our weddings. We only shoot around 20 weddings per year. That should be an example of the type of dedication each wedding receives. After all that, if you want to rights to your images that is awesome. And you don't even have to spend $103,000. We will actually let you have a copy of your images to keep and store, etc, when you purchase a wedding album. Yes, that is right. All you have to do is have us create a wedding album for you so that you have the best possible way to present your images and the with the best quality, and you will receive a digital copy of your images. Pretty simple, right.
Does that sound unfair, unjust, or not right to anyone?
If it does, there are dozens of shoot and burn photographers that don't care enough about you or their craft, who will provide you with a disc full of images. Whether or not you like those images is a completely different subject but you will nonetheless have them to do whatever you want with.

I hope this is not offending you as a person wanting to know what we do, a client confused about what we do or another photographer reading our blog as a guide on how guide their own business. This is just my (seth's) thoughts and beliefs on the whole topic.
If you have thoughts, questions, comments about this please voice them. I want to here others thoughts on this because maybe it's not the worlds paradigm that is shifting on this maybe its my own...

One more thought, Desiree and I are not unreasonable heartless people. People who have worked with us know this, so if you have special needs to consider or special requests for things, let us know. We try to accommodate everyone we can within reason.

Thanks for taking time out of the day to read my rant!
'Seth

What's your experience? You tell us about it.

2011-09-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

We are starting a new marketing campaign where we are featuring our real couples. What we want is your help. We are especially asking, at least for this first round, for couples that we have photographed connection sessions for, to send us in their own words what their experience was like. We are going to feature one of our couples, and quotes from several in our new marketing plan that is coming out soon on the radio and Abq the Magazine.
So, here is what you can do. comment here, or on our facebook wall, ( www.facebook.com/jonesphotoart) or send us an email and tell us what your experience was like at your connection session. did you learn anything about yourself, about each other.
Let us know! We will then pick one or more couples and get together with you to talk about what we want to do!
You all are awesome. Thank you for reading our blog, working with the two of us and being our friends!
Thanks,
Seth

Um, yes... that's us, we're kinda cool!

2011-08-31T13:28:00.000-07:00

So we recently were super excited to hear that the results for the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers summer 2011 photo contest were in, and three of our images were received recognition in the top of their categories.
We had an image place 4th, one place 9th, and one place 18th. For an international competition with THOUSANDS of entered images, that's pretty dang good. The top 20 images in each category are recognized and displayed, so anything above 20th place is an honor! The competition was judged by a hand full of international photographers, and there are some amazing images.
ISPWP is about being a brilliant wedding photographer. That encompasses a lot of styles of photography from fine art to photojournalism. The photographers represented here are truly the worlds best at what they do.

Anyway, here are the images and the who, what, how's of each image, for those curious.

This first image is obviously from Paris. The story of how this all came about is a long'n so I'll just cut to it. It is taken from the top of Trocadero looking back into the heart of Paris. It was in the middle of some recent protests so the plaza was full -FULL of people. I had Gena and Curtiss climb up on top of a fountain with me so that I could get an angle of the statue them and the tower. People did watch, fortunately the police that were nearby didn't chase us off of the fountain! Desiree was down below in the throng of people photographing up at them against the buildings that flank the plaza. It's a European plaza, so there were naturally pigeons, which just added to the image. Our time photographing in Paris was short, but we had such a beautiful time! We can't wait to go back.

This image was from one of our favorite connection sessions. Well, they are all our favorite, but this one was a themed shoot and whenever we can do a themed shoot we (at least I ) get all excited. So when Tom and Alicia said they wanted to do a classic military feel... COO-OOL!
Anyway, this image was taken on base at Kirtland inside of an airplane hanger. The light coming through the windows is from the setting sun. Desiree and I looked at this image and we had both done similar images and at this time I think, but we are not 100%, that Desiree photographed this with my camera... while I captured some video with hers. Anyway, there is a slideshow is on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/jonesphotoart#p/a/u/1/3siUA2moJ4E

So, this image is of a super fun couple Adam and Jenna. We were at a winery here in town in between the ceremony and reception and we had a ton of time to do pictures, which is awesome!!! Anyway, Desiree had them up on the balcony overlooking the vineyard and I shot them from below. On her way in she noticed the big wooden doors. and the little windows and the perfect height for a really cool image of Jenna and Adam. So on her way down she radioed me to wait for them in front of those doors and, well it just all worked out! I think I did have to Photoshop Desiree out of the second window, but again, it all worked out!

Anyway, people often ask us about images and so I thought I would just take a sec to describe these! I think They were all shot with a Nikon D-700 and I think the lens on all of them was a 50 f1.4, one of my favorite lenses!!!

i will love you here and there I will love you anywhere

2011-08-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

I have been writing and rewriting this for hours now, and can't come up with anything that doesn't sound too trite, I write something then delete it, and write again and every time it still just seems too, too not right. So I figured that I would only share some of what Sarah and Jeret decided to use for their vows, from Dr. Suess' Green Eggs and Ham. It fits so perfectly, it's awkward for me to try and add more. These two love each other so much and are so thoughtful and gentle to each other and it was an amazing privilege to watch this union come to fruition.

And I will love you in the rain.
And in the dark. And on the train.
And in a car. And in a tree.

And I will love you here and there.
I will love you anywhere.

Love this! So beautiful Sarah!

I would have loved to be privy to this conversation! What are they chatting about?

After finding these left behind from a wedding, Sarah carefully broke down the origami pattern to teach herself how to make the flowers for their centerpieces. So fun!!

Air guitar first dance!

I love tender moments!

Sarah's something borrowed, her grandparents cake topper! Grandpa was so touched that she was thoughtful enough to ask to use it.

And I will love you here and there.
And I will love you anywhere.

Hey Jude...welcome to the world

2011-08-19T23:11:00.001-07:00

I stopped into the hospital to check and see how Dan & Andrea were doing, before the hard labor begins when there is still laughing and story telling, Dan and I are talking about how crazy my work schedule tends to get and he said, 'and why you still want to do this?' Meaning show up at middle-of-the-night-thirty and photograph a baby joining this world?! I answered him, you'll see!
I went home for a few hours to try to get some sleep hoping that it wouldn't be too long until I received the text saying it's time! A few texts "she is progressing well, probably a few more hours" and then at 4:45am: "she's at a ten, game on!? I hopped out of bed and rushed to the hospital. Arriving there, I found Andrea in bed finding some relief from her pain with an epidural. A few nervous, soon to be grandpas and grandmas, stood by ready to meet their grand-baby. I am always amazed at the process a woman instinctively knows, they listen to their bodies and know what to do to bring their baby into the world. We watched her struggle and hurt and strain every muscle, I watched as Dan anguished seeing his wife hurt and knowing there wasn't anything he could do to relieve that pain, only time could do that. I saw him stroking her arm, whispering words of encouragement And just when you think that's enough, that she can't possibly handle anymore, I hear the midwife say, "five more good pushes and you will get to meet your baby, you can do this!" After two hours of extreme strength, he was here. And that pain is eased and will soon be forgotten, I hear a baby take his first breath and make a good cry, and as I survey the room that miracle of the life amazes all present. And then joy erupts, laughter returns, tears fall freely, hugs and kisses of congratulations are given. They get to hold him for the first time, and this baby who has been a part of them for nine months gets to see them and they get to meet him.
A few minutes later, Dan looks up at Andrea and the other women in the room and, in awe, simply states "You women, I don't know how you do it, you are amazing."
And I said, 'see, this is why I do it!'
Welcome to the world little one, and congratulations to Dan & Andrea.

-Desiree

If you or someone you know might be interested in birth photography, I would love to share in their brand New Day.

Red Label Marathon

2011-08-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

***Red Label Marathon***
So we have details for our Red Label Marathon to benefit Ashley Varela. She will be going on a humanitarian trip to Africa and is trying to raise money now!

Here's the skinny:
Where: Jones Photo Art Studio
When: Friday Aug 26th
Who: upto 10 girls!
What: 1 hr session 1 outfit (2 if you change fast!), includes hair & Make-up!
How much: The special rate for is only $250.00. includes the session, hair/makeup, a DVD slideshow & 5x7 print. Plus a 25% off on any other products purchased that day.
To see more go to ( j ) red label

Connection Sessions slide show.

2011-08-09T16:59:00.004-07:00

Love is a beautiful thing Desiree and I live for one another and live for life's love. In our children, in our couples, everywhere. Check out our updated connection session slideshow.

Connection Sessions

2011-08-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

Because of the interest in our connection sessions I wanted to post a link to some of our connection session posts
Click here on Connection Session to see some more connection session images!

"The perfect pair of shoes can change your life" Cinderella

2011-08-01T10:35:00.001-07:00

It's not often that people can say that it was the love of something unique, like shoe design that can bring two complete strangers together, but that's exactly how it happened for Christopher and Noelle! They were set up by friends after they had both designed a pair of shoes on Nike.com. These two hit it off and probably continue to make people envious with their sweet adoration's to each other on facebook.
It has been so fun to watch their relationship grow since we first met them 20 months ago, and this wedding has been a princess wedding from the beginning. They invited some of the best vendors in town to share in their day. Bridal Elegance by Darlene fitted Noelle in an exquisite Maggie Sotero gown and Rob and Brennan @ Distracted by Decor helped to create the ambiance at the church and Noelle's beloved hotel, the Hotel Parq Central. Guests watched the future Wallace's exchange their vows at Christopher's family church, Faith Lutheran. Noelle and Christopher wanted a very relaxed feel for their reception so instead of guests being seated the whole time for dinner, they had heavy appetizers and guests were able to mingle and be free to move around. The cake treats were from Cake Odyssey. Dan at Lighthouse Entertainment kept guests dancing all night long.
We are so grateful to have been a part of this cute couples wedding celebration and so humbled when this was the text I received from Noelle on our 14th wedding anniversary, "we want to grow up to be Seth and Desiree..four kiddos, a successful business and still madly in love." We are excited to see what this life hold for the two of you, and will be there the entire journey!

wrappers and a cool breeze

2011-06-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

The stack of dove wrappers under my monitor rustled under the breeze from the Lasko tower fan that sits behind me. The A/C at the studio works well but I still need the extra breeze to keep that constant cool on me.
I hear the thin foil wrappers rubbing together and know that there are inspirational messages begging to be read. As trite as they might be, sometimes I feel that they were meant just for me. It's like having a bad day and opening the scriptures at any random place and hoping there will be a bit of divine intervention guiding my hand to an inspirational message that will lift my spirit.
I reach for the wrappers and inadvertently touch the very sensitive power button on the bottom of the monitor, shutting it off. I cuss and try to turn it back on. There is no set button, just an area that senses my touch. It gets me more aggravated.
I take the stack of blue and silver wrappers and begin to read.
"Be Fearless"
"encourage your sense of daring"
"Daydream"
"It's OK to slow down"

I think' that's right dangit, if Mars inc. tells me I can slow down, then by gosh I can slow down.'
Then reality sets in and I look at the stack of things I have to do. I realize that mars makes chocolate, and when it comes to Dove, they make a pretty good chocolate. So, what do they know about life anyway...
Then I do it.
I slow down, eat a chocolate, maybe not Dove, maybe a Lindt or Milka, you know the good European kind.
For just a minute as the warm chocolate melts in my mouth and the soft breeze from the fan cools my skin, I feel awesome. I feel capable; capable of conquering the world, or at least knocking a few things off my to do list.
Then I go home step on the scale and think, 'Damn Chocolate!'

Paul & Letisha

2011-06-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

There are places in the world where love comes in very small amounts. There are places in the world where you feel it wherever you are.Love comes in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Desiree and I have such a huge blessing to be able to see more of that love than most people. We see the love in the cycle of life.
We see the love of parents when they see their newborn for the first time. we see the love of a young child for her parents as she snuggles in close to them. We see two young people fall in love and devote their lives to one another.
We show that love between couples through our connection sessions. We love being able to walk with our couples, talk with our couples, laugh with our couples. We get to know them on a level that few people get to see. We get to see how their love touches the other. It's such an amazing thing. I think a lot of photographers do e-sessions and focus just on getting pretty pictures. I see so many e-sessions that are so empty and soulless. I would trade in a pretty picture of my self, my wife, my kids, for a real picture anytime!

So that said, here are some real and some pretty pictures of a beautiful couple, we had the pleasure of spending an evening with. We walked the streets of Nob Hill where they often went out on dates and actually were engaged. Then we came down close to the studio and spent some time in old town and then by the river.

That's what she said!

2011-05-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

I have thought about this post for a while and wasn't sure how exactly to write it. It was really hard...
I could go on about this couple but I'm keeping it short. Otherwise it would be way to long...
Do I make this post about the couple themselves, about our experience with them, or about the the wedding in general?
That's always a struggle for me. So here it is:
First I wanted to thank all those who were a part of the wedding because it went very well for us and when people like these participate in the wedding I know our job is going to be so much easier because of these good professionals doing their jobs!
So, Karen Stallard with Celebrations was the event coordinator. We always enjoy working with her because we can always go to her to know exactly whats going on and when.

Justin and Eric with Complete Music were there DJ-ing and MC-ing. We can't tell you how glad we are to get to an event and see Justin setting up his speakers and testing his mics. We know that whatever happens schedule wise he can quickly and seamlessly get things on track again without any stress to the couple. Justin was training Eric, a new DJ for complete. We worked with him at another event last night, he's really coming along and we are excited to work with him in the future as well!

Mille Fleur Floral provided the absolutely beautiful flowers. They are truly one of the best floral providers in ABQ.

The ceremony was held at the botanical garden and the reception at Hyatt downtown.

So thank you to all the vendors who made this so wonderful.

Now for the couple. We love these two so much, they are so fun, relaxed and easy to work with. No muss no fuss just a fun, sweet couple. You may remember them from the session we did of them at the lab, the Isotopes ball park.

Anyway Shelby was just beautiful and Justin, well he didn't look half bad either.
I loved seeing her dad, a big ole country boy in his big black hat, walk Shelby down the isle. I tried to watch to see how many people were crying and it was not a few.

Vendors aside, the wedding day is really a joy, when we lucky enough to work with such a beautiful couple!!!

Getting Traditional

2011-05-31T19:50:00.000-07:00

We don't do bridal sessions as much as we have in years past. More and more brides are wanting to do pictures after the wedding so they can get dirty and we can do some grittier more Editorial type images.
we recently had the chance to do a more traditional bridal session and we had a great time. Elizabeth had an entourage in tow to help with the dress, making sure it stayed in great shape for the wedding. Even dad was there helping with the veil and primping his daughter. It was very sweet!
Anyway, here are a few of the images from our traditional session! Sweet, simple and beautiful! Both Elizabeth and her images!

Polls are funny things.

2011-05-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

There is a poll that closes this week for NM's best photo company. We were included with a long list of other photographers. Some are doing, surprisingly, really well on the votes and some really good photographers have either very few votes or none at all, or were not included in the poll.
It's also funny that people from nearly every state have voted, mostly friends and family and Facebook folks. The likely thing is that, I'm willing to bet money, most of the people voting for a photographer are only doing so because the photographer asked them to vote, and not because they were compelled by the work of the photographer they are voting for.
So the winner may not really be the best photographer but the one who was able to contact and convince the most people to vote for them.
It's funny and also disturbing at the same time.
So go check it out, check out the photographers that are on there, check out their work. If you are compelled to vote for someone, do it. Vote for them because you like what they are doing.
I could go on about this but I won't I just had some thoughts that I wanted to share.
Which NM photography company is the best?

The vintage field

2011-05-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

We are putting the final touches on our Vintage Fields photo sessions. In the mean time I wanted to post a few of the pictures we are using for the marketing pieces.
These are the images that we did of our family last week. we are really excited for these sessions coming up! We will only be shooting these for two days so our availability is extremely limited. Email us at info@jonesphotoart.com

I was a boy and she was a girl

2011-05-13T10:02:00.004-07:00

I was a girl and he was a boy
70 years of marriage, 3 children
Ira and Dorothy are my parents neighbors in Carlsbad and usually I see him out front in slacks and a tank top, sitting in his chair at the front door just watching the goings on of so per street so when i saw him cross the street last Saturday I got the courage to ask if i could do photographs of him and his beautiful bride. Why? Was his immediate response, just because, i answered, he put his hands in his pockets and said well,we are just getting ready to have supper and Dorothy is still in her house coat. I told him that sounded perfect and to meet me outside after dinner. Which i was immediately corrected that he had eaten dinner Earlier in the day and this was supper time. So after their supper of grilled cheese sandwiches I found them waiting in their chairs by the front door, dorothy on her purple flower house coat with zebra slippers and him in a freshly pressed button up and slacks.
Some of the neighbors came over to watch,but we started to visit, mostly small talk, about why he puts empty buckets over his new tomato plants to keep them safe from the wind, or how he worked thirty years for the mines in calrslabad, how they had married seventy years before, she was only eighteen and though he was nearly twenty-one he still had to get a signature from his dad to marry her, how they had three children,two boys and a girl and have had the heartache of burying two of them much too early, how he served in Oahu with his brother in the army, for two years after the war ended and how Dorothy always wanted to go to Hawaii but he would never take her. I tried really hard to convince him there's still time, but I don't think he bought it!
I stood there listening to everything they said and I relished in the things that this couple had to impart to our genertion, if we would just take them time to ask! As the walls began to come down and neighborhood kids played in the background we kept talking and I would see this magic happen, Ira would say something and Dorothy would throw her head back, clap her hands together and laugh, i would ask Ira a question, he would avoid it, she would answer for him which would suffice.
I asked Ira what he first noticed about Dorothy 70 years ago and before he could answer, she piped up and said I wa a girl,and he was a boy.

Desiree

Ammon a few old ones

2011-05-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

I came across these images recently and thought I would post them on the blog again!
Ammon is our second son, he is almost 10. He has always been a bit of a warrior and these images are some of him in the studio!
Enjoy!

Babies, Birthdays, Balloons, Bumblebees...

2011-04-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

Madeline and her lovely parents met with us early morning a few weeks ago to mark her 1st birthday! We took a little stroll down to Tiguex park and played in pretty party dresses, all yellow to go with the bumblebee theme that Madeline is having for her party! She was so amazing, big smiles and ohhh those big beautiful blue eyes! We came back to the studio where there was a yummy birthday cake waiting for her to dig into, and she didn't hold back! So much fun, we had a wonderful time and the studio smelled so amazing for the rest of the day. Everybody should start their day with birthday cake!! Thanks for sharing your birthday with us Madeline!
desiree

The Measure of Life

2011-04-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

What is life, what is joy? How do we measure that?
I think I would be happy not working. I think I would be happy driving a Lambo, or a classic t-bird... I think I would be happy tipping crisp hundies to bellmen at 5 diamond hotels around the world. I think I would be happy shooting with a D3x and D3s on either shoulder.
These things are things that I think would make me happy. What does truly make me happy? Walking the streets of Paris with my beautiful wife, Falling asleep with her in my arms, Waking up to kids jumping in our bed, watching the boys jump on the trampoline. Seeing the pure joy in the eyes of our children when they play with each other. This picture of Eden leaning into her big brother in pure innocence, this makes me happy.
What is your joy, what is your love?

Desiree took this picture of the kids at Mama and Papa's house on Easter. Eden loves her big brothers, and Kelsyn loves being a big brother. For 5 years he has been the little brother and he is so proud to now be a big brother and have such a great little sister to look after!!!

getting personal

2011-04-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

It often happens as professional photographers that we are so busy trying to make a living, that we push aside our personal artistic endeavors (those things that made us get into photography in the beginning).
One of the most common motivational topics in the photography field is taking that time to pursue those personal works. Anyway, I had just finished up a head shot in the studio, again zer0 artistic ability required.... I had some lights set up and Kelsyn was in the studio with the other boys. We had just received a shipment of albums from one of our album companies and the packing material was kind of cool. So we stepped into the shooting room for a few minutes and I was able to get a few images before Desiree had to take the cameras out for a newborn session.
So here they are. Kelsyn's angel.
I have been wanting to do a couple of projects for quite some time now and I at least put up a post on FB to get some people to be models for me. Now that i have people lined up I don't have the time to do the shoot..... So I'm trying to dedicate a little more time to pursue these projects!

Dead Battery...Mag light to the rescue!!

2011-04-21T09:27:00.002-07:00

We were so excited for Tarryn & Luca's wedding. It was new years day, nearly the entire wedding was after dark. We were also shooting for the first time at a new venue that had recently opened and we hadn't photographed in.
We got there and Desiree immediately went to meet Tarryn as she was getting ready. I met the gentlemen and did a few photos and then took a break to get my lights set up for the formal pictures and the reception. I pulled my video light out, plugged it in, turned it on and the light immediately dimmed. The freezing cold all but completely zapped the battery and the my back-up battery as well. It was 5:55 and I was freaking out.
I looked at my options and although we could have used our speed lights, I was really wanting to use a continuous light source. and one with a narrower projection.
So, I knew that there was a Lowes just around the corner so I hopped in the van and sped over there. I got there just as they were closing the doors. It was 5:59 and they closed at 6:00. I ran to the exit door, showed the guy guarding the doors my phone how it said 5:59 and begged him to let me in. I ran to the registers found 2 Mag lights (regular and LED) and a pack of batteries, grabbed them and headed back to the hotel. And thank goodness they worked beautifully!
So if you are in a pickle, Mag-lights baby!

A lesson in using my flash.

2011-04-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

So posting this last wedding reminds me of a very unique experience that I had at a wedding. So a bit of background to this experience; we, Desiree and I, use Nikon Speed lights a lot. Now a days I use them for most shoots. I'm trying to become really good friends with my flashes so they will treat me right. Anyway, at wedding esp. receptions, we usually shoot two different ways. Speed light on camera in manual mode doing a bounce fill, or off camera manual mode pointed directionally. We have been doing this for many years and we feel that as a general rule, for us, these methods offer the best light in most situations.
So I was at a reception and I went outside to do some pictures of the venue in the dark. I was walking back in and was stopped by a man asking why I had my flash turned up for bounce. We are often asked why and how we do things and I am always willing to share the hows and whys. Well, I started to explain and he immediately cut me off and started to tell me how I was using my flash all wrong. He didn't want any part of me explaining to him why we bounce. He was just treating me as if I were an absolute novice with no understanding of light. And he was trying to force me to accept that his inferior lighting technique was the only way to properly use my flash. His argument was that, in order to get the best light I needed to be pointing the light directly at the subject in TTL mode. AAAAAHHHHH!!!!! he wouldn't listen to a word I was saying, not about glare, ambient light, size of light direction, shadows, NOTHING!!! he said in his 20ish years of photographing in new york (paparazzi style I might add)that he learned that his way was the only way to use the flash... Urgh, I just couldn't take it anymore. He clearly had little concept of light, only that his lens points in one direction so his flash must also!
So, a guest overheard this man getting a little abusive in how he was talking to me and bummed a smoke off of him and I used that as my means to escape!
Don't get me wrong. I still point my flash directly at a subject if the lighting situation calls for it, but I think it's obvious in our work that we know what we are doing. So I was bugged for the rest of the night and wanted to find this guy again, send him to our website/blog and have him call me afterward so that I could teach him how to really use his lights. Well I didn't see him again. Well...
That is not entirely true...
I did see him about a month later, offering my kids samples of chicken sandwiches at Sam's Club...
I guess the photo thing never really worked out for him!!
-Seth

Oops! I meant to post this!

2011-04-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

So, I can;t believe I didn't get this posted. I think I may have just posted the images on facebook and failed to blog it... That has happened, Actually my next post will be from a wedding that I didn't blog.
So Gabriel and Kiko. This was probably one of the most unique experiences for me because of the FFFFFFFFFFFreezing cold. I think is was 20degrees with the wind chill, probably -10degrees. It was new years eve and for those of you here in NM, you know how cold this last new years was!!!
Anyway, the wedding was at the beautiful church in old town. we were going to do pictures there but with the weather... NO WAY!!!
So the folks at Hotel Parq Central, graciously let us take a few minutes to photograph there, keeping out of the weather!
The reception was great. Distracted by Decor did a pretty amazing job with that classic elegance.

Bo and Loan

2011-04-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

So we have started off the season and we've already shot a few weddings. Our biggest wedding so far was Bo & Loans. I have blogged them before, for their connection session.
We have been excited for this wedding for a while and although it was like a full day of wedding, we had a great time and are really excited about their images. I also have to admit that this was particularly hard to cull down to just enough for the blog and the slideshow. It was SOOOOO hard.
Anyway, It was a beautiful day. It started at 8:00 with a traditional Vietnamese Tea Ceremony. From there Bo and Loan changed from their traditional Vietnamese dress to the traditional western wedding attire. Bo's suite fit perfectly and Loan's Monique Lhuillier gown and Louboutin shoes were smokin' hot.
The mass was in Vietnamese which made it a little hard to follow along. Fortunately it was a traditional catholic mass so we were able to keep up...
After the wedding we skipped over to a reception just for the family at a local Chinese restaurant. After a huge meal and toasts with all the tables it was off for a few minutes of relaxation before the reception for everybody! It was a great time, awesome DJ and the place looked sha-weet.
We have enjoyed working with Bo and Loan and being a part of their wedding. we are so excited for the after session!
There is a slideshow after the images so you can see a few more!

Fake it for ten minutes!!!

2011-04-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

"Faking it" has an innuendo that we are all familiar with. So when someone says "Faking it" our minds all go to the same thing.
So we were photographing Nick and Kelli a few weeks back. Again, as I have stated before, most guys are less than excited to be photographed. I asked Nick what he thought about being photographed, he said "I can fake anything for ten minutes!" WELLLLL, He left himself wide open for for the next comment! So Kelli without missing a beat said (and you all know whats coming) "More Like 2 minutes!"
Well, in his defense and in the words of the Flight of the Conchords, 'two minutes in heaven, is better than one minute in heaven!'
So, they had more than ten minutes of pleasure during this session and I'm sure that Nick wasn't 'faking it'"
Thanks Nick and Kelli letting us break your dry spell. With photos I'm talking about now... we've moved past the sex reference!!!
Anyway, we love strong personalities and Nick and Kelli both have them. It was a lot of fun, a lot of laughs and a lot of love. Here are a few of the pix!

This is better

2011-04-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

Being photographed is generally not on the daily to do list. That said, most of us go into photos with the idea of 'O-not-again Mills' in our head. We go into it with that preconception of going to a studio and being made to sit in a certain spot, look a certain way, and smile and say cheese. Urgh...

So, again as most people, Jackie and Bryan came into the shoot with similar feelings; wanting to do a session but not really wanting to be photographed. We messed around and had some fun doing some pictures down in the rocks of Boca Negra canyon. a perfect place for geologists in love! We moved up onto the mesa overlooking the valley and finished our session. There was a time when we had them sitting face to face, just breathing in each other and just being together.

During pictures down at the bottom of the canyon, Jackie grabbed Bryan and said,"You so, owe me dinner." Once they were on top just being together Jackie leaned into Bryan, snuggled into him and said this is better.

Those were the best pictures from the session. Why? well they weren't concerned with where or what or how, they were just into each other and when you are into each other things just work!

holy cow, we have a newly opened june wedding weekend.

2011-03-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

Soooooo, most of you know that we are generally booked somewhere around a year in advance. And certainly for June. This was the case this year as well. As it happened we got an email recently from a couple who was no longer able to have shoot their wedding. As sad as we were, because we were really looking forward to shooting this potentially awesome wedding and we turned down more than a dozen great couples because that day was already booked--urgh, we totally understand how life works. Especially in times like these.

Fortunately, we now have a weekend open for a June wedding (sorry all the brides we had to previously refuse...)

We have contemplated not scheduling a wedding on that date but, it's June and it almost seems sacrilegious not to be shooting a wedding. So, here is the deal, we are not sure if we want to have some sort of contest or giveaway, or just limit this to destinations weddings or what. so help us out! let us know what you think we should do. and, of course, if you are interested in that date, let us know and we will put your name on the list!
email me (seth)
jpa.mobile@gmail.com

Our love story!

2011-03-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

Over the Years we have shared many love stories from many great couples. I thought I had shared our love story but I couldn't find it anywhere so I thought I would share it now.
Well I normally begin with Desiree and I met in a ball pit but I am going to go back just a bit further. And as you read this, keep pin mind that this is all my ( seth's) side of the story.
So just over 14 years ago I was going to school at UNM and living with my folks. I was sitting on the floor of my bedroom drawing and being perfectly content with life. My mom walked in and said, ' don't you think it's about time to start looking more seriously for a wife?' I don't remember my reaction but I probably just shrugged and went on with what I was doing. I hate being interrupted when I'm in the zone. For you artists you know when you are in that zone and you know how it's hard to be pulled out of it.
Anyway, I dismissed it because I knew my mom aaas really wanting me to marry a girl I had dated a fees times. She had a degree in microbiology and could support me while I finished school, etc. This did get em to thinking though. I had been dating several girls just to find out what I did want in life and in an eternal companion.
Not long after that episode I was out with a friend who had just returned from a two year mission and wanted to get back into the social scene. He and I and another friend went out to a place called block party, it was like chucky cheeses for grown ups. Anyway, we were it the ball pit at the bottom of this gigantic hamster tunnelly thing. Desiree and a group of her friends were also there in the ball pit. She stepped on me and didn't excuse herself or whatever. Anyway I probably made some sort of sarcastic comment and we instantly had a sour taste for each other.
This continued on as we bumped into each other here and there. Evidently there was some sort of issue at a drinking fountain where Desiree claims I was rude... I have no recollection of that ever taking place!!!
We pretty much dismissed each other as being overly conceded and went on about our lives.

This took a turn when I woke up one morning having had an incredibly vivid dream, or vision if you will, you know whatever. In this dream Desiree and I were sitting on a couch together, just sitting there. I don't remember what was going on around us, if we were watching tv or what. I just remember it was the most comfortable feeling I had ever experienced. It was that sort of pure joy that we always search for in life but never seem to find.
I woke up with a couple of thoughts; first was 'huh?' Second was well someone is trying to tell me something and this is the only way I will listen.
So, I thought I had to overcome whatever feeling s we had for each other and see what this whole dream was about.
I won't go into all the details of the couple of weeks that followed but we did have a first date and seeing her standing in the snow on the cliff face above me ready to rappel down... Well that was pretty cool. Standing next to her car asking her if I could kiss her, and then kissing those beautiful lips, felt like coming home.
When you truly feel love and joy, there is nothing else in life. And at that point my dream was becoming a reality. I was getting closer to that pure joy I felt in my dream.
What happened next. Well this is the ultra abridged edition of the whole beginning. We met in January, had our fist date in February, we were engaged in April and married in July. Yes, of the same year.
Since then we have been blessed with three incredible sons; Kimball, Ammon, and Kelsyn, and a beautiful daughter, Eden. They bring us so much joy and a fair amount of anger too. We have the great gift to be able to work with one another and love what we do. We have been able to spend more time together in the 14 years that we have been together, than many couples who have been married twice as long.
Our story may not be the most interesting or the most unique, but it is our story. It is our love. It is our being. The talk of soul mate is sometimes so over used. And so I won't use that, I don't feel that we are soul mates I feel we are the same soul. Two halts of one complete being.

So there it is, our love story in short form. I could go on about the details of our engagement and wedding and all the rest but I won't. Maybe another time.

TBOLITNFL

2011-03-29T10:53:00.001-07:00

Deuce Lutui is an OL for the Arizona Cardinals. We had a chance to photograph him, his wife and family a few months ago. I blogged images from their session phoenix-phootball-phood-and-phun

He has made a personal internal commitment to be the best OL in the NFL. They have set up a site to share his story with others and to encourage others to make that personal internal commitment to be the best at your craft, be the best that you can be. Check out his story, make your own personal internal commitment and share that!
TBOLITNFL

I am going to look at what I need to be a better person, I don't need to be a better photographer (because I am already pretty damn good ;) ) I do need to be a better person. And when I make my commitment I will share that with y'all so you can keep tabs on me!

Here is a video about his story!

TBOLITNFL - The Deuce Lutui Story (Short Version) from Steve Hardison on Vimeo.

I'm glad the neon graveyard is being stupid!

2011-03-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

As most of the photographic world knows, the WPPI convention and trade show took place in Vegas about a month ago. This convention is ridiculously big. I think there were 14,500 photographers there in 2010. Yes that's a freakin' lot of photographers. and walking through the crowded trade show we saw everyone from the ultra pretentious wannabe photo rock stars to the cult of personality photographers with their throngs of on hangers, to the average Joe artist/photographer, to the old photo vets seeing what all the new kids are up to. It really is an eclectic mix of people.
Anyway, while we are there, we like to shoot stuff. Normally we do a little walking or driving around photographing things, sort of street photos, nature, etc. This trip we had a great opportunity to photograph a family we have known for a while.
The Slightings got in touch with us last year about photographing the family while we were there. When we talked about where we wanted to shoot we were really wanting to photograph at the Neon Museum. Unfortunately, there was a photographer that photographed there a couple of years ago; and won some awards with the prints. Since then it has been a place that photographers wanted to visit to recreate those images, (and there have been a lot of super crappy remakes). So, the museum; realized that they had a photographic gold mine. They remodeled to make it more accessable for photographers and then tacked on a $200.00 per hour price tag! What? yup? talking about really taking advantage of people. The fee for that almost doubles most photographers session fees.... urgh!
So, I was fairly upset with this and I just don't feel like that is an ethical amount to charge for that......
We talked about other places to go and Brad Slighting had been to a ghost town about an hour outside of town. So we checked it out, on Google Earth of course. (if you don't know me, I dig Google Earth, it has helped me find many locations to shoot)
Anyway, the placed looked super cool! we got out there and asked about photo fees and rules. Well after the lessons on rattlesnakes and 10 ways to die in the desert, and a $10.00 per hour photo fee (that's more like it) we were out taking pictures.
Old trucks, buses, crashed planes, abandoned mines, buildings, gas pumps, things I've never seen before, were all over the place. It was awesome and I can't wait to go back!
The Slightings are the cutest family. Two boys, two girls, suuuuuuuper cute kids! and we only had 1 breakdown!!
We walked around for about an hour and a half taking pix having fun and trying to beat the wind and rain that were wanting to end our session.
Anyway, enjoy the images and if you want to do a session there let us know we will be there next spring!

It's what love looks like.

2011-03-23T13:09:00.001-07:00

People come in all kinds. Race, ethnicity, culture, gender, and on and on. Love comes in many forms too. It can be the form of a mom holding the hand of her baby girls as she helps her walk. It can be the the form of a young man watching the girls on the beach, ok that's lust, whatever! It can be the laughter of friendship from two girls at the mall. In all it's forms, we recognize it, it touches us. Well it touches some of us, others may not care. And who cares about those people anyway.
Desiree and I love love. We love it in all it's forms from the welcome of life to the last kiss before death. We also love people.
I especially love this couple. I hadn't had the chance to meet with Matt or Katie until we did this shoot. I have been editing so much that I am generally tucked away in the back in front of the computer while Desiree is the face of jones. Which is a beautiful face, for sure!!!
Anyway, when we met Katie and Matt in the plaza of Old Town. I was a bit nervous as I always am, and I was trying to run through my head where we were going to go and what we were going to do. We said our hellos made my introduction and started walking to the first area I was thinking of photographing. In talking to them in between the gazebo of the plaza and the little walkway we shot at, I started to realize I really didn't need to to worry about what where and how. I saw love I recognized it and Desiree and I just needed to capture it. So we walked a bit, talked a bit, shot a bit and had a great time. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed spending an hour with these two! I wish I would have worn my red crocks too. they looked so comfy on Katie's feet as we were walking around.
Yes, I do own red crocks; red is a good color for me.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy these images and can see the love that Desiree and I did.

It doesn't have to be the same as everyone else!

2011-03-23T11:06:00.002-07:00

Most religions are more than just a religion. There is the Faith (beliefs/teachings), the practice (meetings/duties,etc) culture (tradition, socialization) and stereotype!
Generally stereotype is based on the culture of the religion, we can all think of several catholic, Jewish, Mormon, and evangelic stereotypes. Stereo types generally come about with because of a strong culture. There are often stereotypes about a religions own culture started by it's members.

So, a stereotypical LDS (Mormon) reception, is done at the closest meeting house in the gym, (or 'cultural center' - gym with a stage, so it doesn't sound like gym). They are generally catered by the churches women's organization, it's an open house type of format; people come, get some creme puffs, finger sandwiches and, if lucky, a helping of some sort of casserole, often including cream of chicken an or tater tots! And, for stereotype's sake, I'm throwing in a jello dish of some sort, maybe with suspended bananas.

Though we, Desiree and I, have attended many of these, we don't often photograph them, because...well we just don't. We had a similar reception, we chose to do it in a friends backyard, to break from tradition. Everything else was the same though, right down to the creme puffs.

It's so fun to work with a couple who really wants to break from the norm, the stereotype, the tradition, the jello mold and do their own thing. Brianna and Sam did just that. The wedding ceremony and sealing was, of course, done at the temple with their closest friends and family. The reception, was where they were able to express themselves. It was awesome.

Desiree and I showed up about 45 minutes to an hour before the reception started at the historic San ysidro church in Corrales. I walked in to the smell of fresh Krispy Kreme donuts. I can't tell you how good that church smelled. I wished church smelled like that more, it would be easier to get the kids to get dressed. Anyway, at the far end of the room there was a doughnut tower and cupcake cake being assembled by Sam's sisters. I wanted a doughnut so freakin' bad I could hardly stand it. I did have enough respect for Jessica, to stay away from her tower while she finished it. Even though the smell was deliciously amazing. after about 2 hours of smelling it, my blood sugar rose and I was more jittery and less interested in eating one, huh, go figure...

So 6:00 came and so did the Pizza. What pizza? you bet! Boxes of Dion's pizza, and salad. So if you started walking in the back of the church you were first hit with the smell of Dion's pizza. As you got closer to the front of the church the pizza smell was being intermingled with the doughnut smell... It's hard to work in conditions like that!!

Anyway, the rest of the evening was great fun, Brianna's family got up on stage with the band and sang a couple of songs and Brad, Brianna's dad played bass guitar.

We stayed til they made their exit and poor Brianna was pelted with birdseed by her younger sister with wicked good aim. (she didn't think to empty the birdseed out of the package and through it... ouch!

We have known Brianna's family for many years and it was pretty fun to be able to see the first of many daughters get married! Ahh, Life!

Winter's sunset!

2011-03-21T11:07:00.001-07:00

We have blogged about this couple before. Dr. Dandade delivered Eden to us 15 months ago. We were so bummed when our OB that delivered both Ammon and Kelsyn moved to TX. It's funny, that he actually moved to the hospital where Kimball was born, just north of Austin. We didn't know what to do because we liked him so much. We actually thought, for a brief second, about going to Austin to deliver Eden.

Anyway, we had heard great things about Dr. Dandade through some other friends and couples we have worked with. We were so happy when we finally made it in to see him and he is an amazing doctor and great man. He is of course pretty lucky to have A wife as beautiful and Becky. We really love her. It was really fun seeing her and Tushar's updates on Facebook leading up to the birth of their own little one, TJ, middle of last year. We have enjoyed seeing him grow with them over the past 6+ months and seeing them grow as parents!
For TJs six months we took a walk behind their house. It was a bit chilly but we had so much fun with them. We even took Kimball along with us to help out!

The only regret I have was not getting a picture of Tushar holding a bottle of Corona in one hand and a pacifier and burp rag in the other. It was the epitome of a dad after a long day at work!

A Few From Los Poblanos

2011-03-09T15:42:00.002-07:00

One of our favorite places to shoot is Los Poblanos Inn and Cultural Center.
It is such a beautiful place. Everyone who sees the images from Los Poblanos asks where it is, and no one believes it is just up the street a few miles from our studio.
When we are there, it does seem like we are in another place. The air is more humid, the smells of lavender and wild flowers drift by. Walking the tree lined driveway, we can here the wind blowing the leaves of the giant Elm trees. The peacocks can also be heard in different corners of the property. The turquoise color of the peacocks contract the deep red of the chili ristras that hang throughout the property.
A bridge here, a bench there, a liitle nook, or grassy clearing; it's just a great place to be.

The receptions are great. The reception center is a classic elegant design. A huge fireplace provides plenty of heat for the winter receptions. The food comes fresh from the gardens at los poblanos itself. The most wonderful meals i have had at a reception have all been here. Ahhh, I would be content shooting there every week!

I am posting some of our favorite images from LP below!

Love and Frozen yogurt

2011-03-09T10:36:00.001-07:00

Brianna and Sam had their first date in the nob hill area and ended up walking along Central Ave, following the arrows on the sidewalk into Olo yogurt. Not long after that they were engaged and planning their wedding.
For their connection session they took us back to Olo and we were able to enjoy not only some great frozen yogurt, we had great company with two people so in love!
It is so much fun to be able to hang out with a sweet couple like this. It's fun to see them interact with each other in that "twitterpated" kind of way!
They are getting married this Friday and we are excited to be able to photograph at the Albuquerque LDS Temple. We haven't photographed couple out there for a few years.

We have known Brianna's family for many years now. I was able to be a stand in Dad for two of Brad and Janet's daughters for a Daddy Daughter date at church, when brad and Janet were on a business trip. (yes Bard and Janet, Like Rocky Horror, but so not like Rocky Horror)
Anyway, Brianna is the first in a loooong line of daughters to get married. 7 to be exact. I am having a hard time imagining planning the wedding for our daughter, who is barely 15 months old.
So Janet and Brad we love you two but don't envy you all the wedding planning.

Connection, it's what we do!

2011-03-06T01:26:00.000-07:00

I have said it before, working with our couples to photograph their connection session is probably my favorite thing to do. We get a chance to see love. We see it in the giddy glances of the young couples newly in love. We see it in the deeper looks of our couples who have been together for decades. We see it in the touch of the hand to cheek, in the long kiss under the tree. These sessions are not just about us taking pictures of two people in love, these are about two people coming together to step out of the world and focus on being together. It is a time for them to fall in love again, for the second, third, or 50th time.
These sessions are so fun our couples laugh. These sessions are so full of love sometimes our couples cry. One way or the other, they are always beautiful sessions for our couples and especially for us!!!

Red Label Marathon!

2011-03-06T00:44:00.001-07:00

It's time again for our red label marathon. These sessions are some of favorites throughout the year! It's a chance to take some time just for yourself! There will be professional hair and makeup from the awesome Inspire Salon, and a beautiful room at Albuquerque's newest boutique hotel!
We will be shooting Friday and Saturday, March 25th and 26th. Come and get your sexy on!
We have an extremely limited availability so call ASAP to reserve your spot. Bring a friend and make it a girl's day out!
To find out more, check out the Information page. To see our red label images visit jredlabel.com.

Phoenix, Phootball, Phood, and Phun,

2011-02-25T12:41:00.001-07:00

We are lucky to have great family. Some years ago our family got bigger. Though I grew up with one brother and two sisters, and Desiree with one sister. We both gained a new brother withTelipeti Fonua. He is a music producer making music for TV, Film, companies, and if you have watched our slide shows you have certainly heard work that he composed for us.
His girlfriend Taina is soooo sweet she is a pastry chef and made the cutest little letter block cakes for Our baby Eden's birthday in December.
While we were visiting the family in Phoenix in December we went out in the pending rain and photographed Bet and Taina, and her two sisters and their husbands. We had a blast with each of them. This is the first time we photographed three couples together and it was really cool.
Crystal and Brooke were first up. They were way cute, as with all he guys Brooke didn't really want to be having pictures taken. Not that he didn't want pictures but you know, its a guy thing.
Anyway, we laughed a lot and watched them watch each other, Pretty cool.
So up next was Deuce and Pua. And you can see in the images their relationship. I really love the one where they are totally laughing, I think Pua was trying to tackle deuce from behind and well, he's OL for the cardinals- he don't move! anyway, it was super fun!
we took a break to photograph them all together and just played for a few minutes!
After that Bet and Taina, were up and they were super fun as well. We walked from one side of the park to the other fighting of the rain that kept coming on and off. They are so cute. We are so glad to see Bet feel so comfortable with someone! Thanks Taina for giving him the chance to be himself!
We love you guys!!

We did get rained on but it wasn't bad!

So that covered the Phoenix and the Phun part. The Phootball aspect, oh yeah, so, Bet (Telipeti) played football in college there in AZ while he was going to school, and Deuce currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals. So Football is a big part of their lives!
I totally forgot food, Holy Crap!
So, like I said Taina is a Pastry Chef and she works with her sisters. The day we left she brought over a box full of crazy good pastries!!! There was this hazelnut creme thing, oh my. If it were between a porterhouse steak from Ruth's Chris or that......Well, I'd have the steak and that for desert! I can have both right!

A morning at the Louvre

2011-02-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

If you go to Paris and don't plan a photo session, You are CraZZZYY!
Actually if you go anywhere on vacation and don't get photographed you're crazy. Even though we had the smallest amount of time and Desiree and I got into a bit of a tiff while we were there, we still found a little bit of time to get dressed up and walk the plaza of the Louvre and be photographed.
We planned on being photographed and found out that Tuesday was the only day the Louvre was closed so we took that morning to have it all to ourselves. Though it was cold, we danced in the plaza, kissed in the doorways of the buildings that hold some of the greatest works of art the world has ever seen.
So, while it takes a bit of planning, and a bit more money, it is sooo worth it. I am thrilled to have pictures of the two of us in such an iconic place and a place that hold so much meaning for the two of us!

Oooh La La!

2011-02-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I can't tell you how long I have wanted to go to Paris. Being a photographer, and one that photographs love, it's like the holy grail. Desiree was there before we met and was so exited to go back. Unfortunately we had less than a day there to walk her streets and see the sites that make Paris the city of love. We found something while we were there; if you want to see the essence of Paris, get out of the taxi, out of the subway, away from the touristy spots and go for a walk.
We walked the same cobblestone pathways along the river as generations of Parisians. We saw the huge rusted rings that held the ropes that kept boats docked tightly. We put our hands in the deep grooves the rings made in the stones from hundreds of years of wear from boats tied to them moving back and forth up and down with the river.
We watched couples, the young ones with the fiery passion of young love, sitting on the steps along the river, kissing like it was their fist time.
We also watched the older couples, slowly walking along the river, hand in hand, glancing at those younger couples and smiling at each other with that quiet understanding that years of that deep love brings.
We sat in the park under the statues of Greek gods and famous artists watching young children pushing their boats across a fountain as the raindrops fell, hitting the water like little toy cannon balls attacking the little boats.
Though we did only have the briefest of time there, I think we were able to see and feel the essence of Paris.

I am so excited for our next trip, whenever that might be.

Lover Lane Contest Winner!

2011-02-14T13:43:00.034-07:00

SOOOOO! we had many submissions for this. And it's been great fun looking at all the places to make out here is a list of some (Melissa this is for you!

Los Lunas Bosque
Boca Negra canyon
On top of the water tank in the Sandia Foothills
Sandia Crest
16th street mall in Denver
Horse drawn carriage in Denver
Santa Fe mountain ski resort summer chair lift
Sandia foothills in a brand new Explorer! (Nice!)
Medieval wing of Metropolitan art museum in NYC (aren't there security cameras?)
Times square after sunset
In the middle of the song 'brown eyed girl' (AAAAAHHHH!!!)
the beach at haystack rock Oregon
Washington DC mall during cherry blossom festival
Neon graveyard, las vegas
(one of my favs) Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland
Osmond show in Branson, MO (what? how old are you?)
Cemetary on a hill near Benjamin, UT
In a canoe on the colorado river in Austin, tx...AHHH (that's romance)
Paris
Irelend (you could make out with the blarney stone) ;)
Italy
Airplane (ooh, full on mile high club, nice)
In front of Bellagio fountains Las Vegas, NV
Rhine river boat cruise
Oceans, beaches, boats, hot tubs, sprinklers, showers, oh and of course under the water fall.
Carlsbad caverns (I added that one to see if Desiree would read this and pull me into a dark corner next time we are there ;) )
Paddle boat ride at tingly beach, (a little too public for me but that's cool)
Alameda open space under a fallen tree.
Corrales, NM bosque, of of Romero rd on the fallen tree. (that's a popular photo spot as well)
Santa Fe, Railyards
Mom's basement (HA,HA! good one)
10,000 waves santa fe, NM
In the middle of the song 'brown eyed girl' (AAAAAHHHH!!!)

We had so many entries that we just threw them all into a bag and picked out three!!

And the winners are, ddddrrrruuummm rrrooolll please...

Stephanie, make out place, anyplace having to do with water.
Leah, make out place, in the middle of the song brown eyed girl.
and
Jessica, make out place, Italy or an airplane!

Ok you three, send me an email info@jonesphotoart.com and we will get y'all set up!!!

Happy Anniversary, Cinthia & Danko!!

2011-02-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to take a second and say Happy 1st Anniversary!
Congratulations you two. We hope Germany is treating you well, and the first year of your married life together has treated you beautifully!

The Gena bridge and the Curtiss bridge

2011-02-11T17:03:00.004-07:00

Sometimes things just work out and sometimes they don't.
So what did work out? Well it started last summer as we were meeting with Gena talking about her wedding. Her theme was heavily Paris based and she has wanted to go to Paris for the longest time. I told her that I was going to Germany to shoot a reception and some sessions there and it was only a few hour train ride away, and would love to meet them in Paris to do an after-session for them, if they wanted to honeymoon there.
The thought was briefly entertained and that is about as far as it went… Until, we were in the beautiful Sandia Mountains shooting their connection session, I casually, in conversation, brought up the fact that I would only be a few hours away from Paris and would love to come photograph them there. Almost without hesitation Curtiss said ok they’d do it. Gena turned in a combination of shock and disbelief, looked at Curtiss and he assured her he was not kidding.
Well, then the tears started to flow. Gena cried knowing that her dream of going to Paris was going to be realized. Desiree cried because she was so happy for Gena. My allergies acted up a little because we were standing in the weeds, you know…
So that is what worked out.
Fast forward to Halloween, we found ourselves trying to flag down a taxi in front of the Eiffel Tower to take 5 of us over to a bridge, which bridge? Well we decided we were going to Pont Neuf, even though we wanted to go to Pont Alexander.
So the cabbie would not let us all get in his car and Curtiss had to get out and try to find another cab. It was rush hour just before the sun was going down and we were spending way too much time in the car, passing the bridge that we wanted and going to the bridge that we told Curtiss we would meet him on.
Well we got there just as the sun was going down and we started to photograph Gena. Yes, it was the wrong bridge. No, the Eiffel Tower and other buildings were not in the back ground but it was still beautiful (it is Paris after all). And the sunset was amazing. Well as the sunset passed still no Curtiss. Gena and I decided to chase through the Paris Metro back to the other bridge.
We got there to find it way crowded and with Curtis nowhere in sight! We caught a bus back and found Curtiss with Desiree and Jenny and had been since shortly after we left them. He had gone to the right bridge, at least the one we meant, and we went to the one we agreed to…. So, that didn’t work out so well. so If you are ever in Paris, Pont Neuf is the Gena bridge and Pont Alexander is the Curtiss bridge!
We ended up walking almost all the way back to the Curtiss bridge to do some pictures on a crazy cool fountain with the Eiffel Tower in the background and finally ended the night over a great French meal at a cute little street side restaurant.
The very next morning we were up at sunrise back to the Curtiss bridge for some more pictures. We had a brilliant time and seeing Gena and Curtiss together uninhibited was so beautiful, there was no stress there were no phone calls and work related texts, just two people having recently joined their lives together hugging, kissing, laughing, and walking the streets of Paris!

Just a few favs!

2011-02-10T17:30:00.001-07:00

We always see on blog posts and facebook updates about how photographers love their job. Sometimes it seems a little trite. But, as I look back on all the people we get to work so closely with, I can't deny that I love my job. So, as trite as it may sound, i do love my job!
Here are some of our recent favs that remind me of that!
n-joy!

The question I get most!

2011-02-10T16:23:00.001-07:00

So you're a photographer, what camera would you recommend?
Yes I get this question a Ton!
what is my answer?....
Well, it depends on you budget.
If you have all the money in te world I would suggest a Mamiya dm56 it's only $28,000.00

For a smaller budget than that, I would suggest a Nikon D3s

If you have my budget, you would get this, the Nikon D700

If you just want a good all around DSLR with 1080 hd capture, I suggest one of the brand new Nikons like the 3100, or something similar.

So there you go, from a price range of $600.00 to $28,000.00, there is a great Nikon camera for you! Those are my suggstions!

What does your heaven smell like?

2011-02-09T11:33:00.010-07:00

We have only recently started entering images into international competition. In doing so we have gone back through images to have a second look at them to see if they are images that I would want to enter or images that fit the category, etc. I have such a hard time doing this because I fall in love with the images all over again. Even though some of the images would be torn to shreds in competition because of hot spots or composition or whatever, I love what the images are about. I love that I can see the love that our couples feel.
When I look at the images of Jenna and Adam, I feel them. I see them laughing with each other and I remember Jenna getting after me for reminding Adam of his fake gagging during our connection session (sorry Jenna).
Anyway, I love the way these two love each other. I love the way they play the way they laugh! Being around them made Desiree and I fall in love with each other all over again.
The wedding and reception were beautiful, full of laughter and tears. I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of this time in their life! Thanks you to for letting the two of us be there with you!
And my heaven doesn’t smell like pee and roses ;-} My heaven smells like lavender baby soap, Desiree’s skin and roasting chili! Oh and roasting cinnamon candied almonds…

Lovers Lane, Connection Session Giveaway

2011-02-02T22:32:00.003-07:00

Lovers Lane, Connection Session Giveaway
We are soooooo excited for this one!!!
'What is it?' you ask.
Well, I will tell you!
ok here is the deal; we want you to email us (info@jonesphotoart.com) the most fun, unique, interesting place to....wait for it.... Make Out!!!
...Are we kidding? Nope! Send us your favorite place to go be alone and we will pick the coolest place and give that couple a free Connection Session in that location!
Small print? yes, here it is. The location can be anywhere in the world provided the travel expenses are paid for by the winner, unless we are going to be in that location, then it will cost you nothing!!!
The winner will be announced Feb 14th, Yup! Valentines day!!

2011 Weddings season almost completely booked!

2011-01-11T14:17:00.011-07:00

We are looking forward to an amazing 2011 wedding season! We will be traveling from some of the most unique locations here at home to some of the most beautiful locations around the world, again this year, to photograph some of the worlds most beautiful people. And yes, all of our couples are beautiful! Because of what we do and how we do it, we are often booked a year or more in advance but usually have periodic availability throughout the current season... this year looks like it might be a bit different. As of today we only have availability for FIVE more weddings.

We are fortunate enough to be able to work with only a select group of couples each year. We limit our weddings in order to dedicate ourselves and our time to each couple. And to be able to spend some time with our beautiful children!

Though we could shoot 2-4 weddings per weekend shooting each wedding as an individual photographer (making a killing at the bank), we choose to shoot together as a team, as a couple, and as friends of our couples. We want to get to know you and your wedding, because each wedding is special for us. We don't turn out mass produced photos of mass produced people. We...well you can look at our work here on our blog, on facebook, or on our website and see exactly what we do!

That all said, if you are getting married this year, get in touch and see if we are still available!

Seth & Desiree

Fine art ( the canvas )

2011-01-11T13:59:00.002-07:00

We have been offering stretched photo wrapped canvases for many years now. Generally our couples pick one of the most dramatic images from the wedding. We have used a few different canvas companies over these past years depending on the size and style of the canvas.
We were contacted the other day by a canvas company that we have used a lot recently for some of our larger canvases. They will be using one of our canvases during the 2011 trade fair season to market to professional photographers. They will use it at WPPI, Imaging USA, and all the rest they are doing this year.
We are pretty exited to see if when we go to WPPI this year. If you are going be sure to look for it at the canvas companies. I won't tell you which, but you should be able to see it pretty easily!

Love Birds

2010-12-13T11:48:00.002-07:00

I enjoy getting on facebook and seeing the posts from these two. It makes me smile to see two people so in love. Noelle and Christopher are as in love as two people I have seen. It took us quite sometime to finally get together to shoot this connection session but we finally did and although we were chased off of one of the locations by security we managed to have a great and divers session with them! We are excited for the wedding!!!

Mr. Sushi

2010-12-10T11:36:00.002-07:00

I am getting hungry writing this blog. That sucks because it is late and I'm here at the studio with a ton of work to do. Bo owns and operates Mr. Sushi, a fantastic restaurant on the north east part of town. Since meeting them we have been there and few times and absolutely love it! The seaweed salad is done different from most places and they cook the Sushi rice differently and it adds extra flavor to the rolls. I think my fav is the crunchy roll. well actually there are three that I am in love with but I forgot which ones they are. If you go there, and you should, just ask for their most popular rolls. Also the spicy tuna is great because its made with chunks of tuna and a spicy sauce, not tuna ground up with the sauce. Anyway, it's pretty gooood.
we only get to go up to santa fe a few times a year for connection sessions and this one one and it was timed perfectly with the leaves changing. One of the most beautiful places and times in new Mexico is the santa fe mountains in October; acres of aspen glow with their beautiful ocher leaves... it's really something beautiful.

The weather, there is always weather.

2010-12-08T11:14:00.004-07:00

New Mexico is generally blessed with blue sky and moderate weather. In the spring, however you can pretty much bank on wind. Fall, that is something different. You can never really tell what is going to happen... It seems like the weddings we have had out at prairie Star lately have had some sort of weather. Though it can cause some problems for ceremonies and some pictures, It can be great for others. The Sandias, covered in clouds is such a rarity that having them in your wedding images is pretty cool.
Anyway, Kristin and Rick had a beautiful wedding and though the weather turned a little, we had a great time!

A small world

2010-12-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

We are always amazed to see how people find us. Yes to a great extent people come to us through bridal shows. But most of our truly good clients come to us through friends or other truly good clients. And it's funny to see who knows whom and how. This couple was no exception. They are part of life's intricate web of connections. They actually went to school with Jenny who we are trying to have work with us full time. She is also the Photographer that did our pictures in Paris.
Anyway, we laughed, ran around in the field, played and had a great time photographing Jenna and Adam.

Sushi, Yes please!

2010-12-01T11:30:00.007-07:00

So, I have been wanting to post these for some time; mostly because of how much I like these two. We got a call from Jason before we were scheduled to have them come over and view their images. Jason knew that we really liked sushi from Mr Sushi, which is owned and operated by another one of our couples whose images will be blogged about later.
Anyway, he called to ask us what was good there. I fully thought he was on his way there to eat and simply wanted a good suggestion on what to get. Well there appointment was a late evening appointment and I couldn't be there for the session because it was my night with the kids. When I did get to the studio they were just about to finish up and so I came up to say hello and saw the coffee table with boxes of sushi and seaweed salad. They knew that we were staying late for them and so they went and got us dinner, dinner that they knew we would really like.
Sometimes, we get so overwhelmed with the news about the things that are wrong with society that we forget how beautiful life is and wonderful people are. The Hechts are reminders of the beauty of humanity!

First Base?

2010-11-30T08:19:00.002-07:00

I never was clear on the whole baseball analogy with dating and scoring. What I do know is that if you want something, it may take a bit but it can happen. So it is with Shelby and Justin; they really wanted to shoot inside isotopes park. Well it took a little work on my part but We did make it happen. We had the entire park to ourselves and we took advantage of it. It was a pretty cool experience to be all alone in the stadium with these two just doing our thing!

Hot for teacher. (or the Bodice Ripper session ; )

2010-11-29T16:41:00.007-07:00

OK So these images aren't bodice ripper images but during this session I did hear that term for the first time.
We are so excited to be working with Sara and Jeret. Sarah has been in our kid's lives for several years now; teaching Ammon's 1st and 2nd grade classes and now teaching Kelsyn's first and probably his 2nd grade class as well! We have been waiting for Miss Gleason and Mr. J to get engaged so we could finally photograph them and It did happen. And we are excited to have been able to work with them and are sooo looking forward to the Wedding!

Just a teaser

2010-10-25T16:09:00.002-07:00

Ok Jason! this is just for you. It was the image that I was working on when you were talking with Desiree so I'm posting it!
N-joy
C Y'all tomorrow!

Kölsch

2010-10-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

So I have never seen a sharing of a beer during a ceremony until now! And, I'm no beer drinker so i wouldn't know but, it must be some pretty good stuff to warrant a place in the ceremony of Markus and Jessica.
What beer you ask? Well don't let Markus hear you say that, because I believe to most Kölner believe there is only one beer, Kölsch.
Anyway, it was great how Linda Mertz from awakened weddings so easily incorporated the Kölsch into the ceremony.
We love backyard affairs and this was no exception. We had a brilliant time and really enjoyed spending time with and photographing Jessica and Markus and their families!