Benfield Photography Blog

Oak Alley Plantation Engagement Pictures!

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:06:22 PST

Hey everybody!

Today we have more from Jamie and Ben's engagement session at Oak Alley Plantation. And by the way, thanks for your comments on yesterday's post! Because of you're awesomeness, Jamie and Ben get a whopping 10x30 print ($150 value!), so I'm sure she'd be thanking you too if she could!

As a result of this great shoot, we thought it would be smart to start posting our upcoming travel spots on the blog in case any of our couples wanted to do something a bit different for their session. We have a number of different spots coming up in the next few months, so I'll post them this weekend if I get the chance.

And now without further adieu... Jamie and Ben's Oak Alley Plantation engagement pictures:

(another pano - click it to make it bigger!)

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Oak Alley Engagement Portrait of Jamie and Ben!

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:26:28 PST

Hey everybody!

I know a girl in Fayetteville who has been waiting very patiently to see this image! Jamie, your wait is over!! :)

Jamie and Ben have wanted to shoot their engagement portraits at Oak Alley forever - and it just so happens that we were traveling to New Orleans, so we obviously took that as a sign! Haha!

Today I'm going to show a rockin' panoramic - you'll have to click below to make it a bit bigger like it's meant to be seen! And won't this be BANANAS as a new facebook timeline cover photo?! Hello!

More from this shoot coming soon!

OH, AND IF WE GET 50 FACEBOOK COMMENTS ON THIS BELOW, THE BRIDE-TO-BE GETS A FREE 10X30 PANORAMIC FOR HER HOME!! Help a girl out!!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

P.S. Benfield Photography couples - if you want your engagement shoot to take place someplace other than locally, just let us know! We love to travel!

View Our Website :: View Mere's Secret Session site :: Contact Us

NWAFW Riffraff Fashion Shoot, Pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:00:02 PST

Hey everybody!

As promised, more from my recent fashion shoot with the great girls from Riffraff!
The images are being used for Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week - NWAFW - as well as on their facebook page and what-not.

Today I'm showing some group shots - way fun! So much so that I had to jump in a couple. Heehee! OH! AND SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR MY VIDEO: THREE HOURS IN 57 SECONDS!!

And here's the fun little video - three hours of shooting condensed to 57 seconds. The quality isn't awesome because I just recording my screen as I quickly loaded the images - but it's way fun! Enjoy!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

NWAFW + Riffraff's 3rd Birthday Shoot

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:56:46 PST

Hey everybody!

My great buddy Kirsten Blowers contacted me recently for an idea for a really fun shoot: great fashion + silliness. I mean, that's right up my alley :) The images are being used for Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week - NWAFW - as well as on their facebook page and what-not. I loved the clothes, the props, and the shopgirls :)

Here's Hannah, and easily the cutest photo I took all day - maybe even the cutest photo I've EVER taken.

More of the super fabulous femme - isn't the back of this dress rockin?!

So sassy!

Um... I'm sexy and I know it!

Another great outfit with a sexy back. My job is so rough. ;)

Hannah and Tarah rockin' it.

One of these just don't belong. (hint: it's me. )

Happy Birthday Riffraff!! Oh how I love thee!!

Could Kirsten BE any cuter???

Answer: Nope.

More from this super fun shoot tomorrow!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Lauren's Italy Adventures: Part One!

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:26:24 PST

Ciao i miei amici!

In case you haven't heard, I (Lauren) have moved to Rome, Italy, for the next few months to finish out my degree! However, it hasn't stopped me from working! Dale knew it was a dream of mine to study abroad so we made it work! Each week I'll be writing a blog post of shoots and any adventures in Italy.

I'll also still be designing albums, websites and save the dates, and taking care of all the print orders we get in, so I'll be very much involved with all the ins and outs of Benfield Photography while I'm away until May.

Rome is rich in art and history and almost anywhere you go you stumble upon a famous monument of some sort. Even things such as graffiti are considered works of art and are appreciated much more in Italy than they are in the US. Living in a different country and in a much larger city is definitely taking some getting used to! Here are a few important things I've learned so far in Italy...

1. Speak the language. Yes, the locals will laugh at you but it shows respect and people are much more willing to open up to you.

2. Be the first at the bakery. I'm not a morning person but it doesn't get much better than freshly baked Italian pastries!

3. Watch out for "dog droppings" on the streets! Italians do things a bit differently here and things like that are cleaned by the city... which means they aren't cleaned often enough. My friend, Lizzie, learned that the hard way!

Check out some shots of the city!

Castello Odescalchi di Bracciano, the castle Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were married in!

A ceiling shot of the Pantheon...

The beautiful Lake Bracciano...

and a few new friends...

Arrivederci!

~Lauren

Norah's Newborn Baby Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:07:59 PST

Hey everybody!

I have an ADORABLE little baby girl to introduce to you today! Norah is the sweet little newborn - and was actually the Joplin New Year's baby!! - for one of our 2010 wedding couples, Abby and Nate. We went to their home in Joplin recently for the newborn session, and had lots of luck getting some really precious shots!

Don't you want to eat her????

I always wonder what kiddos dream about that make them smile. :)

Such a beauty!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Emily and Jake's Fayetteville Engagement Session

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:36:16 PST

Hey everybody!

We're getting back into the groove of things with some great shoots coming up! I'm kicking it off with Emily and Jake's Fayetteville engagement session. They're a really fun couple, and their Kansas City wedding is going to be rockin'!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Imaging USA New Orleans Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:03:47 PST

Hey everybody!

One of my favorite parts of being a full-time wedding photographer is that I get to travel a bunch. Most recently, Meredith and I took a ROAD TRIP (yep, we said we'd rather make the drive than fly) to New Orleans, LA. Neither of us had been to NOLA before, and were really looking forward to spending time in a new place.

The main purpose for our trip was to attend Imaging USA, a big photo conference. We normally speak at IUSA, but this year we went to see our friends, attend the tradeshow, experience a new place, and we even got to help sell backdrops for our good friends at dropitMODERN! I took gobs of iPhone pics, and if you follow me on instagram then you've no doubt seen the images below. If you DON'T follow me on instagram, or haven't signed up, it's about time to make a change! (fyi, my name on instagram is: dalebenfield)

The first image was from Oak Alley, outside NOLA. We photographed one of our very favorite 2012 couples' engagement there - those images are going to be up on the blog soon, so check back. The 2nd image is from Bourbon Street (which was a bit MUCH for Mere and me - stick to the French Quarter! Haha!) The MpixPro shot was exciting b/c I didn't know they were going to feature the cute red-truck-kissie-shot. :)

The first shot below was taken of a yummy beignet at the super famous Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter (as was the Cafe Au Lait shot). The people pics are my photog and Miller's friends. They're swell!! And you know I'm a foodie... so I also had to include a pic of Emeril's gumbo, which made my belly very, very happy. :) So, that's where I've been the past week, and I had such a blast! We're looking forward to more trips, more fun, and more food in the upcoming months as tradeshow (and my birthday) season hits full swing. :)

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Benny Awards Voting Ends Tonight!

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:06:00 PST

Hey everybody!

Tonight at midnight, the voting officially ends for 2012 Benny Awards. Make sure to make your voice heard. I can't tell which category, but in one of them the difference between winner and loser is only TWO VOTES! Dig deep... time for one final push for some great prizes!

Here are the entries for best kiss, one of my favorite categories! Vote by clicking the links above.

Stephanie Z (below)

Christy (below)

Emily (below)

Tara (below)

Ashley H (below)

Brianna (below)

Mallory (below)

Katy (below)

Sherri (below)

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Some Favorite Couture Album Covers...

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:30:25 PST

Hey everybody!

If you're one of our clients, odds are you've heard and/or seen samples of our couture albums. We love them because you can personalize the covers (with seriously 3000 different combinations) any way you want. Here are a few that I have been messing around with from recent weddings.

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Spangled Fashion Bridal Portrait Session

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:40:01 PST

Hey everybody!

During Chelsey's cinemagraph shoot recently, we also shot a few images, and I LOOOOVE the way Spangled looks (yep, that's the backdrop's name!) - we shot it a few different ways to see how versatile it is. Pretty cool? I think so!!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Destination Wedding Workshop for Photographers!

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:28:25 PST

Hey photographer friends!

Today's post is for you! A couple of our great friends, Katya and Rob, are hosting an amazing workshop of their REAL DESTINATION WEDDING in Punta Cana, April 12-19, and want YOU to come!

It'll be an amazing experience and a chance to not only build your destination wedding portfolio, but also you'll get to shoot alongside [b]ecker (who photographer MY wedding)!!

If you sign up this week (you might as well just do that right now!), you get to save $300 of the workshop!

Here's a link for more information, and to sign up: workshops.katyanova.com

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Steenick Family Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:18:01 PST

Hey everybody!

Brooke and Dave had Benfield Photography photograph their wedding in 2009 and since then have been all over the US with their work. In that busy time, they've also had a sweet baby boy!! Over Christmas break, the family returned for a quick visit to their families in NWA, and we were honored that they asked us to shoot some portraits for their families. Here are some of my favorites of Brooke, Dave, and Cam.

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - JOPLIN! Tonight on ABC!

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:31:11 PST

Hey everybody!

As you know from my happiest post ever, the team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition selected our friends Tom and Emily (and Chloe) for a new home after the May 22nd tornado in Joplin. Tonight, the episode airs, and we'd love for you to watch it! Maybe you'll see Ellie, Mere, and me on the screen! :)

Also, our great friends at Art Feeds received a mobile teaching unit (I think they call it something else, but I can't quite remember), which is beyond extraordinary. I love Art Feeds and what they've done with the kiddos since the Joplin tornado.

I gave ABC my images from Ghana and now I have a featured photo on the ABC.com website! How cool is that?!

Make sure to watch the final Extreme Makeover: Home Edition show tonight - yep, the SERIES finale!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Wedding Bridal Cinemagraph

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:28:33 PST

Hey everybody!

I think it's important for photographers to continue to push themselves to be better, go farther, and try new things. Lately, as you've seen from the blog, I've been working on Cinemagraphs, a sort of "moving pictures" - and I love the feel of the final product. Most recently, Mere and I set up a wedding bridal cinemagraph with Chelsey, our lovely employee and recent bride. Here's one of the final cinemagraphs. BTW, this is another shoot with the fabulous new backdrop, Spangled, from dropitMODERN. Check Drop It Modern's site here!

Look... the backdrop moves! Cool right?

And some hair swooshie. :)

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Tulip Louise's Spangled Fashion Shoot

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:01:00 PST

Hey everybody!

I'm lucky, and get to be friends with the super fashionista behind the popular fashion blog, Tulip Louise. Recently, Drop It Modern sent me "Spangled" backdrop to photograph and I knew the two would be a happy match! Indeed they are!

I'm pretty good at math, but anyone could figure out that Gorgeous + Gorgeous = Double Gorgeous.

Look at my favorites!

I have something super cool from this shoot coming. Very soon.

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Emily's Pratt Place Wedding Story

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:33:01 PST

Hey everybody!

I can't say enough great things about December 31st in Fayetteville. Then, add that it was at Pratt Place, a gorgeous place for weddings in Fayetteville, and we're happy photographers! :)

One of my favorite all time first dance photos!

Such a fun party!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Emily's Pratt Place Wedding Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:01:02 PST

Hey everybody!

When I envisioned a wedding on December 31st, I didn't think I was going to get a sunny, 65 degree day. We had a LOT to work with! The grounds at Pratt Place Barn and Inn are really beautiful, and have lots of spots for photos. Here are some of my favorites from the portrait session we had with the couple.

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Emily's Pratt Place Wedding Details

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:25:45 PST

Hey everybody!

New Year's Eve is such a fun time to have a wedding! People came to party! Today I wanna share Emily's wedding details with you. With purple permeating the wedding party and flowers, it was a colorful day! Take a look!

More from this wedding tomorrow!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Shoot Your Kids Workshop #5: Success!

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:05:30 PST

Hey everybody!

We had another amazing time with our fun Shoot Your Kids workshop attendees today! These workshops are always so fun, especially when Ellie decides she wants to model for us! Here are a couple shots from today.

I'll be announcing another workshop for later this year, so keep checking the blog!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Emily's Pratt Place Wedding Image Teaser

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:19:58 PST

Hey everybody!

Here's a sneak peek from Emily and Aric's wedding from last Saturday at Pratt Place Barn in Fayetteville. I bet when they set their December wedding date so many months ago they never imaged it would be sunny and 65 degrees! The weather AND the wedding were both perfect! Stay tuned over the next few days for a glimpse into this fun New Year's Eve wedding!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Two Wedding Magazine Covers! Yay!

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:34:05 PST

Hey everybody!

We've had an exciting week! We discovered that we have not one, but TWO covers out there for our wedding friends and brides-to-be to see! The current Citiscapes featured three of our weddings! Yay! And the current NWA Wedding Ideas featured one of my favorite 2011 portraits from Lindsey and Mark's wedding. Awesome!

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Best Wedding Portraits: Benny Awards Nominees

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:45:03 PST

Hey everybody!

I say the Best Wedding Portrait is the mother-of-all categories! If you haven't had a chance to vote, I think the traffic has subsided a bit and the images have been popping up a bit quicker today! Here are the nominees for best wedding portrait (make sure to click the links above to vote in each category).

Stephanie Z (below)

Lindsey (below)

Sarah (below)

Sherri (below)

Susannah (below)

Tara(below)

Cayla Marie (below)

Ashley M (below)

Chelsey (below)

Rebekah (below)

Jennifer B (below)

Lisa (below)

Ashley H (below)

Mallory (below)

Brianna (below)

Hillary (below)

Katy (below)

Maeve (below)

Andrea (below)

Jonna (below)

Emily (below)

Whitney (below)

Meredith (below)

Jamie (below)

Marissa (below)

Christy (below)

Molly (below)

Jennifer M (below)

Jessica (below)

Stephanie B (below)

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Best Bridal Portraits: Benny Awards Nominees

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:43:37 PST

Hey everybody!

Have you cast your vote? I figured out that you can vote on your computer, and then again on your iPhone connected to 3G - cool right? Get your friends and family to vote as well! Heck... start a facebook group! :)

Click the links above (but under my big banner header pic) to vote in each of the categories. Have fun!

Chelsey (below)

Jessica (below)

Marissa (below)

Ashley M (below)

Rebekah (below)

Jennifer B (below)

Tara (below)

Jennifer M (below)

Cayla Marie (below)

Sherri (below)

Mallory (below)

Katy (below)

Lindsey (below)

Brianna (below)

Talk to you soon,
Dale

Best Engagement Portraits: Benny Nominees Announced!!

noreply@blogger.com (Benfield Photography) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:24:40 PST

Hey everybody!

It's that time of year again! The 4th annual Benny Awards nominees have been announced! Today I'm sharing the best engagement pictures of the year, from which you can just click the link(s) above and make your vote heard!

In the past we've had thousands of votes, and decisions made by a single vote! Tell your friends and family to come on over and vote as well! And... if you're nominated for a Benny, it's your duty to get as many people as humanly possible to vote - you win REAL prizes like gallery wraps and enlargements, etc!

Best of luck to the nominees!! Have fun voting! Again, click the links under my banner image above to vote!

Ashley M (below)

Jamie (below)

Erica (below)

Carissa (below)

Christy (below)

Maeve (below)

Emily Z (below)

Toni (below)

Brooke (below)

Jillian (below)

Emily H (below)

Mallory (below)

Molly (below)

Trish (below)

Sarah (below)

Tara (below)

Melissa (below)

Congrats nominees!

Talk to you soon,
Dale