Amy with brand new Evelyn, nickname Evy! (Left photograph by Natasha. Right photograph by Amy).

We know this has been mentioned elsewhere. Maybe here on the blog, or maybe on Facebook. I don’t know… the last several months have been a fog… but here are some reminders:

• If you have already booked a wedding with us, we are still shooting your wedding! Don’t Panic!
• If you want to book a wedding with us, we’re only booking new weddings or engagement sessions for late February, March and early April. (Natasha’s having a baby boy in May).
• After our spring weddings (and one in July) we will be on leave for a undetermined amount of time while we adjust to our new circumstances.
• We’re not going away forever, so continue to check back on occasion and see what we’re up to.
• We still have past weddings to add to the blog. We will be slowly getting these up as we free up time.

XOXO! Natasha & Amy

Props by Vintage a la Carte Event Rentals and Love Locks
Flowers by Olga Goddard- My Favorite Flowers
Thanks to our models Scott Stevenson and Tosha Orr Stevenson
Photography by Photo Love Stories and worked with Always and Forever Photography with Justin Jones and Lainee Read

Some of you may be finding this blog instead of our old… super wonderful fabulous website. This is because we have closed our main sight. This has happened for 2 reasons. 1st, it cost $40 a month… which was fine when we were doing weddings every weekend. 2nd, we aren’t doing weddings every weekend anymore because of several personal reasons and it didn’t make sense to keep it online plus a Facebook page plus a blog. The biggest let down with us letting the website go is that we no longer are able to make our websites and slideshows. This also means that the websites and slideshows that have already been made are no longer accessible. I may be able to continue the slideshows, but need to do a little research on how to make those live on the web without our old website. I can probably host them on this blog’s server… but like I said… I need to research.

The main reasons for these big changes is that we’re both expecting new additions to our family and simply can’t physically keep up in the highly involved and upbeat wedding industry. Some of us sooner than others. I for one should be ready to give birth in the next 3-4 weeks.

Our last wedding we booked for the year is on November 24th. We do not plan on booking any last minute weddings in 2012. We are taking weddings under consideration for 2013 up until May for now, but will be taking a very limited amount (as in MAYBE one a month). So if you are looking for a wedding photographer, give us your date and we will see what we have available. If we aren’t available we can give you a list of other fabulous wedding photographers in the area.

We will temporarily not be traveling out of the St. George/Hurricane area for weddings with the exception of the Zion National Park. We will however will be charging a new travel fee for this area. The reason for this is that we spend between 2-3 hours driving depending on if we’re headed to East or West Zion, we have to pay to pay an annual fee to drive through the park, and we use a lot of fuel that is really expensive these days.

We’re thankful for our super wonderful brides – past, present and future. We’re thankful to have risen to be one of the top wedding photographers in our area in such a sort time of 2 years. We’re also thankful that we’re able to take a step back and enjoy other avenues and time with our families. Even still, keep an eye out for us! We will hit the ground running once again in the near future and we’re excited for the things we will be bringing to the table!

Comment on this post or send us an e-mail via the contact section of this blog if you have any questions or comments. We will get back to you as soon as we can, although realize it may not be too speedy depending on when the inquiry comes through.

XOXO – Amy Hummel

We first fell in love with our dress model, Jasmine, while we were exhibiting at the So. Utah Wedding Showcase in January. She was one of the models for Lauren James Bridal, and participated in the runway show. She was spunky and after the show we approached her about some day modeling for us. Little did she know that the shoot she’d participate in would end up as a feature in a magazine! Score!

Enjoy these photographs which have previously appeared in the summer issue of Elan Woman Magazine:

Location: Tonaquint Gardens, St. George, Utah
Design, Styling and Coordination: Taylor Made Weddings and Events:
Flowers: My Favorite Flowers
Jewelry: JK Jewelers
Hair: Lunatic Fringe (Elizabeth Faye)
Make-up: Christine Hansen of Beauty N Brows Studio
Models: Jasmine Lynch and Mike Needham

And wouldn’t you know, I found some photos of us taking photos!

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So how do Amy and I use pinterest for inspiration?  Sometimes we’ll find images that inspire us for new poses, and for styled shoots we’ve gotten lots of good ideas for decorating.  Remember this apple orchard shoot?  Here’s my inspiration board on pinterest for that.  I think Amy may have had her own also.  If you look through the shoot and compare to the inspiration board you can see where I got some of the ideas.  Not that any one photo was copied, but I think we incorporated lots of different things into it for lots of different sources.  We love this!  It’s fun to recreate things in your own way.  For future or potential brides who would like to do a styled shoot.  We’d LOVE to see what inspires you by your pinterest boards.  If we are planning a shoot together it would be a fun idea to see what you like or wanted for this type of shoot by showing us some of the photos that you love.

We will feature photos from the actual shoot, including portraits of the models that haven’t been seen in the magazine or on other blogs soon, so keep an eye out!

XOXO – Amy

This is Olga, the owner and floral designer that makes up My Favorite Flowers.

Natasha and Taylor:

Taylor brought her dog Owen to the shoot. She was posing him with toy ball temptation and Natasha photographed him by one of the tables.

Photographing straws.

Natasha’s trademark table photographing technique.

Waiting for the sun to set a little lower so we could finish up some of the table details and overall shot.

Natasha photographing rings on the tip of a snow cone cup with her macro lens as the 85mm stood by and watched.

After about 4 months after their first meeting, Shayne asked Lamai to meet after work. They both disliked nightclubs, but their crew always went to a place called The Green Room in Flagstaff. They followed suit. It only took them 5 minutes to realize that they would much rather be together outside and they never looked back.

They have traveled as much as possible pursuing outdoor adventures of many varieties.  Everything culminated when they went on a backpacking trip in Alaska. It was the first day of a four-day canoe trip through the Swan Lake Canoe Route when Shayne proposed. It was an enchanting moment being completely alone in the wilderness with only their canoe and canoe paddles.

It was their mutual love of nature that brought them together and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon seemed to be the perfect place to unite them together forever.

The morning was cool and rainy and smelled fresh, the way Earth always does after a shower. Shayne and Lamai couldn’t help but smile and possibly giggle (on Lamai’s part) as they saw each other for the first time on their wedding day. An amazing support group of family and friends smiled upon the new and happy couple as they were joined as husband and wife with the most beautiful scenery we’ve ever seen as a backdrop.

Shayne and Lamai are both amazing people and Natasha and I are extremely grateful that we were able to share in their joyous occasion and are pleased to number them among our friends. Please enjoy some of our favorite images from their wedding at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. And don’t forget to check out their website and slideshow when you’re finished!

XOXO – Amy & Natasha

Isn’t this morning shower amazing, gazing over the Canyon?!

They had zero fear of heights, but I guess you get to be like that when you live and work at the Grand Canyon! I for one needed to stand WAY back!

Benefit of having two photographers… right here! Natasha took a stroll with Shayne and Lamai to the top of the Angel’s Window overlook. I stayed back where I could view the overlook from across a side shoot of the canyon and captured the big picture while Natasha photographed them (two pictures below) at the observation point.

Lamai’s dress was an amazing vintage find on Etsy, as was a lot of her wedding decor.

Wedding Pie? Yes please! It reminds me of an episode of “Scrubs,” where two of the characters are planning their wedding. The groom to be wants to have “wedding pie” instead of wedding cake. The bride of course is furious because “who has ever heard of wedding pie?!?” Well, I can safely say that we’ve been to a lot of weddings lately with wedding pie, and we love it! Aren’t those scales to die for!

These white umbrellas were placed throughout for guests to use in the event of a passing rain shower. Luckily the rain passed before the ceremony and reception, however the umbrellas still came in handy to shade guests from the intense desert sun.

We loved the boots and wedding ring with turquoise accents!

On our four hour drive home from the wedding, Natasha and I stopped several times to just take in the beauty of the canyon. We really could have just hung out and looked at the scenery all day it was so amazing.

Vendors:

Ceremony and Reception: Cape Royal – Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim
Guest lodging: Grand Canyon Lodge, North Rim
Catering: Jacob Lake Lodge
Wedding Dress: Etsy
Table Decor & Place Settings: Etsy & Thrift Stores

Because of my line of work, I spend a lot of time on the internet. Specifically Gmail and Facebook.

I know you’ve all been here: You’re scrolling through your Facebook and see something that makes you either (1) almost spit your drink out, or (2) almost pee your pants.

Here are some things that did that to me this week. And seeing as I’m 6 months pregnant… peeing my pants is a real possibility!

Who was in charge of this sign placement???!

Happens to me all the time!

I have a 10 year old… so I’m feelin’ this!

I’ve seen my dog do this:

Whenever I see a mustache I will think of this from now on.

Beware of the angry Uterus!

How do you want to experience your wedding?
How do you want your guests to experience your wedding.
How do you want your hired vendors to experience your wedding.
How do you want to feel as you’re looking through your wedding photographs after the wedding?

Imagine walking down the aisle. Would you like to see a sea of cell phones and point and shoots, or loving smiling faces?

Although your guests may be at your wedding, they may just be experiencing it through a tiny LCD screen… and really, what fun is that? Many guests, especially close friends feel obligated to take photographs and video throughout the entire wedding day because they don’t want their beloved friend to miss anything. Instead what happens is that you will have thousands of pictures, a majority of which you will never see because there are simply too many to look through. They may be blurry or distorted. You will have shaky video that may never make it anywhere but Facebook (and believe you me I’d rather have a nice DVD from a videographer than a phone captured video that is only viewable on Facebook!

It is becoming commonplace among brides who choose to hire professionals to take care of their day to post signs urging guests to put down their phones & cameras and simply enjoy the ceremony/wedding activities. Brides are even sending out this request in advance via their invitations just to give guests a heads up. In an amazing article on offbeatbride.com one bride posed the question, “How can I connect with my guests when I can’t even see them through the camera’s they’re holding up?”

If going unplugged for your wedding is something you’re considering… use these links courtesy of Offbeatbride.com to help you out!

Copy and Paste Wording Ideas

Printable Sign 

Here are is some of our experience with guests and cameras:

This was the first wedding we shot together as Photo Love Stories. A family friend came up to us and asked if she could take some photographs here and there throughout the ceremony for a gift to the family. Not knowing what we were getting ourselves into we said yes. Throughout the course of the wedding she became pushier and pushier. We had to work hard not to get her in OUR photos… the hired photographers. We even had several guests ask us who she was and why she was all up in our business. She went as far as to step in when we were arranging formal photographs and “re-pose” them to fit her angle better. Our advice is that if you plan on spending $2000 on a wedding photographer (which is about what this bride spent on us), let your guests know that it’s been covered and they should just enjoy the ceremony! In the photo below, you can see her standing in the aisle (where she was pretty much the entire ceremony).

Below: We were attempting to get a wide shot during the ceremony that showed the couple reciting their vows, along with their wedding party and a view of their guests getting showered with snow. Personally I think it is a very beautiful photograph that captures exactly what was happening at that precise moment. However, guest photographer (to the right of the bride) spoils it a bit, and I’m sure she was spoiling it for some of the guests she was blocking.

It is typical for us to have a posse of friends and family follow us around so that they can photograph what we are photographing. Sometimes we’ll just turn around and take a picture of what is going on behind us. The guests always get a big laugh out of it… but really, this is what the bride and groom are seeing their entire wedding day.

Below you can maybe make me out (with the black reflector case strung around my arm). This wedding was actually really cool. The bride is an amazing Fashion Advertising Photographer in L.A. and New York and we were honored to be her photographers. Because of her career, most of her friends were professional photographers as well. She wanted her friends to be able to enjoy themselves, so she decided to hire someone so her friends wouldn’t need to be stressed out about if they got the perfect wedding photos. Because everyone was photographers, there were cameras everywhere. I will be the first to say that I didn’t mind a bit. Because everyone was photographers, everyone was super respectful of us… and would move out of the way if they saw us coming. We did however get a lot of shots of guests wielding cameras… which sometimes is OK.

Today, kids are even getting into the action. This little boy was quite funny and he was REALLY into taking pictures. However, a couple of times we had to physically move him out of the way so we could take the photographs we were paid to take.

Here the bride and groom are cutting the cake. Notice how those without cameras are looking at the couple happily. Everyone else is kind of lethargic with their cameras not really enjoying the moment.

The popularity of using the cameras on iPads is starting to show it’s face at our weddings. The largeness of the screen scares me. Image all of your guests during the ceremony holding up one of these?!

While I adjusted a few settings on my camera, these guests snapped away.

Every single person in the photo below has a camera. Now me, (Im in the stripes)… I’m the hired photographer. Again, they paid approximately $2000 for wedding photography. We were photographing some family groups here and I had to keep waving my hand and yelling for the group to look at me because not a single person being photographed knew which camera to look at. When this happens it’s hard for us to get a good photograph of everyone in the group looking at the camera that was paid to be there. Especially kids.

This wedding was that of Rylee and Lacey which can be found in the current issue of Southern Utah Bride Magazine. Although we got some amazing shots of this amazing wedding… we had our moments. For instance, here was a moment where they had just come out of the St. George LDS Temple. They were greeted by a sea of cameras and phones. We were forced to shoot through the crowd, missing what could have been some amazing photographs of their first minutes as husband and wife.

Here are some camera DOs!

If you have amazing style and a sweet Polaroid camera. BRING IT! This girl added so much to this wedding with her camera, taking snapshots and handing out photos immediately. No the photographs aren’t super amazing quality, but HOW FUN are they!? We had to snap a photo of a photo of course!

If you’re swell enough to own a Hassleblad… we will get out of your way MR! We don’t care how much we’re getting paid!

Let’s play Where’s Amy!?  Can you spot her?

There she is, that tiny speck on the other side of the mountain!

Here’s what she could see of us at the same time…

Lamai was so nice and told us to help ourselves to some food.  Let me just tell you, this is weird for me, but I have dreams about those apple turnovers!  Not kidding.  It’s not weird of me to think of treats because I do like treats, any kind of baked good really, but apple turnover!?  I’ve never had one that I really needed to have another… well these were a different story!  Just seeing the pictures of them makes me want another!

Once again, I think this is my role, whenever people can’t figure out boutineers, I feel it my job to help out!  She did put it on herself, which we like to happen because then we can take pictures of the moment, but often it’s hard to figure out how to do it so they don’t fall over or are pinned all weird.

Some of the coolest scenery for a wedding location!  We loved it!  The actual wedding post will be tomorrow, so stay tuned for that!