Julie D Photography

Family Photos

2011-11-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

I really wanted some family photos of the three of us, before Eloise gets TOO much bigger. So using my trusty camera, tripod and self-timer, we ventured out. I had the perfect park in mind, one we had gone to the week before and was definitely the most beautiful place I've seen in Greenville/Eastern Carolina yet. However, we made the 'mistake' of going the day after thanksgiving, and apparently all park workers were out Black Friday shopping, because it was closed. I hate it when parks are closed - isn't that one of the purposes of them? Enjoy the outdoors, at any (daylight) time? Anywho, after many tears on my part -- blame the postpartum brain -- we ended up walking a LONG ways on this winter-fied trail (read: dead trees, swamp-like feel, no colors or pretty light), we walked all the way back, only to take photos at the part of this other park right by where we parked the car. It turned out looking A LOT prettier than it actually was, thanks to getting just the right angle to cut out the dead trees here, too. And you know what? I LOVE how they turned out. And I especially love that we have nice photos of the three of us, and of each of us with Eloise. And when she's a little older, maybe I'll find a good photographer out here who I can pay to take photos, and maybe even get some of Dylan and I together? What a thought :) I just need to get better at figuring out poses that will work for the three of us with the self-timer -- it's so hard to get in to a fun and casual position when you're running for the spot!

Let me know what you think - favorites?

Eloise Jayden

2011-11-10T10:16:00.001-07:00

Introducing the newest Cannon: Eloise Jayden. Born November 2, 2011, at 12:02 am. Weighing in at 6 lbs 15.1 oz, and 19.5 inches long. We are completely in love with her, which makes up for all the sleeplessness and crazy adjustments in our lives. Dylan went back to school this week, my mom went home, and now she and I are braving these long days together, figuring things out as we go. She finally went down for a nap without having to be held, so I got a chance to upload these photos and make sure we record this moment in our lives.

Day of birth

2 days old, in her favorite spot in the world - cuddled up with Daddy

2 days old

Cannon family 'little ears'

Holding Mommy's finger

Holding Daddy's finger

4 days old, napping on Daddy on a Sunday afternoon

4 days old - little ears again

Had to capture her shedding skin and wrinkly hands before they became soft newborn hands - and she has the LONGEST fingers! No idea where that came from

Perfection.

She curls up in to the smallest little ball on Daddy's chest

Skinny legs! And LONG feet

Perfect, wrinkly newborn feet

For more pictures of her (in the hospital, at home, etc.) go to our family blog

Maternity Photos: ME!

2011-10-11T11:13:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, Dylan and I finally got around to getting some pictures taken of me, in my 9th month of pregnancy. Unfortunately, I don't know any photographers anywhere close to here, so I basically had to direct Dylan from in front of the camera. He did a fabulous job, even with a feisty, over-heated pregnant woman calling the shots - he really is amazing. It was a little hectic - me fiddling with the manual settings, jumping in the frame, looking to see what needed to be adjusted, jumping back in....you get the picture. And we picked a pretty warm and humid afternoon, too, so the end result may be a very sweaty (so, true-to-life) rendition of me. Then I did some tweaking in Lightroom when we got home, and voila! Maternity pictures.
Anyway, what do you think? Didn't Dylan do an amazing job?

So excited!!

The amazing photographer/husband/best friend/man

Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium

2011-10-02T19:00:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, Dylan asked me on a date to go to an aquarium in the area. There are quite a few out towards the coast, so he picked one that looked more interesting, and we headed out there on Friday afternoon. It turned out to be a pretty bad weather day, which was okay since the aquarium was mostly indoors. I brought my 'big camera' and had fun taking pictures, especially of the big dive tank. At this aquarium, they have a remake of a sunken 'pirate' ship in their big tank, which was a fun way to see all of the fish and sharks. Now, you have to know something...Dylan is VERY afraid of sharks, and pretty much anything having to do with underwater animals. So it was really awesome that he still wanted to go here, and go face-to-face with SHARKS, of all things. I don't love them either, with their nasty teeth and wee beady eyes, but it was pretty cool to see them so close.
We also got to see a sea turtle in the tank (an hour or so after feeding time was over - no turtle dinner for these sharks, no no no), and baby sea turtles in small containers nearby. North Carolina does an awesome job of helping sea turtle nests survive (as much as they can), and helping them get to the ocean safely. The babies were SO cute - I mean, ridiculously cute.
Dylan braved up and petted the stingrays in the petting tank...after a 'close encounter' the first time he tried to pet one. Let's just say that he didn't expect it to be so slimy, or to be staring him in the eyes while he tried to pet it.
They also have a cool outdoor part of the aquarium, with marshes and great views...and HUMID smelly air.
Dylan also got some cool maternity shots of me, in silhouette, next to the dive tank (and I may have thought it would be funny to get one of him next to the tank, holding his 'belly,' too), and we got pictures of each other out by the marshes.
All in all, we had a great time. It was fun to venture outside of our normal day-to-day, and to get to see a part of North Carolina that we would both enjoy. We just might have to visit different aquariums, once little Eloise is born and ready to sight-see!

Yosemite

2011-08-16T14:22:00.000-06:00

After the reunion, Dylan drove back to Provo (all alone) to get us ready to pack and move to Greenville, NC (where we are right now!), and I headed back up to Fremont with my parents. We stopped 'on the way' at Yosemite...which wasn't really on the way, but was at least going in a similar direction to home :). We stayed the night in Merced, then drove in to the park in the morning. It was REALLY crowded. I mean, bumper to bumper traffic driving through the park, but was definitely worth it. I hadn't been there in years, and it was neat to get to see it with such high water flow (thank you, crazy wet winter).
I managed to get quite a few pictures, just stopping on the side of the road, since you know I wasn't going to go hiking at 26 weeks pregnant and swollen on every inch of my body.
This is going to be a photo-heavy post, because I really couldn't narrow it down any more than this.
Enjoy!

El Capitan

A waterfall by El Capitan that we had never seen before - not sure if it even has a name

Bridal Veil Falls (correct me if I'm wrong)

My parents! :)

Upper Yosemite Falls (same spot for the next several photos)

I love that moon over the rocks

In case you wanted to know, I was a little more than 26 weeks pregnant in this picture

My parents at Yosemite Falls

A rock face right by Washington Column and North Dome (or Little Dome, as we called it all day because we couldn't remember the real name for it). Doesn't it look just like an eagle? The beak on the right, with a darker spot where the eye would be...sorry if you can't see it. It's all I could see when I saw it.

Half Dome

Washington Column and Half Dome

North Dome and Washington Column

My parents again

My momma and I in front of Half Dome. It was so fun to share this trip with them!

San Diego Temple

2011-08-13T14:30:00.016-06:00

Another of our outings (that I participated in) on our family reunion was going to the San Diego LDS Temple. I've always been impressed with the beautiful architecture of it, that I've seen in pictures, but seeing it in real life was really amazing.
We went and did a session there, after going to Old Town San Diego and visiting the Mormon Battalion.
Here are pictures I was able to take of the temple afterward.

I also got to take some pictures of my parents there, which is nice. They rarely get pictures taken together, so it was fun to tease them a little about it :)

Dylan and I also had our picture taken in front of it, by my sister Karen. Go here to see those (our couple's blog).

San Diego Zoo

2011-08-12T13:53:00.000-06:00

My family had our annual 'reunion' (which, for us, means all of my siblings and their families, and our parents - just the immediate family alone is 27 [and 1/2] people now!) down in Carlsbad, CA, in mid-July. We had a lot of fun together, even if it was pretty hectic. So many people, and so many theme parks many planned to visit. One that we all did together was the San Diego Zoo, which I had never been to before. Zoos are really one of my favorite places in the world (as long as I don't think too much about how confined the animals are). This zoo did not disappoint. Except for my poor 27-weeks-pregnant body, I had a great time! It is a HUGE place, and I'll admit that we didn't walk through too many of the exhibits, but took the trams around most of the park. And I'm not ashamed of it...that's what they're there for, right?
Anyway, I had a lot of fun with my family, and with my big ol' camera aimed at those beautiful animals. Here are some of the pictures of the animals that I took.

The baby giraffe! She really sat in this same spot (almost) the entire time we were at the zoo. I LOVE her fuzzy tufts of hair at the top of her horns.

I believe this is the baby and her daddy. I spent the majority of my time at the zoo with the giraffes, which, to be honest, is the main reason I wanted to go to the zoo.

I have NEVER seen an elephant act this way before. She scratched herself (legs, head, body, feet, everything) all over this rock, for good amount of time. It was pretty funny to see her manipulate her HUGE body around this rock to get every inch.

No, this is not a baby elephant. He's just ridiculously small compared to the other elephant in his pen, who was ridiculously LARGE.

Pretty lizard! I love all of those colors.

Tortoise! The poor trainer tried desperately to get him to reach his neck out for a treat for the crowd around him, but he just wasn't having it.

The one zebra at the zoo was in this TINY pen. Next to a kangaroo, and a few other random animals with equally small pens. I felt really bad for them. But I think this picture proves that zebras are white with black stripes, right? Check out its legs!

Camera for Sale!

2011-07-12T15:27:00.000-06:00

I should have listed this LONG ago, but with our move coming up, it finally came to my mind again.

I'm selling my extra camera!
I upgraded to a Canon 50D last year, and still have my old trusty Rebel XTi hanging around. I don't really need two digital SLRs, so I'm SELLING it!

What:

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D 10.1 MPD Digital SLR

Includes camera body, battery grip, two batteries, battery charger.

Uses Compact Flash cards (CF)

It's in great condition, and is the perfect camera for someone starting out with SLR photography. Still works perfectly, I just wanted some more features after having this one for a few years.

Price:

I'm asking $350 for this, because it includes that battery grip and two batteries.

Shipping:

I'll ship it anywhere in the U.S., included in the price of the camera.

Let me know ASAP if you want to purchase this for yourself, your friend, your spouse, your neighbor, an early Christmas present...

Logan, Utah LDS Temple

2011-06-11T17:12:00.001-06:00

While Dylan and I were up in the Ogden/Logan areas a couple weekends ago, we were able to stop very briefly at the Logan temple so I could snap a few shots of it. I love having temple pictures in my home, that I took myself, and that aren't from the 1980s. Also, most of my ancestors were married here, as they all settled in that area.
Here are my favorites from that day. Which one would you choose to get printed out to have in your home?

Tulip Festival 2011

2011-05-31T14:20:00.000-06:00

This is the first time Dylan has been to the Tulip Festival here at Thanksgiving Point, and my second year going (I went years ago). D had never been to the gardens at Thanksgiving Point before, either, so he was pretty much shocked by the massive size of them. This was a month ago, when tulips were even then just starting to bloom (because of the LONG winter we've had), and the daffodils were still out in full force. I was pretty excited to take pictures of the beautiful flowers and gardens - I hope you think the photos turned out as well as I do!

#2: This turns in to...

#3: This! We assume that they're still tulips, but they weren't marked with a sign or anything. Cool, though, right? I was so fascinated by them

#8: Early signs of spring! A mostly-dead tree with beautiful blossoms on this one branch

#9: I LOVE the yellow of these bushes in the early spring. I have no idea what the name of them is - I keep forgetting - but I want several of them when I have a yard

#10: Slow-motion water shots are some of my favorite things. Sorry about excess blur, but my elbows were just resting on the guard rail.

#11

#12: My favorite of the whole day. This is in the Italian gardens part of the grounds, and I just think they do a fabulous job of incorporating flowers with their water features and the other landscaping

#13

#14

#15

What do you think? Any favorites? What is your favorite type of flower in the spring?

Baby Ivana: 2 Weeks 5 Days Old

2011-05-29T20:41:00.000-06:00

Meet little Ivana (full name: Nairgivana Osmani). She is the precious little girl of one of my best friends, Kirsten. I took these photos of her about a week ago, when I got to meet her for the first time. She is such an adorable little girl, and Kirsten and Sead are such proud parents, and are naturals at the whole baby thing. It was really fun to visit with Kirsten for awhile, and hear about the labor and delivery, and then get to hold this little one. There is something to peaceful and amazing about holding a newborn and seeing all the potential they hold.
We did a really quick photo shoot with her, to capture those first few weeks of life. I do love newborn pictures in black and white (but don't worry, Kirsten, I have these all in color, too!).

Hawaii Photos: Round 2

2011-05-18T21:46:00.004-06:00

Right before we went to Hawaii (back in November...NOVEMBER? 7 months ago???), we bought a little hand-held video camera/still camera. Just a cheap little thing, but we carried it around everywhere. It's the size of a cell phone! So I put Dylan in charge of that little guy while I lugged around my big guy.
And here is where I get to brag. Dylan did an AWESOME job with it. He had it in hand when we took our helicopter tour of Kauai, played with it at the different sites we saw, and even used it snorkeling a few times (when he would go out far enough to see any fish).
Our last day there, we even took it in the AMAZING pool with us. Oh, did I mention it's waterproof? Yes, down to 10 feet. That was the basis of its appeal as we embarked on Hawaii. Kind of hard to escape the water there, I hear.
Anyway, the following photos are mine and Dylan's. I won't even tell you whose is whose!
And I don't think these turned out too bad, coming from a 5mp hand-held video camera...what do you think? Favorites? Comments on how weird we are?
(be warned - this is a photo purge)

Remember when I mentioned that Dylan hiked out to the edge of the above-pictured waterfall? Yes, these are his pics from the top. He was ON. THE. EDGE!

No need to ask, we know how attractive we can be :)

Leaving Hawaii makes us fake-cry!

Around the Cannon House

2011-04-21T15:43:00.000-06:00

Yes, it has been almost FOUR whole months since I've posted!
I get in to this awful photography funk during the winters, what with the cold weather and snow and everything being dead outside....and I haven't had a photo job or request in that time, so that didn't help the motivation, either.
But, here we go, back in the blogging world again :)
Thank you! to the woman pictured below for forcing me to dust off ye ol' camera again.

Here is my beautiful mother-in-law.

She needed a new photograph for her publisher (I believe, could be totally wrong, though), and asked if I would be so kind as to offer my assistance. OF COURSE I agreed, and here is the resulting image. I think it looks pretty fabulous, and can totally picture it adorning the book jackets of her forthcoming young adult novels. Yes, did I mention she's a PUBLISHED author? A. E. Cannon. I love her books. And her newspaper column.

D wanted to get in on the headshot action...If you asked him before this what a headshot would be, he would have thought you were talking about a bullet to the brain. I have much to teach my assistant :) They did take a few 'normal' pictures, too, but this one is my favorite.

I took pictures around their yard after that. It was finally spring-like weather, and I happened to have my camera, and Ann happens to have a really cool garden, and really incredible pets...and sons.

Zora. A 200-lb Neufoundland. Yes, you read that right. She weighs TWO HUNDRED POUNDS. She's massive, but the sweetest dog you could ever hope for. But, she does slobber quite a bit, as you can see by the white globs in her own ears. It's okay, though. She's still fun.

D and his brothers playing catch in their front yard....and Geoff riding Zora around like a horse. Or something like that.

Brothers! Minus the oldest two. The only photo I took of them where they are all smiling semi-normally, and not hitting each other where it hurts. Just a Cannon guy thing, I guess.

Zora. Isn't that such a sweet face?

Green! Things are finally getting leaves and turning in to spring!

Another pet, Enzo, who lives mostly on their front porch. This black kitty loves humans, but HATES other cats. And I didn't notice until these pictures, but he has kind of eerie eyes sometimes. But he's so sweet, and loves to nuzzle in to your lap and hands.

Ann has this amazing Ranunculus in her front yard. So vividly red, and so perfect. Oh, and it's my favorite flower.

Spring blossoms!

Then the boys (one other brother included, and their dad) played 21 in their backyard. With a family of 5 boys, you've gotta have a basketball court and hoop in your back yard, right?


My man. So handsome. And so gross right at this point, after playing basketball for over an hour.	'

There you have it. A glimpse in to the Cannon family on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
And if anyone is still reading my blog, THANK YOU for still checking in every now and then, even though I've been M.I.A. for far too long.

Boarding the 'Best of 2010' Train

2010-12-31T12:05:00.001-07:00

I know this has been and is going to be overdone this week, but I really do think it's fun to look back on a year and compile your favorite photographs. I haven't done as much photography this year as I would have liked, but I still got behind my lens several times and really enjoyed making beautiful photographs.
Here are my favorites from the year, in chronological order:

My favorite of Ilarene and Jason's engagement photos - and just so happens it's the one they sent out with their announcements, too.

One of many family shots I took at my cousins' family reunion during the summer - this is Melissa and her family

My friend Aaron contacted me last-minute to photograph his wedding at the Mount Timpanogos temple here in Utah. It was a beautiful spring day, with gorgeous flowers all around the temple. This was a really fun shoot.

Ilarene's bridals were taken up in Salt Lake, here at the capitol building and then at the Joseph Smith Memorial building. It turned out to be a really stormy day, but we still managed to take some awesome photographs.

Ilarene and Jason's wedding day! I want to frame this photo of the Salt Lake temple, I love it so much. I took it while the couple was getting some much-needed nourishment, and I was chilling on the grass next to the temple. I ended up loving this unique angle of it.

Same wedding day - looking together at the temple. I love the sun burst.

A very hot fall day up in the canyon. Dylan and I went for a Sunday picnic up there, and to see the beautiful changing leaves. I think I have a little crush on sun flare.

We went down to the Manti temple one weekend in the fall, and got to do a session there, and then take mounds of photographs (that is, it would be mounds if we still printed every photo we took) of the beautiful temple. It was a special mission from my sister-in-law, Kristen, but I also wanted more temple photographs, taken by me. I would love to take photographs of every temple - wouldn't that be a fun expedition?

Dylan's brother's little baby girl on her blessing day. I got to take some wonderful shots of this little cutie before they blessed her. Her little smile is heart-warming.

Feeding giraffes! Yes, this was one of the highlights of the year, and possibly my life. We took tons of pictures of us actually feeding the giraffes, but I wanted some of just the giraffes, too. She was looking at me! :)

Oh Kauai, how I miss you. This is my favorite of the whole trip - that red rock next to the green blue water, and the waves crashing into the rock. Plus, the fact that I had to lean out of a moving helicopter to take it, straight down, adds to its appeal.

Sunset - and sun flare - oh boy. I have a problem.

Wailua Falls. Before Dylan ventured out (almost) over the edge of the falls.


At the Luau. I love light drawing photographs, and the fire portions of this luau helped me accomplish this. I love the effect it has, and the fact that I could create a photograph from more than what our eyes even could see.

Thank you for a wonderful year, 2010, and devoted readers. I hope that next year I have more photo jobs to post about, and also that I MAKE more photo work for myself - landscape and nature photography really are what started me into loving photography, and I need to get out there and practice that more often. I would love to photograph any special events in your life, or take photos of things around where I live that you'd love a print of. I'm up for anything :)
And next year around this time? Who knows where we'll be. Not Utah, we know that. I can't wait for new adventures in 2011!
Happy New Year, everyone.

Merry Christmas Eve from the Cannon house

2010-12-24T11:08:00.001-07:00

I have had (way too much) fun decorating our small apartment for holidays. It's the first place we've lived where we can actually decorate with our OWN stuff - it was a blank slate when we moved in. Let's just say that got the creative juices flowing again.

And I went ALL out for Christmas. And finally remembered to document them!

This is part of our makeshift mantle. We obviously don't have a fireplace, so I'm using our large entertainment center/bookcase as our mantle. Cleared off a shelf for our nativity - figures from Africa, and the bowl from Hawaii, rice filling the bowl from Macey's :)

Stockings! I love these stockings we got for ourselves. We assigned the snowman one to Dylan (lover of the snow) and the Santa Claus one to me (lover of presents)

We have a blue and silver Christmas tree (which is about 3 feet tall, propped on our end table here)

...and I got wrapping paper to match. And this beautiful framed painting of Christ, to remind us why we have Christmas, and of the ultimate gift of the Atonement

This is really the door to our furnace and all those ugly things, but I turned it into a photo wall a few months ago, with jute and cute clothespins. It's now our Christmas card wall

I'm a lover of all things advent. We have 2 in our home, and I even got one for my work cubicle. It stems from my childhood, when my 6 siblings and I would race in the mornings to see who could move Jesus and Mary closer to Bethlehem, or who could pin that day's ornament on the tree

My mother-in-law gave us this wreath and ornaments from her personal collection for Christmas. I combined it with an advent I already had (below), put the ornaments in each day's pocket, and ta-da - a very unique and beautiful advent.

I got this advent last year, and am completely in love with it. I looks homemade, but I got it at a craft store on sale. Love that.

The star moves from day-to-day throughout the month

Mr and Mrs Snowman :)


I used some of the wreath decorating items from JoAnn's and put them in the milk glass vases I always have on top of our bookcase.

Crafting time! I bought styrofoam tree forms, and glued these glittery balls on to them - Dylan and I each took one, but he gave up on his near the top (his is in the background). We also went to Color Me Mine for my birthday earlier this month, and I painted the snowman mug in the background, and Dylan painted a tree-shaped plate -- they're our Santa mug and plate for Santa treats!

I made Wassail last night! First attempt, and it turned out mighty good, if I do say so myself. Thicker than anticipated, but pretty delicious. Got the recipe here and altered it a bit (used cranberry pomegranate juice, used a can of orange juice concentrate, and used Celestial herbal tea - apple cinnamon flavor). We call it the Dessert Wassail around here now.

From our house to yours, Merry Christmas. And yes, we are having a "white Christmas" but luckily just in snow from earlier this week - nothing fresh :) We hope you have a wonderful holiday and enjoy spending time with family and reflecting on the beauty and simplicity of our Savior's birth and life.

Hawaii Post #8: Smith Family Luau

2010-12-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

Our last night there, we got to go to a luau! I didn't get to go to one last time I was in Hawaii (5 years ago), so this was really exciting for me. My mom had told us ahead of time that there is a luau on the island that lets you just go to the show, without having to pay 100 bones to go to the dinner part, too. So we just did that, and it was so much fun! And so much cheaper. We went to the Smith Family Luau, which I HIGHLY recommend. Such a great show, a lot of variety, and so much theatricality.

It was really cool - they went through different heritages that Hawaiians have (Chinese, Japanese, Maori, etc.). This was a beautiful and sweet Japanese dance

The Haka...reminded us a lot of BYU Football back in the golden days - and we agree they should bring it back next year. I love the crazy mad faces men get when they do it.

We both loved the fire. I mean, come on, look at the next picture...

...the guy ate fire!!!

Luckily I had my new awesome camera (Canon 50D), so I had more flexibility with my ISO and shutter speeds. They are pretty grainy, but what do you expect? It was pitch black outside! :)

Hawaii Post #7: Wailua Falls

2010-12-12T21:19:00.002-07:00

As seen from the air shot of our helicopter adventures, here is Wailua Falls from the ground. It really was beautiful, but the beauty was not enough adventure for my hubby, apparently. He saw a few people who had hiked out to the top of the falls, and really wanted to, as well. One of those guys that was weaving leaf baskets for tourists to buy (yes, we bought one, and later calculated that that guy must make about 30 thousand a year just from selling bowls and hats for 10 bucks a pop - crazy) offered to show another vacationer the path down there, so D and that guy hiked down (in flip flops, mind you) and took photos from the top. The whole time I was holding my breath, so nervous that he would slip and fall or something awful like that. From my point of view, he looked SO CLOSE to the edge! Like he could just slip right off. Lucky for him, I found out while he was climbing back up that someone had slipped off the edge and died there just 3 weeks earlier. Eek!! Anyways, enough of that, and now on to the photos!

I love this man's faces.

Climbing back up....in flip flops

Hawaii Post #6: Spouting Horn at Sunset

2010-12-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

We had heard (or read in a guidebook) that the best time to see Spouting Horn was at sunset. So off we went on one of our last days there. It's located in Po'ipu, on the south shore of the island. On our way there, we drove through the tunnel of trees, and then stopped for an impromptu snorkeling adventure. Hence the snorkel mask lines on our faces in the pictures.
Spouting Horn is a naturally-occurring blowhole, which is when water rushes under a lava shelf and bursts through a small opening at the surface. Apparently, it often blows water 50 feet into the air! It got its name because another nearby hole only blows air, making a loud groaning sound. I got this off the Kaua'i travel guide site: "Legend states that this coast was guarded by a large mo'o (lizard) who ate everyone who tried to fish or swim here. One day, a man named Liko entered the water. When the mo'o went to attack him, he swam under the lava shelf and escaped through the hole. The mo'o became stuck and was never able to get out. The groaning is the cry of hunger and pain from the lizard still trapped under the rocks." Awesome, right? and it really does sound like groaning. It's amazing how far the water can shoot, and how often the waves are big enough to create the burst.

The Tunnel of Trees on the road to Po'ipu

Snorkel-lined faces, chunky, swimwear-clad us, and spouting horn!

Mmmm....the handsome man I got to share this honeymoon trip with.

Yes, I was on this trip, too.

Huzzah! A vibrant Hawaii sunset! It was a Festivus miracle. (I highly recommend reading that Wiki page - it's pretty entertaining, if you're a Seinfeld connoisseur like D and I are)

Hawaii Post #5: Kalapaki Beach at Sunset

2010-12-11T21:42:00.002-07:00

I was determined to get beautiful beach sunset photos, but the sky just wasn't cooperating. I think these turned out really beautiful, just not what I had envisioned (I wanted those pink skies and palm trees type of photos, dang it!). This was just at the beach in front of our hotel.

Cheesy, but I really was thinking of me and Dylan when I took this. I'm such a dork. But we were in romantic paradise, and I loved how these palm trees grew towards each other. I want this printed and hung in our bedroom.

Is he dead? or just dead asleep? This is what D did while I waded through the water to get beautiful photos :)

I wish I knew how much these homes cost on the bay's cliff. I mean, what a view!

As the sun was going down, it made these awesome reflections and sun flare on the wet sand. Not exactly a sunset, but a beautiful almost-sunset photo, no?

And I love me some sun flare. Right in the middle of the shoreline there was this collection of rocks that made little tide pools.

Hawaii Post #4: Koi Pond Feeding

2010-12-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

In one of the gardens at the hotel, they have a huge Koi Pond, and every morning at 9 a.m., anyone who wants to can come and feed them. It was a little mad, with so many fish vying for tiny pellets of food that vacationers pelted them with, but they are beautiful. So many colors, and so fascinating to watch when they had to maneuver through the crowd to more open waters. There was a white goose (or some kind of white bird?) that also liked to be fed the fish food. Kids were just feeding her out of the palms of their hands!

They also ate right out of Dylan's hands...he was so excited to get a picture of this

Look at all of them!

Hawaii Post #3: View from our Balcony

2010-12-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

I could have stayed at our hotel all day long, every day (which we pretty much did 2 full days we were there). The Marriott really knows how to do paradise right. This pool was ridiculous - an 'island' in the center with lounge chairs, fountains on every point, hot tubs underneath these overhangs (with the columns on either side), and lounge chairs all the way around. Plus there was a grill right next to it, a kiddie pool, they gave you each two fresh towels every time you needed them, and hellllllo - the beach was right past the pool. Remember that bay from the helicopter photos? That's it, in the distance. And those black things on the 'island'? They called those cocoons - you could lay any direction you wanted on those things, and could probably have comfortably sat 3-4 people in them. D and I spent a whole day laying in those, reading, on Thanksgiving. Not a terrible way to spend a holiday. We were on the seventh floor, so our view was pretty great - facing the ocean, clear view from the balcony. Every morning I would open our drapes and sliding door and just smell the goodness in the air. As my mother-in-law says, it's like they put Prozac in the air there (joke, of course, but really, it is such a happy and easy-going place).

Hawaii Post #2: Kilauea Lighthouse

2010-12-11T21:13:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we drove up to the north side of the island before church.We got to see Anini beach (which we sadly never got to go back to to lounge and snorkel at), ate at Kitchen Korners (yummy omelets and diner-style food), and went to Kilauea Lighthouse. It's the northernmost point in the Hawaiian islands, and has awesome views. Unfortunately, the lighthouse is under a lot of renovation, so it had that ugly scaffolding look to it. But the visitors center was pretty cool, and they even had binoculars you could use while there.

View westward from the point of the lighthouse

I actually really love this photo of us. Funny that we were sight-seeing wearing our Sunday best (other tourists gave us funny looks) but we didn't have time to change, alright? :) )

Off the north coast here was Moku'ae'ae Islet, which was definitely a bird sanctuary (you can always tell those by the 'white rock formations' on them)

We actually spent a decent amount of time staring out of our binoculars at the ocean, waiting to see whales. Someone had seen one about half an hour earlier, but we didn't have any luck. Dylan sure looked cute looking for them, though.

Hawaii Post #1: Jack Harter Helicopter Ride

2010-12-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

They're finally getting posted! I finished editing awhile ago, but dumb Google and it's limit on free photo storage/upload limits forced me to make the decision to purchase storage or not. We'll see if I keep doing that, but for now, at least I can post photos again!

On our 2nd full day in Hawaii, we took a helicopter tour through a place recommended by my sister, Karen, from when they went to Kauai back in July. I have to say, this place ROCKED. It was Jack Harter Helicopters and they were awesome. Very reasonably priced, and the pilot was ridiculously good. D and I agreed that it was so much smoother than we anticipated a helicopter ride being, and this guy could cut corners like they were nothing when we flew into valleys and craters. The only difficult part was taking pictures out of the doorless helicopter with my super-duper-heavy camera. I couldn't zoom in or out because of the wind against the lens when I pointed it out :) But I still managed to take a FEW photos (more like 350) during the hour-long flight.

I realized later that this is the bay where our hotel was located. that sand beach was right next to the hotel's pool.

The waterfall you see in the distance is actually the Jurassic Park Falls, where they built the pad to land on to get into Jurassic Park - apparently Steven Spielberg didn't anticipate how much rainfall this place gets, so they ended up having to rebuild the platform numerous times as it got washed away. This is also approaching the 1/4 of the island that's owned by this family, who has made that land inaccessible by anything but air. Kind of sad, because it's beautiful - but then again, it's probably still so beautiful because they've preserved it in its natural state.

And here we get into the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" - looking at this and the next photo, you can see why. Kauai is crazy - you go from the wettest spot on earth (the mountain there gets over 400 inches of rain a year) to some of the driest desert land, all on this tiny island.

This photo doesn't do the depth and width of this canyon justice. It was BEAUTIFUL. Especially for someone who has never been to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I love that red red rock (reminds me Southern Utah)

Probably my favorite photo of the whole trip. I just love that water color contrasting with the red rock. Taken pointing my camera straight down and out of the helicopter

The Napali Coast. It's only really accessible by boat or helicopter, so it is virtually unspotted. It is breathtaking - miles of this gorgeous rocky coastline, with the bluest-greenest water I have ever seen

One of the valleys that we flew into. There were so many - all of them getting narrower towards the rear of the valley, and all of them pretty thrilling to fly into.

Check out those waves and that strong tide!

Ok, this spot left me baffled. Poor D couldn't see it as well from his side of the helicopter, but this horseshoe-shaped spot looked ridiculously dangerous. The tide formed in such a way that it was constantly dragging the water out of this U-shape. Our pilot said it most likely had some of the most amazing snorkeling, but that you'd be crazy to try to get anywhere near this spot.

The wall of the "crater" we flew into. It's not really a crater, but the idea just stuck, so that's what it's known as. We can't remember what he said it really was (just a valley of some sort?), but he flew so close to the walls of it that we could almost touch the mossy vegetation.

A view as we flew back toward the airport. Back on the populated side of the island.

Wailua Falls. We ended up driving here later in our trip, but I love the shot I got of them from the air. These are the most easily accessible falls on the island - you just drive right up to them.

This is actually before we took off (before my hair went CRAZY from the wind) - that's the helicopter we flew in!

Hukalakahukalakaleiki

2010-11-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

Or something like that.
That's D's rendition of the hukilau. Or a hula dancing song.
We've got a lot to learn before we go to KAUA'I on Thursday.
That's right.

Kaua'i, Hawaii.

And you better believe I'm going to be photographing it to my little heart's content.
HAWAII!!!!!

(You can be jealous, but just know that we never got a honeymoon when we got married, so this is our delayed honeymoon.)

Giraffe Feeding!

2010-11-04T18:12:00.001-06:00

warning: photo-heavy post! I just couldn't decide - I loved ALL the photos we took this day. And believe me, this is even narrowing it down a lot!
This is a combination of photos I took, photos Dylan took, and photos the Giraffe's keeper took while we fed the giraffes at Hogle Zoo last month.
Let me tell you, this was probably the coolest thing I've done, since I went to Africa. But, I didn't see any giraffes in Africa, so this has it beat on that count.
First we went up on a platform, so we could feed them while they were in their pens. We fed them specially-formulated crackers, and carrots. Then we got to go outside and feed them branches and more carrots and crackers. This was such a great way to do it, because you got to be at their eye level, and then you also got to be in a place where they really had to show off and bend all the way down to reach you.

Me, ecstatic to be standing so close to a giraffe!

The Zookeeper said "Make him reach for it!" So I did

"You are so CUTE!"

This is Pogo in the foreground (she's pregnant, due next September I think), and Riley in the background (the only boy of the 4 giraffes)

And here is Kip. A shy one - she wouldn't eat the food from us outside, but she's gorgeous

Dylan, meet Daphne.

Daphne is the oldest, and probably only has a couple of years left in her. She was also SUPER tall, and just really sweet.

What is the giraffe probably thinking? "Man, I just ripped this branch out of that crazy dude's hand, and MMMM it tastes SO GOOD!"

They eat these branches in such a crazy way! They just wrap their tongue around it, and then their tongue is strong enough to just rip the leaves off the branch as they slide it up.

This is Riley - who I named my stuffed giraffe that we bought that day after

Apparently, giraffes don't like to be touched much (go figure - a bunch of random people wanting to pet you, and you don't like it? weird :) ) BUT, if you petted their face while feeding them something, they allowed it - momentarily. Their skin is pretty oily, but the zookeeper said that they rarely ever brush them. They just don't get that dirty, and their skin just takes care of itself. Pretty awesome.

My FAVORITE picture of the day - OK, not really, but it's pretty hysterical. We got caught in a moment where we both looked disgusted - pretty much the opposite of how we felt that day

Hello, gorgeous

With the zookeeper - she was fabulous. Nicest lady ever. We were the only two people that had signed up for that day, so we got a lot of time with the giraffes. And she even let us keep feeding them longer than usual - we got an hour and a half, when it's usually just half an hour. Rock it!

Another great one of me


Their tongues are RIDICULOUSLY long. Not that I think it's cool to be able to pick your nose with your tongue or anything.....OK, just a little...

And there you have it! Our giraffe feeding experience! We love those giraffes (Riley, Pogo, Kip, Daphne). And it was awesome to notice how every giraffe has slightly different patterning. Kip and Riley, for instance, had REALLY different shades of brown, and Riley's spots were pretty close together, while Kip's were more spaced out, lighter, and had more speckling in them.

Aren't giraffes so gorgeous?

Baby Photos: Chloe Ann

2010-10-09T10:59:00.000-06:00

My newest niece, Chloe Ann, was blessed at Dylan's parents' house about a month ago. Randi and Alec came into town for it, and the blessing was a big, wonderful family and friends event. It was great to have everyone together, and Randi wanted me to do a little photo shoot with Chloe beforehand. I gladly agreed :)

Chloe wasn't really at the point where she made much eye contact, but I did get it once or twice. I absolutely love how these turned out. She's an adorable baby, and the outfit Randi had gotten for her for the day was so gorgeous.

LOVE that little tongue. She's so precious

Eye contact!

She wasn't exactly thrilled at first about that hat. After a little bit of no-bonnet time, she attempted it again, and the happier pictures earlier in the post are from Randi's tricky maneuvering of that bonnet

Chloe with her Great-Grandma Edwards and Grandma Cannon

With both great-grandmas

Chloe with both grandmas and her mom

Chloe, Randi and her mom

Randi with her parents

Great Grandparents, Grandparents, and parents

The Cannons

The Cannon family (I hate tripods - hard to get it focused just right when you're not looking through the lens)

The Cannon girls

And the boys

Oh these boys...

Provo Canyon, Fall 2010

2010-10-09T09:50:00.000-06:00

One Sunday afternoon (quite a few weeks ago, I'm afraid to admit), Dylan and I spent a really peaceful and relaxing afternoon up in Provo Canyon, at Vivian Park. We brought our picnic blanket, and just enjoyed the beautiful changing leaves, the really warm weather, and the light breeze. It was perfect.
And of course, I brought my new baby (Canon 50D) and tested it out.

Here are the shots I got:

Manti, Utah LDS Temple

2010-09-09T18:08:00.003-06:00

A few weekends ago, Dylan and I headed down to Manti, UT (literally in the middle of nowhere). We wanted to go the temple there - we have ever since we got married - but my SIL Kristen had asked the week before if we were going down there anytime soon, if I could take photos of the temple. Well, that sounded like an AWESOME idea, so with that motivation in mind, we made the 1 hr 15 min drive through the backroads of Utah. It was the PERFECT day. I don't think words can emphasize that enough. The sky was gorgeous, the wind was blowing so it wasn't as hot as it would have been. The clouds moved in awesome patterns because of the wind and heat (and more clouds even showed up the later it got!). D is so good about following me around, watching me do my thing, while I'm completely and utterly absorbed in the process. My artistic mind totally takes over in moments like this. I love that man so much.
And you know what? I adore this temple. I fell in love from the moment we saw it many miles ahead, seemingly hovering over the town of Manti. We could see it for miles as we approached on the highway. It glowed, and then all of a sudden disappeared - we later guessed it's probably because it's not exactly eggshell white, but because of the stone used and the age of it (1870s, people!), it's kind of a yellowish stone color. So it disappeared as it blended into the scenery, but then just got larger and larger as we got closer.
When we got there, we had about 45 minutes to take photos before we needed to go inside to make the session. So I walked around about 3/4 of the exterior, getting it from every angle. Then, after we got out, I walked the ENTIRE way around, getting angles I missed, and getting shots with all the clouds that had rolled in while we were inside. Yeah, you basically get every possible angle of this thing :)
Okay, now on to the photos. Let me know which ones are your favorite! (And Kristen, let me know if you want color or B&W, or just the RAW images)

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven - D and I LOVED this Holiness to the Lord, The House of the Lord emblem. And this photo shows the battlements really well - it literally is like a castle

Eight

Nine

Ten - awesome column-effect when viewed from the side

Eleven

Twelve - classic. This is the hill where the Mormon Miracle Pageant is performed every summer. When we first started walking toward the hill, this bit of info escaped my recollection, and all I could think was, "Why in the world would they want such a steep hill? You can't even walk down it!"

Thirteen

Fourteen - some beautiful and colorful late-summer flowers, just some of many that surrounded the temple grounds

Fifteen - an awesome stairway from the lower ground level to the upper ground level. Again, you definitely get the castle-feel here.

Sixteen

I want! I want!

2010-08-30T10:22:00.001-06:00

Okay, so I do have more pictures to edit and put on here - D and I went to the Manti LDS Temple on Saturday, and I took OODLES of photos of that gorgeous piece of spiritual architecture :) But, not ready for the blog yet.
Until then, can I PLEASE share with you something I want SO MUCH?
PhotoJoJo! sent this little gem of a product via e-mail this morning, and I fell in love! It's a mini replica of a DSLR, complete with 3 detachable lenses (and the lens hoods are detachable, too!)
It looks so real!
And I want to keep it on my desk at work. Remind me of what I REALLY want to be doing full-time :)

And, ya know, I think it would be awesome to set up little still-life scenes with it.

So tiny!

A real lens....and the baby mini lenses. (Doesn't it make you want to squeal, in your best "look at the puppy!" voice, "awww, it's so wittle!")

And if anyone feels the need to randomly and inexplicably buy this for me, here's the link:

Mini Model Camera

(I'm just saying....)

Wedding: Ilarene and Jason

2010-08-26T13:38:00.000-06:00

So I'm a pretty big fan of these two. Not just as models for me :) But they are ridiculously awesome people, too. D and I were there through their entire courtship, and I called it when they parted ways for the summer - I predicted that they wouldn't be able to stand being apart, and would get engaged before long and married either at the end of the summer or in December. Well, despite others' doubts, that's exactly what happened! Jason went home to work for the summer, to save money, and he ended up getting a job back in P-town in....June? They were engaged shortly after that, and had planned on a December wedding. But, come on, we all know how awful it is to wait once you know you're going to be married, and after you've decided you can't live without each other :) So they bumped it up to August, pulled everything together without a hitch, and I got to photograph the whole process!
Oh, and Ilarene has ALWAYS wanted to marry a man with red hair. And she got her wish! She met him when a friend of a friend brought him along to hang out, and even though it felt like a set-up, Ilarene went, and right away told her friend, "You didn't tell me he was a CUTE REDHEAD!" And the rest is history. Or eternity. One or the other ;)
They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on Friday the 13th (of August) 2010. D and I were lucky enough to attend the sealing, and then spend the rest of the evening with them. Oodles of joy that day, let me tell you.
Now, enjoy these photos, and then let me know your favorites!

Some much-needed Diet Coke refueling after the group shots :)

His ring was SO COOL! I'd never seen one like it. Yeah, hers was pretty gorgeous, too!

I've gotta say, the Salt Lake Temple has to be one of the best to photograph. The intricacy of the stonework, the majesty of it - it really is HUGE - nothing quite compares to it.

Givaway Winner!

2010-08-22T22:38:00.000-06:00

So in addition to making an elaborate apple pie tonight, D and I picked the winner of the photo giveaway!

Here's a play-by-play of the "excitement" in our house (NEW apartment, I might add)

The Pre-Giveaway-Winners-Picking excitement! I made an apple pie (crust and filling from scratch, thank you) while D read Harry Potter #4.

AND THE WINNER IS......

Let me know which photo you want! Just e-mail me the thumbnail of it or something. You can look through my landscapes by clicking on Landscape photography or Nature photography in the links to the left. Or you can always pick one of the ones I took of you/you and Kirsten when you were my models :)

10,000 VISITORS! - GIVEAWAY!

2010-08-18T20:23:00.001-06:00

Yo, what the heezy?
10,000+ people have visited my blog since I started counting?
That's crazy to me!
And isn't it traditional to do something exciting to celebrate this milestone?

Leave a comment below, and I'll pick a random winner to receive an 11x14" print, of their choice, of one of my photographs.

You could pick this one!

Now, that means it can be a nature print.

Or this one!

Or if you've had me take your pictures, I'll blow one of those up nice and big for ya.

Or even this one!

Giveaway closes Sunday August 22nd at 9:00 PM.

(And I'll be really sad if no one wants it. No, just kidding, I'll be fine. But it's fun for YOU to get free stuff and fun for ME to see what free stuff you love!)

Bridals: Ilarene

2010-08-17T20:17:00.001-06:00

I couldn't post these until this week, because Jason wasn't allowed to see them until after the wedding, but here is GORGEOUS Ilarene up in Salt Lake a few weeks ago, doing her bridal photos. It wasn't exactly the ideal day for photo-taking, with about 90% of them ending up indoors because of random downpours. As we were literally feet away from walking up the stairs to the capitol building, huge drops started coming down, but I didn't really think it would turn into much. Luckily Ilarene and her mom had the foresight to think it would, and quickly, so we started sprinting up the steps, getting to the covered top at the exact moment the sky let loose. So we ended up surrounded by Asian tourists, all gawking at the bride and some other random visitors taking picture after picture of her dress, without her permission, until I had to (subtley) hint that she was about 2 inches away from Ilarene and getting in the shots. Ah, the unpredictable weather....and people....of the Salt Lake valley :)
I'm so happy with how all of their photo shoots turned out. Their wedding photos will be up by the weekend!

Dylan is my built-in trusty assistant. He was so good at getting Ilarene to laugh when her smile was getting tired.

The Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake - "The Jo" as the workers there call it, apparently. I adore the chandelier and the stained glass ceiling in here

Summers in the Canyon

2010-08-08T12:00:00.006-06:00

I LOVE Provo Canyon in the summertime.
I mean, yes, it gets ridiculously hot and muggy and thus I get ridiculously hot and sweaty. But it is GORGEOUS. Especially this year. It's almost mid-August, and it's still so SO green everywhere. Usually it's brown and dead by this time.
Last week, my team at Ancestry.com had a picnic up in the canyon, just as a general-feel-good-we-needed-a-break-from-our-projects time. It was fun, with good food and shade. I brought my camera along, and took these pictures while laying down on my picnic blanket, staring up at the sky.

New "Me" Blog

2010-07-25T11:20:00.003-06:00

So Dylan and I have officially joined the popular crowd and started a blog as a couple. I'm actually really happy about it, because I felt kind of weird posting stuff just about me on this blog, because it's supposed to be about my photography work, or something....Anyways, here's the link to our new blog, written by DylanE and JulieD :)
Yo What's Up Baby?

Engagements: Ilarene and Jason

2010-07-20T15:50:00.000-06:00

I have the wonderful opportunity to take the photographs for my friend Ilarene and her AWESOME fiance, Jason. They are such a fabulous couple, and really made it easy and super fun to take their photos. Between downtown Provo (Center St., one of my favorite places to take portraits) and North Park in Provo, I think we got some awesome shots.

Which are your favorites?

My Wedding Photos!

2010-07-19T14:10:00.000-06:00

I realized that I never posted any of our wedding photos (or our engagements, for that matter)
Everyone here probably already saw them on Facebook or something, but just for the record.....here are our professional wedding photos! From Jason McGrew, of Jason McGrew Photography
(oh and tomorrow happens to be our 4-month anniversary, too. Yay for celebrating every month!)

My favorite engagements (besides the ones on our announcement):

And WEDDING PHOTOS!

Family Reunions

2010-07-10T14:59:00.000-06:00

I photographed two family reunions last weekend. One was planned - the other one I sort of got roped into (but that's ok because it's my husband's family, thus, my family).
My cousin contacted me about coming to her dad's family's reunion, and taking photos. I took my new built-in assistant (getting married has so many perks!) Dylan with me, we drove up to the Sandy vacation rental home, and spent a few hours in the morning with them. It was actually tons of fun. I like taking photographs of people, I like it A LOT, especially beautiful families with cute kids. Here are just a few of the photographs I took of individual families.

The next day, Dylan and I went to a park to celebrate his Granny's 90th birthday. Almost all of that side of his family had come to Utah for the occasion, so it was fun to meet MORE extended family :) and eat yummy barbecue food. We took family photos, and because I had the best camera there and the most experience, I somehow just ended up being the one directing everyone and taking the photos (or getting my camera ready and handing it off to someone else to take when I had to be in them). I know group shots aren't that fun, but I love how the coloring turned out in these.

Me and Dylan with Granny

My husband's immediate family (minus two brothers and our other sister-in-law and niece)

A & H Wedding

2010-07-09T15:38:00.000-06:00

It has been FOREVER since I've posted.
I know.
I've been utterly lazy with blog posting.
But I finally have had a ton of photo jobs come up, and it's spurred me to post again!
(that and more than a few people telling me I HAVE to post something again)
So we're starting with a wedding I did in the middle of May.
My friend Aaron contacted me about doing his wedding, and it was, well, last minute. They had a bunch of complications come up, with visas (she's from Korea) and parents flying here and there, and so they pushed their wedding up a few months. Giving him just about a week to plan an entire wedding. It turned out really well, and was a perfectly beautiful day at the Mount Timpanogos LDS temple in American Fork, UT.

I want to hold my camera again...

2010-04-08T10:57:00.002-06:00

So I am!
Fact: I have not taken a picture with my camera since before I got engaged. Meaning, Christmas. Since Karen's wedding. Sad? YES!
My old roommate, Kourtney, got the brand-spankin'-new Canon Rebel, so she and I are going to go shooting this afternoon, right after work. And I have to tell you, I have a mix of emotions about it.
Nervous: Do I remember how to use Manual? How to make a good-lookin' photo? Can I remember enough to teach Kourtney?
Giddy like a kid at Christmas: PHOTOGRAPHY! Woot! It feels like I'm coming back to myself. I haven't done much as far as hobbies and skills and stuff goes for MONTHS. *unless wedding planning counts as a hobby...which I think it does...*
JEALOUS: of Kourtney's new camera. 18megapixels....that is SO ridiculous!

Oh, and Dylan's dad is buying us a Mac desktop this weekend, so I can finally install LightRoom (a gift from my beautiful sister Karen for taking her wedding photos) and edit my pictures :) Then you can see how poor my skills have gotten in my lapse.

Did I mention that I am now officially an advocate for Canon photography? Okay, not really, but my new last name officially seems like it. I LOVE my new name :)

Long-gone - but I'm back!

2010-03-25T09:36:00.002-06:00

Remember how I got married on Saturday?

And remember how I haven't posted in almost 3 months?

I'll try to come back now that I'm an ol' married woman now :)

I've missed this

Photos courtesy of my sis-in-law Kristen

http://kristendukephotography.blogspot.com/2010/03/julie-dylanmarried.html

and sister Karen

http://randomlykaren.blogspot.com/2010/03/julies-wedding.html

Wedding: Karen and Brigham

2010-01-15T19:07:00.007-07:00

My sister got married!!!!! Karen is closest in age to me, and we've gotten really close in the last few years. It was so fun to be part of her day. I was her florist and her photographer :)
Enjoy the pictures!

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18

What do you think? Favorites?

Wedding: Rosanne and Chris

2010-01-07T21:15:00.008-07:00

Rosanne is one of my FAVORITE people in the world, and she happens to be my old roommate and good friend. And she happens to be married to Chris now. I'm so happy she asked me to be her photographer for her wedding! She got married right before Christmas, and then I had the hectic time of Christmas and Karen's wedding (pictures coming soon) and getting engaged, and now I'm finally putting these up. Anyways, I love the way they turned out. Enjoy!

Okay, so you have to understand...they like to have fun. Wait, they LOVE it. We had so much fun taking pictures. This is just one example of that. No, he's not REALLY peeing on the fire hydrant...

Blue steel!

Rosanne with her fellow Paul Mitchell hairdressers

And with her mom

I love you two! Thanks so much again for choosing me!

ENGAGED!!!! (ME this time!)

2010-01-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

It's true, guys, Dylan proposed!!! We went to California together over Christmas, and then we came back to Provo on the 30th, and he proposed right after we celebrated New Years.
He surprised me, even though I had designed my ring and all of that, so I knew it was coming. But he tricked me that day, 'accidentally' sending me a text that was intended for someone else, telling 'her' that the ring would be done on the 4th, and he'd propose on the 8th. Well, I suspected something, but dismissed it when I saw his reaction to me receiving that text. We went about our night, going to dinner and to Sherlock Holmes, then played games and watched the ball drop, with our married friends Kiel and Emily. They left right after we celebrated at midnight. Well, then Dylan went to the bathroom, and when he came out, he told me that his friend's car had broken down and we needed to go pick her up. I did NOT want to go outside, in the freezing cold. But he finally convinced me, and I went. Well, he said her car was by the stadium, and when he pulled in to the EMPTY parking lot, I knew what was up right away. I told him there was no one there, and maybe they were somewhere else. And I refused to get out of the car :) But I didn't want to ruin his plans, either (I know, I know, I'm so stubborn). So we got out, and I said something like, "You know, this is the first place we met", to which he just smiled and pretended like that wasn't why we were there. We walked up to the exact spot where he first saw me (and in his story, he heard "Dream Weaver" in his mind when he saw me, with stars around me). He started to talk to me about when he first met me, and how he fell in love with me, and a bunch of other beautiful stuff that I cannot remember for the life of me. He got down on one knee, and I said something like, "ARE YOU SERIOUS???" because he was NOT supposed to have the ring yet. He pulled out the ring, and told me how much he loved me, and that he would always treat me well and wanted to be with me forever. And asked if I would marry him, and I said, "Yeah, I will" --- even though he doesn't remember if I said yes or no. Then we hugged and I finally reminded him to put the ring on my empty finger. Then we danced by the cougar statue (so romantic, right? haha), and some freshmen drove by and honked, to which Dylan said, "that's right!" I could hardly sleep that night, I was so excited.

I love this man SO MUCH! I'm so excited to be his wife, and to be with him for the eternities. We are getting married Saturday, MARCH 20th in the Oquirrh Mountain temple.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T13:57:00.002-07:00

I LOVE Thanksgiving dinner. This year I spent it up in Salt Lake with Dylan's family. I just thought I'd include a picture of the beautiful table Ann prepared. It was gorgeous, and the food was equally amazing.

My favorites, that I always look forward to, of the big T-dinner:
Mashed potatoes (ALWAYS my favorite)
Stuffing
Turkey (and all of these three covered in gravy)

and I've started to love pumpkin pie, as long as it's doused in whipped topping

What were YOUR favorites this year?

Portraits: Ann and Ken

2009-11-29T12:10:00.004-07:00

While we were up in Salt Lake for Thanksgiving, I suggested that I take pictures of Dylan's parents, Ann and Ken. They don't really have many pictures of just the two of them, especially not recent ones. We thought it would just be nice to have them, and maybe even make it something for Christmas. So we took 20 minutes on Friday and just snapped a few. Here they are!

Why I haven't posted lately...

2009-11-19T14:39:00.005-07:00

Okay, so there are actually multiple reasons why I haven't posted in a LONG time.
1) My internet sucks. And was completely down for an entire week. And finally got "fixed".
2) I have been working lots of hours, mostly day shifts, which means all I want to do when I get home is talk to normal human beings and do something fun....
3)...as I fell in love with this man...

Meet Dylan

We went to a Jazz game together (basketball, in case you didn't know). My first professional basketball game. It was...fun? haha...fun because Dylan loves it. And to do something new, and with him. But I can fake excitement---

I think he kind of loves me :)

We carved pumpkins at his friend, Richard's house afterward. Meaning I carved two this year. SO fun! This was from a stencil. My other one was not, and I carved the Aragog spider family from Harry Potter. Nerdy, I know.

Halloween :) My absolute favorite holiday. I made my own costume this year (it's the first time I ever did that, and also the first time I sewed anything "real" aka not quilting in straight lines). Dylan doesn't usually dress up, but I convinced him to for my ward Halloween party. He went as Bronco Mendenhall/Lavell Edwards (whichever BYU football coach you want him to be).

One of our first pictures together. When my hair was longer...

And then I cut it all off...

My ward had a formal dinner and dance, so we got dressed up all fancy schmancy for it. Even matching.

Wedding: Breanne and Addison

2009-10-25T16:28:00.010-06:00

Here's Breanne and Addison's wonderful wedding day! It was a bit chilly that day, and got extremely windy, but overall just gorgeous and so happy. It was fun to associate with other photographers who were also waiting for couples to come out of the temple, and then to just basically hang out with this awesome couple for a few hours. I love what I do! As always, let me know which are your favorites!

Bre and her girls

Addison and the boys

I love this - Breanne's brothers trying to hold her up for a 'classic' picture :)

Man, that wind did some perfect things for us!

Hillyard Siblings

2009-10-15T09:26:00.006-06:00

My friend Benj contacted me a few days before this shoot, asking if I would photograph him and his siblings for his parents' Christmas present. We headed up to the Salt Lake temple and enjoyed a really beautiful, although somewhat overcast, day. I've known Benj since April, so it was fun to meet his siblings and see how he interacted with them. Anyways, for the photos!

Apparently, their parents ALWAYS wear their sunglasses in pictures, so it's kind of a joke in their family. So they all threw on the shades for a few photo ops. I think it's hilarious.

"Five Alive!" A Hillyard sibling thing

Thanks so much for letting me do this for you, Benj and family!

Bridals/Groomals: Breanne and Addison

2009-10-07T11:52:00.014-06:00

I love this couple! I'm photographing their wedding this Saturday, and did their bridals/groomals a week and a half ago. It was so fun! We went to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and the Capitol up in Salt Lake. I had never photographed anyone in these places before, so it was an adventure. So gorgeous up there, and the weather was perfect. I loved doing these groomals because it'll be A LOT less stressful on the actual wedding day--we won't have to get as many of the two of them, because we already got these. Let me know what you think!

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9) This is the face Bre makes when Addison is behind me, making faces at her. I love it :)
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28) My friend, Gavin, edited this one for me. He did a fabulous job, I have to say.
Sorry, I went a little photo-happy. Maybe that means there will be less after Saturday...maybe. Wish me luck! And tell me which ones you liked the most.

Angela and Wally: Baby Time!!

2009-10-07T11:41:00.003-06:00

Remember Angela? When I did her maternity photos a few months ago, this little guy was still growin' growin' growin' inside her belly. Now he's quite a bit bigger, easier to love, and a whole lot cuter than fetus-Wally.

I finally took the opportunity to meet him, and spend some quality girl time with Angela. It was so much fun! I left feeling rejuvenated and fulfilled and excited about life. Amazing how a baby can do that, right?

I was supposed to do a newborn session with him, but because of Angela's unforeseen medical complications, we weren't able to. We decided that we'd do a session when he's a little older, and can hold up his own head. Then we can probably get lots of smiling ones, maybe even laughing -- ohh the cuteness of little Wally is ridiculous!

Birthday Cake - it's a first

2009-10-05T11:20:00.000-06:00

This was the very first time I had attempted such a feat, alone. And let me tell you, it ignited something in me. Not that the cake was anything special (although, it WAS delicious), it was actually quite terribly decorated.

But, I realized in the making of said cake that I LOVED making it. And decorating it with silliness. And the look on the boy's face when he saw it.

He tried to imitate it for me. This is a tad over-exagerrated. Anyways. Cake decorating/making. Who knew? It makes me want to make my sister's wedding cake :)

Michelle and Daniel: Becca's Photos

2009-09-26T19:47:00.006-06:00

Here are some MORE pictures from Michelle and Daniel's wedding...courtesy of Becca, my amazing second-shooter:

The wedding party (bridesmaids, groomsmen, bride and groom)

We're cute, huh?

(it wouldn't have been a Michelle event without flip flops)

Michelle got these awesome fans, and herself a parasol for these photo ops

And of course the men wanted a piece of the fan/parasol action

I just LOVE this girl so much

A Drive Through Alpine Loop

2009-09-20T10:38:00.012-06:00

Kourtney (my awesome roomie) and I made a list a few weeks ago of things we wanted to do before the weather got awful - aka snow/slush/wet/cold/ice. We haven't been good at knocking things off the list, but we finally did yesterday. We drove up Alpine Loop in Provo Canyon, and saw all of the changing leaves and gorgeous blue skies. Oh, and I happened to bring along my camera...I felt creative again! Finally. Took long-stinkin-enough. Okay here are some of my favorites - let me know which ones are YOUR favorites!! :)

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e) an awesome caterpillar that we saw crawling all around the sticks and dirt

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g) I may or may not have an obsession with tall grasses

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Mocktail Party

2009-09-18T11:08:00.001-06:00

A week ago, my roommates and I threw a rockin' black and white mocktail party.
For those who don't know:
Mocktails = cocktails + ice +fun + friends - alcohol

...really, Provo's way of having a drinking party. But no one had to have a designated driver. Or wake up with people they had never met before.

We made it a formal affair (semi-formal, really) and some men came in tuxes, dressed all fancy schmancy, and I blended up some delicious icy concoctions all night.
Mojitos
Margaritas (mango, original)
Strawberry Daquiris
Cosmopolitans
Pina Coladas

I didn't take too many pictures from the event (mostly just before), but maybe if Emily (my roommate) gets me some she took, I'll add to this. Here's some we did take:

Liz and Katy, former roommates

Kourtney/Kork-a-dork/Ka-Ka

Emily

Moi

Rommates!

My friend, Marcus, and I, sippin cocktails

Wedding Reception: Michelle and Daniel

2009-09-09T11:46:00.007-06:00

I totally forgot to post pictures of Michelle and Daniel's wedding reception! It was so much fun, especially being a bridesmaid and the photographer :) I even wrestled Katy for the bouquet - and won...eventually.

Moving Temporarily Depletes Creativity

2009-09-01T17:06:00.003-06:00

Since my last post, I've moved apartments, moved roommates, worked A TON, moved wards, moved friends, and been basically trying to adjust to this new-ish life. It's rough to have most things I was used to change, but at the same time it's invigorating and rejuvenating. However, I have found that my creative juices have been drained, temporarily. I have barely looked at blogs all week - gasp, i know - and obviously not written in my own. But, I do want y'all to know that I'm still alive. And still me. Just....a maturing (hopefully) and developing me. Entering that real stage of life, post-grad. Everyone else started school yesterday. And I didn't. Instead I drove to work at B-cubed at the same time people were walking on to campus. WEIRD...I mean, REALLY weird. Surreal. Kourtney (my new roomie/friend since Girls' Camp) and I agree that it was bittersweet. I do miss classes. I miss sitting in lectures and even buying new notebooks and books. Less expensive, but still. It was a good life, for the past 17 years, to start school every September. Heck, it's all I knew. And now what? Well, as I told about 50 people in the last 2 days (moving into a new ward means repeating your name MANY times, saying the same life plans - or no plans - multiple times, and realizing that you're not as interesting as you thought), I have no idea what I'm doing with my degree. Or why I'm in Provo. Or living where I'm living. Or working where I'm working.
But, my mother is one of the most wise people I know. And she has told me many times in the last few years that I've gotta just keep going along with what life hands me, until I feel prompted to do something different. And until then? Well, I'm an associate at B-cubed, I'm attempting to start a photography business, and I'm living in P-4. Not currently dating anyone, not sure where I'll be in, heck, 2 months or next year, and about to have a Utah Drivers' license. YUCK.
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I think that's the worst part.