Rachel Garcia Las Vegas Wedding Photographer -The Persistence of Memory

New Wedding Photography Blog!

2011-09-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

So I've finally updated my website and blog. As such l will no longer be posting to this blog. To view my new blog go to http://www.brilliantimagery.net/blog/

With all these new visual changes I'm also making some content changes. We will be discussing wedding photography from more of a planning angle. So be prepared for more DIY tutorials, What to Wear ideas and unique wedding vendors. And as always feel free to join in the discuss with comments.

See you on the other side!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Portraits in the Trees

2011-09-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

My good friend let me borrow her beautiful little girl, Stori, for a little portrait session in a small grove of trees near my home. Just a fun project for me but I thought I'd share since I haven't posted in so long. I've been working on my new website/blog, that's why I have been away for so long. I promise to have more information about all that soon.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Summer on Film

2011-08-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

I promise this is the last of bringing up my summer family road trip. But with 3 weeks on the road I took so many pictures! And as an avid film shooter I shot a ton of it and I just got it back, scanned and edited.

These are just a few of my favorites.

Wyoming

Grand Teton National Park

Traveling through Montana

Lake McDonald at Glacier National Park Montana

Seattle, Washington and the ferry over the bay

Northwest Washington

Beach near Forks, Washington

Columbia River Gorge, Washington

Twin Falls, Idaho

Nevada Desert Sky

www.brilliantimagery.net

Red Rock Red Springs in Calico Basin Las Vegas: Talin & Bethany

2011-08-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

I've been faced with a terrible dilemma. My sister is engaged and wants me to shoot her wedding. While I am over joyed about Bethany getting married and being part of her and Talin's wedding, I am torn between wanting to relax and enjoy the day and my obsession with photography to take pictures of everything. To shoot or not to shoot, that is the question.

After pondering that for awhile I decided that even if someone else was the main photographer I'd still be photographing everything. So I told my sister, Bethany, that I would be the main photographer. (And I've asked my photographer friend, Gretchen, to be my second shooter.)

But, of course, first things first: Engagement Session!

We planned a little summer picnic out at one of my favorite places, Red Springs in Calico Basin just outside of Red Rock Canyon.

This is a compass necklace that Talin had given Bethany as a gift.

Bethany is also wonderful artist so we had her draw a portrait of Talin. It's pretty good, huh?

www.brilliantimagery.net

Las Vegas Neon Boneyard Museum: Wayne & Edyta

2011-08-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

I feel so honored when fellow photographers ask me to photograph them! My friend Edyta, who is wonderful photographer, has been married almost a year and they wanted to finally got some 'trash the dress' style images. We went to the Las Vegas Neon Boneyard Museum which is where they have all the old neon signs on display. It's such a great place to shoot but it can get repetitive shooting at the same location over and over again. So I always try to challenge myself to think in new ways, this time I brought along a few summer carnival type treats: Popcorn! Candy Apples! (with a wedding twist) and Orange Soda!

Of course, the Neon Boneyard Museum is so awesome and Wayne & Edyta are so beautiful that I hardly need to add anything to get amazing pictures.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Montana Glamping Inspiration

2011-07-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

Our family road trip that we have recently returned from took us in a large circle: from the desert up through Utah, Wyoming, Montana, than over to Washington, and down again through Oregon, Idaho and down to Nevada again.

Teton National Park in Wyoming

Forest in Forks, WA near Olympic National Park

McDonald Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana

While in Montana we stayed in Glacier National Park. This has to be one of the most wonderful places I've ever been to. The perfect mountains and serene lakes, so lush and full of greenery. And of course how could I not visit such a wonderful places without doing a shoot! (I simply can't stop myself.)

I adore Glamping. Go look it up if you don't know what it is. It has to be THE best idea of all time. Seriously. Now, our shoot was more inspiration glamping then real glamping since it's it's not really a sleeping tent. Still- a wonderful little tent, if I do say so myself.

My super cute models are Lukas and Eva from the Czech Republic. Lukas was an exchanging student who lived with my family for a year in high school over 6 years ago. Lukas came back to visit us this summer with his awesome Eva, so of course they joined us for our road trip. And they were good enough to lend me their good looking faces for the glamping shoot.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Published on Wedding Blogs

2011-07-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

Where have I been!? I know, I've been gone so long with out a blog post! Shame on me. I've been on a family vacation road trip for almost 3 weeks. We traveled the Northwest USA. Almost 4,000 miles total! But more on that later. For today I wanted to share a few wedding blogs that my images have been featured in lately.

Project Bride

Hindsight Bride

The Charity Wedding

www.brilliantimagery.net

Manti, Utah Bed and Breakfast

2011-06-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

I stayed at a little Bed and Breakfast in Manti, Utah last weekend. It was so cute I found myself taking pictures of everything. In fact, the whole town was terribly cute. I declare Manti the cutest Utah town; never seen one better. Our Bed and Breakfast was called the Yardley Inn. There are actually a surprising amount of sweet little B&B's in the area. The Yardley Inn house, I was told, is over a hundred years old.

We stayed in the English Ivy room. Which I loved. When I was a girl my mother decorated my room just the same. (Well, similar anyways.)

The purpose of driving up to Manti was to see the Mormon Miracle Pageant. Which was wonderful. And in the morning we visited the beautiful LDS temple and the perfect little cemetery next to it.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Zion Slot Canyon

2011-06-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went camping in Zion with my family and some friends. We did a shoot in this slot canyon called Pine Creek. We gave our model, Ashley (my muse), a sort of 1920's inspired look.

I love mixing the glamour of a bride with the gritty beauty of nature.

I think this one is my favorite from the whole shoot. I love how her eyes are so piercing.

As Ashley is a violinist how could we not bring some violins along and incorporate that into the shoot.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Fellow Photographer Portraits

2011-06-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

Photographer's need portraits too. And taking your own portraits can proof challenging. So photographs usually get another photographer who's work they admire and take each other's portraits. Thus I did with my photographer friend, Lorraine Lee. These are the portraits I shot of her earlier this week. Isn't she the cutest?! I think these really show off her personality. And I can't wait to see the pictures Lorraine did of me!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Senior Portraits at the Old Cement Factory

2011-05-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've been teaching a monthly photography class with my church group for several months now. Last week we went out to the old cement factory near my home. We had a teaching shoot for senior portraits.

Erica was kind enough to model for us, she graduates this year!

I really love this old cement plant. From what I hear it hasn't been in use since the 1950's and it's had two fires since then. I think the fire damage only adds to it's charm.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Trash the Dress at Nelson, NV: Jeremy & Rachael

2011-05-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

I love shooting Trash the Dress sessions! And Jeremy and Rachael were a dream to photograph!
The day after their wedding we were out driving to the middle of nowhere; also know as Nelson, Nevada. Jeremy and Rachael had a late night, of course, and they were sleeping in the backseat both there and back. :) (It was so cute I was wishing I had my camera gear in the front seat with me instead of in the trunk.)

Before we even got to Nelson, we pulled over just to play in the street.

Once I had Rachael on the floor and I wanted to add Jeremy, I immediately thought of that picture of John Lennon and Yoko Ono taken by Annie Leibovitz. This image is kind of a nod to that image.

This barn is so fantastic and full of the weirdest, random, vintage crap. I could have spend the whole shoot just in the barn. Hell!, I could have spend the whole day there! Jeremy and Rachael totally worked it too. This one of Rachael sitting on the T.V. looks like it is straight from a Twilight Zone episode.

Someone else pointed out this cellar full of old bottle to us. I've been to Nelson quite a few times and I had no idea this was there. Super awesome find!

Love how creepy Jeremy looks in the background here. Reminds me of the old film "Wait Until Dark" with Audrey Hepburn. (Go watch if you haven't seen it!)

HOT! (That's all I have to say.)

I know I'm posting a lot more images than usual, but I just can't help myself. Jeremy and Rachael so rocked my world! Love you guys!

For these last two images we used the headlights of the car as the light source, a first for me. But I really like the look.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Lakeside and Downtown Las Vegas Wedding: Jeremy & Rachael

2011-05-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and Rachael have so many awesome pictures I think I'll have to make two posts. First, the wedding!
I loved watching Rachael get ready. She's this tiny little sweet thing running around, cussin', and being a normal frazzled bride. But somehow she was so cute while she did it.

I loved this couple the second I saw them. From Jeremy's wicked facial hair to Rachael's many tattoos, I knew they were going to be a whole ball of fun!

I adore their sweet little girl, Marley. She has her mother's killer almond shaped eyes.

Isn't Rachael awesome! I love her look- classic yet spunky!

The wedding ceremony was held at the Lakeside Wedding Chapel. I actually really like this venue. It's sweet and quiet, and off the Strip. Perfect for a small wedding.

Then we all went downtown!

I know smoking is bad for you and I've never actually been a smoker myself. But I love the way smoking looks! How can something so bad look so cool? It reminds me of old movies where everyone always has a cigarette in their mouth, with all the perfect Hollywood lighting.

Have I mentioned before that I love a girl in tattoos?

We ended the night with the light show on Fremont Street. I'll follow up tomorrow with images from the Trash the Dress session! *squeal*

www.brilliantimagery.net

B Weddings Magazine Publication

2011-05-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

The wonderful B Wedding Magazine from Ireland has published one of my images in their summer magazine! That excites me!

Mine is the image with the bride in the blue rocks, Heather from her wedding at the Springs Preserve last September.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Bride and groom sitting in the middle of the road?

2011-05-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

Bride and groom sitting in the middle of the road? How did I get them to do it, you ask. Easy- I asked!
Can I just say that I love these people! I mean, obviously I had way to much fun with them. But I promise to follow up with more images later. For now all you get is a sneak peek.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Vintage Redone

2011-05-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

We had a fortuitous day earlier this week. Carmen, my usual second-shooter and best friend, brought over a wonderful vintage suitcase she had acquired, hoping we could collectively come up with a way of painting on it. Even though we are both creative people, we are not painter's. By happenstance my wonderful cousin Ann, who is an artist, and her husband, Brian, were in town and dropped by. The day turned into a awesome art project day. Not only did the suitcase end up looking way better than Carmen or I could have done my ourselves but we all did a bunch of other fun projects and had a great day!

I love serendipity!

Ann is just starting an Etsy storefront at www.etsy.com/shop/BlueDeskDesigns. And you can view her blog at thebluedesk.blogspot.com.

Carmen is so excited about this suitcase. She was telling me that she may plan a trip just so we can sport this!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Her Empty Chair

2011-05-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

I am not a big 'air all your dirty laundry online' girl. My Facebook posts are usually short and sweet. And although I share plenty here on my blog, none of it is too deep. However this series is so personal to me, that I almost hesitate to share it. But I am so in love with the images that came out of it that I want to share them and the images almost beg the question "What's the story behind this?" So I guess I'll bare everything and tell all.

A long time friend of mine died last month and we had to travel to California for the funeral. I painted and took this chair with me. I took pictures with it along the way. At first taking the images wasn't really the main idea. I just needed a way to express my grief. I needed something physical to focus on. I dragged this red chair around as if to say to her "Wish you were here, I saved you a seat."

I made my poor traveling companions pull over on the I-15, pull that chair out of the trunk and set it up on the side of the road more than a few times. The beach was our final destination before we started the drive back and I had planned to take the chair home with me. But once I was there on that beach I felt such peace. So I left that red chair right on the beach. I left all my burdens right at the edge of the water and said goodbye to my friend.

'The Beach'

'The Field'

'The Street'

'The Trees'

'The Water'

Easter!

2011-04-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to pass up Easter without at least a "Hello!" to the day; and with some springtime imagery!

These are the best idea for starter plants. Just rinse out your egg shell after only cracking it on the top, so it's still a good cup. Then poke a little hole in the bottom of the shell with a push pin for drainage. Fill with dirt and seeds. When the plant is ready to be moved to a bigger pot just crack the egg shell in plant in the bigger pot. The shell is a little extra fertilizer for your little plant and no mess or pulled root for transferring the little guy.

I hate dying Easter eggs. It's messy and the dye is never very bold (unless you leave it in for hours). Plus my fingers get colored. Bah! So this year I decided to try some new ways of decorating eggs. And sadly... it was almost as messy and troublesome. Almost.

I tried gluing on paper and it's cute but messy. Glue + glitter = also messy (and I glued my hand to the table a little bit). Scrapbooking stickers I have to say worked nicely, no mess, and super easy. But my favorite was the double sided sticky dots. Just stick on and dip in glitter. Easy peasy, and it looks good!

HAPPY EASTER!

www.brilliantimagery.net

My New Horse!

2011-03-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

I finally took some pictures of my new horse. I've had him almost 2 months now. He's on the small side, even for an Arabian. (He could almost pass for a pony.) He's a cutest horse I've ever seen in my whole life. I'm completely in love with him! His name is Eugenides. I know it's a weird name, I got it from one of my favorite books, The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. (Go read the series and then I can explain to you why his name is so perfect for him.)

As a little girl I was crazy about horses but never had the opportunity to learn to ride. So it's such a joy to know how to train and ride my own horse now!

True, that I may be totally biased, but I think he's the loveliest horse ever!

www.brilliantimagery.net

St. Patrick's Day Inspiration

2011-03-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

If you've been following my blog at all, you've probably wondered lately "Where did she go?" I am sorry for the long hiatus. With the early months of the year being the slow season for weddings, I've been refocusing my business. Hopefully you'll see some changes to my blog and website coming soon.
But for now, with it being St. Patrick's Day tomorrow (and green being my favorite color), I thought I give you a little GREEN inspiration.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Remember

2011-02-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

"This Billy Gilmore Production Video features Brilliant Imagery artist Rachel Garcia in her Vocational prime. The music video style project displays the dedication, quality, and inspiring conceptual artistry of her work. Rachel Garcia Wrote and Vocalized her own Lyrics in the song to portray the Unique stylistic purposes of Brilliant Imagery photography." -Noah Jensen "Director" -BILLY GILMORE PRODUCTIONS-.

This was fun project. It was a group effort from many contributing artists in all aspects and phases. Hope you enjoy.

Early Valentine's Day

2011-02-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

I never really loved Valentine's Day because it over shadows my birthday. My birthday is the 10th of February and Valentine's Day is the 14th. I know it's not as bad as having your birthday on Christmas or Thanksgiving. (Those poor people!) But I'm a glutton for attention so I've always been a little miffed at Valentine's Day. This year I decided to get over it, by celebrate it a bit early. And what better way to do that than with a Valentine session!

To tell the truth I was going to wait till Valentine's Day to share these images. But I just couldn't help myself. I loved the way this shoot turned out - I couldn't wait to post these for you all!

We combined a lot of different soft themes, like the tea party and the bird, for a sweeter, more innocent Valentine feel.

We had some awesome contributing vendors for this shoot. 'Knick of Time' provided the gorgeous little pink birdcage. They have lots of beautiful, vintage and original wedding decor.

Another of our Etsy vendors is 'Anista Designs'. She made all the lovely paper products. She even sent us some of her oh-so-fabulous wedding invitation designs. As well as the really cute little paper valentine hearts. I was so impressed with her stuff. She's totally talented!

And last (but certainly not least), Retro Bakery. OH MY! I think I love these people! If you're in the Vegas area, or the next time you come to Las Vegas, get to Retro Bakery. Totally worth it! The best part of the whole shoot may have been the end - when I got to eat one of these little babies.

Don't forget that the Unique Wedding Contest for Photography ends in just a few days. See our last blog post for entry details. Good luck!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Photography Contest Extended!

2011-01-28T15:04:00.000-08:00

You remember our Photography Contest that we run every year, right? Well, the dead line was suppose to be in just a few days. But I've gotten a few emails saying that people are still working on getting their entries in. So because I'm a total pushover - I'm extending the contest until Feb. 8th, 2011 at midnight. So Wednesday morning the 9th we'll start the voting! (Be sure to come back and vote for your favorite couple.) Couples getting married anywhere in the world are welcome to enter. (Travel fees may apply.) I am so excited to hear all your great love stories!

Here's the contest details again for you:

Most Original Themed Wedding Contest: Just email me on why your wedding will be imaginative, innovative, inspired or whatever will make your day outstandingly original! It could be an over all wedding theme (like - Masquerade Ball) Or a location that practically has built in theme (like - Disneyland) Or your fabulous time period attire (like - 1920's classic wear). Or your destination; that's always a automatic theme. (What says tropical beach wedding more than Caribbean white sandy beaches!) Or anything you guys are excited about and want to tell me- I love hearing all about wedding plans and details! Send your entries to {rachel@brilliantimagery.net} please include:

-snapshot of the two of you

-paragraph on you two and your wedding

-contact information (names, phone, wedding date and location)

The winning couple wins free photography services for their wedding; including unlimited photography on their wedding day, a trash the dress session, professional retouching and online proofing of all the images. That's over a $3,000 value. I'll announce the 3 finalists here on my blog on Feb. 9th 2011. Everyone will have 7 days to vote for their favorite couple. (Please only one vote per person.) On Feb. 16th I'll announce the winning couple.

Not so fine -Fine Print: Wedding must take place in 2011. This giveaway has no cash value. Your email must be received no later than 11:59pm PST on February 8th 2011 in order to qualify. For weddings over 200 miles from southern Nevada, travel fees will apply. Past clients or currently booked clients do not qualify for this giveaway. The winning couple will be announced here on my blog on February 16th, 2011. An email will be sent to the winning couple and if multiple unsuccessful attempts have been made to reach the couple or for some reason they are unable to claim their prize, then they will forfeit their winnings to the next qualifying couple. If I am booked on your wedding date, and you cannot change it, then you must forfeit the prize and it will be offered to the next qualifying couple. Please do not submit your story unless you intend to follow through with the prize, should you win.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Sneak Peak

2011-01-25T22:35:00.000-08:00

Just a little sneak peek at a special session we had this past weekend.

2011 Newsletter

2011-01-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share the 2011 Brilliant Imagery newsletter. Included are a few of our favorite Nevada places to shoot, engagement shoot ideas, some recent features of our work and of course the Wedding Photography Contest! Click here to read the full newsletter.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Failure in the New Year

2011-01-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

The New Year is always a time of making resolutions, goals and looking to the future. And hopefully reflection and learning from the past as well. The best way to learn is by failing. And I do that a lot so I should be very smart -NOT!
I made a goal early in 2010 and I failed at it. I tried to do the 365 Challange and I made it to mid December. 250 days instead of the full 365. Though I totally failed I feel like it was worth while and I learned ALOT! As I make new goals this years I'm trying to take those mistake from this past year and put those lessons to good use in the future.
Happy New Year! May 2011 be full of joy!

Wedding Photography Contest!

2010-12-27T22:10:00.000-08:00

This will be the 3rd year Brilliant Imagery is running the free wedding photography contest. Eric & Sarah's Minnesota lakeside wedding was from this year and Scott & Beth's Vegas themed wedding from the year before.
The past years I've picked the winner and it's just been too hard! I have so much fun reading about all these wonderful weddings that get submitted. I wish I could pick everyone! (Really it did just kill me.) So this year, my blog readers get to pick the winner. I'll pick the 3 finalists and I'll run a poll on the blog for 7 days and whoever gets the most votes wins!

-snapshot of the two of you

-paragraph on you two and your wedding

-contact information (names, phone, wedding date and location)

The winning couple wins free photography services for their wedding; including unlimited photography on their wedding day, a trash the dress session, professional retouching and online proofing of all the images. That's over a $3,000 value. I'll announce the 3 finalists here on my blog on Feb. 1st 2011. Everyone will have 7 days to vote for their favorite couple. (Please only one vote per person.) On Feb. 8th I'll announce the winning couple.

Not so fine -Fine Print: Wedding must take place in 2011. This giveaway has no cash value. Your email must be received no later than 11:59pm PST on January 31st, 2011 in order to qualify. For weddings over 200 miles from southern Nevada, travel fees will apply. Past clients or currently booked clients do not qualify for this giveaway. The winning couple will be announced here on my blog on February 8th, 2011. An email will be sent to the winning couple and if multiple unsuccessful attempts have been made to reach the couple or for some reason they are unable to claim their prize, then they will forfeit their winnings to the next qualifying couple. If I am booked on your wedding date, and you cannot change it, then you must forfeit the prize and it will be offered to the next qualifying couple. Please do not submit your story unless you intend to follow through with the prize, should you win.

I'm so excited! I can't wait to hear all your great stories!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Red Rock Resort: Angel & Veronica

2010-12-18T22:39:00.000-08:00

Angel and Veronica came in from California to get married this weekend. Though it's a bit close to the wedding day for an engagement session, ... we did one anyway! We had planned to shoot at the Neon Boneyard but the one day we planned turns out to also be the one day out of the year that it rains in the Las Vegas desert. 'Such is life' So we headed over to the Red Rock Resort to escape the rain and we had a blast anyways! Actually, I'm thinking that no matter what Angela and Veronica are doing they are having a blast.

Angel was so awesomely photo inclined and he always posed just how I was about to ask him to. Thanks, Angel!

And, Wow- does this girl have great taste in shoes! Are these sparkly babies screaming-awesome or what?!

Veronica is one seriously beautiful girl. I love that bird cage veil on her, she totally rocks it.

Thus I conclude that raining days are a good thing.

The Best Shoes EVER!

2010-12-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

If you've seen my work at all you know that I'm in love with shoes. So when Lauren shows up to her and Mitch's engagement session in hand-painted Toms shoes I, of course, have to comment on them. (You remember Lauren and Mitch's engagement and trash the dress sessions). So course after seeing her cool shoes, I'm jealous and want a pair of my own painted shoes.

When you buy a pair of Toms Shoes they give a new pair of shoes to a child in need. Isn't that the coolest idea? So simple and wonderful! So Lauren being the wonderful girl that she is, wants to encourage you to buy Toms shoes by hand-painting Toms shoes for others.

I bought the shoes online and had them sent straight to Lauren. When I came pick up them up I was SO much more than happy. Like I told Lauren; I expected awesome shoes but these babies far exceeded expectations.

Aren't they gorgeous? Beautiful? Fantastical?!

I love the little twin lens camera painting, I think that's my favorite part.

Lauren painted an awesome, surreal, wedding photography theme especially for me. If you would like your own bad-ass themed hand-painted shoes Lauren is available. She charges $50 an hour. The time differs for each person's unique art work. (My took about 4 hours.)

Lauren Bonner lauren.k.bonner@gmail.com

Jensen Family Portraits

2010-11-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

You know that older sibling or neighbor who you really look up to when you're a kid? The one that in total admiration you said "So-and-so is so cool!" Well, that is my older cousin Curtis. He's maybe 6 or 7 years older than me and I just thought he was the greatest. He would swing from the door frames, and knew all the best games. He even made a potato gun one Christmas vacation. Now that he's in his 30's and has 2 kids, I still think he's the coolest. I'm glad that Curt and Alaina asked me to photograph their family portraits this year.

He's such handsome cousin! Look and that classic Jensen face! (Jensen is my maiden name, by the way.)

And, Wow, did he get himself a gorgeous wife! So naturally they make beautiful children.

Georgia and Levi are twins and just a few months older than my 4 year son.

"That family is so cool!"

Senior Portraits: Brooklyn

2010-11-24T17:41:00.000-08:00

Love how this shoot came together! Brooklyn is such a great, happy, unique person! So cute with her freckled face.

Brooklyn is a bit of farm girl, so she of course wanted her picture taken on the farm.

Sorensen Family Portraits

2010-11-20T16:55:00.000-08:00

Almost everyone wants to get their family portraits taken during this season so that they can get that picture for their Christmas card. The Sorensens are a family of 10! Count them - 1, 2, 3, 4,...10.

The Sorensen girls, aren't they cute!

I did not think of doing the pyramid, they just started putting it together. They are the best- so much fun!

Three of the Sorensen progeny are in the military. So we did a few in their Class A Uniforms.

Portrait Palooza - Help Baby Savannah!

2010-11-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

November should be a month for being grateful. There is so much in my life that I feel blessed with. My cup truly runneth over. What better way can we show our appreciation than by helping those in need.

I want to tell you about little baby Savannah. She was born September 19th, 2010 with a severe brain injury to Suzi and Terrance Lighten, fellow wedding photographers here in Las Vegas. We need to raise $10,000 for a special therapy treatment that will help give Savannah a fighting chance. To raise this money we having Portrait Palooza! Get your family portrait just in time for the holidays and 100% of your $100 sitting fee goes directly to help baby Savannah. Portrait Palooza will take place Nov. 19th, 20th, 21st at Sunset Park with several wonderful photographers. I'll be there at Sunset Park from 10am to 2pm on Saturday the 20th.
Please come help this beautiful new baby girl hope for the future.
You can find out more information and schedule your session at http://www.portraitpalooza.com/
If you'd like to help even more there will be a golf and dinner fund raiser at The Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort Thursday Nov. 18th. More info on that at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=171796502837185

Family Time

2010-11-06T00:12:00.000-07:00

This past summer has been nuts! I was out-of-town more than I was in it. I felt just plain tired. So with the wedding season over I took a break for almost the whole month of October. Mostly my brain just shut down. I didn't do anything but play with my kid and watch TV. But we did manage to throw in some fun family activities.

My dad and I kayaked down the Colorado river for about 10 miles. (Boy, did my arms hurt.)

My Dad- isn't he a handsome fellow!

The weather was perfect, beautiful birds were out and we had the river almost all to ourselves. Great day!

One of the other things we did was have a Halloween party. My 4-year-old son, Pirate, really wanted to have a Halloween party so we pacified him.

Pirate also insisted on being Darth Vader, so I decided on being Princess Leia to compliment him. (I wanted my husband to be Han Solo but I couldn't get him to commit to the Halloween spirit.)

Well, back to reality! (With all this laziness, I think I've gained like 5 lbs!)

Brilliant Imagery Team

2010-10-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to introduce to you the Brilliant Imagery Team! Carmen, Ashley and I have been best friends for almost 15 years. So of course they have both always been a support and an asset to me in everything- including my photography and business ventures. (Not to mention all the times I made them be my models for my crazy art photographs.)
But now as Brilliant Imagery grows, we've reorganized to include Carmen and Ashley as business partners. Carmen has been my second shooter photographer for over a year now. And as Ashley is fantastic at organizing and planning, so she'll be handling marketing and most office work.
In celebration of our team we had a little photo session last week.

Carmen

Ashley

Rachel (that's me)

There is nothing better than working with your best friends.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Downtown Las Vegas: Mitch & Lauren

2010-10-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

When you think downtown Las Vegas, you'd think evening with the neon lights. But for a change, Mitch and Lauren and I hit it during the early morning sunrise.

Like I was telling you before, Mitch and Lauren eloped earlier this year. They didn't have any wedding day images so we went out to recreate some. And had a blast doing it!

Now remember how I said that Lauren is an artist? Well, she had this idea about recreating one of her favorite artists' paintings. Rene Magritte was a surrealist painter who did this awesome piece called 'The Lovers.'

And this is our rendition of it.

We had so much fun with this concept. (You're so clever, Lauren!)

www.brilliantimagery.net

Calico Basin: Mitch & Lauren

2010-10-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

First let me start with: I LOVE Mitch and Lauren! Usually at the start of a session it takes a little while (and bit of coaxing) for the couple to relax and be natural. Mitch and Lauren needed no such thing. They were so funny and playful right from the start. They kept me laughing the whole time. I had waaay too much fun!

Mitch and Lauren eloped in Vegas last February (more on that next post), so they never got the chance to do engagement photos (or wedding images - again next post). We trekked out to Calico Basin in Red Rock Canyon just west of Las Vegas for a post wedding engagement session.

Lauren is an artist and we wanted to incorporate that so we had a paint fight! Serious bag'o fun!

Don't you just love 'em too?!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Springs Preserve Wedding : Jason and Heather II

2010-09-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

I've been a little slow in getting images up on the blog because a couple days after the wedding I left to Utah to see my grandparents. And I'll be here almost a full week. The weather is crisp here. Such a wonderful change from the hot desert. Jason & Heather's wedding at the Springs Preserve was on a unusually warm day in September, even for the desert. The day before had been cool and overcast and the day after had cooler weather as well. Weird. But it was a sunset wedding in the shade so no one was uncomfortable. And the Springs Preserve is the perfect setting for a lush desert wedding.

Oh! and this dress! Heather told me about how she got her wedding dress from Paris and I was so excited to see it. And seeing it on the hanger I thought "What a sweet dress!" But once she put it on - WOW! I have never seen a bride and a dress so perfectly matched! WOW - that's all I have to say.

I love the Springs Preserve because it has so many wonderful areas. One of the best is the Origen where the reception was held. Such a great space.

Shout out to Jason & Heather: Thanks for letting me be a part of your fabulous wedding!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Springs Preserve Wedding: Jason & Heather

2010-09-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a sneak peek of Jason & Heather from their wedding last weekend at the Springs Preserve. I'll share more from their awesome wedding later this week.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Jewelry Designs by Christine Bell

2010-09-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

Christine Bell designed these really cute jewelry pieces. I love how bold and artistic they are. She asked me to take a few images of her work as she is now putting together a website to promote her designs.

Her website is yet to come, but I'll post a link once she has everything up and running. In the mean time if you are interested in purchasing any of her designs she can be reached at 702-482-6838.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Recent Features

2010-08-30T22:44:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a few wedding blogs that I've been featured in recently.

Bride Pop Blog posted about the Road Trip we had in July.

DIY Bride posted about Eric and Sarah's wedding from May in Minnesota.

Stacey is a guest blogger on Get Married Blog and she posted about the post wedding session we shot just a few weeks ago in southern California at the wonderful Rancho Las Lomas.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Jackson Family Reunion at Zion National Park

2010-08-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

Got back from the Jackson Family Reunion a few days ago. We were up at the Panderosa Ranch just outside of Zion National Park. Really great resort with lots of cool things to do. We played paintball, went on the zip line, swimming, ATV rides, etc. And of course it's always awesome to visit with all my wonderful family.

We also did a some canyoning down Overville Canyon. It's about 12 miles down a slot canyon with the Virgin river running through it for part of the way. I was really sore after that but it was really pretty.

My New Horse!

2010-08-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to show you all my lovely horse! She's a half Arabian - half Appaloosa and her name is Lady. She's just a baby (2 years old). So she isn't old enough to be ridden for almost a year but we've been doing a lot of ground work with her. We got her a couple months ago, but this is the first time I've taken any images of her.

Ain't she purrty!

Rancho Las Lomas in Silverado, California: John & Stacey's Day-After Shoot

2010-08-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

Wonderful Stacey and John wanted to do a post wedding shoot at the same place they had their wedding last Spring- the fantastic Rancho Las Lomas! This place has everything: beautiful decor, tons of areas and buildings, tigers, zebras, talking parrots, water pools and fountains, orange groves, etc, etc. I adore Rancho Las Lomas!

Sorry it's taken we awhile to post, I've been sick since I got back home from California. So here's just a few of my favorites.

Are those white tigers awesome or what?!

Love her shoes!

I could have stayed at Rancho Las Lomas all day and not been able to photography in all the different areas. Really hope I get the opportunity to photograph there again!

Road Trip Video

2010-08-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

One last hoorah about the Road Trip!

Thanks to everyone who helped with the road trip. By housing us, feeding us or modeling for us. We love you! XOXO!

Home Again!

2010-07-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

What an awesome Road Trip! Tons of fun! No matter how great a trip is, it's always so good to be home.
Before we left San Diego we had one last shoot with the sweetest baby girl, Genesis, at La Jolla Cove. Isn't she so beautiful!

We gave her this lolly-pop and she loved it. But she would not put it in her mouth, she just wanted to stick it in the sand!

Road Trip Day 6: San Diego, California

2010-07-27T23:48:00.000-07:00

After a long day of driving on Monday we got to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA. There we did a shoot with Dallas who was fantastic! She looks so glamorous in the dress yet, off sets everything with all her tattoos. Love it!

After that we still had a 2 hour drive down to San Diego that night. So we crashed last night. We got a late start on our morning beach shoot with Emma this morning, but it didn't really matter because the sky was overcast all day. (Really love overcast for shooting.)

Wow! Was Emma amazing! Perfect and gorgeous! And such a sweetheart! OK, I'm gushing because Emma just happens to be my cousin - but all those things are still true!

Emma's a California surfer girl and she was awesome to get in this cold water with that dress. (Wedding dresses get really heavy when wet.) By the way, why was the water cold?! It's July, for crying out loud!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Road Trip Day 4: San Francisco, California

2010-07-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I left Reno in the morning and drove into California. The drive over the mountains was so lovely.

I met the beautiful Stephanie in 'Old Sac' Sacramento, CA for more wedding dress fun and yes, it's really called that.

So much fun! Stephanie fit that fantastic princess dress from Bonny Bridal perfectly!

Then no rest for the weary. I drove to the San Francisco airport where I was reunited with my assistant Carmen! Ahh, San Francisco. A crazy city so we did something crazy. Today we went to the Golden Gate bridge viewing area and asked random girls if they wanted to put on a wedding dress. Crazy, I know. But we did get some takers. Brave Lisa and Rani from Germany put on dresses in the public bathroom and we did a little photo session. Shout out to Lisa & Rani -'We love you! You made our day!'

Aren't they great!? Love serendipity!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Road Trip Day 2: Reno, Nevada

2010-07-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

As it always is with life - nothing goes according to plan. The plan was for myself and my 2 assistants/best friends, Ashley & Carmen, to all do the road trip together. But because life is crazy I had to make the first leg of the trip alone. But before I completely left the Vegas desert I talked Carmen and Ashley into waking up early to do a shoot out in the desert before I got underway. And I swear that we did not coordinate our outfits! It just happened like that. See how much we think alike.

So because Ashley is gorgeous we stuck her in the dress.

Then I had an 9 hour drive up to Reno, NV all alone. But I managed to keep myself entertained.

After I got to Reno and visited with my beautiful, long-time-no-see friend, Jessica, she said she was up for some night shooting. So we grabbed her friend Kerrie, who was so classic & lovely, and went into downtown Reno.

And now this afternoon we will be shooting again! I'll have more for you soon.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Road Trip Coming Up!

2010-07-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

So the wonderful folks at Bonny Bridal sent me some lovely wedding dress to take on our Road Trip for fun trash the dress sessions! They are so awesome! (I even pranced around the house in this one for an hour- shhh, don't tell.) And I had to take some pictures. Here's a few sneak peeks.

Wanna wear it?! I still have a few spots left on the Road Trip, so email me at rachel@brilliantimagery.net
to schedule your session. It's totally free and lots of fun!
I'll be keeping you all updated daily from the road so check back to see what trouble we can get into!
www.brilliantimagery.net

365 Project

2010-07-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

A few months back I started a 365 Project. Basically taking a picture everyday. I'm on image #99 today. I've been posting the images on Flickr so I don't clog up my blog with them, but I thought I'd show a few of my favorites.

Red Newspaper

2010-07-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

Before I give you the goods (by that I mean images). I want to throw something out there. If you comment on my blog and don't list your email address and if your blogger profile is kept private - I can't write you back! No matter how much I want to! If I don't give me your email address, I can't contact you. So for those who have commented about the Road Trip and want to participate, please make sure that you list your email address. Or just email me. rachel@brilliantimagery.net Thanks!

Ok, on to the imagery! I shot these for a friend who wanted some home decor and I just love them so much I wanted to share. The red paint is the left over paint they used to paint the accent wall where we hung the pictures.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Rustic 1930's Wedding Photoshoot: Horses

2010-07-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

For our inspiration shoot we decided to incorporate some horses! So this is Pokey and Pearl. They were so good natured! Thanks to Ryan's Ranch for lending them to us.

Pearl's on the left, Pokey on the right. See his one blue, one brown eye. Isn't he precious!

Lisa Strawther did the wonderful makeup and hair for us. Thank you, Lisa!

This is my new favorite toy. It was my dad's and my grandfather's, an old Kodak Duaflex IV. Such a fun old camera!

And of course Allen and Jaylene, our wonderful models, were so much fun to work with. We all had a blast!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Rustic 1930's Wedding Photoshoot: Details

2010-07-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, am I awful! It's been almost 4 months since I first started talking about the editorial DIY wedding shoot we did back in March and never did post the final images! To do all that prologue and never show you the images!!! Again -awful of me! If you'll forgive my lateness I'll show them to you now.

First you must see all the awesome details. Maybe that seems backwards but I'm a details kinda girl.
Most of the decor were things we made, as you've seen in my DIY posts #1, #2 and #3. We set up in my backyard. I live in a small farming community just north of Las Vegas and my backyard is 10 acres of old farm land. There is nothing growing there except tons of gnarly, cool mesquite trees. The area made a really unique backdrop.

I made this hair piece from several smaller hair pieces and a few odd feathers.

We did the simple flower arrangement and the throw pillow is made from odd fabric scraps.

The LOVE sign is really simple as well. Just scrapbooking paper glued to a string of yard. The Polaroid pictures are attached with wooden closes pins.

This lovely and simple wedding cake was made by my favorite cake designer, Audree Lytle.

Check back later this week for some more images from this fun shoot.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Mandalay Bay Las Vegas Wedding: Luke + Erin

2010-06-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Erin & Luke had a beautiful ceremony at the Mandalay Bay Hotel's Valley of the Falls earlier this week. In addition to the beautiful scene, the water from the falls made everything nice and cool.

We wanted to drive around right after their wedding to hit the Vegas sign and a few hotels for fun pictures. Erin, Luke and the whole wedding party braved the heat of the desert's June month and partied down the Strip.

The Bellagio has lovely architecture. It's such a joy to shoot there.

Erin was trusting enough to let me blindfold her. And I love the way these images turned out! Thanks, Erin!

Erin and Luke also had the cutest idea. They had their wedding date in playing cards -love that!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Bonny Bridal Wedding Dress Giveaway

2010-06-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Bonny Bridal is the wonderful wedding dress company that is going to be helping us out on our July Road Trip by donating a few dresses to use for Trash the Dress sessions on our travels.
The wonderful people at Bonny Bridal are giving away a free wedding dress this month. And it's so easy to enter. Check out their blog for all the details.
http://bonnybridal.blogspot.com/2010/06/lets-celebrate-our-first-giveaway.html

www.brilliantimagery.net

Minnesota Wedding: Eric & Sarah

2010-06-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

Eric and Sarah's wedding- So much fun! Boats getting lost, boats crashing, crazy drunken photo booth pictures, homemade ice cream, a lake side tent with a disco ball made from a soccer ball and the sun doesn't set till 9:30pm! - does it get any better?

www.brilliantimagery.net

Back Home

2010-06-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

I've been back from Minnesota for almost a week and I still feel like I'm playing catch up on all my work. So forgive my lateness in blog posting.
Eric & Sarah's Minnesota lakeside wedding was awesome! I'll have more images coming soon. Here is a Polaroid of my assistant, Carmen, and I playing at the photobooth. Sarah made those wonderful lips and mustache from wood. Aren't they cool?

Even though I am just back from a trip I am already planning for our next one- The Road Trip in July. And I have some great new information for you: Bonny Bridal has offered to let us borrow some of their beautiful wedding dresses for the whole road trip to do some great 'Trash the Dress' sessions all over. So now you don't have to trash your own dress because I have one for you! Again email me to schedule a session or if you have any questions.

Minnesota Trash the Dress: Eric & Sarah

2010-05-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

I'm lovin' Minnesota! Beautiful weather, cool old buildings and bridges, friendly people- it's awesome here! I am here for Eric & Sarah's wedding today. We got in a few days ago and did a fun Trash the Dress in old town Minneapolis with a white balloon -Sarah's great idea. And I'll be off to the wedding in just a little bit here. So excited!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Las Vegas Home Wedding: JT & Katie

2010-05-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was JT and Katie's wedding. I love them so much and I had a fabulous time. But I feel like I've talked about them so much in my last posts about the engagements and 'trash the dress' that I'm just going to shut up and let you look at the images.

Ok, I have to say: I just love how you can see their mountain of presents in the background of this one of the first dance.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Las Vegas Wedding: Gregory & Teresa

2010-05-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

Teresa called me yesterday anxious to see her images from her wedding last week. Gregory & Teresa were married in a simple ceremony off the Vegas Strip and had a rock'n salsa dancing reception that night! Hope these few images tide you over, Teresa!

First Dance

This kid was wild! I loved following him around.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Las Vegas LDS Temple Wedding: Nathan + Julie

2010-05-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend Nathan found a sweet girl to marry him. Now they are just the sweetest, cutest couple! (Did I say sweet, enough?) Just look at them- aren't they too cute!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Trash the Dress: Clark County Library

2010-05-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

When I was little my mother told me not to get married in June because that's when everyone gets married. My mom SO had it wrong, May is the crazy month! This past weekend was madness. But I had some amazing fun and I did it all on a sprained ankle. (Don't ask, I'm just clumsy.)

Katie wanted to do her Trash the Dress before her wedding which is next weekend. Because her and JT will only have 10 days together after their wedding. They are both in the military and will be shipping out. So we heading to the Clark County Library for some wonderful architecture. The light was so perfect, Katie's perfect; I couldn't ask for a better time!

Don't you adore her stellar hair piece!?! (I think I may have squealed a bit when I saw it.)

And then just for the fun of it, we got ourselves kicked out of a Barnes and Noble bookstore. Good times!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Road Trip!

2010-05-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

So Brilliant Imagery is planning a photography road trip! Basically that means, myself, and my 2 assisstants will be taking a week long gallivant to do photography session through out Nevada and California. And get this- we'll be doing the sessions totally FREE!!! No travel costs and no session fees. We'll shoot and put up your images on the online gallery where you'll be able to view and purchase prints and products. If you'd like to buy the disk of all your edited images it's only $300. Then you'll be able to Facebook 'em, print 'em at home, email 'em or whatever.

We'd love to do some family portrait sessions, babies, pregnancies, senior portraits, engagement sessions, Trash the Dress sessions or (dare I say it -) your wedding!

We've planned out a road route that will have us in 4 different cities over a week. This is the tentative schedule:
   Friday July 23rd 2010: Reno, Nevada
   Sunday July 25th 2010: San Francisco, California
   Tuesday July 27th 2010: Los Angeles, California
   Wednesday July 28th 2010: San Diego, California

We'd be happy to change our schedule or route to fit you in, so let us know! Please email me to schedule a session or if you have any questions. We so look forward to photographing you!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Town Square Engagement: Jason + Heather

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

It was so warm and sunny in Southern Nevada the few past weeks that I've been dreading the unavoidable, oppressive heat of the summer. Then weather turned crazy and got cold and SUPER windy! With Heather & Jason driving down from the snowy mountains they thought Vegas would be a welcome change. Instead the morning we schedule their engagement shoot they get the windy city! But as the day went on it warmed up and the wind calmed down. Town Square was a great place to be sheltered from most of the wind. Once Heather and Jason warmed up (the coffee helped I think), they were racing down the escalators and smooching in elevators. Thanks for a awesome morning, Heather & Jason. I never had so much fun at a mall without spending money!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Night Shoot at Abandoned House II

2010-04-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

I had some requests to display more images from the night shoot. So back my popular demand...

Night Shoot at Abandoned House

2010-04-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

So there is this creepy old abandoned house in my little farming town that must be near 100 years old.
A few photographer friends of mine and I decided to go do a cool night shoot there. Two of my other friends, who are just gorgeous girls, were kind enough to model for us. They braved the spooky house and spiders and broken glass. (Thank you Alexa & Lindsay! XOXO) The first image here I took before the sun went down. It looks so sweet and summery. Everything after that turned out so eerie and hunted looking. I love it!

I like how Lindsay's lips peek through the translucent fan paper here. And do you love her hair piece? I made both their hair pieces with craft supplies from Joann's. I'm going to start an Esty store- LOL Not!

Rustic 1930's Wedding Photoshoot II

2010-04-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share some more imagery from the oh-so-fun wedding shoot I photographed a few weeks ago. Allen and Jaylene were kind enough to model for me. They got married young and have been married almost 10 years! I usually am taking images of VERY newly wed couples. So it was a treat to document a long lasting marriage, especially of such a super lovely couple! I have even more images of this cute couple to be posted soon.

New Business Cards!

2010-03-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

I finally ordered new business cards and I love them! Taste of Ink designed and printed them. I just had to take a picture of them and share. Also this picture is the first image of my 365 Project. I got the idea from photographer Tasra Mar. The project is that for a full year, 365 days, I have do these 3 things everyday.
1) Take at least one photograph
2) Read one page out of my camera manual
3) Research a different artist or photographer
Sounds simple, but I know that it's going to take up a lot of extra time. However I really want to do this project though it will be hard. I'm going to be posting the images on Flickr so I don't clog up my blog with them. But I'll be post some of those daily images periodically.
www.brilliantimagery.net

Red Rock Calico Springs Engagement Session

2010-03-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

As a long time friend of the Sorensen Family I was so happy to hear that little Katie (not so little anymore) is getting married! And even more happy to shoot their engagement pictures! Both Katie and her fiance JT are in the National Guard. In fact JT will ship out just 10 days after their wedding.
JT is so perfect for spunky Katie - playful and witty. I'm so excited to shoot their wedding in May!

We went out to Calico Springs, which is just west of Las Vegas, right before you get to Red Rock Canyon. The weather is perfect this time of year. We had a blast!

www.brilliantimagery.net

Rustic 1930's Wedding Photoshoot

2010-03-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

I'd been so excited waiting and planning our 1930's rustic wedding photoshoot. Finally we got to shoot last weekend. These images are of the DIY projects that I've been making. I'll be posting more of the fun images soon.

Wedding Fans

Fabric Balls

Jar Candle Lights

www.brilliantimagery.net

DIY Project #3

2010-03-13T19:53:00.000-08:00

These are simple jar lights to hang. They look great at dusk and add nice ambiance lighting.

You can use any size jar you like. The one above is a mason jar, but I also used baby food jars.

Materials:

-glass jar

-craft wire (the thinner the better,

as it is easier to manipulate and cut)

-wire cutters

-tealight candle

-candle for wax drippings

First cut two strips of wire. Length depends on your jar size.

One wire wrap around the mouth of the jar so it won't slip off.

The second wire is the hook to hang the jar with. Twist the wire on each side of the jar into the first wire.

Light the dripping candle and let the wax melt for few minutes. Once you have a little pool of wax pour it on to the side of the candle slowly so it drips down the outside.

Drop the tealight candle onto the jar and you're done. Hang them from a tree or ceiling hooks.

Disneyland!

2010-03-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

Disneyland for a whole week! - Now that's a vacation! But only because I have a three year old to take with me. Somehow experiencing wonders with a child makes everything so much more enjoyable for the adult as well. I love watching his little face light up with excitement at the simplest things.

This is my mother and my son in front of Mr. Toad's Wild ride. (I'm still not sure what that ride is all about?)

This is underwater on the Nemo Submarine ride.

www.brilliantimagery.net

DIY Projects #2: Wedding Fans

2010-02-28T08:11:00.000-08:00

Versatile Wedding Fan

So this is the cutest, easiest to make and most versatile wedding DIY idea. You can use it as a fun prop for your photo booth or romantic couple portraits. Also would work great as decor at your reception, stuck in the ground or even in the table center pieces.

All you need is:

-Jumbo popsicle stick

-Flat wood cutout shape

-Glue stick

-Scrapbook paper

-Ribbon or lace (optional)

(all of which I got at JoAnn's Crafts)

Glue the popsicle stick to the wood shape and trace the shape onto you paper. Cut it out and clue it on. I used two different papers and a strip of lace. Easy Peasy and oh-so-cute!

DYI Project #1: Fabric Balls

2010-02-23T18:09:00.000-08:00

In a few weeks I will be shooting a fun inspiration wedding photo session. It's going to be SO much fun! A few other wedding vendors will collaborate with me in setting up this really cute shoot. I am making some fun DIY projects for the shoot that I've wanted to try. So I thought I'd take pictures as I make them and show you guys how to make them. This is the first one. I'll be posting some more projects before we do the shoot. So keeping checking back to see what else I come up with.

FABRIC BALLS

This is a variation on a DIY project I saw on Once Wed. I changed it a bit. I used a color theme instead of just one color of fabric (plus you get to use up your fabric scraps that way).

Cut out about 50 or more circles of fabric. The circles only need to be about 4 inches in diameter. The only other supplies needed are a glue gun and a ball. I used a hollow cardboard ball with a string attached that I purchased at Joann's Crafts. A styrofoam ball or small Chinese lantern will work as well.

Attaching the fabric to the ball is easy and only takes a few minutes. (It's the cutting fabric out that is time consuming). Make the fabric into a cone shape and apply glue to the center of the fabric circle.

Tie a ribbon through the loop of the ball. If you use a styrofoam ball you'll need to attach a loop of string to the ball before you start glueing on the fabric circles. The ball can be hung from a ceiling, hooking it on the wall or even draped over the back of the chairs at dinner.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Baby Girl Leigha!

2010-02-23T12:07:00.000-08:00

Kami and Shawn are a sand dune desert romping kind of couple. And when Kami said she wanted some pregnancy pictures with her ATV I knew we needed do a desert shoot with this sweet baby. She's only a few weeks old. But Leigha did not like me taking her pictures though. She was a bit mad for most of the shoot. Then she fell asleep in her dad's arms and then she was a much happier subject.

www.brilliantimagery.net

Birthday!

2010-02-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday! When you have a toddler your time is not your own. So today we had a mini party at my house with 8 screaming kids. Happy birthday to me.

www.brilliantimagery.net

And the Winners Are...

2010-02-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

The winners of the Most Unique Wedding Contest are Eric & Sarah! Though they are living in New York their wedding will be in Minnesota this Spring.

Some of the unique aspects of their wedding:

- huge 40'x70' tent designed by the groom

- canoe & boat lunch for all the adventurous wedding guests

- venue is outside near a lake where Eric proposed

- ceremony will include a 'unity' tree instead of a unity candle

Here's an excerpt from the information Sarah sent to me: "Some of our other favorite details include: our friends and family have been woven into the day as much as possible; Sarah's grandmother is making her dress (she is an amazing seamstress!); we are making our wedding bands out of silver quarters; herbs, moss and plants will keep the area smelling fresh and delicious!; Eric's voice is the sweetest voice you've ever heard and I can't wait for him to sing!"

I am so excited to have the opportunity to shoot Eric & Sarah's wedding! I had so many great weddings to choose from. Thank you all for the wonderful entires. It was a such a pleasure to read about all those great, unique weddings!

Apples & A Belly

2010-01-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

When Kami asked me to do her pregnancy session I knew she'd let me do whatever crazy thing I came up with, being that I've known her for such a long time. And I think we scared her husband a bit when he come home to find a studio light set up in his dining room. But his part was pretty painless, so he got off easy. Poor Kami had to hold those baskets of apples forever. She was good to me by being so trusting. Hope she lets me do a newborn session!

I love that their hair matches!

Only one week until the Free Wedding Contest ends!

www.brilliantimagery.com

Trip to Utah

2010-01-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

This morning my parents came over VERY early and picked up my son and I to drive to Provo, Utah.

My grandparents live in Provo (just south of Salt Lake City), so we came to visit them. The drive up gave us such a beautiful sunrise and lovely skies! I'm not a morning person so I don't catch a sunrise that often. The farther we got north the more clouds and fog come in. Just outside of St. George, Utah we saw this view of Pine Mountain with the clouds hugging the mountain. Such nice contrast between the white snowy mountain and the red desert.

This is where we stopped to stretch out legs, a must when traveling with a 3 year old. My dad found some rocks to climb, which as a avid rock climbing guru, he always seems to find.

These are just some bones of old deer road kill, but I thought it was kind of beautiful.

Don't forget about the free wedding photography contest!
www.brilliantimagery.net

Try New Things for a New Year

2010-01-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

So with the beginning of this new year I tried something new. I handed my 3 year old son my camera. I just set the camera for him and told him to take my picture. I think it worked out pretty well and we had a lot of fun. My little protege. He took all the images above (except for center pomegranate).

So I offer a challenge for this new year. Try something new this week, something you've never done before. Tell us about it by posting a comment.

Don't forget about the free wedding photography contest.