lake havasu city
What a lovely family! We spent the afternoon/evening with the Janecek family in the Havasu Foothills where they live. When I first spoke with Janessa about her vision for the shoot, she mentioned she wanted the raw desert as the backdrop. It’s amazing how many portrait shoot requests I receive with a location request of grass, trees, greenery etc. When you live in the desert southwest this can be a tall order. I love that they embrace the beauty of where they live.
We had a great time chasing around the kids. We try and get a few of the traditional portraits in, but mostly spend our time letting the kids be kids. In this case, that meant placing a rock on your brothers head and searching for the best sticks. These are how memories are made!
What can I say about this lakeside maternity session other than it was completely adorable! I’ve worked with Amanda and Jasen for a few years now, starting with their engagement session in the Hualapais and then their wedding at the Laughlin Ranch. Of course I was delighted to hear that they were expecting a little girl soon and of course I would photograph their maternity session!
I knew the session was going to be great when I asked Amanda what she thought about a cute bikini / beachy / belly vibe and she immediately loved it. It was incredibly warm (hello, July!) but at least we spent a good portion of the time in the water for photos.
Coming up next? Newborn photos!
Kyrsten & Jake were the lucky winners of a free engagement session I gave away at the Arizona Bridal Show last June. First off, can I just say that I am a little in love with Kyrsten’s hair! A little in love and definitely jealous! These two photograph so beautifully it’s hard to imagine that they’ve never done a portrait session together. John and I both hit it off quickly with these two and I’m so excited to be photographing their wedding in December! (Also: check out the awesome location. It’s become a local favorite for me. Bonus points if you know it.)
This wedding was a blast! Jackie and Drake’s day was all kinds of awesome; this is a really fun (and well organized) group. If Jackie ever decides she needs a career change, she would make an excellent wedding planner! Every detail was thought of and the whole day ran so smoothly. It was a beautiful day on the lake and who doesn’t love a boat ride to the reception?! I had a huge smile throughout the whole day! Ok, that’s probably a lie since I have a horrible frowny face when I’m concentrating, but I was totally smiling on the inside.
I love all sorts of weddings, but I especially love weddings that have such a palpable enjoyment vibe! Jackie’s dad totally owned the dance floor and the cake cutting. It’s not often I get a bride and groom willing to smush the cake in each other’s faces. (Is smush a word?) I loved it. Hint: Cake smushing always makes for great photos! (My spell checker isn’t liking this paragraph.) I especially love the shot of Jackie making an “ick” face behind her mom and dad dancing.
OH! – also – Jackie and Drake now share the same anniversary as John and I. I can’t think of a better wedding to have spent our 13th anniversary shooting. I found myself reminiscing throughout the day and loving on John just a bit more than usual while we were working. Haha!
