Happy Halloween! Angela makes a remarkable halloween costume every year. She enjoys sewing and creating unique costumes! Check out Angela's instagram page to see more of her costumes, This year her costume was inspired by the movie Coco! She did such a beautiful job on her make up, headpiece and dress! 

Angela and I went to high school together and now we both live in Arizona. We haven't been very good about getting together, but we always have a great time when we do! Angela is so easy to talk to, funny and easy to relate with. I was so happy Angela asked me to take photographs of her in her costume! It was inspiring seeing her costume and the amazing piece of art she has created! 

I love the Bradford Family! Sherri posts on Facebook the funny things that Araya says and I crack up at every post! I met them a few years ago when Blake and I moved to Arizona. I got to visit Sherri and Bryten often and get to know them better. Sherri is a great listener and I love chatting with her. 

We had a very memorable family photo session at Coon Bluff! The light and landscape was beautiful and we had ourselves some good laughs. John had a spider crawl down his shirt but didn't believe his dad that there was a spider in his shirt! It was pretty hilarious and everyone was laughing as he shook out his shirt and got the tiny spider out of it. 

NEXT there was a rattle snake! I don't believe I have seen a snake at a session in Arizona so this was my first. I stayed far away but Scott got up close and personal and discovered it was six years old. 

I am so happy we got to capture these beautiful family photos of the Bradford family! Thanks Sherri for being an amazing friend and always telling people about my photography!

This session was my first time exploring Phon D Sutton. I can always count on Stacey to come up with a great location idea, great outfits, and great attitudes for their family pictures! I am so happy they have me take their pictures several times a year because I love seeing them. I also love that documenting their family and little Dylan is so important to them.

I will be honest, I don't get my family pictures taken nearly enough! I always love my images when I get them done, but preparing can often be a struggle. The act of getting them taken can also be total chaos! Last year, my daughter screamed for the ENTIRE session!!
I have some tips for a smooth family session with children for you; however you usually need to be prepared for something to go wrong and try to remain calm. First, Try not to let the kids fall asleep in the car. This makes for grouchy smiles and like in my case, a screaming child! When choosing your location, pick somewhere that you don't have to do much off-roading. It's a pain when you're yelling at the kids to get out of the cactus or mud.  Make sure the kids are fed before the session and bring a drink and snack to your session just incase. Sometimes we all get hangry! Explain to your children weeks in advance what they will be doing at their session and what you expect of them. Lastly, PRAY! haha. I am not even kidding. I usually pray before every session for a smooth running session and happy memories to be made. I hope those tips are helpful for your family pictures this fall! 

I met Lacy a few years ago when we lived in the same community! Lacy was just a young girl, and an excellent babysitter! She is full of talent and creativity. I was very excited when she asked me to photograph her wedding day!

Lacy and Cody got married earlier this year  in the Gilbert, Arizona temple. Photographing the two of them, their families and friends was a dream! They are such kind and genuine people. Lacy and Cody's wedding reception in Queen Creek, Arizona was darling. Lots of family and friends were their celebrating. If I am being honest, one of my favorite things about wedding receptions is the cake. @kris10_bloom made Lacy and Cody's beautiful cake. 

At Lacy and Cody's wedding in particular, I LOVED the flowers. @bushel_and_peck_co designed the wedding flowers. The colors were beautiful. If I had a do over for my wedding, I would choose these flowers! The darling cupcakes were made by @monicac12707. 

The decorations were so unique and something I have never seen before! I loved that they had a unique theme. There were cute maps, globes, planes, and suit cases all around the reception. It was very well done by @fancyloudesigns.

Something I do at most all weddings is CRY during the father and daughter and son and mother dance! This wedding reception was no exception for me. It was so cute watching Lacy and her mom watch Cody and his mom dance. Lacy and her mom were both crying. It was definitely a very special day and I felt blessed to be apart of it capturing all of the special memories.