McKiss Portraits: 2014

Monday, November 17, 2014

San Diego Model

Alrighty! Here are some modeling portraits of the wonderful Anders Conk. (Sorry ladies, he's taken by the beautiful Michelle Conk and they have most adorable little girl) It's fun to mix things up a little bit and to do a different kind of shoot. Anders is new to the modeling world and I think he did a great job! He's just starting to get his name out there....So if any of you have any good modeling hook-ups for him, let me know and I'll pass on the info!

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Jake and Erica's Wedding album

Jake and Erica. I met Jake in my singles ward in Provo, Utah. He was the ward's sweetheart. He cared about everyone and you could tell. He's the ultimate "good guy". In fact they should make a meme called "good guy Jake". I met Erica for the first time when we started talking about me being their photographer. I adored her instantly. She's the type of girl that will make a stranger feel like they are her best friend. These two were so perfect for each other.

It's always a bit awkward to have your photo taken. You want to look good and you're hoping you can trust the photographer. This is something I love about doing engagement photos. It always starts off awkward. Kind of like a first date. But then things really start to click and the next thing you know, you're getting married! ...Well they are, anyway. ;) I love getting to know the bride and groom and seeing them open up and trust me. That's when the magic happens.

Speaking of first dates. Here is the story of Jake and Erica's first date from Jake's point of view.

I love learning about how people meet. But what I love more than that, is learning about how they got engaged. So here is Erica's story about how they got engaged.

Aren't they cute?! Okay now I'm going to show you our journey from their engagements down to their wedding. This is their wedding album that I designed for them. Enjoy!

Friday, November 7, 2014

A Photographer's Note on Digital Files

In this day and age, a print is a rare commodity. They are uploaded to Facebook and often forgotten. The CD is stashed in some box in the computer room, getting scratched and ruined. The hard drive they were uploaded to crashed. All that you are left with is a sad, low resolution web version of a piece of your life.

I'm speaking from experience here, obviously. When Ross and I got engaged, he had strategically placed one of his friends in a bush below the bridge where he was going to propose. Despite this friend having only one photo class in his life....... I cherished the photos because they were from a moment in my life that could never be relived. I quickly uploaded them to my computer and to Facebook.

Facebook is an instant gratification of sorts. All your friends see the photos and leave their "likes" and Comments. There is nothing bad about this. It's great for me, as a photographer, to show off my work. But I feel like we need to start thinking long term. Facebook doesn't replace your photo albums. It complements them. Do not....DO NOT rely on just facebook to store your priceless memories! I learned this the hard way. I went to print some of those photos of us getting engaged... and they were gone. They were on a hard drive that had crashed with no hopes of recovery. My precious photos were consumed by the fire of the digital world.

Now I'm sure you've picked up on where this rant is going. Your wedding photos. Whether or not you are getting married, or have been married for awhile. Make prints of your photos. Don't let them drift off into cyber darkness. You wont get that moment back. This is why I offer albums in my wedding packages. There is just something special about an actual print of an image. So whether or not I am your photographer, just please make prints of your photos! Even if you hired your little sister's best friend and you hate all the photos! They are still irreplaceable.

Now... stay tuned for some albums that I recently designed!

Saturday, September 13, 2014

ITALIA

So normally I don't post personal stuff on my blog..... but this is Italy! So I'm going to put it on here. In May my husband and I had the chance to go to Italy for three weeks in celebration of our one year anniversary. My husband served an LDS Mission in Italy, so he is fluent in Italian.... which definitely came in handy. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the trip. Next stop France!!! .... okay maybe not for a while. A girl can dream...

Over looking the Roman ruins

The Colosseum

The Forum in Rome

Now I kind of love this photo. There was a bunch of protesting going on right in front of the Colosseum. The Polizia was standing by in formation just in case something were to happen. Nothing got out of control, but it made for a good shot.

Beautiful light in Rome

Love love love all the cobblestone around Rome. Of course my feet weren't too happy with me once the day was done.

So many smart cars! I definitely fell in love with the old Fiat cinque centos though. The were so adorable.

Fiume Tevere river at night

The Pantheon

Rome at night <3

Fontana di Trevi

The Roman Forum

The view of the Colosseum from the Forum

The Colosseum

Pompeii

There were so many artifacts, it was unreal.

Pompeii

The road to Vesuvius

This dog made it's home Pompeii. I guess that is the way to go!

Pompeii

Sorrento

Sooooo many scooters in Sorrento!

Sorrento is known for it's lemons. There are lemon orchards everywhere. They are famous for a kind of hard lemonade called Lemoncello. (we didn't try it, but we heard it is good)