For A Moment Photography

How to Care and Break in High Heels

My grandmother is who I credit for my love of high heels.  I remember hearing a story about her parents buying her her first pair of high heels but requiring her to learn how to properly walk in them first.  This is story that always comes to mind when I see a woman in heels come bounding towards me. 

Recently I bought a beautiful pair of heels that were a bit difficult breaking in than most.  Normally when I wear a new pair of heels I lather my feet with lotion and slide my feet in.  As the day progresses I continue to ad lotion as needed.  This usually works and rarely get a blister.  With this pair I was unable to walk in then towards the end of the night.

First buy a good high heel from a good store.  When buying heels I normally buy them from Nordstrom's (Nordie’s), they have a great exchange policy.  Plus they have every height for just about any budget.  A high heel has to fit you well otherwise you might be one of those girls barefoot carrying her heels at the end of the night- not a good look.  Once I went back to Nordie’s because I loved this heel I thought it was the right size but as the night/day progresses my foot would slip out.  I thought I just needed a pad on the heel, the employee had me go down a size and now I could play a round of golf in them if I needed too!  

Second, once you find a heel you love you want to make sure they stay looking good.  A beautiful pump really never goes out of style.  When I have a new shoe I will take it to a cobbler and have them place a rubber sole on the bottom to keep from damaging the shoe sole.  The bonus here is that it also makes them less slippery.  The cobbler can also change the heel spike if this wears down or gets damaged.  The cobbler I go to does this for $25-35 and in a few days.  If I need them quickly he can do them in a day. 

Third if you unsure of how to walk in a high heel heres a tip, step first on the ball of your foot not the heel.  And just because they are expensive doesn’t mean they are a good fit for you.  I’ve tried on pairs where the arch just isn’t right for my foot.  Prada isn’t a brand that works for me, which is a bummer because they have a beautiful red pump...

PS if you're in the valley the cobbler I use is:

Luxury Shoe & Luggage Repair

4390 N. Miller Road Ste. 105

Scottsdale, AZ 85251

480.878.5756

 

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Sunrise the morning of.

The Venue the morning of.

The Inn.

The breath taking bride.

Walking down the aisle.
Groomsmen.
Details.

Seeing her groom.

Ceremony.

Mr. & Mrs.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding in the picturesque  location of Santa Barbara, California.  This trip was the first time I have ever been  to this city promoted as the “American Rivera” with “Mediterranean” type climate.  The beach was beautiful, the sea food fresh and plentiful I felt like I was walking in a post card.  In short this place is a destination not to be missed, making it a perfect location for a wedding!

The bride and I have known each other for 8 to 9 years.  She lives in California so we have not seen each other too much but I have loved the time I have spent with her and adore her two boys.  Michelle and I are “friends” on Facebook but she is by no means a “heavy user”.  Lucky for me (somedays I’m not so sure of this) my business model requires I post on Facebook (and often).

Michelle had seen my work (on Facebook) and liked my style and wanted hired me for her wedding.  At first I was a little apprehensive to say yes.  I have every confidence in my work and I always put my whole heart into my work.  My only fear was that the wedding would not be a good fit (more than 100 is a for sure no for me).  Lucky for me after our first conversation with Michelle I knew we were a great fit.  Then after our first talk I googled at the location-- I fell in love! 

Which is part of the reason it took me a week to post any photos.  I tried to just edit a few but I just kept wanting to edit more and more.  So many photos and so little time!  Not to mention the sessions I had this week...  

Obviously I love the photos and the bride and groom were such a charming couple to photograph.  They were stress free, low key and very loving with each other and having more places to take photos then we had time for was a good problem to have.  Being with the bride and groom on their wedding day is always an honor, being with Michelle and Jerry gave me a chance to get to know them as a couple.  Before the wedding I had only met Jerry once a few years ago and photographing someone is for me the best way to get to know them.  

The location was stunning, the bride and groom were delightful and the energy of the day was beautiful.  While photographing weddings I always work hard at keep my stress and excitement levels down, there are plenty of other people panicking enough for us all.  My job is to use my camera to show the love and beauty that surround these two. 

 

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My Will

Jameson!

I love photographing Nicole, she's beautiful inside and out!  

I.  Die...  (that just means it's too beautiful to take in).

Family, holiday, and engagement photos all in one day- oh what a long day (and I wouldn't change a thing).  My day started pretty early and ended right before the sun went down.  My head, hands and feet hurt.  But I loved every minute of it!  

Today I got to photograph all returning clients/friends.  I love that!  It makes me happy that they come back and it's so much fun to see the kiddos grow up!  Jameson, I've known since he was maybe 5 years old.  Now he is in the 8th grade, and still so adorable!  His little kid self is still in there I'm sure but I see a young man in my camera's view finder, how can this be?!

The first two kiddos I photographed for the first time last year.  Since then our families have become great friends and their kiddos are so near and dear to my heart.  Will is for sure my little buddy and makes facetime calls with me throughout the week.  This summer he would record messages for me too while I was away!..

And Nicole and her fiancé David.  What a guy!  Nicole and I met for lunch before the session and she told me the story on how he pop the question.  It's everything every girl dreams about!  He planned a weekend getaway to a beautiful resort, they had a couples massage, he ordered champagne and strawberries, and beautiful fire going, oh to hear her tell it gave me chills.  She is for sure is on cloud nine with David and I'm thrilled to be apart of the excitement!...

Today I spend time with my friends, my family and I created some beautiful photographs and memories.  I don't think life can get any better...

 

 

 

 

 

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This past weekend I photographed an intimate family wedding in California.  Lauren, the bride is distant family of mine, or so a few of us decided...  At this wedding I knew a few people which wouldn't normally matter at a wedding I would be working...  But knowing some of them on a more personal level created a different experience.

Some of the brides family I remember as a young child and their names I've heard through out my childhood.  Others I've only recently met in a by chance connection on Facebook.  In the years since that connection we have created great relationships.  It was good to see them all and get to be apart of this celebration and see them together as a family.

As much as weddings are about the bride and groom they are also about the families that encompass the couple.  Those family ties may be legitimate family ties or friends that have become family.  No matter the origin, together they create the experiences that shape the type of couple the bride and groom will become. 

The groom, Jeremy comes from a small family and what I quick realized is that the family he did have was very important to him.  The large group of friends that Lauren and Jeremy have shared since high school was treated like family by both of them.  Seeing the night unfold with such love from the world they share was endearing.  

At the past two weddings I have photographed this summer I couldn't help but be touched by the love and support they are surrounded with.  Before each wedding I thought about how significant this day is and how fortunate I am to spend such a large part of this day with the bride and groom...  Looking at my own photos it's so difficult for me to be objective but I hope that my photos convey the affection and tenderness I felt being there.  The energy at both events was unmistakable.  My work is so important to me because of my incredible clients.  So many of them have helped me appreciate the moments in life that seem to pass too quickly...  Hmmm, is it apparent that I cry at weddings?    

 

The wedding: click by click

After a week at home (not counting this weekend's escape to the high country) I am starting to feel settled in.  I've been working on editing my photos from the wedding I did in July.  It's been so fun and almost like I'm opening up a gift in each photo I work on.

I had to text my client the other day because I found my self sitting smiling at my computer screen as I edited my photos.  Hopefully that was good news to her, because I know she's been very excited to see the images!  The most exciting part is being able to see the day unfold and have my photos tell the story.  This whole wedding thing is a lot of work but I think I could find myself getting hooked on the idea of it all!

For me meeting and spending time with couples that are just beginning their happily ever after is a pretty great place to be, it's such a privilege for me and I really cherish that fact.  I know I say that a lot, but it's so true.  If there ever is a day I don't feel that way then I think that's the day I'd stop taking photos.

You Can't go Wrong with Candles

You should know then by now, they're my couple getting married in 8 days!

my gift.  LOVE.

I met with the couple  (yesterday) one more time before the wedding.  We discussed some of the details, logistics and just got to know each other a little better!  I was so surprised that they brought me a little gift.  They must know me better than I realized, they gave me a candle- a pine scented candle.  

I love candles and I only buy a few particular scents and yes, pine is one of them!  This really makes me happy because the candles I had purchased in the past are no longer around.  So  I think they've created a new obsession for me (Root Candles)...

I was going to take a quick photo yesterday, but I'm surrounded by these huge old pines- I had to get creative.  In other words waste more time on photos for the fun of it.  Life is beautiful and I want beautiful things (photos) around me.  Hopefully you enjoy it too.      

Engagement Session: Speculator, NY

I don't even know where to start!  Today I photographed the adorable couple above, Allayn and Andy.  We had not met yet, they live in North Carolina and we were introduced (via email) through Allayn's cousin who had seen some of my work last summer in New York.  So today was our first meeting and the first time I saw the location!  Her family's camp is about an hour and fifteen minutes away from the lake we're on...  The afternoon went by quicker than expected but we had a good time and we got some great photos!

The location is pretty amazing and I wish I could take a few days to really find the best way to photograph them and this location.  To be honest it's all pretty picture perfect!  I know I'll spend a lot of time leading up to the wedding day dreaming about taking their photos.  I guess it's a good thing the wedding is only a few weeks away!

When I got home from Speculator, NY (the town they're in) I started to work on a few photos.  Then for some strange reason my computer would not connect to the internet.  I was so obsessed with posting the photo I went to The Store at Silver Bay to use the free wi-fi.  I'm so glad I did, they loved the photo and is sounds like her family loves what they've seen so far too!

Thank goodness I was able to get my internet up and running after Presley went to bed...  The rest of the photos will have to wait until tomorrow...

Jump Right In!

I love her dress detail.  

 

My days in New York are coming to an end and I'm running around trying to get the most of out the days I have left.  This means last minute photo sessions!  We (me and my wedding couple) decided last night we were going to meet today to figure out if we could pull off a quick session.  We met at 10:00am (not dressed for photos) and by 11:00am we were snapping photos.

The good thing about a session like this is I had no time worry about weather, lighting, props etc.  The bad thing was I had no time to worry about weather, lighting and props (laughter)...  Usually it all works out but I am a stickler with coming to a session with a plan.  It's just my nature and I think I work best with a plan/direction in mind. 

I left the session thinking to myself about all the shots I "missed"...  I'm glad we did the session and I'll just focus on the ones we got!  My couple left to Vermont hours later, we very easily could of skipped the session all together.  So glad we didn't.