Featurette: Blake and Ali

I thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with Blake and Ali, from meeting the guys on the green to dancing away the evening at their reception. I smiled and laughed as much being with this charming couple and their family and friends as I did editing Blake and Ali's footage.

Blake and Ali are the type of people that you feel right at home with from the moment you meet them. I wanted their Featurette to echo that same sense of familiarity and fun for them. Congrats Blake and Ali!

Photograph Your Newborn in 2 Easy Steps

Hello Peeps!

Hubby and I welcomed our first little fox to the troop on November 3rd and she's been such entertainment ever since. Here's just one entertaining story so far...

The fox was merely a week old and I had the brilliant idea to take photos like all the gorgeous naked, posed baby photos you see floating around Facebook. I cranked up the heat, set out some props, stripped the little fox to her bare little baby bum, wrapped her in a blanket in case she leaked, and handed her to Daddy.

You can tell by the photo that we had absolutely no idea what we were doing. We're first time parents after all, not yet knowing if the poor thing's head is going to roll off her neck if we don't hold her just-so. As I snapped photos with my fancy camera, she screamed and cried, even reaching that high shrill that only the most talented of babies can reach.

Dumfounded that she wasn't sleeping peacefully like the babies in all the photos I've seen, I wrapped her in the blanket she had just thoroughly soaked with pee and handed her back to Daddy. The logical conclusion was try, try, try again. Here's where it all hit the fan. Simultaneously, Daddy and I start to sweat because the house is now a sauna, Daddy's phone rings, he reaches for it with his free hand while holding the pee-soaked blanket containing our shrill fox - and the icing on the cake - the baby poops, all over Daddy. And screams and cries.

That last bit applies to us all. A full-blown meltdown ensued with me and the little fox sitting on the floor bawling our eyes out and Daddy covered in poo. And all I have is this lousy photo to show from it.

Step 1: Hire a professional to take newborn photos

Especially if this is your first child. You have way too much going on and no matter how much of a Wonder Woman you think you will be, expect the unexpected and let an outside source pamper you and your baby the way you should be pampered. You'll thank me for it.

Step 2: Keep your phone handy

Some of my favorite photos I have of our little fox are taken with my phone (like this awesome one on the left - totally Anne Geddes, don't you think?). It's so easy to snap photos here and there with my phone (which I have by my side so I can time feedings anyway). It's candid, it's natural, it's stress-free!

It gives you more freedom to play around with things like poses, framing, and lighting because all you have to do is sit there and cuddle your little spawn. Your finger on the button does the rest. If you haven't heard it enough from your family and friends, let yourself relax! Take advantage of this time to just be with your baby! I wish I had taken that advice. It's the only time you'll get to have an excuse to just...be. Your baby will go through a million different expressions in a fraction of a second, so you can easily sit there and capture each one while you're doing what you do best - being a Mom.

Secret Step 3: Stay tuned

I'm going to post my phone pictures, and I encourage you to do the same! I want to see your babies! I post phone photos here and if you'd like to contribute, send your favorites to me on Facebook! I'll also write about how to make the most of using whatever camera you have handy to take meaningful photos of your newborn.

Featurette: Kevin and Elyse

There are a few reasons why I create wedding stories. The biggest one for me is the ability to tell such different stories for each of my couples. It's fun to pick up on the small nuances that you know will mean the most to the bride and groom. It's like I get to be a private detective. Who else gets to do that on a day-to-day basis?

As always, there are special moments to their story that are being saved for their full Feature Film, but it's easy to see what means the most to Kevin and Elyse. My hope, as always, is that their Featurette speaks to those important themes and tells you a part of their story as only they can tell it.

I feel like I repeat myself, but I get to capture some of the most genuine people I know. It's what I love about my couples and Kevin and Elyse certainly live up to that standard. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Wampler!

Featurette: Cory and Tiffany

Cory and Tiffany's wedding has been one of the most unique experiences I've had when filming weddings. I fell in love with their love and sincerity toward each other as evident by the vows they wrote. I fell in love with the Theater. As in the place where Cory and Tiffany met and live out their passion in life and also as manifested by the location they chose for their wedding. There are so many wonderful details that tell their wedding story yet here the focus lies on those words Cory and Tiffany shared with each other.

I dare you not to cry. Even after hours of replaying the same frames over and over again, it gets me every time.