The first live shoot consisted of working with natural and available light when the lighting outdoors isn't quite ideal, posing/working with your couple, and having fun with lenses and shadows.

Thank you to Karen & Landon for being our first couple model and to Topher & Tiff for being our awesome second couple model!

Want to learn more from us about running your own photography business?! CLICK HERE to get info on the one-on-one mentor session we offer!

Click here to view Vivian + Young's wedding day slideshow!

Want to see more from this wedding? Check out their online slideshow!

You can continue to make donations for Davy Jean by CLICKING HERE! 

Happy Tuesday everyone!

This recap is from our Dallas LYON-SHOP that took place back in January at the Nylo Hotel, it was such a fun venue to shoot at, SO much to work with! Erin + Brad were the GREAT models, loved the chemistry between these two!

Also, before I go on, I just wanted to give a quick shout out to all of our fantastic SPONSORS that help make the LYON-SHOP classes happen! LOVE all of you! Mwahh!:)

Both Trisha + Justin have worked Coachella for the past 11 years in marketing and production, and the desert remains their favorite place to be, so it was a no-brainer when deciding where they wanted to hold their wedding day!

 

I've been holding out on featuring this wedding on my blog because I submitted it first to Green Wedding Shoes for a feature, I knew this wedding would be perfect fit there! I was so happy that it got picked up, be sure to check out the post on the Green Wedding Shoes blog with more details given by Trisha the bride!

CLICK HERE for more images from Trisha + Justin's wedding!

Flash back to March of 2010...The story of Davy Jean and my first birth story:

Imagine after taking a few routine pregnancy tests being told that the child you were carrying had serious genetic disorders. Imagine the doctors having to tell you that there is a great chance your child wouldn't have the capacity to live outside of your womb. Imagine having to muster up the courage to let that child grow full term in hopes that she WOULD live...this is the beginning of Davy Jean's story and my cousin's sweet, sweet wife Ruth is the courageous mother of such a child.

When I heard about Scott & Ruth's situation with the pregnancy I wondered what I could do to help. I knew Ruth & Scott wanted more than anything for this little girl to live, to breath, to run, to laugh, to experience the joy of raising a daughter, and to be part of their family despite her special needs (they already had three little boys and this would be their first girl). 

I suddenly had the urge to offer to photograph the birth. I had NEVER done this before, but it just felt right. Ruth's response was that she had thought about asking me to photograph Davy's birth, but didn't know how to approach me about it. She didn't know if I would feel comfortable being part of this delicate situation, but if I did she knew that I would handle it professionally regardless of Davy's outcome.

I don't normally post images from years past, but I wanted to share the triumphant story of this strong little girl and I also wanted to share the joy that can come from taking a huge leap of faith in life! This has been on mind mind for a few months, so I'm just going to do it.

So let's flashback...to March of 2010, in the hospital room and Davy's birth story....

Scott & Ruth during labor. I remember Scott being so encouraging to Ruth, and Ruth displayed so much optimism under these hard circumstance, something still I admire her for today.

Scott & Ruth's first look at Davy Jean!

Scott & Ruth's family today...and my favorite shot of the day!

Davy continues to grow and learn each day! She can walk, run, jump, laugh, smile, love, and communicate through sign language. She LIVES each day, but not without a number of medications. Her medical bills are enormous, plus this family's health insurance keeps rising and RISING! Just one of the shots she has to take EACH DAY to keep her ALIVE costs $650 per month! She also has many more corrective surgeries to undergo in the future.

HELP IS NEEDED friends. If you've been inspired by this story of faith and growth and feel like you can spare some extra change, PLEASE DONATE to Davy Jean's future by CLICKING HERE. I will donate one FREE photo sitting and include the hi-res digital negatives (which I normally charge $1000 for) to the person who makes the largest donation by MARCH 31st (so it's a WIN WIN:))!

To everyone donating, please know that you will be the answer to so many prayers. I look forward to watching Davy continue on this life's journey...Davy the Super Woman!

If you'd like to read more about Davy Jean's journey, visit Ruth's blog!

Be sure to pick up your own issue, available now!

Truth be told, Justin is the mastermind behind most of these ring shots, I love seeing his creativity come to life in these! We always have fun coming up with different creative ways to photograph the wedding rings! Never will you see us photograph rings inside rose petals, ha-ha! These are our favorite ring shots from 2012!

The last of our "Best of 2012" series will be finished off with our favorite rings shots of the year...next up!

Soooo, onto the next one...Featuring The BEST OF 2012....ENGAGEMENTS! La-la-la-la-LOVED all of these engagement sessions! Truly, engagement sessions bring me the MOST creative fulfillment, it's my favorite subject matter to photograph! Happy couples, in love, just having fun right in front of my lens!

Up next: The Best of 2012....WEDDINGS!

First up: BEST OF 2012...PORTRAITS!

Looking forward to all the portrait clients in store for 2013! Up next: Best of 2012....Engagements!