Alders Photography Blog

Today’s post comes along side Diane & Kevin’s engagement session in the desert of Las Vegas.  Anna is a good friend of Diane and Kevin, so she came along and we did a fabulous bridal portrait session with her!  A bridal shoot is a great opportunity to get to wear your dress more than once, to take some fashion photos at a new location, and really show off how you looked during your engagement.  It’s great because your fiance is nowhere to be found (keeping the dress a reveal on the wedding day), but you get even more photos of yourself in probably the most important dress you will ever wear!

We had the best time in the desert using the different settings and props!  And Anna looked fabulous!  Now if every bride wore a hairpiece from Etsy and rocked the big chunky pearls, I’m sure I would get bored…eventually.  But oh how I love them!  This shoot also gave me a chance to work with studio lights, something I never do, and it was fun to even include the setup in a photo as well.  And it is a shoot like this that always gives me an excuse to bring film and be surprised later after it’s developed.  I shot with both my 35mm Canon and my Holga.  Enjoy!

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Thanks to all the vendors who made this session possible:

Victor Sizemore Photography
Styling by Grey Likes Weddings: Summer Watkins
Historical Jewels
Make-up & Hair: Jill Guin of Darling Bride
Video: Elysium Productions

What really is the purpose of this blog?  Hopefully this post will be a good example of why I do this.  Yesterday’s post showed that I was in a desert in Las Vegas.  Today I bring you a drainage ditch.  The purpose is to show you that you can take your shoot anywhere you want it to go.  We can be in an orchard of lemons.  We can go to Disneyland.  Or we can shoot in a drainage ditch.  And it’s all going to rock.  I love when clients shoot pseudo wedding photos for their engagement session.  They dress up in wedding garb (in Los Angeles, Aardvarks is a great place to pick up a dress!) and really use the opportunity for a trash the dress session.  This is a time to get a little dirty, get a little relaxed, and get a little more fun!  Hope this gives you ideas!  Enjoy!

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About a month ago I attended a photography convention in Las Vegas called WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International).  While in Las Vegas I got to shoot this amazing engagement session in the desert!  I think this is why I love engagement sessions.  They can be an opportunity to shoot with a stylized vision, they can take advantage of another location, other than your wedding day venue, and they can produce great art for your home!  I loved the juxtaposition between the cracked ground and the zebra print rug.  I loved the props!  I loved that Diane and Kevin were willing to stretch for the shoot!  And they were troopers.  It may not look like it but it was a balmy 45º out there and that wind was blowing!  I hope to use this shoot as an example to my clients to really think of something for your engagement session that is fun, that is you, and that is a bit out of the ordinary for your engagement session.  Now, I’m not saying every session should be a 45º desert shoot, but rather using every opportunity to its fullest!  Enjoy!

Contact Jenny Smith | Alders Photography Website | Alders Photography Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter

Thanks to all the vendors who made this session possible:

Victor Sizemore Photography
Styling by Grey Likes Weddings: Summer Watkins
Historical Jewels
Make-up & Hair: Jill Guin of Darling Bride
Video: Elysium Productions

Last week Alice, Morgan, and I headed back to my new favorite location for another Anthropologie inspired shoot.  Alice & Morgan really wanted something out of the store’s catalog as well as something very unique, and I think they got it!  This is my newest location and they were excited to be the first to get to use it!  Alice, you are radiant.  I love your little half smile.  Morgan, you’re hilarious.  Your comedic timing is impeccable.  It was great to get to know you two better and I look forward to your April wedding at La Venta Inn!  Enjoy!

Contact Jenny Smith | Alders Photography Website | Alders Photography Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter