We set out for the BlueWater Casino & Resort in Parker, AZ, which resides right on the Colorado River and is a few hours outside of Phoenix.  It happens to be just about the only place in Parker big enough to host a 250+ person reception, complete with a live band and sweet stage-lighting setup to boot.  As we arrived at the casino to shoot some of the wedding preparations taking place, everyone seemed to be in high spirits and excited for the day ahead.  The weather was gorgeous, the candy bar looked yummy, and we knew this would be a great time from here on out.

When it was time to head over to the ceremony site we weren’t quite sure what to expect.  Dawn previously mentioned it would be a private residence adjacent to an alfalfa field but, to be honest, I had no idea what an alfalfa field even looked like.  Upon arriving and seeing the endless field of gold with beautiful late afternoon sun raking across I knew it would be a fantastic backdrop and a great compliment to the neatly arranged hay bales and western theme set up for their ceremony.  As Dawn first stepped out and paused at the end of the aisle there is always that moment at every wedding where the groom’s eyes meet those of his bride to be.  This moment is often met with emotion, happiness, or sometimes even an overwhelming sigh of relief.  Ryan remained cool, collected, and confident in his gaze – these two were meant to be!

After the ceremony ended and we setup for Dawn & Ryan’s formals, everyone was happy to get a little creative with the awesome surroundings and we had a great time working through their set.  From there it would be back to the BlueWater Casino to kick things off for the night, and we even managed to sneak a quick snap of Dawn’s bouquet on the casino floor before security closed in.  The reception was a blast and the stage lighting made for some unique challenges but we loved the way everything turned out.  By the end of the night we were fatigued but it really never felt like we were working too hard – we just had a great time like everyone else and would like to thank Ryan & Dawn once more for allowing us to be a part of their big day.

Once we came back down from gear nirvana we were presented with some amazing opportunities from the fine folks at Bludomain.  As one of the first photography template companies on the market, they have consistently built some of the most amazing Flash and HTML portfolio sites around, and we cannot recommend them highly enough.  As a longtime customer of Blu (Site 1, Site 2) we met Aundrea and Harold at the craps table in the MGM Grand not even an hour into our trip and they promptly handed us each $100 to play the table.  Although the table was icy cold, we couldn’t help but be overcome by their hospitality!  After counting our losses over drinks we were later invited to a private dinner with some of photography’s biggest names the following night.  A great way to kick off WPPI for sure!

After we found out that we would be dining at Scarpetta inside the Cosmopolitan, all of us were pretty excited to find out who we would be sharing dinner with.  When our fabulous marketing director Amber Gordon spoke with Aundrea and informed us that we would be joining none other than Jerry Ghionis and Jesh de Rox that night, I was nearly speechless.  There are very few photographers in the world who I actively respect more than Jerry (who is also a magnificent teacher), so to share such a phenomenal evening with him was like a dream come true.  Furthermore, I had long heard about Jesh’s Beloved, and was tremendously excited to hear some of his thoughts on connecting emotionally with clients.  That night all of us had a reason to be truly thankful for the opportunity, and I would like to personally extend a huge thank you to Bludomain, Jerry, and Jesh for an evening that none of us will ever forget.

Dinner that night at the Cosmo was so inspiring that after meeting with a past bride & groom downstairs, we decided to do an impromptu photo shoot just outside the restaurant with nothing more than a camera phone light!

The next day we wrapped things up at the show by taking in some content produced by Joe McNally in the Nikon booth and later listening in on Cliff Mautner’s presentation on the D800.  After shooting all of 2011 with Canon we are happy to announce our return to Nikon for 2012.  WPPI was an amazing experience as always and we look forward to meeting and more industry friends and potential clients in Vegas.  See you all in March 2013!

Just wanted to show that it really was all lit by a camera phone!

As we packed up and headed out to the location we were greeted by some rather intimidating clouds and a small wall of dust.  Not to be easily deterred we jumped out and snapped a few shots before it started raining and blowing dust.  We discussed postponing the shoot for another day, but decided to wait it out and hope for a break in the weather.  Exactly one Blue Moon in at the local bar, a break in the weather came and we were right back at the Star Tower, hoping to utilize some of the lighting gear we brought with us.  The wind was still in full effect although the wall of dust seemed to pass, so we were glad that Michelle and John were feeling a little adventurous!  We were able to get some fantastic shots on and around the Star Tower, and our stay was rewarded with a very dramatic and colorful transformation of day into night.

For some of the last shots of the evening we were in near total darkness and I was looking to capture just the right image to compliment the twinkling lights on the side of the Star Tower.  I thought for a moment about how I would like Michelle and John to look and I decided to tell them to embrace each other like they hadn’t seen one another for months, or even years.  The result was a spectacular photo and a reminder that an amazing place is even better when you are in the company of amazing people.  Special thanks to Dax Rodriguez for braving the elements with us and thank you to Michelle and John for being awesome.  We can’t wait for March 9th!

When we first arrived at Tre Bella there were a few notable surprises, namely the smaller size of the venue and a number of customer cars from surrounding businesses that were parked in front of their famed “fairy tale” wall.  Ashley had mentioned she wanted to do some of their formals there, but those would have to be put on hold while we tracked down the owners and had them moved.  It turned out that this was a blessing in disguise, as we took to the areas around the venue as alternative shoot locations and we couldn’t have been happier with the results!  What Tre Bella lacks in outright square footage it more than makes up for in location and feel, as it is nestled in a wonderful stretch of downtown Mesa just around the corner from the Mesa Arts Center and various other downtown attractions.  Even the main street in front of venue proved to be a fantastic setting and we managed to get in some awesome shots without (really) disrupting traffic.

By the time we were set for the ceremony the ambient lighting and linens throughout the venue added a lovely and luxurious feel to the entire event.  Ashley did a phenomenal job crafting a custom bouquet and their green color palette ensured that everything from the cake to the guestbook was appropriately colored and lit.  Time seemed to fly by and we were able to get some fabulous images (including finally shooting in front of the fairy tale wall!) leading right into the reception, where we were pleasantly surprised once more by the house lighting setup right alongside the dance floor.  As you can see from the images below, the indoor lighting really made a huge difference and we cannot stress the importance of this enough to our bride and groom’s to be.  Everyone had a fantastic time dancing the night away and even as things wrapped up, we asked the happy couple if they would be willing to take a few nighttime snaps right outside the venue.  They happily obliged and we captured some of our favorite nighttime shots to date.  Thank you Ashley & Michael for allowing us to share and preserve the memories of your special day!

As the day unfolded we had a great time shooting the ceremony and formal images and everyone was great to work with even as we traversed the farm in full wedding attire.  The reception was a small yet charming affair with close friends and family under a nicely shaded tent area where guests enjoyed homemade cookies, brownies and of course a lemon bar or two.  Shortly after the bouquet was tossed we wrapped things up and these two were off!  Thank you once again to Corina + Adam and we hope you enjoy your spectacular wedding album for many years to come.  Here are a few spreads from our lovely in-house custom album designer, Amber Gordon:

Having visited the well known museum in Manhattan, I was not quite sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised when we were greeted by a massive Woolly Mammoth upon our arrival.  From that point on we knew we were in for a treat.  The multi-level structure had plenty of unique and diverse elements on-hand for our formal bridal session and although we were skeptical about the ceremony itself being held in the theatre room, Chad & Jenn absolutely made the most of it!  We finished up with an informal reception upstairs on the outdoor terrace, and were sent home with a fresh bottle of Tru Blood.  I should also mention that the couple elected to dress in traditional Japanese kimonos in order to celebrate Jenn’s culture.  This was no easy task though as Chad towered above all of us at a NBA-like 6′ 6″ – a rather unorthodox size for a traditionally smaller sized garment.  As luck would have it, they were able to source a large enough kimono just in time, and if all of this wasn’t unique enough the happy couple also stopped by the Mesa Center for the Arts to do some pre-bridal portraits in full kimono attire.

Thank you Chad & Jenn for sharing your unique and awesome day with us, and we hope that you will cherish these amazing photos as much as we do.

There is so much to be said about Blair and Mitsuko, especially their willingness to go the extra mile for an exceptional photo, even it involves plunging into the chilly Pacific ocean wedding dress and all!  We all had a blast from the very beginning of the rehearsal dinner to the very last photo on their day-after bridal session, and couldn’t be happier with both the photography and the experience.  Today is Blair’s birthday, so I put in a bit of extra work to get this blog post in order even as our GROUPON has less than 24 hours left on the clock.

Plus, it couldn’t hurt to get some of our all-time favorite images from one of our all-time favorite weddings up on the blog in time to share with all the new customers and clients that we are grateful to have with this exciting offer.  Thank you again Blair & Mitsuko for allowing us to be a part of your special day.  Oh, and Blair…….happy birthday!  :-D

As many Arizona residents know the west valley is home to Luke Air Force Base and more specifically the 425th Fighter Squadron “Black Widows” of which Mocca had been a part of.  Luke Air Force Base also has a program that allows certain VIP’s, select members of the media, and hand-picked donors, supporters, and dignitaries the opportunity of a lifetime: a ride in an F-16 Fighting Falcon.  One of my best friends, Blair Bunting has been given that opportunity and as an Honorary Commander for the 425th, introduced me to Mocca and Joanna at a base function towards the end of  last spring.

It just so turns out that both Mocca and Joanna are, like many other couples I have photographed, very much hobbyist photographers themselves.  So every time we got together or discussed their upcoming wedding or engagement photos, Mocca would have just as many questions for me as I did for him, and we spent a good amount of time together before he ultimately had to head back to Singapore.  Blair and I had the opportunity to see Mocca and several others in action with live strafing and bombing runs at the USAF’s Yuma Proving Ground, and as excited as I was to witness the action there, Mocca was just as excited to be photographed shortly thereafter.

After we wrapped at various locations around the state, including the Falcon Dunes Golf Course in Litchfield Park, the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, and the stunning vistas and picturesque red rocks of Sedona, Mocca and Joanna were set to leave no more than 48 hours later.  We sat down for dinner and I had asked him how the skill levels of his Squadron were determined, all ranking and seniority aside.  He said, “Mike, there are photographers and then there are PHOTOGRAPHERS.”  I sat there for a minute and asked him to explain.  ”There are fighter pilots and then there are FIGHTER PILOTS.”  Sweet.

To Mocca and Joanna – THANK YOU and the very best of wishes to the both of you, and hope to see you sometime soon in Singapore.  To everyone else, please support Fighter Country Partnership and Luke Forward in support of not only our brave men and women but the economic vitality of the west valley and all of AZ.