Cassie and Chris

On Wednesday my husband and I drove down to Spanish Fork for Cassie and Chris's wedding at the Chillon Reception Center. Cassie told me at our first meeting that her grandmother was married there and she so wanted to be married there as well. It was a very simple ceremony followed by delicious food and greeting guests. They had so many people come to wish them well and its no surprise because Cassie and Chris are both extremely nice and laid back. I'm so glad they chose me to photograph their big day!

They had a horse-drawn carriage take them off as their grand exit. I love that!

Lyndsie and Trent Wedding

On Tuesday I headed over to Heritage Gardens to photograph Lyndsie and Trent's wedding. That place was so perfect for their wedding and had a huge Christmas Tree in one room. One of my favorite photos is the one of Lyndsie's dad looking up at Lyndsie as she was walking down the stairs for the ceremony. It makes me want to cry!

Puppies in the snow

Something about dogs playing in the snow makes me so happy. We took these yesterday after our attempt at a family pic.

Danny, my sweet, galoot mut


Billy(aka Blarf boy, aka bilbo)


Since Dinah is the hardest to take a picture of I just had one with her. I love my little girl.






Danny going for a snowball

Happy Holidays!

Our very, very sad attempt at a family picture. The one we took last year was much better but I needed an updated one to include our newest baby, Danny. Two dogs is much easier to handle than three! *by the way we did this with a tripod all by ourselves! I don't recommend it. You can totally tell Jonathan is thrilled!*

I just had to do it today since the snow is so pretty and I prefer snow family photos over colorful leaves.

Next year we'll probably invest in a photographer ;)



Happy Holidays from the Wheelers: Jonathan, Anna, Dinah, Billy and Danny.

Midnight Snow

Up late again tonight. Looked out the window and saw that it was snowing. It has rained for the past couple days so seeing the snow made me happy. In my pjs, I put on my jacket and grabbed my camera and went outside. I could have stayed out there for hours.

I never felt more at peace. This is why I love December!











Goodnight...

Frequently asked photo questions

I got this blog entry idea from one of my photo friends Rebekah. I have been getting tons of emails for the past several months from people just starting out in photography and wanting to know certain things about how I work, what camera I use, etc. I am most of the time too busy to answer all the emails so I think it would be a good idea to have a blog entry answering all the questions I've been asked. So here goes!

What got you into photography?
Well, I've always loved photography but never thought seriously about it as a career since artists don't make a lot of money and its not very reliable. I studied nursing for about a year after High School. Even though I loved it, I felt it just wasn't what I was supposed to do. So I bought a camera(Nikon D70) and a VERY nice lens(70-200 2.8 Nikkor. Very good lens to start with!) and just starting shooting...anything and every day. I took pictures of my dogs, my apartment, my husband, trees and all sorts of things. I eventually did my first wedding and had a blast!

Did you go to school for photography?
Nope! I learn best when I just go out and shoot something, everyday. I'm not saying photography college is a waist of time and money but it just wasn't for me. I also bought a ton of books on wedding and portrait photography and second shot with other professionals like Adilfa Ford and Dustin Izatt. I am very grateful that they let me tag along to some of their weddings so I could learn what I could. I learned a lot!

What kind of camera do you use?
I shoot with a Fuji S5 and 2 Nikon D70's. I have a love/hate relationship with the Fuji so I use it as much as my D70. I LOVE my D70. Even though its not on the market anymore and considered kindof old, I just love it. I was born to have that camera. Also, never judge an artist by their camera! Just because a camera costs a couple thousand $$ doesn't mean you will take good pictures. You need to have a good sense of composition, lighting and so many other things to make a photo great!

What kind of lenses do you use?
I have a bag full of lenses that I use, but my favorites would be the 28-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8 and the 50 1.4.

What editing software do you use?
I mostly use Adobe Photoshop CS2 and just recently purchased Adobe Lightroom. I use both for different things but I mostly use CS2.

Do you shoot RAW of JPG?
I shoot everything RAW. I tried shooting JPG quite a few times and noticed the photos looked like they were missing something. I can't quite put my finger on it but when I shoot RAW, the photos just look better. I know of quite a few GREAT photographers that shoot JPG though so it just depends on the photographer and what is best for them.

What actions do you use?
I use Kubota's Actions and occasionally Totally Rad Actions. I have made some of my own actions as well.

Do you shoot with one or two eyes open?
This is an interesting question! When I shoot portraits, I shoot with one eye open. When I'm shooting candids and need to be aware of whats going on around me I shoot with two eyes open.

Are you a natural light or flash photographer?
I mostly shoot natural light. When I feel flash is needed I will use it. I use flash about 95% of the time at receptions or places where its dark. I like to experiment with 2 flashes at once to get a cool effect.

Can I second shoot with you to get experience?
Yes, but not right now. I have been busier than ever recently but around the New Year I will be able to let some of you tag along to some weddings. Of course I can't accomodate everyone since I get a lot of requests but I will do my best. If you have emailed me about this, email me again next year and we can figure out when you can come along.

Becca

I had been looking forward to Becca's bridal session for weeks! She loved Manti and certain spots around there. Well, we weren't expecting it to snow so much! But it turned out to be perfect for her Christmas themed wedding coming up in a few weeks! We drove down to Manti together and it was so fun getting to know her. By the time we got to Manti we were starving so we stopped by Lotsa Motsa Pizza for the best Pizza I've had in a long time!

Since their was so much snow and so cold outside, I thought it would be convenient to start indoors somewhere. We stopped by the Yardley Inn and Spa for some great indoor shots. That is the cutest bed and breakfast I've ever seen! The owners were so gracious to let us in and use their building and I want to give them a big THANK YOU for that.

After that we headed outside for some beautiful snow shots. Becca was so brave about being in the snow and one tough cookie to handle the cold. She was so fun to photograph and you can tell she really enjoys being a bride! I loved everything about her look. She is gorgeous! It got dark really fast but we got creative with some off camera lighting when we took some photos by the Manti Temple. Becca and Tyler are getting married in the St. George Temple and having a reception in Vegas! I seriously cannot wait. It's going to be blast!

























Becca wore the cutest boots!








Snapped a photo of the beautiful Manti Temple.