I have the best clients in the world!  Really I have met some wonderful people this summer and it’s made my photography so much better!  I love my clients!  Thank you!

This is just a few of the recent work we’ve been up to!  Many many blog posts to come as soon as I take care of all my clients!

Enjoy!

-erika

Here’s some of the things we’ve been working on!

Yep you should recognize that gal in the red scarf…Donnally…..and her gorgeous family!  Had the pleasure to visit my hometown for a few hours as I drove down to Mena for their family portrait session!  They have such a beautiful home with lovely surroundings, what a treat it was to shoot there!

This is Craig, we went out for part two of his senior portraits to Lake Fayetteville.  I love that spot!  He’s a Springdale Senior, in case you missed it the first time around!  Congratulations….again!  :)

Here’s Mr. Jack with his mommy and daddy.   I traded out some babysitting time with this family!  What a great plan and we’re both happy with what we got!  :)  Dusty and Stephanie have been my hubby’s friends for years so I adopted them too…..I’ll admit they are good company!  :)  Thanks guys!

Then the Crees siblings!  This is Sam.  We know each other from high school.  Sam and his sisters wanted to give their parents a meaningful gift this year so they booked us for a sibling session!   I love that their parents have no idea!  What a GREAT gift idea!!!

Well that’s what we’ve been working on!  :)

Enjoy!

-erika

Don’t focus on faces!  :)  I know I know it sounds a bit crazy but think about it sometimes those fussy little two year olds don’t want their picture taken, or maybe that doggie won’t stay still long enough to get a good shot.  It’s crazier to just give up than miss that story telling picture.  Shoot low.  Crop off heads.  Focus on hands.  It’s ok I promise.  Not every shot has to be of people’s faces, now as I’m telling you this make sure you get some or you’ll probably loose lots of business quick!  Sometimes we don’t need a face to tell a story and that’s the kind of shots you are looking for!

Check out our next post for a few examples of storytelling shots!

Enjoy!

-erika

What a better start than to answer the question I get the most…….“What kind of camera should I buy?”

First of all I’m a firm believer in not purchasing things above your means.  Now I of course didn’t come to this wise advice magically. I purchased my first camera, a Canon 30D (because I knew I was going to be a professional photographer and wanted to make a good investment), on credit and eventually my husband paid it off for me because it was best for our family but you better believe I paid every penny of it back to him sans interest of course.  From then on I vowed that I would always pay for my camera/lens purchases in cash.  So your first step is to figure out what your budget is.  (In case you didn’t know this should be your first step in anything……yes even in wedding planning!)

Secondly, why do you think you need a new camera?  When I want a new lens or any kind of new equipment I always stop and analyze what makes me want it and if I really need it.  I always ask myself “will this purchase improve my photography or do I want it just because it seems cool”?  After that point sometimes I decide to rent a lens that I’m interested in purchasing.  I can’t explain how important of a step this has been for me, especially when a new lens could be near $2,000!!!  Sometimes I really didn’t need anything new after all just needed a creativity boost, but let’s say I decide I needed something to help me improve.  Usually I’ve already done the research since I know what I want and I’ve got a huge wish list, but that’s your next step…..research.

Next, I would probably figure out what I was wanting out of a new camera.  Are you going to be pretty rough on your camera?  You probably don’t want to buy the cheap plastic cameras or lenses.  If you will be doing a lot of low lighting shooting, such as weddings, then I would recommend cameras that function better at higher ISO levels.

Fourthly, what exactly do you plan on doing with your photos?  Are you just wanting to print them out as 4×6′s for your personal photo albums?  Maybe you plan on just having better pictures for your blog and facebook?  Or are you wanting to display larger artistic prints in a gallery or your home?  Why does this really matter?  Well,  ”how many megapixels does your camera have” is another question I get asked quite frequently.  If you just plan on displaying them online megapixels really don’t matter.  If you are planning to print them unless you are going to be printing 20×30 or larger they don’t matter much here either.  Canon’s cameras right now are all 8 megapixels or more so most everyone should be covered.

Finally, ask for advice.  This is what I did when I first started and why I chose the camera I did.  It was perfect for the stage I was at, at the time.  If you follow someone and love to view their photos ask them what camera they use and how it’s working for them.  But I would recommend taking heed to the first few suggestions on purchasing a new camera before I go and ask a photographer “what kind of camera should I buy?”  You’ll most likely get much more help if you can be more specific and be able to explain what you want a camera for.  Here you can see my equipment.

Hope this helps.

Enjoy!

-erika

A few of my recommendations:

Camera for better family photos and snapshots

Canon Rebel

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Enjoy!

-erika

Saturday Steal…..Again from Martha because she’s that awesome!

This is super cute!  Why just have the “Just Married” sign on the back of your car and why not post one at your reception?  Download the template here….

I love this advice about the ties!!!  Read more.

Find out how to make this frame!!!  So cute! Read More.

Ring Bearer book………I think YES!!!  Read More.

You know we could totally create these for you!  Let me know if you are interested before we start your engagement shoot and we can work this into the design!!! Read more.

This would be a post my mom would be proud of (she’s an environmental engineer)…..BIODEGRADABLE CONFETTI!!!!  Awesome!  No mess to clean up! Read More.

If there’s anything you’d like to see featured please let us know!  We write these things for you guys anyways!  :)  I’d love to hear from you…..(AKA please leave comments!!!)  :)

Enjoy!

-erika

http://www.weddingwindow.com/

I loved this page because it has all sorts of Q&A referring to how you are supposed to properly write up your announcements.

http://emilyleypaper.com/etiquette/

They have the cutest boutonnieres!!!

Seriously a chocolate menu!?!?!?  I LOVE this idea!!!!  How yummy!

Crepe paper as ceiling decor…..never thought about it but what a great idea to make a space look fantastic without expensive linens?

I hope you enjoy!  Let me know if there’s something you would like to see on Friday Favorites even if it has nothing to do with weddings!

-erika

I think I’ll focus on Fall Weddings since it is just right around the corner!  :)

I just love when brides show up with bouquets like this with all the different colors and textures!

This bouquet takes a cue from the season and is a fragrant mix of white majolica roses, Scabiosa, sage, basil, rosemary, and lily of the valley.
Read more at Marthastewartweddings.com: Real Weddings by Season — Martha Stewart Weddings

MMMMmmmmmm…….Carmel apples!  Seriously!  Love it!

Chocolate- and caramel-dipped apples are set out in large copper kettles for departing guests to take with them at the end of the evening.
Read more at Marthastewartweddings.com: Real Weddings by Season — Martha Stewart Weddings

Totally love this idea, especially for all our southern weddings around here!  What a great option rather then renting  a bunch of white chairs!  Prob cheaper too!

Guests at this fall wedding sit on hay bails decorated with wildflowers from a friend’s farm in French flower pails.
Read more at Marthastewartweddings.com: Real Weddings by Season — Martha Stewart Weddings

What a cool twist on the bride’s entrance!  If you really have a southern themed wedding this is the way to go!

For this September wedding, the bride makes her entrance on farm owner’s hay wagon.
Read more at Marthastewartweddings.com: Real Weddings by Season — Martha Stewart Weddings

What a simple but beautiful cake!

Two tiers of the cake, by Elizabeth Loudon, are the mother of the bride’s chocolate cake recipe. Set on a stand trimmed with felt, the confection is covered with bittersweet chocolate frosting and dressed with roses, fiddleheads, and sandersonia.
Read more at Marthastewartweddings.com: Real Weddings by Season — Martha Stewart Weddings

I pretty much just planned your whole country themed fall wedding for you!  :)

Enjoy!

-erika

Lizz and Greg were married July 31st.  This was the first time I’ve been to Simple Pleasures to shoot and I had a blast!  There is so much cool stuff in that place!  Oh and not to mention the beautiful cars!!!

Ceremony: Highlands Methodist Church

Reception: Simple Pleasures

Cake: Rick’s Bakery

Floral: Breezy’s

DJ: MS Soundworks

They were married at Highlands Methodist Church in Bella Vista.  He’s a pretty proud Dad!!!  :)  And she’s all smiles!

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Evans!

We had some great lighting for our couple shots! Isn’t she beautiful?  I just love that red hair!

A beautiful first dance shared together for the first time as a married couple!

These two are both extremely involved in music.  Lizz lead her group in song while Greg decided his group would serenade his girl!

Lizz’s dad surprised them with a ride in the get a way car as they left their reception.   I just love it when couples have these old cars to get a way in!  There’s just something different about it than pulling away in a 1998 Nissan………

Congratulations you two!

Enjoy!

-erika

Speaking for all women out there, we love love love shoes.  So finding the perfect ones for your wedding day… a big deal.  Shop around, don’t buy the first pair you find at David’s Bridal (you didn’t choose to marry the first guy you met, am I right?).  Remember, you want your wedding shoes to be timeless… classic…  A great place to start looking, Wedding Feet, they have many styles and colors to choose from.  I love blue as an accent color, so for this post I chose to highlight blue heels for the big day!

*Above shoes can be found at Wedding Feet online.

-Donnally