JENNIFER AND CHRIS - ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

Entry made by Tina and Kevin:

Yesterday we traveled down to Sedona to photograph the engagement shoot of Jennifer and Chris. They will be getting married next March in Yuma, AZ, though they make their home in Phoenix. Chris is a photographer in his own right, working for Channel 5 news as a cameraman. By virtue of Chris's occupation, Jennifer has also formed a deep appreciation for quality photography, which admittedly she has not always had.

We started the shoot at Los Abrigados, where we fell in love with their unique "First Piggy" fountain, which made for a fun foreground element. From there we moved into Tlaquepaque Village - oh yeah that reminds us, we weren't in Sedona, we were in Spain, right Chris :-)? The architecture here is reminiscent of Old World Europe and Chris had us laughing when he mentioned that he was going to tell people they flew to Spain for their engagement shoot.

It was true though that they wanted to have something different and unique, not the standard beach or desert shots they often see, which is why they chose Sedona. For sunset we made our way up to Merry-Go-Round Rock. They definitely seemed pleased with both the beauty and solitude of the location.

We had a great time with you guys, despite making fun of Chris who we acted more like he was having a root canal than a photo shoot :-). Chris, you know we are kidding though, after all its like you said, your used to being on the other side of the camera. You both did a fantastic job and we now have a ridiculous number of images to edit through - not that we mind! Jennifer, you were absolutely beautiful and extremely photogenic - you are going to make a beautiful bride! We have to tell you, after some of the conversations we had yesterday, we feel privileged that you chose and entrust us to document your wedding, because we know how important the photography is to you. Enjoy the very, very small sneak preview. There were so many good ones it was hard to choose only twelve!

Tina and Kevin

YOSHI IN THE LUPINES

Entry made by Tina and Kevin:

Meet Yoshi! This is our nine year old Old English Sheepdog. He is in between being completely shaved down and having a full coat, what is commonly known as a puppy cut. No doubt, Yoshi will make future appearances on our blog since he loves to accompany us on outings - he is such a perfect hiking dog - and we love taking him along, so you will see many versions of him (none of which look like the same dog.)

While we were out gathering more wood yesterday, we just couldn't resist taking photographs of him in the impossibly blue and purple lupines that dotted the mountainside. We love to photograph him because he poses so perfectly. We call this series, "Yoshi in the Lupines."

TIFFANY AND ASHLEY - TESTIMONIAL

Entry made by Tina and Kevin:

We just wanted to post the nice words that Tiffany and Ashley wrote to us upon seeing their photos on the blog.

"We thank you so much for the trip out to our neck of the woods. It was so very nice of you both to travel & we do wish our schedule would have allowed us to meet you at least part of the way. We just took a look at the website and we are certainly pleased with how all the pictures look. It is so nice to see pictures of us not at a sporting event or function with tons of people around. We absolutely love all of the ones we have seen (both on the site & sent to us). I have of course shown my relatives the blog spot and they are absolutely thrilled with the photos. It even started to get people excited for the wedding.

We truly are very happy with the pictures and you both are a pleasure to work with. We not only love your pictures, but truly enjoy you both on a personal level as well. Thank you so very much again for everything. I cannot express enough just how great it is to work with you both."

Wow! The feeling is definitely mutual - we really enjoy working with you as well. Thank you both so much!

Tina and Kevin

TIFFANY AND ASHLEY - ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

Entry made by Tina and Kevin:

Yesterday we traveled to Phoenix to photograph Tiffany's and Ashley's engagement session. They are getting married next May at FireSky (formally Caleo) Resort and Spa. In attendance will be there Bichon Frise, Lennon, dressed for the occasion in his tuxedo. With this in mind, they felt it only appropriate to include Lennon in the shoot.

The session took place in the White Tank Mountains in west Phoenix. We had never been to this park and we have to say, it was stunning - full of beautiful desert scenery. It didn't hurt either that we had the entire park almost exclusively to ourselves, though the reason for this might have been the triple digit temperatures we subjected ourselves to (just throwing the thought out there - ahhh, the sonoran desert at the height of summer!) :-)

Despite the temperatures, we had a nice shoot. Tiffany's mother came along and kindly babysat Lennon after we photographed him, so we could finish up with Tiffany and Ashley. Despite only being out there 45 minutes, we got a lot of great photos!

Thanks you two, you posed very well together - keep up the reading Tiffany, it is paying off :-). We had a great time chatting and loved meeting Lennon (he did a great job too.) We hope you enjoy the preview and look forward to next May!

THE SPROAT FAMILY

Entry made by Tina and Kevin:

A few weeks ago Linda Sproat contacted us about doing a family portrait shoot. She informed us that her family would be vacationing in Sedona in August and that they would like to have a nice portrait done in the beauty of red rock country to act as a centerpiece for her living room. She also mentioned that she would like the portrait to have a painted look to it.

The family consisted of Linda and her husband Jim, their two daughters, two son-in-laws, and two granddaughters. We met them on Tuesday at Red Rock Crossing - one of our favorite Sedona locations - amidst threatening black clouds and rumbling thunder. Luck was on our side though as the weather held out, with only a slight sprinkle felt here and there.

The really unbelievable part of this story is that it turns out the Sproat family - most of them anyways - live in Raleigh, North Carolina. This would not seem all that remarkable, were it not for the fact that I (Tina) was born and raised in Raleigh and, in fact, my family still lives there. Adding to this coincidence, Linda and Jim live only miles from my parent's home, and consequently my childhood home. Stranger still, as I began speaking with their daughters, we discovered we all went to the same high school at almost the same time. Who would have ever thought I would be standing in Arizona, photographing a family that I have never met, yet we lived for years, all the way across the country, only miles away from one another. I guess the saying really is true - it is a small world!

Kevin and I would both like to say to the Sproat family that it was a pleasure meeting all of you. We had a great time photographing such an obviously close family. You made a beautiful group and the little girls were simply lovely together! We hope you enjoy the small sampling above.

VISIT OUR OLD BLOG

We are very excited about our new blog, but please feel free to visit our old blog at http://www.sierrablancophotography.com/blog1.html to view our previous entries going back to June 2007. Enjoy!

ALYSON AND JOSH - ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

Entry made by Tina and Kevin:

Last Sunday we met with Alyson and Josh to do their engagement shoot. They decided to have it at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park in Payson - a decision they may now regret :-).

The park is small, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in grandeur. When you first enter the park it just looks like any other pine forest situated along the face of the Mogollon Rim, but upon closer inspection one finds a landscape that at times looks more like the jungles of Hawaii than the forests of Arizona. Hidden behind a giant cliff face is a gorge complete with a babbling creek, natural springs that trickle down the the cliff's fern and moss covered walls, and a natural bridge (hence the park's name.)

A trail (if you can call it that) at the bottom meanders its way along the creek - and over boulders, and up the sides of cliffs, and across slick algae-covered rocks, and ... well you get the idea. The entire hike took about two-and-a-half hours - stopping intermittently for pictures of course - which didn't seem so bad given the difficulty of the path.

Guys, we have to say thank you, thank you, thank you. We give props to you both for sticking it out and finishing the trail (bet you didn't know you were going to tackle a major-hard trail during your photo shoot - neither did we.) We swear we won't put you through that much on your wedding day :-). Seriously though, we had a great time and we hope you did too. Again thank you both so much. We hope you enjoy the photos!

FOSSIL CREEK

After we finished Alyson's and Josh's engagement shoot, Kevin and I decided to explore the area a bit further - no need to head straight home when you have the remainder of a beautiful day left!

We had been told about a beautiful creek in Strawberry that we just had to see for ourselves. Word was that it was off the beaten path (no exaggeration there) and it's waters ran a spectacular travertine blue-green color.

Heading north on Hwy. 89, we turned onto Fossil Creek Road (original.) From there pavement quickly gave way to dirt, and the perceived security, if only in our minds, of terra firma surrounding us on all sides just as quickly gave way to ominous switchbacks barely wide enough to ride a mule on, through a canyon known as Deadman Mesa (there's a comforting name) snaking their way down the side of a shear cliff face that plunged way too far to the bottom, reminding us to tell ourselves, just keep looking forward and you will be OK ... just keep looking forward and you will be OK ...

As we neared the bottom we began to glimpse the rewards of our bravery. OK, maybe that is a bit melodramatic, but we did spot dapples of blue-green waterfalls running beneath the thick canopy of trees that shelter them. At the bottom there is no one clear path to the creek, basically pick a spot and head towards the noise of flowing water. The creek really is spectacular and its waters really are a bright travertine blue. It channels its way through myriad falls and is well worth the difficulties in navigating it (there is no clear path along the creek either) and the treacherous drive to reach it. We definitely plan on going back soon to explore Fossil Creek in more depth!