This series of bridal photos was done one week before the actual wedding. Rachel has a really great venue (Hotel Albuquerque) and they were open and willing to allow us to come in and shoot a session on a separate day. We had a great time doing these photos as we had free run of the facility.
Speaking of facility, some of these photos were even shot in the bathroom in the main lobby of the hotel — that’s how gorgeous this place is…
This bride already has my favorite dress of the year, one of my favorite venues/locations of the year, and I’m very excited to be shooting her wedding next week!

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I’ve been waiting to work with Mary Catey for about six months. This girl quite busy and with this kind of look and versatility it is easy to see why. Mary Catey can go from sweet and innocent to naughty vixen in the blink of an eye and has an incredible gift of expression with those piercing blue eyes.

For those technically inclined, this series was lit with 2 300ws strobes fired with 1 shoot thru and 1 reflective umbrella for just the right kind of contrast. I was able to get the white background on just those two lights.

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James has been a friend of mine for over a year now. We worked together for a while at a local company here in Albuquerque. James is the type of guy, while always professional – I could always talk smack to about football (and he is so easy going, he can easily be forgiven for being an Oakland Raiders fan), talk photography with (and can sometimes be forgiven for being a Nikon user) and is just tons of fun to be around. (See even now, I’m talking smack in this blog post, and I’m never going to hear the end of it…hehehe) Not to mention, we’re both “westsiders” here in Albuquerque which is something of a “thing” so we’d walk past each other at work and… well, the goofy white folks that we are, throw it down for the “westside” — which is hysterically funny because we’re both dorks… Maybe… you just had to be there…?

When he and his wife announced the arrival of their adopted baby girls earlier this year, the first thing I did was launch a campaign to “shoot his kids” despite the fact that shooting kids (other than my own) isn’t really my specialty. We’ve been planning this photoshoot for a couple of months now, but because of our conflicting schedules, haven’t been able to get together until just last weekend.

I learned a few things about shooting his kids during our session:
1.) They’re really, really adorable. These girls are just too cute for words, and I’m not saying that because James is a buddy of mine nor because he followed my instructions to not put them in Raiders gear when he brought them to my house.
2.) Working with small children is like working with really small animals. You have to be fast. Unfortunately I was too busy oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over the girls (not typically an occupational hazard, I’m not a “kid” type of person, which is why this isn’t my specialty) and one of them got cranky and angry with me and… you can see it in the outdoor photos. James and Stephanie, you’re going to have to come back over. We’ll reshoot.
3) They’re freakin’ adorable. I think I may have mentioned that already though.

Congratulations James & Stephanie, you both should be so proud and yes — I do think that the Raiders/Redskins cheerleader outfits would be unspeakably cute… Absolutely.

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When the Andersons called me from Colorado, they knew they wanted something a little bit different, and a little bit fun. they were coming down to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a family reuinion and wanted to capture the beautiful scenery but didn’t want the “same ole, same ole”.

So when it came time to talk about wardrobe, the first recommendation I made was, “So… I ‘m going to suggest you all NOT wear jeans and white button down shirts. You’re individuals! Celebrate your individuality and be spontaneous, celebrate your lives in color.” At first, my suggestion was met with silence on the other end of the telephone line, and then a quiet “that’s exactly what we were planning on wearing,” followed by a reluctant acceptance. Sure it’s true, I’ve endorsed and even recommended that families don the standard blue-jeans-white-shirt apparel that has become so prevalent these days with environmental portrait photography.

After the Andersons and I started our session at Elena Gallegos Park up in the NE Heights and they saw a few of the early previews in camera, mom turned to me and said, “You know, you’re right, I’m glad we went with the colors”. Without the stiff starch of the shirts and the near military uniformity of the group, I noticed that the family actually seemed more relaxed and able to enjoy themselves than perhaps they may have been had they been precisely matching. The girls were silly and playful and even dad and granddad were able to let down their hair or rather… brush back their hair, as evidenced in the photos…

As we wrapped up the photo shoot and started walking down the trail, we encountered another professional photographer walking in the other direction with a large family in tow, outfitted in dark blue jeans and black button down shirts, marching in a single file procession, almost painstakingly. Mom turned to me and mouthed a silent thank you.
You’re welcome Anderson family, you’re all, quite welcome – I had a great time!!

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A few weeks ago, I was the photographer for several First Holy Communion Ceremonies at Saint Therese Catholic Church in the north Valley here in Albuquerque.
AJ’s mom wanted formal portraits of him all dressed up, but she wanted him to be relaxed and himself, as opposed to having something stiff and generic by way of pictures.
Since I’ve recently moved, and now have a full studio set up both indoors and out at my new house, I was delighted to invite AJ and his mother over for a fun hour of shooting.
This kid is adorable. Serious but funny at the same time. When he wasn’t chasing the rabbits around my yard, he was the perfect model of portraiture.
We grabbed some shots both inside (in my kitchen) and out. It was fun, I hope he and his mom can come back soon!

This particular engagement session has been postponed no less than four times, due to the high winds here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Their wedding is in June (yes, next month) so the three of us did everything we could to squeeze this session in, somehow (preferably) before the wedding.
We started out at Arroyo Del Oso up in the far Northeast Heights and then worked our way over to the Albuquerque Rose Garden off of Wyoming until the sun set. Between the playground, the fields, the rose garden and the statue we had plenty of places to pick and choose from for a wide variety of great photos.
With this fun couple, no formal posing was involved. I just told them to be themselves and spontaneous and let their own personal love and magic shine — and they did a fantastic job.
Even though their wedding is only 6 weeks away (or a month and a half if you ask Gerrad), I’m really looking forward to working with them on their big day and know that we’re all just going to have a fantastic time.

Rachel and Chris decided to get their engagement photos done not only in downtown Albuquerque (New Mexico), but over at the Rio Grande Bosque as well. We headed out about an hour before sunset and grabbed as many photos as possible. We had time for a few clothing changes and had a great time, walking around the city. I can’t wait until the end of August, I can already tell that their wedding day will be a great time had by all.

Last Saturday, I had an engagement session with Heath and Sarah. This couple was so into each other, eyes just sparkling and only for each other; I felt less like a photographer and very much like an interloper.
Watching the interplay and interaction between these two was like magic.
The subtle touches of the hands, the eye contact and the consideration that they had for each other while we walked through the Bosque showed me that this is a couple who will stand through thick and thin, no matter what and that their love was true and destined to be long lasting.

“…to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health for as long as we both shall live…”

I am honored that I get to work with a loving and sweet couple who are so obviously in love.

Our lives are dominated by firsts. From the time we take our first breath to our first steps, first birthday and onward we see and live our lives through our newest experiences and each one should be celebrated. Although some firsts are celebrated more than others, they are all as truly unique as we all are. For Aurelia, her first birthday was celebrated as a grand and joyous occasion and I had the honor of being there to capture some of those great moments. You may remember Aurelia from the engagement session I did of mom and dad (Natalie & JR) several months back. Natalie sent me an email a few months ago asking if I would – how could I say no? Mom, dad, aunts, uncles and grandmas were happy to be able to put down the cameras in order to relax and enjoy the afternoon. In the spirit of “firsts” this was my first birthday party where I was the official photographer and not related to the celebrant. I also found this was the perfect place to capture the candle and cake destruction on video.

One of the most important (and unappreciated) professions in our society today, is that of a teacher. These are the people who spend the most time with our children, affect and influence them the most, during their formative years.

When my son’s teacher called on me for family portraits at their house, I jumped at the opportunity. This very large (by my standards) and beautiful family was as warm and welcoming as their mother has always been, and working with them was delightful. Large, on-location family portraits can sometimes be challening, but this was one of those times when working didn’t feel like work at all.

I want to add: This particular teacher is by far, the best teacher that my son has ever had — she is one of those rare people who has a special gift for working with the young, creative mind. My son went from being a less than average student, into the honor roll in just a few short months under her instruction. Mrs. M, I’m sure you don’t hear this enough, thank you~