Monthly Archives: March 2012
Adam and Mariah’s engagement photo session
Adam and Mariah recently moved to Phoenix, but are planning their wedding for Tucson, this April at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon. I was up there for a family visit and met up with them at Tempe Town Lake for a great engagement shoot in a gorgeous new-to-me spot. I’m always drawn to the water out here in the desert – it really makes for some cool photographic options. Heeding my advice about a few fun props, they brought a hula hoop and gave it a whirl – in public – so awesome!
Laura and Nick’s spring wedding at St. Thomas and Westin La Paloma
Nick and Laura pulled off a great multi-location wedding this weekend, with a mid-morning ceremony at the picturesque St. Thomas the Apostle Church, followed by classy cocktails and dinner at the nearby Westin La Paloma.
The early start gave us lots of time for portraits between the two locations, at a relaxed pace, which is always a blessing, especially as it gets warm. Shoot a bit, cool off a bit and so on. We made the majority of the group portraits at St. Thomas, with it’s beautiful arches and coves, which worked out well, as the Westin was just hopping with weddings and assorted guests when we got there – we must’ve seen at least four other bridal parties on the move. At least one of them looked in good hands with wedding super-coordinator Anne Bryan! We found room for some lovely photos of just the two of them in a few gorgeous-but-quiet spots around the grounds. More arch motifs and a dash for sunset shots on that awesome balcony the have!
At the cocktail hour, they reunited with loving family and a big, fun group of longtime friends who all seemed to enjoy the change of scenery Tucson offered. There were cute kids, lots of laughter, a few tears of joy, and we all danced the evening away to Phoenix’s Radio Junket, who never missed a beat. Just for fun, we made the rounds for table shots – both the normal kind and the deeply silly kind – you’ll never guess which was more popular in the evening’s slide show 
The two have know each other since high school on Long Island, and are obviously best friends as well as husband and wife. I’m not sure either of them were crazy about a day of being in the photographic spotlight, but our engagement session convinced them it was going to be fun, not painful, and they came through with patience and grace on the big day. Thanks you guys!
Family and guests can find the photos here, helpfully organized by category: http://pictage.com/1125833
Michael and Megan git’n hitched at the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch
Megan and Michael had a great big party of a wedding, (with a great big wedding party) at Tucson’s eastside horsey-hideaway, the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch, nailing just the right mix of resort elegance and western-themed fun. The two met in college while interning at Budweiser, so you can imagine that this was a fun crowd, with a few glasses of brew hoisted in jubilant celebration. They both had families that obviously adore them, and everyone had a great time – in part because the Ranch has such a private, getaway feel. It’s easy to feel that you’ve got the place to yourself!
We did a “first look” at a cool old bunkhouse there, where Megan got to turn Michael around and promptly burst into tears. Witnessed only by me, her parents, and some bridesmaids with faces pressed to the closest window. I like the “first meeting” (or “first glimpse” which sounds sort of peeping-tom to me), because it de-pressurizes things a bit, and lets us make some relaxed portraits of the couple, alone and with immediate family, and then do touchups before the ceremony itself. It also means we have fewer shots to make after the wedding and a chance for the couple to make it to their cocktail hour. But it’s still not the predominant schedule (60/40 I’d say) so I guess sometimes it drives the venue co-ordinators crazy if they don’t know about it ahead of time (sorry Cindy!). Happily, it all went off on time and without a hitch. They’ve been doing this for ages out there and they sure know how to “git’r done!”
The short and simple ceremony was set outside with the mighty Rincon mountain range as a backdrop, and transitioned nicely into cocktail hour on the giant luxurious green lawn, just steps away. Dinner in main dining room was elegant and delicious, and dancing was off the hook, with thanks to longtime friend DJ Clint Pittenger, who’s lovely wife Angela, a old Arizona Daily Star colleague of mine, has joined the ranks of us wedding photographers recently! It was also great to see Alia Rollwood, banquet manager extraordinare, who often hires me for corporate photography at her day job with General Growth Properties (aka the Tucson Mall). It’s pretty cool when you’ve been in Tucson doing stuff like this long enough that you’re surrounded by friends everywhere you go.
Michael and Megan told me from the first time we met that they’re not crazy about “posing” for photos, but we kept it super-painless as always, and it turns out Michael lights up whenever tickled by Megan. I used that knowledge for good and not for evil, I promise. We stole away at sunset for a few shots by the cute little lake they have there, and used some great wooden doors as the backdrop for our portrait station, which was a hit as always.
I heard rumor that this wedding was cute enough to make it as a feature in the upcoming spring issue of Tucson Bride and Groom…so keep your fingers crossed!
Guests and family can find the full wedding here - http://pictage.com/1191111
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