Last Sunday, Ryan and I headed out to Val Vista Lakes to take family portraits for the Cummins family.  I should clarify – when I say Cummins Family, I’m actually referring to the joining of three families: parents Craig & Nancy Cummins, their daughter April Mecham and her three kids,  AND their second daughter Ally (soon to be Nyberg) and her fiance Matt.  (You may remember Ally & Matt from their super cute engagement session back in March.)

Sunday was especially warm so we all knew going in that this shoot would be an adventure.  As you may know, asking three kids under the age of 5 to “sit quietly & pose for the camera” is not all that realistic – ha ha ha :-)  When we arrived at Val Vista Lakes, we found the pool and lake area to be full of residents out to enjoy the summer sun.  So of course this resulted in endless distractions for the kids!  Can’t say I blame them though – playing in the grass and jumping in the pool was looking pretty good to me too!  There was quite a bit of chasing, pleading and more than a few “please come back here’s”, but I think we were still able to come up with some great shots. 

My favorites of the whole family:

Loved the interactions in this one!  I think Dylan is actually trying to pick his little sister’s nose!  Now that’s what I call brotherly love . . .

Here’s a shot of Dylan: age 4

And Ashton: age 2

And 7 month old Avery – how cute is she?  Gorgeous blue eyes!

It was really cute watching the whole family try and keep the kids happy . . .

Loved this candid with Dylan & Craig

Avery was a lot easier to catch so we had a few more chances to get some great shots of her and mom, April.

Love this sequence!

Towards the end of the shoot, we tried to get some shots of April and all three kids, but the by this point they were less than thrilled with the idea.  These next two about sum up our efforts . . .

Poor April!  You can’t help but laugh :-)  We did come away with this one though that I absolutely love!

I think Ryan and I both needed a nap after this one, but it sure proved to be entertaining!  Thanks to the whole family for braving the heat!

It’s been a busy, busy week – lots of blogging to catch up on!  Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of second shooting for Rochelle of Rochelle Oleson Photography.  The very sweet couple, Ben and Bianca, celebrated their special day at the beautiful FireSky Resort and Spa in Scottsdale.

Here’s a shot of the lovely bride getting her makeup done.

For the last few weddings we’ve shot, the brides have worn flip flips with their gowns.  Now I’m as big a fan of flip flops as the next gal, but I have to say I was SO VERY happy when I saw Bianca’s cute strappy shoes!  Between Rochelle and I, we probably took about 50 shots of them – what can I say?  It’s a girl thing!  (It took a lot of discipline to narrow it down to just a couple for the blog entry.)

Here’s one of the boys getting his tux on.

Ben and his groomsmen trying to look studly.

And my favorite shot of the girls – loved the green wall in the lobby :-) 

The ceremony took place on a grassy hill next to this great stone wall.

The beautiful bride

Ben was on the verge of tears as they exchanged vows.

And now you may kiss your bride!

A couple of my favorite portraits of the happy couple . . .

I loved the light coming through the windows in this next shot.

 A few fun shots from the reception!

Father and daughter on the dance floor – these two were so cute the whole day!

And what reception would be complete without a few silly groomsmen?

Thank you to Ben, Bianca and their families for letting me be a part of your big day!  It was a pleasure to capture these special moments.

I shot a golf tournament last Monday, but we’ve honestly been so busy this past week that this is the first chance I’ve had to post about it.  Monday feels like a long time ago to me, but I guess not too much time has actually past since the ridiculous sunburn I got shooting the event STILL hasn’t gone away!

The Perfect Match Golf Classic is an annual fundraiser for United Blood Services.  Sponsors and supporters of the non-profit gather each year to enjoy a round of golf and a fun day in the sun to raise money for the cause.  This year’s event was held at the Sun Ridge Canyon Golf Club in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

The course is really beautiful.  Filled with desert flowers and lovely views of the mountains.

And what course would be complete without a little desert wildlife?

The tournament began with a shot gun start.  Each foursome starts off at the clubhouse and when the signal is given, they each head out to their assigned starting hole.  It’s quite a sight watching all the carts heading out at the same time.

LOVED the colors in this next one.

Some more fun shots . . .

I thought it was kinda funny how many of the sophisticated golfers had silly little club covers!

The valley Saturn car dealers were one of the sponsors of event.  There was a couple of holes throughout the course where players could win a car if they made a hole in one.  Here’s a shot of the super cute Saturn SKY that was displayed near the clubhouse.

At the end of the day, there was a putting contest to win a trip to Vegas . . .

Love this reaction shot – SO CLOSE!

And what would be a more fitting end to the day than a couple of cigars?

Thanks to United Blood Services for asking me to be a part of such a fun event!