Chico California Photographer: Dear Kenny...

Dear Kenny,

Thank you so much for your help. Thank you for giving up so many of your days off to photograph weddings. Thank you so much for never giving up on me, despite my craziness and emotional instability at times :) Thank you for learning the skill of photography, for teaching me how to be more creative, and for making sure that every family member makes it into the family photos at a wedding. Thank you for letting me drink starbucks all the time (seriously, you are so sweet). Thank you for serving the people around us so well and then taking the time to serve me. Thank you for making our life an adventure. Thank you for making me laugh so hard -- and for making the bridal party laugh when things get kind of hectic. Thank you for standing beside me, and leading me.
Thank you Kenny -- for everything. I am so proud to be your wife, friend and have you by my side at nearly every wedding. I think the world would agree -- I am one lucky girl!

We stepped into the photo booth at our last wedding and well, I think we had a good time :)

Chico California Photographer: Inside My Living Room

For many years, I have been hoping for an armoire. It was one of those pieces of furniture that wasn't totally necessary, but in the back of my mind, I never gave up looking for a good one. After years of looking on Craigslist and going back and forth on how much to spend on such a piece of furniture, we finally caved and found just the perfect piece.
And, I am so excited about the end result. It is beautiful to me. It compliments our style really well. As you will see, my style is very neutral... And I like that. It is simple. So, here are just a couple photos -- a small glimpse into our living room and the newest "furniture investment" in the Stone household.

Cheers to Friday! We are on our fifth day of illness in the Stone family, and I am praying for some relief soon. It sure makes me thankful for the health that we usually have :)

Chico California Photographer: What is My Style?

I am asked this question all the time: What is your style?
I pondered this so much over the years, especially as my work began to evolve. It has been in the past twelve months that I finally understand what I love most, what is my style:

To produce beautiful images, straight out of my camera.

To spend a small amount of time in my "digital darkrooms", editing my photos.

Really, all I want to do -- is make life, look real, right inside my camera.


And because a post is so much better with a photo... And this happens to be one of my all time favorite sessions:

Chico California Wedding Photographer: An Investment Worthwhile...

Back in 2004, when I was engaged and planning my wedding, I did not prioritize photography. Crazy, huh? You see, I am a very practical person and all I could see in my mind was numbers. No one told me that photography is an investment.

So, what did I do? I hired a friend -- who loved photography and had a great camera. While I am thankful for his hard work on the day of my wedding, he didn't have the experience or equipment that a quality, professional has to offer. To this day, I do not have one portrait from my wedding hanging in my home. Goodness -- and I am a wedding photographer!

I think this is very common for a lot of brides and grooms. Photography simply is misunderstood. It is so easy to just see photographers as another vendor to hire and fit into your budget on a wedding day. Yet, wedding photographers will serve you long after your wedding day. You will always have your photos to remember the glorious moments of that day.

So think about it -- Look at the long term investment that a quality wedding photographer has to offer. Sometimes, brides and grooms are so quick to dismiss a photographer because of the price -- I would say meet with that photographer. See if you truly appreciate their work -- and maybe, be convinced that this vendor is worth investing in. I know money doesn't grow on trees and believe me, I am a very frugal person. Just ask Kenny, I do not like to spend money. The thing is, to this day, I really, really wish that I had spent more money on my wedding photography.

Ok -- hope this encouraged you! Cheers to Friday! And again, to this beautiful couple who I will soon feature their entire wedding on my blog!

California Wedding Photographer: What Happens to Your Christmas Cards?

A picture is worth a thousand words... True or false?

Obviously, you know what I think. For proof as to how much I value a printed photo, let's look at my doorway: It is still covered in Christmas cards. Cards that show me the faces of so many people who I love. These photos remind me of how blessed I am. They tell me some kind of story, and so, yes, I do believe that a picture is worth many words.

Now, the real question is -- what should I do with my Christmas Cards? I definitely don't want to throw them away and I am not sure that I want to take them down. This is truly a dilemma. What do you do with your Christmas Cards? I would love to know.

Cheers to Wednesday! And... get excited for tomorrow's post which will include an engagement session that I can't wait to show you!

Chico California Wedding Photographer: Looking Forward

Well the new year has officially begun and I am back in my, now, clean office. For those of you who follow me on twitter and facebook, you will know that this was a two day project! The only thing left to do is finish organizing all of my paperwork. Which, I will let you know when that is finished :)

I wanted to share my vision for 2011 with all of you. One, because I know writing it on the world wide web will give me much accountability and two, because I really am excited about this year.

I guess you can call them goals, but here are some things to look for in 2011:

I will write a blog post at least four times per week. This will be a discipline for me, something that will take planning and creativity, yet something that I desperately want to accomplish.

Make a conscious decision to take risks. At times, I will most likely fail, but I am growing to appreciate imperfection. This stretches both my resilience and growth as a photographer. Really though -- this is not easy for me. If any of you know me, I am not a risk taker. I am still contemplating whether or not I will ride on the Tower of Terror this coming month when my family goes to Disneyland. I know, crazy huh?

In the next couple months, the look of my blog will be changing ... So exciting!

Limit my work hours at night. This industry can be so consuming, and it is so important for me to be conscious of the time I spend at work. This year, I want to spend more time with the people around me. I am going to work on my domestic skills, so Kenny -- Get excited! Dinners can only go up from here!

I am going to read the following books this year and share my thoughts with you on the blog.
(I know, it is only three books, but that sounds like enough to commit to in writing).
Easy as Pie by Alicia Caine
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey
The Book on Leadership by John McArthur

Know what I need to do every day that is productive and stay away from the things that are dragging me down. The internet can be a great resource, but it can also discourage us. My Dad is in management and he really has been encouraging me to know what I need to do each day that will enrich this business, and to stay away from the things that are simply ineffective. This is my goal.

Random Personal Goal: Drink more water. My doctor told me this would be very good for me... Less chai tea, more water!

Finally, I just want to serve people wholeheartedly. You can read more about this here...

So that's some of my thoughts. I would love to know what you think.
2011 is going to be full of amazing moments and I hope I can share so many of them with you.
Cheers!

And because I never posted my favorites from 2010, here you go. This one definitely would have made my top ten!