Utah Wedding Photographer | Maddie Thomas

Hi people!

2011-07-28T00:21:00.000-06:00

I hope you're not missing out on the new stuff going on over at my NEW BLOG!

See you over there! :)

Oh hai! Please read this :)

2011-06-02T23:57:00.000-06:00

I'm breaking a few rules here and posting on my old blog (because I have a feeling most of you are still coming to this one rather than my new one. It's okay, I just miss you is all!). I am trying to get some plans and ideas laid out for my business and I realllllly need some input! So I'm putting together a little survey (just a couple questions) regarding photography-related services, and I'm wondering if any of my readers would be willing to participate? You can be married, not married, have children, be single/no children, female, male, a family member, stranger, WHATEVS. Also, I'd be up for offering a little discount on photo shoots to those who participate :) Just sayin. Would you be interested in doing that? Would you like me post the survey here so you can answer the questions directly in the comments section in my blog? Would you rather me email you the survey? Would you rather remain anonymous? I guess I need input on this too haha. Anyway, I will probably post the survey here, but if you'd like to leave your email address instead, in the comments section, I can send it directly to you instead. "Thank yous" and "I love yous" in advance!

I'm still alive! :)

2011-05-27T14:05:00.002-06:00

Hi lovely people!! I'm still alive!
I'm blogging over here now :) http://www.maddiethomasphotography.com/blog/

I've been super busy lately, and setting up my new blog and website has been part of it. I still have lots to do/add to the site, but for now, enjoy the beautiful Monica and Ben's engagements as my first blog post on my new blog! Their wedding is today, and I'm actually writing this on my iPad while I wait to head to their reception. Did I mention I love technology?? Hehe

Much love!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Trying.

2011-04-26T23:40:00.000-06:00

Hi there, lovely people.
For those of you who've been sticking around, THANK YOU.
I've been pondering the look, branding, and direction I've wanted my photography and website/blog design to go for over a year now. And every time I get a mock-up done, I love it for about a night, revisit it the next day, and don't love it anymore. I'm torn. I feel with the main focus here being wedding photography that my blog should convey some sort of soft, pretty, and elegant feeling to it. I do a mock-up. I love it. But then, I wonder, "Okay, yes, this is pretty, fits the theme of weddings and whimsy . . . but is it me? Then I do something more simple, clean, to the point. And I love it. But then the next day, I look at it and think "Okay, I don't think this is me either". So, until I get that figured out (hopefully in the next week), we'll leave things as is. I've been taking lots and lots of pictures lately, and I will be sure to get a bunch posted soon!

I love you all. Goodnight!

Forgive the slight absence . . .

2011-04-10T20:36:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! Forgive the absence of posts for this week. I'm going to be working on some things, one of which is a complete blog/brand makeover which I've been meaning to do for over a year now!

I want to thank you all of your encouraging words and support since I started this blog. It has meant so SO much to me. I'm excited for this year, and the new things we've got in the works. We will be back up and running later this week, and a fresh new "face" will be presented! :)

some newness :)

2011-04-03T21:09:00.000-06:00

A long time ago, I mentioned on my blog how I wanted a camera I could take with me on the go. Something I could keep in my purse and use when inspiration would strike. Well. I bought me a Canon Powershot Digital Elph thing-a-ma-bob, and don't get me wrong, it's a GREAT point-and-shoot.. But, it didn't quite give me the artistic types of shots I was looking for.
I knew when I bought it, it wasn't going to be that kind of camera, and I thought "Meh, I'm just going to have it so I can take pictures of me and friends and family, out 'n about". Well, it turned out, I didn't like to use it enough. Being a photographer, it felt weird and wrong to post pictures on my blog that weren't "artistic". Dumb, right?? I know.
Well, the thing is, I DO want to blog more about my personal life, and I just want to blog more period. And during the day, I work a full-time job that is NOT photography, and I also unfortunately don't carry my large Canon 5D Mark II around with me everywhere I go. If it was smaller, believe me, I would! But it's unpractical.
So I went out and got me an awesome "tweener" camera (read: in between large DSLR and small point-and-shoot), which I've only owned for a few hours now, but I'm already so in love with!
It's a Sony Alpha NEX-3, and their whole spiel on this little guy is that it's "DSLR-quality photos from a compact camera". And how very true that is. If anyone out there is looking for a "tweener" camera like I was, I highly recommend this one!

The two lenses I bought :)

And with the few moments of daylight I had after the battery was charged, I ran outside to test it out!

I'm super excited to get this little guy all figured out!

Well dear blog friends, we've got a busy week ahead of us! I hope you are all well!
XOXO
Maddie

Daniel & Jenessa | Sneak Peek

2011-03-21T00:13:00.000-06:00

How adorable are my cousin, Jenessa, and her fiance, Daniel?? They are getting married next Saturday and I'm so excited for them! I will post more soon :)

Brian & Kenna | Married

2011-03-12T23:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes . . . Okay, ALL OF THE TIME, we shoot people that should be models :) Seriously, look at these two!

This was a mini-session of sorts (meaning we did it all in less than an hour of daylight!) that a friend of mine arranged as a gift to his newly-married friends!
I met Brian a few times at my work, but didn't know him too well, and obviously had no idea he had a knock-out woman! I consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to shoot such amazing lookin' people!

I hope you are all having a fantastic weekend! Mine has been pretty wonderful. Well, other than having a cold. AGAIN. Um, I think it's about the 5th one I've had in 6 months. Not. Even. Exaggerating.
Last night, I went to bed quite early, got way too much sleep, then lazed around on the sofa drinking coffee and catching up on my daily reads, while trying to convince myself I didn't feel that sick. In the midst of all that, I may have eaten way too little. Later, Lee and I had to drive up north to go to a client meeting . When we got to Barnes and Noble before we met with the couple, I think my blood-sugar level took a dive and I was shaking and nauseated and could hardly hold a cup of water to save my life. After a warm pretzel and some ice water, I was feeling much better, and the meeting went amazingly well! We met with a seriously magnificent couple who was SO friendly and so prepared to meet and discuss their wedding with us (gotta love it!).
I'm glad I have an amazing business partner like Lee who keeps me calm and comfortable in crazy situations where I'm worried I will throw up on a client. I'm a lucky gal!

Well, I'm going to go watch a movie and crash out on the couch :) Have a great night!

2011-02-26T22:59:00.000-07:00

new hairdo!

2011-02-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

well hello! guess who has a new 'do'!

my wonderful cousin tara did my hair on saturday, and i must say, i absolutely love it!

i've been wanting a bit of an edgier 'do' for a while now, but i've been trying to grow my hair out for about 2 years, so i was scared to do anything risky! remember when it was all chopped off? see below.

(tara and i, a little over 2 years ago)

well, edgier we went and i'm ecstatic with the way it turned out! (despite my make-up-less, un-enthused face in the picture, i had just woken up from a nap)
it's like i'm channeling my inner joan jett.

first, we did a whole bunch of bleaching (for highlights and such), then we dyed the entire thing red (which i know is kind of hard to see in the pictures because they came out a little bit on the warm side).
after that, we layered it. at first, it started out as a trim, cleaning up the layers, trimming the bangs, etc., but then i was like "let's keep layering!". so keep layering she did! and then i told her i wanted more. and more.
and after it was over, i ended up with what i've been calling the "rockstar-70's-shag" :)

(taken with my new itouch!)

that's all i've got for tonight!

xoxo

maddie

Wednesday.

2011-02-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

Hello lovely readers!
Is anyone else ready for Spring besides me? Of course you are :)
I'm really done with this cold weather!

Well, I haven't been up to too much lately . . . still settling into my apartment, getting my Spring/Summer weddings and shoots all planned, writing lots of emails, working on a website, restructuring my pricing, contracts, etc., and just trying to get my life all figured out!

Also, this week, I've been trying something different. I'm not spending ANY money (started Monday) until this Friday evening. Now that I'm in an apartment, I need to get some budgeting all figured out, see what I can live without. And that INCLUDES Starbucks! I know, you all can't believe I've been living without my morning latte, eh? Me neither. I've been living off of home-brewed coffee and Starbucks VIA (instant coffee). The French Roast VIA is actually amazing! It is definitely getting me through. Other than that, I've been brown-baggin my lunch, getting into cooking, and salivating at EVERY.RESTAURANT.AND.FASTFOOD.COMMERCIAL.I.SEE. I've had a few moments where I have felt weak, but mostly, it's been a good experience.

Well, I'm getting back to work on some things. Maybe a photo shoot will appear tonight or tomorrow morning :) Tonight will be work work work, dinner, listening to Broken Bells, and probably some more work. I will probably also watch Bones. Have you seen Bones?? My parents watch it all of the time, and I've just started watching re-runs the past week or so, and it's so good! I'm going to start from the first season tonight since it's on Netflix. Yippee!

Well, goodnight!
XOXO
Maddie

Love.

2011-02-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

Found this in the dusty ol' archives ;) Found it fitting for today <3

Sagan | Bridals

2011-02-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

There is so much I can say about Sagan! I will start by satying that she is STUNNING and oh so sweet! She is honestly one of the nicest girls I have ever met. She loves to laugh and and be silly, then in the blink of an eye, she turns on the DRAMA and produces amazing amazing pictures! I love me some dramatic pictures :)

I've been excited to share these for a while! I have a whole bunch of shoots still Summer and Fall I need to share, so stay tuned this week! :)

XOXO

Maddie

Today.

2011-02-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

-sore throat
-too much sleep
-headache
-2 cups of coffee
-America's Next Top Model
-hot soup
-hot bath
-warm blankets

Yep, I'm sick. AGAIN.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

All growed up.

2011-01-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

Well. I moved out of my parents' house this week.

Sort of a surreal feeling actually. I've lived on my own before. But I always felt/knew I'd be back at home eventually. I lived in St. George, Utah for a year and a half! But I still knew that it wasn't an official living situation. I even moved into two other apartments after moving back to Orem (my hometown). And it still never felt like a permanent situation. The last time I moved back into my parents' house , the goal was to save money for a while so I could put a down payment on a future home/condo. Well, "a while" turned into almost three years. And I'd been itching to stretch my legs and get out there, be on my own again. I have been looking to move out for months. For some reason, living in one room (bed, desk, all of my belongings) caused me to feel a little bit stunted, creatively. I needed my own space, my own office . . . room for my stuff and my thoughts.

It had been on my mind a LOT. In fact, I had actually had enough saved up for the down payment on a condo I had found. My DREAM condo. It was amazing. Dark hardwood floors, fireplace, two bedrooms and an office, an amazing kitchen that was wide open with the living room . . . it was everything I had ever wanted in a place.
Only problem? The HOA was in the middle of a nasty lawsuit with the old wireless internet provider and nobody could make any sales until that was settled. I thought I could wait. I was even under contract to purchase. TWICE. But, a few weeks turned into a few months, and I started to feel disheartened, like it was never going to happen . . .

I decided to pull out of the contract. Again.

I decided to save my down payment money and just rent for a while. SO, I'm renting now. I found a great little apartment with two bedroom (one is serving as my new office :) ) and two bathrooms, a nice open kitchen/ living room . . . and a fireplace :) I don't know why, the fireplace is important to me. I must get that from my mom.

Now, I feel it could be official. This "living on my own" thing. My life is changing.

We were "The Five Musketeers", my family. But, everything has been changing. At first, it didn't really phase me. My twin sister got married, then my little brother got married . . . I was the last kid in the house. It didn't hit me how crazy moving out would be until my last night at my parent's house, last Monday night. I pulled up after running a few errands, and just broke into tears in my car. It hit me HARD. Things were going to be different from now on. I wasn't a kid anymore. We weren't "The Five Musketeers" anymore . . . The excitement left me, and devastation sunk in. (If you knew how amazingly awesome my parents are, you would never want to leave their home either!).

BUT. I can't think of it that way. I can't think of this as being the end of "The Five Musketeers". Instead, I need to think of it as "The Seven Musketeers" and counting.

Well, back to my new place! It's pretty close to work, only TWO block from Starbucks (VERY important), and very close to restaurants, Barnes and Noble, movie theaters, a mall . . .
Granted, it's only about 5 miles closer than I was before, but still awesome, I think :)
The first few nights here were kind of hard, I was still a bit sad about the "official-ness" of it all, but I'm feeling much better after this weekend. I feel like I could really make this place my home for a while.

This weekend was eventful! Saw the movie The Mechanic with Jeremy, my sister, and her husband, got the cable and internet hooked up, had lunch with one of my best friends, poker night with the family, a few trips to Costco, which resulted in a new sectional sofa and a new TV, got the apartment all set up, and lounged around watching Sex and The City, Will & Grace, and Rules of Engagement. It's been a pretty good weekend! I'm looking forward the next week (and the year) ahead!

A few snapshots from tonight (taken with my phone):

Goodnight!

XOXO

Maddie

Sweet Baby Luella | 8 Days Old

2011-01-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday, I had an amazing new experience :)
So far in my career as a photographer, I've mostly been shooting weddings, couples, families, small children . . . Saturday was my first newborn session!

This is Luella Jean. She's my cousin Tara and her husband Brett's brand new baby girl. I LOVE her!
Lee and I got to spend Saturday afternoon just ooing and awwing this sweet little girl, trying our hand at newborn photos.

We wanted something candid, yet with some styling.

(shoot stylized by Lee)

I definitely want to do more of these shoots! <3

Update: The baby headbands and flowers are from the amazing Amanda of the Addison Renee Boutique!

Oh hi

2011-01-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

How's your Wednesday going? Mine has been alright.
Actually, I am lying. Kind of.
I've been super grumpy today! With no explanation (don't you hate that??). I came home and went straight to my bedroom, avoiding everybody, and spent the evening alone with my ipad.
Don't feel bad for me, sometimes you just need a night alone, ya know? Sometimes you just feel grumpy and moody for no real reason, and being alone is just kind of a must.
Also, I don't know about you guys, but now that Christmas has come and gone . . . I am kind of over winter! I like being WARM! I don't function well in the cold. I spend most of winter hibernating in my warm bed with my layers and layers of blankets and down comforters and a hot water bottle on my feet.
Sweats go on the instant I get home from work. Hot tea and coffee are also a must. Also, I eat hot soup probably 4 nights a week. I'm pathetic, right??

Well, tomorrow, I promise you a much happier blog post, as well as more pictures! Shall I post a bridal shoot? Married couples shoot? Engagement shoot? Hmm, I have a lot to choose from! I will pick something special for ya :)

(image taken with my new iTouch!)

I'm gonna hit the hay early-ish tonight so I wake up on the RIGHT side of the bed tomorrow :)

Stay warm and have pretty, pretty dreams <3

-Mads

January Goals

2011-01-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

I know with it being the start of a new year, most people are putting together New Year's Resolutions. Me? I don't think it's an effective way for me to accomplish things, so I'm setting goals for the month of January instead.

1. Instead of watching TV before bed, read from my book.
2. Attempt to blog at least twice a week, then increase from there :)
3. Construct an updated business model.
4. Obtain a website.
5. Attempt a video blog post!

How about you, dear friends?
Any goals you'd like to share?

Scott & Josett | Engaged

2011-01-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

These two bring the biggest smile to my face :)

They were so funny, sweet, energetic . . . it was like hanging out and taking pictures with friends. They would just laugh, nuzzle, dance . . . and I would just take pictures. I think I left the shoot with sore facial muscles from smiling hehe.

This was one of those shoots that we had to keep rescheduling due to poor, rainy weather. Finally, we just kind of decided "hey, let's just take pictures on Saturday rain or shine" since they were on a bit of a time-crunch to get their invites out, so I just thought "Yeah, let's do this!".

We started in the early afternoon on the Saturday before Halloween (or as I called it: "Halloween Observed") with pretty nice weather out! It wasn't too cold, the sun was shining . . . then we ended the shoot with pouring, but that didn't hinder things too much :)

Lee put together the CUTEST spread; hot chocolate, mini pastries, old books, vintage cameras . . . she's amazing.

I felt like I had made friends of these two, and I'm glad. Aren't they cute??

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

My parents did the most wonderful job decorating for Christmas this year <3

Tonight, I took pictures of some my favorite ornaments on our tree :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Missing warm fall days . . .

2010-12-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

Two for tonight :)

2010-12-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

This sweet, adorable little girl is the closest thing I have to a niece right now :)

(My beautiful best friend Jessica and her 2 year old daughter Cambria)

Sunday.

2010-12-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

My little brother is murrrried.

2010-12-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

And here are shots from the big day :)

Is my dad not the coolest guy around?

My mom and Sam were so emotional. It was really touching to see.

The happy, yet FREEZING couple :)

And the adorable Sean and Chloe.

Ah, this has been such a busy and blissful past few months

How to make an evening after work instantly better:

2010-12-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

Also, Jeremy set this Uh-Mazing picture as my computer desktop.

Sunday.

2010-11-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

I woke up today with a drive to get things done. I put on a pot of coffee, ate a small lunch, pulled up a seat to my computer, and got to work.

Through the window by my desk, I could hear the harsh winter winds blowing, rustling through the trees, shaking the leaves, already hanging on for dear life, to the ground. Immediately, I moved my focus to Flickr. I started searching for pictures with the tags of "winter" or "snow", getting excited and inspired for the next few months! Normally, cold and snow mean less and probably miserably freezing photo shoots. This winter will be different.

I decided to go for a short drive, take in the beauty of this cold Sunday afternoon.

When I got back to my house, I pulled out my camera and shot a few pictures around my yard. The bright leaves covered in snow were exceptionally pretty.

Then, the moment I went inside and walked through my kitchen, I saw the mountains outside the window glowing with a bright orange. So I went back outside to see an amazing sunset taking place. Of course I snapped another picture.

Today was lovely. How was your Sunday?

3 Things I'm crushing right now.

2010-11-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

This amazing bench from Jonathan Adler

Carey Mulligan's October Vogue Cover photo.

I'll be honest, even though it's November,

I bought this magazine the other day JUST because I loved her hair so much.

It took me a looooong time to finally grow my hair out . . . but seeing

This picture makes me want to chop it off again!

These Sperry Top-Siders!

(I actually ended up buying them yesterday.. early Christmas present for me, yay!)

How about you?? What are you crushing right now?

Well, I'm off to take a quickie-bath to warm up, then it's hittin the lap top to

get some SERIOUS photo editing done!

Sam and Sarah | Bridal Shoot

2010-10-31T17:58:00.000-06:00

I can't believe my little brother is getting married :)

Ah, I love these two!

Can't type much now, but I will later!

XOXO

Maddie

Mmm, sunsets . . .

2010-10-25T21:11:00.000-06:00

I will miss the gorgeous summer light you give my photos.

Nicole and Spencer | Bridals

2010-10-17T19:19:00.001-06:00

Back in late July, Lee stylized the most beautiful bridal shoot we did for a client (with very little notice, mind you).

Nicole told us her wedding center pieces were going to include teacups and birdcages, so lee took that idea and ran with it!

She did such an amazingly splendid job, and Nicole and Spencer were absolutely thrilled!

Nicole and Spencer . . . these two are total sweethearts. They were so relaxed and calm and it made for a really nice evening shooting their bridals! Not to mention, I couldn't get over in love they were around one another! When I asked how long they'd been together? They were high school sweethearts! Their love still appeared exciting and new, they made me so happy to watch :)

Their wedding was equally amazing! I will share those pictures soon!

XOXO

Maddie

Nicole and Spencer | Bridals

2010-10-17T19:19:00.000-06:00

Fall | Engagements

2010-10-13T23:41:00.000-06:00

I love Fall weather. Photo shoots have been so magical lately. The colors, the cool air, the crunching of leaves. I've been wearing rain boots and scarves . . . pulling out some of my old sweaters !

I wish this season could last just a bit longer than it does. I feel like I'm almost too busy to enjoy it!

What are your favorite things about Fall?

I can't believe my little brother's gettin murrrried . . .

2010-09-27T23:52:00.000-06:00

I misssssss yooooouu!!

2010-09-26T21:54:00.000-06:00

Ah! I seriously SUCK at blogging now days! I hate it. Not blogging, but how bad I've been about keeping up on it. I am not quite sure what my problem is. I take lots of pictures, but nothing really from my personal life. Which is sad. I need to get on that.
My life is carazay busy right now, but I kind of think I love it. The mortgage industry has been absolutely insane the past few months which has sucked away my creative drive. But the past week or two, I feel slightly like I'm getting my groove back. I've had shoots everyday for the past three days, and so far they all went amazingly well! The couples shoot this evening was stunning, and the Provo canyon is starting to look so fantastic! Another week or two and it will be all of those bright yellows, reds, and oranges we all love to see this time of year :)
Last night, I tried Indian food! I had it once like 4 years ago and it wasn't the best experience. I am very picky with the foods I eat and I won't touch anything sweet. Well, this time I told my friends "IT CAN'T BE SWEET!! Help me pick something good!". I tried the lamb saag :) Holy Hannah, it was so delicious!!
Jeremy and I were in awe. Mmmmm. I will definitely be trying Indian food again.

Anywho, sorry about the absence of pictures tonight! Just wanted to write something. Cuz I miss you :) hehe

Goodnight!

Malori's Bridals

2010-09-14T21:46:00.000-06:00

Ah, Malori. She's beautiful inside and out. Since she hired me for her wedding package, I've felt a real bond between us! She's quickly become a great friend. She's really sweet and sure knows how to rock a dress!
Malori wanted her fiance, Brad, to see her for the first time in her dress on their wedding day. I love classic traditions sometimes :) So we did the bridals without him! The weather was insanely cruel that day. As we drove out the lavender fields, the clouds were starting to look really dark. Once we got there, the wind picked up! Malori was in her dress and ready to go, but the weather threatened to ruin everything.
We decided to give it a few minutes, hoping it would die down. Lucky for us, the bad weather quickly passed over us and the evening turned out to be beautiful! Funny enough, we've faced crummy weather on the day of Malori's engagement pictures, bridals, AND her wedding day! Oh well, that didn't stop us :)

Something new.

2010-09-09T22:37:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been a little while, eh? Well, I've been super busy as always (blah blah blah, I'm sure you're all sick of me saying that hehe). Things have been quite hectic at work and I've sort of been hiding in my room in the evenings, just laying low the past few weeks. It's been nice. I have LOTS of editing to do this weekend. Like, I want to cry thinking about it. Blah.
But in much happier, much more cute news . . . check out my new camera bag!!

Isn't she beautiful?!? I ordered it from Jo Totes (check them out, SUCH cute stuff!). It arrived today and I couldn't be happier with it. I'm hoping with this bag to be able to take my camera with me more places and catch more personal candid moments from my own life rather than only taking it on photo shoots. I'm also going to try shooting a little bit of film this week! :) Just for fun, and I just love the look of film. I will post the pictures after I do!

Well, have a wonderful night friends!

XOXO

Maddie

Sam and Hal | Stylized Couples Shoot

2010-08-23T21:46:00.000-06:00

Warning: LOTS of photos ahead!

This is Sam and Hal :)
Sam contacted me about doing a stylized shoot for she and Hal, and as soon as I saw their pictures, the ideas started brewing . . .
Sam had this gorgeous vintage black dress that she was dying to wear for the shoot, and after I saw the picture of it, I totally thought "OMG, Audrey Hepburn!". This dress is actually what inspired us to go with a French theme!
Lee came up with the props and ideas for a French-countryside theme, and boy did she do a brilliant job! With her ideas, I was able to come up with some outfit ideas for the couple to give it just a tad more Parisian flare (which I had a BLAST doing!).

Sam and Hal are beautiful, sweet, stylish . . . I can't even describe how easy this shoot was.

And this is the dress that inspired it all!

Well, I'm supposed to be taking the week off of photography-related things . . . mainly because we shot 3 weddings in 10 days on top of full-time jobs, and with work being all I do lately, I've grounded myself from photography for a few days. So I'm going to go try to relax.

Can anyone recommend some fun shows for me to watch??

Hope everyone is great!

-Maddie

A little look at what's to come!

2010-08-19T22:30:00.000-06:00

{Malori's Bridals}

{Jackie and Brian's Stylized Couple's Shoot}

{Nicole and Spencer's Bridal Session}

{Nicole and Spencer's Wedding}

These, along with a few other shoots I've been DYING to post, are coming up! It's been a beautiful summer and I feel so blessed to get the chance to photograph such gorgeous couples :)

Bridals with a chicken.

2010-08-16T20:56:00.000-06:00

Beth was very adamant about what she wanted for her bridals.
A chicken.
At first, I admit, I don't think I quite grasped the idea, but soon enough, I was so intrigued by it!
ALSO, Beth thrifted her GORGEOUS dress for under $100! Amazing, right??
Beth is one of the most cute, quirky gals I know, and she chose the perfect man, Devin, to suit her.
Congrats you two!

New look.

2010-08-08T19:32:00.000-06:00

I gave my self a little makeover :)
I trimmed my bangs and touched-up my gray roots.
It's amazing how the simplest touches can make you feel like a new woman.

I've got oh so much to catch you up on. I'm hoping to get the chance to post a few shoots this week, so stay tuned!

Monsoon season.

2010-08-04T19:54:00.000-06:00

The weather around here has been awesome lately. Rolling thunder storms at 5 a.m., lightning flickering across the sky for hours on end . . .
I was sitting in my basement bedroom listening to the thunder, but I decided what better place to get some work done than out on the front porch with my laptop? :)
As we speak, I'm watching the sky change all sorts of amazing colors, flashing here and there, casting an amazing glow onto the mountain side . . .
The thunder is my favorite part though :) I'm sure everyone loves thunder. I don't know anyone who doesn't. Except maybe dogs. And young children.

Tonight is a night of studying, researching, maybe a little editing and blogging. Who knows, maybe a good movie or TV show, and a long hot bath and off to bed early! This month is going to be crazy busy in almost all areas of my life, so I'm just going to soak up the calm before the storm. During an actual storm. Ha! I'm so cheesy.

XOXO
Maddie

(Oooh! Crashing thunder just as I'm hitting "Publish"! Love this!)

The sky was on fire . . .

2010-08-01T23:36:00.000-06:00

The sky was incredible tonight. It was around 8 PM and I was in my bedroom, which is in the basement, just waking up from a nice Sunday nap, and I noticed my room was glowing this gold, orange color. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced. I made Jeremy wake up and I ran upstairs and straight out to the front porch where my parents were sitting, and I was almost breathless at how amazing the sky looked. The entire neighborhood was glowing. It was truly amazing. The clouds were changing every few seconds, the colors shifting -- I was almost scared to run downstairs and grab my camera because I didn't know what I would miss. I'm glad I did get my camera. I wish I had it the entire 20 minutes I was out there. I'm not a religious person, but the experience was what I would describe as spiritual . . .

Did any local readers see this?! What did you think?

Utah Wedding Photographer | Malori and Brad Engaged

2010-07-20T16:03:00.000-06:00

Ah, Malori and Brad. What can I say? They are obviously adorable.
Lee styled this whole amazing shoot based around wind. We had paper airplanes, kites, pinwheels . . . it was so cute! Not to mention it fit perfectly with the weather, which was on the border of crazy rainstorm the entire evening! Much like the day of Malori's bridal session (except the crazy rainstorm actually DID hit) . . . but that's a story for a different day :)

Enjoy!

Oh that was fun :)

So, lovely friends, what fun things do you have planned for this evening?
Oh, me? Tonight my co-ed softball team is playing for the championship title!
Wish us luck!!

Utah Wedding Photographer | Ian and Megan married

2010-07-13T16:58:00.000-06:00

These two were married in Moab back in May. I can't describe how touching this day was. From the bride's dress that was handmade by her mother, to the whole family pulling together to prepare all of the food . . . the involvement of friends and family seemed to make this day extra special for Ian and Megan . . .

i loved how their sweet puppy joined in on the dancing :)

well, we're off to shoot a bridal session with a gorgeous bride at the beautiful lavender fields in mona! hope you all have a wonderful evening :)

XOXO
-Maddie

Some truths.

2010-07-08T10:06:00.000-06:00

I'm a busy girl. I work 40 hours a week at a mortgage company, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., then I come home from work and put in another 4-5, sometimes 5-7 hours more on editing, business planning, shooting, etc. I know everyone is busy. I have no room to think I'm the only one, and I truly know I'm not. I'm starting to feel like I'm doing a mediocre job both at work and in photography because I'm constantly stressed about them both. I often wonder how many summers I will have to sacrifice for this hobby-turned-business. I passed on a family trip last weekend. Just couldn't handle a vacation. Weird right? That vacations are stressing me out?! What IS that?!
Truth of the matter is, I stayed home to get work done, answer emails, and I even read some of a book I bought called The Legal Handbook for Portrait and Wedding Photographers (or something like that). Photography has become all I think about, all I talk about . . . I'm pretty sure all of my friends and family are sick me thinking and talking only about that.

To be quite honest, I miss blogging. Pre-photography (about 1.5 years ago), I was posting about trips, exciting events, my interests, my hobbies . . . this place was basically an online journal. This is not the case anymore. I miss that. I want to be better. I've LOVED making friends through my blog! I've loved reading other's blogs. And I miss commenting on other's blogs. I've come to the point where I now just scroll through Google Reader, quickly, when I have just a few moments, and many times I am Google-Reading from my phone while I'm in line at Starbucks (my saint and savior). I miss connecting with people. I want to say I'm making a goal to be better at this. I would LOVE to say that and have it be true. But for now, I will tell you I'm going to try my darndest.

This week, right in the middle of one of the busiest summers of my life, I caught a terrible cold. With so much editing to do that it makes me want to cry, I've told myself "You will not do a good job on editing if you're feeling this terrible. Just take a break". So, I've done just that. I've still made it into work at the mortgage company (maybe I was late a few mornings, but I still made it in), but in the evenings, I've tried really hard to stay away from editing. Although, from my bed, I've managed to take care of quite a few business related tasks (I now officially own a business! Woot!), and did some location scouting last night . . . okay, so I'm terrible at taking it easy (you know what really sucks about colds?! Right now, I'm drinking a triple venti latte from Starbucks (that's like a $4.50 drink!) and I can't even taste it. It tastes like hot water. My tastebuds are useless right now. Boo :( At least that doesn't affect the fact that I'm getting caffeine out of it, right?).

As far as shoots go, I've got quite a few photo shoots just waiting to be posted. But when I'm thinking about all that I have to edit, I think "Should I do a blog post? Or edit?", and then editing wins. Almost always. I know that posting shoots is the only way to drum up business, SO, I'm going to try and make blog posts just as important of a priority.

Anyway, I've got some fun, exciting, new things coming up in the next little bit, so stay tuned!

And one final "THANK YOU" to all those who still read my blog even though the occurence of posting has gone dramatically downhill! I love you guys. I will make it up to you.

utah wedding photographer | beth and devin engaged

2010-07-03T00:29:00.000-06:00

beth and devin are one of the most stylish couples i have ever met in my life. lee and beth together came up with some amazing ideas for this engagement session and i was SO excited when i heard what was involved. these two lovebirds are getting married at the end of this month and i cannot tell you how excited i am for their bridal session and their wedding. can you just imagine???

utah wedding photographer | sam and sarah {formal} engagements

2010-07-01T01:01:00.000-06:00

i sure do love these two.
since sarah was a bit ambushed into an engagement shoot (just kidding, it was magical), she wanted to do a few more pictures her way, where she could actually, ya know, be prepared? hehe :)
isn't sam a trooper? TWO photo shoots in just a couple of weeks?! such a good brother.
we were only outside for about 40 minutes, but we did snag quite a few beautiful images (all thanks to these two).
here are my faves:

i can't believe how fast time goes by these days . . . i will hopefully have much more to share with you this week! some darn cute shoots if i do say so myself :) you'll see.

utah wedding photographer | sam and sarah {stylized couple's shoot}

2010-06-17T20:10:00.000-06:00

what had started out as a normal stylized couple's shoot lee and i had planned-- and that my little brother and his girlfriend so graciously agreed to model in-- became a gorgeous and heart-felt event. my little brother proposed. right in the middle of the darn thing. which most of you know already, i blogged it here.

well, i just recently finished editing all of the pictures and i am SO pleased with how everything turned out. lee did an amazzzing job of stylizing the event, and sam and sarah.. i mean, come on.. could they be any more GORGEOUS?? america's next-top model material, i'm tellin ya!

aaaannnddd . . . here comes the proposal . . . (see more of the proposal shots here)

well, i FINALLY feel like i'm starting to catch up on life :) i have got quite a bit of shoots i'll be posting soon (i promise this time), and i'm really excited about them all. like.. REALLY excited.

well, i'm off to go see The A-Team and stuff my face with delicious popcorn. and i'm basically grounding myself from the computer for the rest of the night. i hope you all have a lovely evening!

ciao!

xoxo

-maddie

sigh . . .

2010-06-13T22:53:00.000-06:00

we had an engagement shoot tonight that went swimmingly well! the couple was so sweet and cute, and i just looooved taking their pictures! there's just something about being around couples during their engagement stage . . . their love for each other rubs off on me and can just put me in a wonderful mood . . .

on the way home, we pulled over to snap some shots of this awesome storm forming just over the lake.

.. i love stormy sundays :)
but i especially love them when they wait just long enough for my photo shoots to end :)

well, after a looong weekend of working on getting caught up, i'm excited to reunite with my pillows and blankets. i think i'm going to put on some True Blood, relax, and go to sleep.

xoxo
maddie

utah wedding photographer | sean and chloe {vintage couple's shoot}

2010-06-12T20:49:00.000-06:00

i consider myself a very lucky girl. i have so much support from friends, family, even strangers . . . and i thank you all for it!

sean and chloe let me take pictures of them about two months back. for a while, my friend lee and i had wanted to try out something a little bit stylized, vintage . . . something different than we'd been doing.

so we asked sean and chloe (my twin sister) if they would let us take their pictures once again. sean i'm sure was not too thrilled, but he was such a trooper and i love him for it! and chloe, you are too gorgeous for words.. thanks for being such a great sister to me :)

there was a point towards the end of the shoot where this dog came from out of nowhere, just begggging for attention. personally, i think this is what caused them to get little moses :)

and i can't thank lee enough! she's the brilliant stylist behind all of the shoots i will be posting over the next few weeks! stay tuned :)

sundays are for . . .

2010-06-06T20:21:00.000-06:00

family.
iced lattes.
planning this week's photo shoots.
a little editing.
business planning.
catching up on blogs.
catching up on cleaning.
pondering life.
movies.
meditating.
relaxing.

how was your weekend?

this song just warms my heart :)

2010-06-01T11:49:00.000-06:00

this song is just so darn happy, and for some reason it gets me super excited about summer adventures!
i thought it would be a great kick-off for the month of june, which is incidentally also my birthday month!

hope you're all having a fantastic tuesday!

sneak peek of the gorgeous sam and handsome hal!

2010-05-21T23:06:00.000-06:00

oh these two. they are just adorable. there's not much more to say right now, but LOOK AT THEM!

once again, the wonderful lee stylized this shoot! we wanted a sweet little french-inspired shoot (you will get a much better taste of that when i finish editing them!), and lee really rose to the occasion. lee, you are amazing!

i know it seems like all i've had to post lately are "sneak peeks", but i've just been running around like a mad woman! we've picked up many new shoots for the coming weeks, as well as a few weddings, so i'm trying to stay on top of it all! i'm doing some new product testing, which is one reason i've been slow to get the last few shoots fully posted, but i expect within the next week or two, we'll have plenty to show you :)

well, we've got a wedding in moab, utah tomorrow, then a busy busy week next week. wish us luck!

we <3 you all :)

life happens!

2010-05-13T20:59:00.000-06:00

first of all, a huge 'thanks!' for all of the blog love the past few days :) you are all so wonderful and your comments mean so much to me. i'm going to try to read all of your blogs soon, i want to get to know you better!
i don't know how many of you follow me on twitter, but i updated on tuesday proclaiming that i would have the pictures from sean and chloe's vintage shoot up by... well.. yesterday. i'm sorry! life gets in the way, am i right? someone very special to me is moving out of town on monday, and i'm trying to spend as much time with them as possible before that day. i will do my best to post the pictures soon :) i'm very excited about it.

i hope you are all having a wonderful evening, and i will post soon!

xoxo

-maddie

sam and sarah | sneak peek!

2010-05-10T23:03:00.000-06:00

this shoot was very special to me.

for a while, i've been begging my baby brother (sam) and his girlfriend (sarah) to be in a photoshoot for me and i wanted lee to stylize a little somethin special for them, and boy, did she go above and beyond!

she had it just perfect: some records and record player on the adorable blanket in the middle of an orchard, followed by a little bistro-style dessert table.

well, the shoot was going just swimmingly, when lee asks sam "are there any shot ideas either of you have?", and sam says "yeah, actually . . ." and i was like "wha? my little brother has an idea for a picture? weird.." then out of nowhere, he gets on one knee and freakin proposes!!? well, i'm a little slow and it honestly took me 30 seconds before i realized it was for real, so here i am just snapping pictures. when i finally realized it WAS in fact real, i felt SO happy to be a part of it :) he did such a good job, and of course she said 'yes'!
it was pretty fun to say i got to take part in an actual engagement shoot hehe.

after we got over all the excitement, the shoot continued with just a little bit more emotion than the beginning :) it was wonderful.

see? see what i'm talkin' about? lee is incredible.

i can't wait to post the rest! BUT i promised myself i would finish the pictures from sean and chloe's shoot and post those first (in the next few days!! woot!).

lee and i are really excited about doing these stylized couple shoots, so if anyone is interested in shoots like these, please email me ASAP! (madelynethomas@gmail.com).

a few pictures from my weekend.

2010-05-02T19:59:00.000-06:00

this weekend, we went to visit my lovely grandparents in Torrey, UT. it was such a relaxing time, and they were so hospitable.
my grandpa showed me and taught me about everything in his greenhouse and garden. i loved every second of it, he's so interesting and passionate about gardening, and i felt like it was a really great bonding experience!
my grandma made the most delicious food, and instigated some very enlightening conversation on politics, religion, the usual. we also chatted a little about life and love.
going to Torrey is very therapeutic. i hope to go back again soon!

and while it wasn't windy and freezing (for only about 10 minutes), i stepped out to play with moses and take some pictures of the scenery. it's gorgeous there.

sweet moses!

2010-04-27T19:54:00.000-06:00

so, there's no good excuse for the lack of activity on my blog lately. it's not that i don't have stuff i need to post, i have just been avoiding my computer. i promise i will be better!
i apologize!
to make amends... i present to you.. the cutest puppy ever :)
i'm an aunt now! chloe and sean got this sweet little guy over the weekend. he woke me up on saturday, and gave me little puppy kisses.

this is moses.

moses decided attacking my camera sounded like a good idea. normally, i would have screamed, but he's so damn cute, i just had to laugh.

all of these pictures were taken in a span of, like, 5 minutes. this little guy just gets all riled up and just tuckers himself out. i love him.

i'm a happy aunt :)

vintage couples shoot | utah wedding photographer

2010-04-11T02:52:00.000-06:00

all i can say is i have the best sister, brother-in-law, and friend. chloe, sean, and lee, thank you for helping me with this wonderful shoot today!

more to come . . .

hey hey!

2010-04-05T15:01:00.000-06:00

wow, long time, no post! last week was pretty nuts.. end of the month (craziest time of the month at work), my cousin's wedding (events took place thursday and friday), lots of family stuff, my dad had back surgery, had a meeting with a friend to go over her wedding details (sounds like it will be amazing! can't wait to photograph it!), two movies, and lots of other things . . .

phew. well, i did manage to get a little work done on something i've been meaning to post for almost a year now. if you'll notice the new category on my menu bar called "WHAT TO WEAR", you'll see a bit of my little project :) so far i only have a section done for the ladies, BUT i'm going to post a section for men and children once i get that all figured out. it's just a friendly little idea board for those of you who may be stuck on ideas for outfits to totally rock your photo session!

enjoy :)

my st. george trip | in pictures

2010-03-27T00:50:00.000-06:00

a few weeks ago, we took a girls' trip to st. george, utah.
there was eating, coffee, laughing, , driving, art-browsing, eating, coffee, girl talk, grandma, aunts, cousins, friends, walking, shopping, eating . . .

all in all, it was a fantastic weekend.

maybe a giveaway?

2010-03-23T21:59:00.000-06:00

alright people. i'm considering doing a photoshoot giveaway! just considering it at the moment. this is not a giveaway. i want to know if there are enough locals that read my blog that would be interested in something like this? it would be a completely stylized couple's shoot, most likely. something totally romantic and pretty. so. let me hear it! are there any interested local readers out there??

ian and megan sneak peek | utah county engagement photographer

2010-03-23T18:23:00.000-06:00

just a little taste of what i'm workin on tonight :)

elise and scott's bride and groom session-utah county wedding photographer

2010-03-22T00:07:00.000-06:00

sigh. i loved shooting this couple's bride and groom session :) they've been married for a couple of years, but you can't even tell, they are still SO sweet together, you'd think it was all still brand new. elise looked absolutely gorgeous . . . her dress, fresh, beautiful make-up, and i just LOVE her hair. also, she is a total sweetheart. she and scott have a wonderful blog where they share stories of their spontaneous vacations! i just love that. i hope i'm that spontaneous and adventurous when i'm married :)

thanks scott and elise! i had so much fun with you two during our session!

p.s. elise's beautiful hair-piece was made by my very talented twin sister chloe. and a HUGE thanks to my fabulous partner in crime, lee, for her assistance in this session!

much love!

utah county wedding photographer-tara and brett's bride and groom session.

2010-03-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

wow, this week has been busy! i've been scrambling to get so many things done before i go out of town tomorrow night (soo excited to get away btw)!

i've posted quite a few sessions of my cousin tara and her fiance brett, and why not? they're just too cute for words. this bridal shoot was definitely more on the romantic side. considering the race against daylight, the freezing cold temperatures, and the last minute location, i really did love the way some of these pictures turned out and i'm so excited to share them with you :)

well, gotta go get some more last-minute things wrapped up!

xoxo-

maddie.

from my phone.

2010-03-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

today, i was going through my phone, noticing my pictures were taking up a LOT of space! so, tonight i'm clearing them off.

i decided to keep a few of my favorites though, and share a couple with you :)

i was talking to jeremy on google talk, asking him what food i should bring over to his house. his order was, like, a billion items long, and i knew i wouldn't remember it, so i took a snapshot of our conversation hehe. worked like a charm ;)

well, i'm going to get back to editing! have a fantastic evening!

xoxo,

beep. boop. bop.

2010-03-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

hi dear friends. as you may have noticed, the blog makeover is still not finished. i've been soo busy the past few nights and have hardly had a moment to even think about the other adjustments i have in store!

p.s. don't you just love that the warm weather is coming? ahh!
yesterday, i almost thought about taking my laptop to a park or something and sitting outside while i edited pictures. but of course, it wasn't THAT warm, and i get cold even when it's hot out, so i knew that was not gonna happen.
instead, i bundled up all warm in sweats and knee socks, and got my hot water bottle for my feet, and i edited allll night. sadly, i didn't even get as much done as i'd expected. but, that's what this week is for. i'll be editing every night this week until i leave for St. George on friday! so excited to get away for the weekend and see my grandma and aunt :)

well, i think after work, i'm going to go rent some movies. the past few days, i've had the urge to watch Whip It! if you haven't seen it, you should. it's really sweet and funny. gotta love those little indie flicks.

xoxo,

me.

hi friends!

2010-03-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

tonight i'll be doin a little makeover work on the ol' blog. so please bear with me while i (possibly) make sudden changes every few minutes! :)

p.s. i love your faces. yes. all of you.

mm mmmmm :)

2010-03-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

this sweet boy helped me try out some night shooting techniques the other night. i was feeling a bit down, and he thought doing something artistic might cheer me up, so i told him i had been wanting to try out the lighting equipment i bought a few months ago in some night shots. he helped me figure out all of the equipment, read the manuals, put together the light stands, and then he stood in the freezing cold for almost an hour and just let me take practice shot after practice shot until i felt like we had gotten an idea of how to make it all work. even when i was freezing cold, he kept encouraging me not to give in until i felt good about the set-up.

he looks cute, eh? :) tonight he's feeling under the weather. i think he has the flu or something :(

so, i'll probably make him some soup and bring a few movies over to his house and just have a fun, relaxing night.

hope you all are doing well!

love,

m.e.

utah county wedding photographer-a week of sneak peeks i guess! :)

2010-02-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

hello friends! and thank you all for your sweet sweet comments yesterday :)

i've been busy the past few weeks! it's been so amazing, and i'm so excited for the changing seasons; spring can't get here fast enough!

meet scott and elise.
elise contacted me through my twin sister, chloe, a few months ago about getting some bridal pictures done with her and her husband, scott. to tell you honestly, i could not have been more thrilled! they seemed like such a sweet, fun couple from their blog, i knew from the beginning we were gonna have some fun!
due to some bad weather a few weekends ago, we had to cancel the shoot (because who wants to get all drenched when you're in an expensive, gorgeous dress with your hair and make-up all did?? nobody. that's who), so we thought we'd try again for the following saturday.
well, i sleep in a basement bedroom, and when i woke up the morning of our shoot, i could see falling snow just building up on the leaves in my window well. so i thought "oh great, stupid weather. . .".
i texted elise to ask her what she thought of the weather conditions, and apparently it was pretty sunny and nice up in salt lake city, so things were definitely still a go!

when we met up at the SLC temple, it was definitely sunny out, but man, it was NOT very warm. poor elise was just freezing up! but who knew she could totally whip out the model fierce-ness and look totally stunning anyway? she totally killed it. she knows it. i know it. scott definitely knows it!

. . . needless to say, i can't wait to finish editing these.

this week has been wonderful. i'm in the process of editing 3 shoots (obviously i can't keep them to myself and just do one at a time), and just i've just been getting a lot of tasks accomplished and getting big plans sorted out for the coming months.

my friend lee and i are planning some awesome and totally stylized bridal and engagement shoots, so if any of you are shopping around for wedding photographers and are interested in doing something a little bit edgy and different, please shoot me an email at madelynethomas@gmail.com.

well, back to work! have a wonderful night everyone!

xoxo,
maddie

p.s. . . .

i wish i was brave enough to wear these fake glasses in public. if i had to wear glasses, i totally would get frames like this. stupid 20/20 vision!

utah engagement photographer-tara and brett engagements.

2010-02-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

i realize i posted tara and brett's pictures out of order. first engagements, bridals, mooore engagements . . .
the day after we took their bridal pictures, tara wanted to do another engagement shoot, just to get some more variety. it was on valentine's day, and i loved the idea of shooting engagement pictures on valentine's day! obviously, we were a little inspired :)
we found this decrepit, old apartment building that was perfect for this little mini-shoot!

*yawn*
i'm sleepy.
more editing tomorrow.
which hopefully means more posting.

goodnight!

-m.e.

wednesday.

2010-02-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

so, despite what it looks like here on the blog, i've been quite busy lately! although, maybe my lack of posting could make one think that anyway.
mostly, i've been taking time to go through old photos, and practice my editing. i don't know how many photographers out there read my lonely little blog, but finding an editing style is tough, am i right?! i'm drawn to so many different styles myself, and i feel like the more i've tried to find one that feels like me, the more lost i am and the more i hate my pictures. and i almost feel like i've consistently been getting worse.
so. that's what i've been working on lately. finding my creative self, planning photoshoots for when the warm weather finally comes, thinking about business models, contracts, pricing, where i want to take this whole photography thang . . . blah!

in much happier, more exciting news, i bought a new laptop! it's not here yet, but i'm oh so excited :)
my macbook runs photoshop SO terribly slow, so i bought a PC back in april that has made all of the difference in the world! my new laptop will supposedly run just as fast as my desktop because it's chalk-full of all sorts of amazing hardware (lots of parts with lots of big words that all equal AWESOMENESS!! i'm really not computer-savvy, but luckily my BF is)!! so, now i can edit other places than my freezing cold basement bedroom (sometimes i call it "the cave"). i can actually sit upstairs in my house, where there are people, or i can go to barnes and noble, or get together with people to work on things . . . i'm very excited :)

well, i'm off for now, but maybe another post later tonight? we'll see.

much love <3

xoxo
-maddie

sundays . . .

2010-02-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

are for sleeping-in, staying in my warm bed, watching Sex and The City, drinking a homemade latte, and catching up on google reader and e-mails. and probably a hot bath and a movie later, ya know, when i feel like moving.

sigh :)

(taken with my point-and-shoot)

did you do anything fun this weekend?

missing summer.

2010-01-30T01:27:00.000-07:00

i was going through some old photos tonight, just sort of cleaning up my hard drive, and i found some pictures from a trip my family took to pebble beach during the summer, and i never got around to blogging them!
this trip was really great! although, the ride there was a bit of a nightmare. it was chloe, sean, lee and i and i had a migraine, chloe's husband, sean, was sick as a dog, we drove ALL night and ended up in some super cute town called Truckee around breakfast time to let sean rest before we got back on the road (nausea and riding in the car are NOT a good mix, poor guy).
when we finally got to pebble beach in california, we were all SO relieved!

the house we stay at every year is so beautiful. it belongs to my cousin's husband's grandma (ya dig? hehe) and it's right on the pebble beach golf course, with a gorgeous view of the ocean.
these are some pictures from around the garden . . .

my cousin's cute dog cash. he's basically a giant puppy. he's adorable.

i want their kitchen.

this is the VERRRY pretty beach. some of us were down there every single day.

kinzy's dog ellie. she's a little bit prissy. but SO cute and definitely has a personality.

cash was so hyper while we were at the beach. there were dogs everywhere and he was just having the best time ever! he was playin in the water, diggin for little crabs and such . . .

all tuckered out. but that only lasted, like, two seconds.

yes. this neighborhood is veeeerrrry ritzy.

sigh. i'm super tired. i hope you all had a wonderful week, and can i just say thank goodness for weekends???

xoxo
maddie

alison and eric.

2010-01-26T23:47:00.000-07:00

remember when i told you i had a mentor session with diana palmer? well, to get out of my pathetic winter slump, i decided to edit some of the pictures from the shoot!
this session was amazing. she found this awesome couple that has been married for a few years for us to shoot, and they were perfect! and i really learned a lot about interacting with clients while taking their pictures, mostly by observing diana while she was in the zone. she's brilliant to watch!

while i stood quietly off to the side, watching, i snuck in a few pictures of my own :)

this couple, alison and eric, were absolutely darling. alison is so sweet and hilarious and bubbly. also very real. and their house is beautiful! it's like walking into a real-life etsy shop with cute vintage ceramic owls and fun art all over the place . . . loved it!

a little dancing? of course they were up for it! they were really such a fun couple.

have a wonderful night!

xoxo

maddie

sunday.

2010-01-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

oh hi :) today was quite a beautiful day. it snowed the past two days, and then today we had sun! i thought it would be perfect to take a little drive up the canyon and take some pictures.

i was sooo tempted to drive further up the canyon to park city to check out the sundance film festival.
i quickly decided that would be a bad idea to do by myself.

oh well. i hope you're all having a relaxing sunday!

xoxo
maddie

thursday.

2010-01-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

i just wanted to hop on and say hello to you all!

what i've been up to lately:

wrapping up the editing of a beautiful wedding

lots of vegging out.
reading magazines.
being kind of a loner.
trying to get inspired.
re-thinking a lot of things:

i need a life makeover.

i need a business makeover.

i need a makeover.

what i've been watching:

nick and norah's infinite playlist

(500) days of summer

sleepless in seattle

what i've been drinking:

lots of coffee and lattes

(thanks for the starbucks gift card, mom and dad!)
tea

what i've been listening to:

the xx
dead man's bones (dude, ryan gosling! he's so cute)

the (500) days of summer soundtrack

this iglu and hartly song (LOVE IT! so fun to blast in the car)

what i've not been doing enough of:
taking pictures.
keeping the blog updated.
sleeping.
socializing.

damn winter.

xoxo

sunday.

2010-01-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

hello! i'm trying really hard to get back into the spirit of blogging.
i've been working on a few photo shoot edits, pricing, contracts, and other business-y stuff, so i haven't had much to share lately, i'm sorry! :(
does anyone else get a little down during the winter? i mean, i'm sure plenty of people do, but i am kind of a home-body in the winter time. i would love to be taking more pictures, but by the time i get home from work, it's too dark to get out and shoot. and i know that's a bit of a cop-out, so i'll try to be a little more creative.. maybe i'll try to arrange more night shoots.

this weekend, i had a mentor session with diana palmer and it couldn't have gone better! i was so nervous, but talk about an amazing woman, seriously. she had the absolute sweetest shoot arranged, so creative, and definitely the kind of shoot i've been wanting to try. i will have to post some pictures of it soon.

she gave me so much advice on business, pricing, and a better way to shoot. i can't wait to apply it to my work. it was just what i needed, to spend the day with a total pro and get all of my questions and frustrations answered.
she is amazing, you must check her out.

well, i'm off to work on some baby shower invites with chloe and lee, have a good night!

xoxo, maddie.

~lovely giveaways~

2010-01-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

please check out the wonderful, fabulous giveaways at:

sean and chloe (my twin sis)

and

our.city.lights.

both beautiful blogs, and so inspirational! go check them out and enter. totally worth it!

chloe's bridals-utah wedding photographer

2010-01-12T00:55:00.000-07:00

okay so. decided chloe should be a model. can i get a resounding HELL YES on that statement?!!

i hope you all sleep well! :)

goodnight.

wow.

2010-01-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

over a week for a new post? i haven't let that happen in a while!
so sorry for getting behind. i've still been reading your blogs, i've just had a bit of a rough week or so.
nothing to be worried about. just have needed some time to myself (grandma, i'm fine! i swear. hehe).

a few shots i took while relaxing during christmas break (yes LONG over due, i know):
i've been staying warm with lots of hot bubble baths and coffee and tea.
mmm, just got a sudden craving for soup!

like my new snow boots :) i'm in love. my mom bought them for me two days before i even knew of their existence.
i saw them at nordstrom and nearly died. they were perfect. i called my mom and told her all about them.
she said she could hardly contain her excitement knowing she had already bought them for me!

and here's a little sneak peek of a wedding i've been editing. such a beautiful couple!

well, even though i already took a long nap this evening, i think i'm still going to hit the pillow early tonight.
i hope you are all doing well!

i've missed you.

2010-01-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

the ash family.

2009-12-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

i loved photographing this family.

i've known rod (the dapper father) for about 5 years now, and he's one of the sweetest, funniest, most stylish men i know! and he's raised two great, wonderful kids who share that style gene :)

i think i'm going to go bed early.

sweet dreams everyone!

xoxo

-maddie

merry christmas, lovelies

2009-12-25T22:49:00.000-07:00

i know it's the end of christmas day, but i just wanted wish you a beautiful day anyway :)

my christmas was just fantastic! it was a warm, cozy, family-filled day.

i've been super busy with work and family things, that i've fallen a bit behind

on anything blogging/photography-related. i do have a few picture posts

planned for the weekend though!

much love!

xoxo

R.I.P dear Fish . . .

2009-12-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

i will surely miss you.

tara and brett-engagements.

2009-12-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

i don't know if any of you remember me posting the below photo a few months ago, but this is what the mountain looked like the day we took tara and brett's engagement pictures in the beginning of October.

we decided to start higher up on the mountain, then make our way down to the leaves.

we drove up pretty high and that's when it really started to snow.

after we got our snow shots we headed down the mountain, a little bit, and when i got out of the car, i could not believe how neat the mountain looked! i had to take a picture.

i'll admit . . . at first, i was hesitant to go through with this shoot. the weather wasn't supposed to be this bad.

down in the valley, we only had light sprinkles, but it was freezing and the clouds warned of much, much more- and i was worried tara and brett (and lee and myself) would freeze and that my camera would get wet and ruined.

but, as soon as we got up to the tall trees and falling snow, a rush of energy came over me. the backdrop was just gorgeous! dare i say unbelievable? we went from heavily falling snow, down to fall-leaves and moisture, then finished up down even further at the sundance lodge with poooourring rain!

and if tara had let me talk her out of this, we wouldn't have gotten the fun shots that we did, so, tara, thank you for insisting that we just go do it :) (**note to self, DO NOT LET WEATHER GET IN THE WAY OF A SHOOT. CRAZY WEATHER = CRAZY AWESOME)

........................................................................................................................................

tara and brett are very special. they've been dating for about 5 or 6 years now! they love to have fun, go on trips, and be adventurous. they're usually the ones trying to get everybody up off of their lazy butts and to go out and do something crazy!

tara, brett, i'm so excited for you two! thank you for sharing this fun day with us!!

well gang, it's friday, i'm going to get away from the computer for a while! lee and i have a wedding to shoot tomorrow and we're super excited :)

hope you're all having a great night!

-maddie

oh mikki, you are a doll :)

2009-12-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

my good friend mikki is a magnificent photographer!

we work together at the mortgage company, and about 2 years back,

when i decided i wanted to get into photography, i found out she was interested in photography as well, and boy, did she take a hobby and run with it!

she and her husband are brilliant photographers, and their work will make anybody drool.

you must head over and check her out! you may see a few familiar faces in her most recent shoot :)

p.s. this shoot was SO much fun, and chloe and i had a grand ole time trying to be model . . . while being cheesy in a few other shots of course ;) hehe

sunday.

2009-12-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

i think i have the world's cutest dad.
today, he went out to shovel the driveway, but then to our wonderful surprise,
he decided he was going to build a snow sculpture.
he used to do this all of the time when we were kids.
he would make a giant "snow head" with the snow removed from the driveway,
and we always got the biggest kick out of it!
there would just be a giant 5 foot head, usually with a huge nose and mustache, just chillin on the lawn.

well, today, he brought the tradition back, and i was so excited!

at first, he decided to make a snow bear. this was his inspiration.

i walked around and took some pictures of our christmas decorations while i waited for the results.

when i came back to him, he told me he wanted to make the bear an elephant. i said "then do it!".

so, "do it" he did.

me and dad.

see, isn't that adorable? :) i love my dad.

well, today, i'm actually starting to feel somewhat better, the best i've felt all week.

i'm going to continue to relax for the rest of the day, then start full-steam back with editing and blogging tomorrow.

i've sure missed you all!

dear blog.

2009-12-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

sorry i've been so absent the past week, i've been oh so sick with a cold/flu.
i spent 3 full days in solitary confinement, being avoided by everyone
because they were afraid of getting sick. i managed to go two whole days
without a verbal conversation with anyone (except maybe myself), drank little to no
coffee, and i ate soup for almost every meal.
except for tuesday.
i wanted wendy's chicken nuggets on tuesday. i wanted them so bad. i would have given my left
boob for chicken nuggets. luckily my little brother is a sweetheart (sometimes), and he
went and got me wendy's (of course i didn't give my left boob for them, that's gross. just my debit card.).
i also got caught up on grey's anatomy. would you believe i watched 11 hours of the show on monday??
yeah, i know it's crazy, and the whole time i kept thinking something more serious was wrong
with me and that i was going to die of cancer or something.

today i managed to get into work, but by the end of the day, i was wiped.
now, i'm back in bed watching Dog the Bounty Hunter and Cold Case while feeling sorry for myself.

do any of you get super emotional when you're sick? i do.
i literally become a mess. i cry, i whine, i think about all of the healthy
life-style changes i'm going to make when i feel better . . .

on a lighter note, i've got some photo-shoot posts coming this week that i'm excited about!
now, if i could just get feeling better!

i think i may just take a hot bath, drink some raspberry tea, and pop in a movie.

goodnight!

improv everywhere.

2009-12-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

you can't leave this website without smiling.

seriously.

some of these videos made me so happy i started crying.

i had to close my bedroom door because i was embarrassed.

improv everywhere is one of the neatest ideas ever.

and i love that their mission is to make people laugh, smile, and have a story to tell.

some of my favorites:

it makes me so happy to know that there are people like this in the world.

i hope i'm a witness to something like this someday.

also, it came as no surprise to me that katie sokoler from color me katie is involved! she's brilliant, adorable, and just seems like the happiest, sweetest person ever.

gosh, how fun would it be??

december goals.

2009-11-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

so, here it is, december already. how did this happen? i swear 2009 just started.

i wanted to list a few goals for december, you know, to get me ready for the big 2010 resolution post!

okay, here goes.

1. eat better. no more fried foods! and eat a hearty salad for at least ONE meal a day.

2. try to get more exercise.

3. get caught up on all my editing!

4. stop sleeping in so late on the weekends. i'm a girl who's having an amazing love affair with sleep!

can't get enough of it! we want to run away together . . .

5. start a handwritten journal, to store my secrets.

6. start planning my etsy shop.

7. cut back on the expensive coffee beverages. lattes are too expensive to indulge in every day!

8. finish the book i'm reading.

9. be on time to work everyday (pretty sure i've tried to set this goal before).

10. find some cute dresses for winter! and boots :)

11. plan my christmas shopping! also, i'm going to soak in the christmas spirit this year. i always let it slip by too fast!

12. (because i have to end on an even number) plan at least one dinner party. because i've wanted to all year and haven't had the time or energy to actually make it happen. it will happen!

well, i think i'm going to pour myself into a hot bath. i think i'm a mermaid at heart.

i'm obsessed with baths. almost MORE than i am with sleep.

have a goodnight!

-m.e.

Red Hat Society.

2009-11-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

i think the idea behind the Red Hat Society is just fantastic!

i'm sure you've seen them around, these women with very fancy red hats and purple outfits . . .

here's a brief description from the Red Hat Society official website on how it all began:

"While visiting a friend in Tucson several years ago, Sue Ellen impulsively bought a bright red fedora at a thrift shop, for no other reason than that it was cheap and, she thought, quite dashing. A year or two later she read the poem "Warning" by Jenny Joseph, which depicts an older woman in purple clothing with a red hat. Sue Ellen felt an immediate kinship with Ms. Joseph. She decided that her birthday gift to her dear friend, Linda Murphy, would be a vintage red hat and a copy of the poem. She has always enjoyed whimsical decorating ideas, so she thought the hat would look nice hanging on a hook next to the framed poem. Linda got so much enjoyment out of the hat and the poem that Sue Ellen gave the same gift to another friend, then another, then another.

One day it occurred to these friends that they were becoming a sort of "Red Hat Society" and that perhaps they should go out to tea... in full regalia. They decided they would find purple dresses which didn't go with their red hats to complete the poem's image.

The tea was a smashing success.

Soon, each of them thought of another woman or two she wanted to include, and they bought more red hats. Their group swelled to 18, and they began to encourage other interested people to start their own chapters (18 women don't fit well around a tea table). One of their members passed along the idea to a friend of hers in Florida, and their first "sibling" group was born.

Sue Ellen's fondest hope is that these societies will proliferate far and wide. We have now held three successful Red Hat Society conventions entire hotels filled with women of a certain age wearing red hats and purple outfits! Could world domination be far behind?"

source

i love the idea of getting all dressed up in beautiful red hats and purple dresses to go out and have tea or lunch with your friends, while meeting other women in the process :)

you must be at least 50 years of age to be part of the society, however, i just read that there are "pink hatters", which opens up chapters for women under 50 to join until they reach their red hat status.

their main purpose: We are the ones enjoying life to the fullest, no matter where we are or what we are doing! We are the mothers, daughters and grandmothers, of society. Some may ask, "What do you do?" The answer is... We do exactly what we wish to do."

i love it! i saw a few red hat ladies walking the boardwalk when i was in Monterey, CA two years ago.

i didn't understand what they were all about, or why they were dressed so extravagantly,

but now i totally get it. these women are bold and beautiful and free!

someday, i hope to be a member.

happy sunday :)

self-portraits.

2009-11-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

the shuetzler family!

2009-11-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

oh the shuetzler family. this family was a crack up! they love to laugh and be silly and tease each other.

they were really funny and silly, and lee and i had a blast spending that saturday afternoon with them!

the fact that they seemed to be having a fun time really helped my nerves . .

i'm not used to photographing so many people in one day!

and i love being in the presence a tight-knit family like this one.

a family that loves to spend time together, laugh together, and actually hang out together. it's quite refreshing.

thank you so much, shuetzler family! :)

tuesday.

2009-11-24T20:35:00.000-07:00