I love the girls of the Miss America Organization.  Smart, beautiful, poised and talented, I always look forward to meeting our Miss Arizona every year, hearing how their reign has gone, and spending some time with them as their title comes to an end.  The girls of Miss America, the state titleholders, and the local titleholders do so much advocacy for different charities, so much heart, time, miles, speaking engagements, giving so much of themselves to serve others, many taking a year off from college to serve their state for no pay, just a little scholarship money.

It was a long time coming when I finally met Piper face to face as we’ve been email, Twitter and Instagram buddies throughout the year.   Last weekend we finally had our session at The Arizona Biltmore, her favorite place in the Valley to stay and one of my most favorite places to shoot.

Congratulations on a fantastic year representing Arizona, Piper.  Watching you over the year has been so much fun, and I know the future is full of incredible surprises for you!  Have fun in Europe after you give up your title, and Bear Down!  Thank you for all you have done for our state. You are such a beauty!  xx

Thank you so much to the Arizona Biltmore for their hospitality and supporting my business.

Diana Elizabeth has many good friends she’s made from doing pageants many years ago or friends of other friends who have done pageants.  She liked it when Piper said she felt like she had an incredible internship experience.  If you’re between the ages of 17 and 24 and you’re interested in becoming the next Miss Arizona, click here.  The new Miss Arizona is crowned this Saturday, June 22. 

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Have you ever wished you could relive a shoot?  I do.  This one.

When Lyndsey contacted me via email asking for my availability and explaining her future travel to Phoenix to see her hubby during spring training (he’s on the Colorado Rockies, hello), I peeked at her site, her work, and saw not only a beautiful woman, but a very talented one.  And this girl loves Jesus, what a package!

I took a quick liking to Lyndsey, as I do with all my clients.  If any of you are looking for a photographer around Little Rock, Arkansas, hire Lyndsey!  She also travels!  Like her Facebook page here.

Can’t wait to see you again Lyndsey, this time, let’s go shopping and get some sushi! xx

Venue: The Felch House Inn / Makeup and hair: Allison Pynn

Diana Elizabeth love shooting at The Felch House Inn, what a perfect central Phoenix location to shoot portraits and everything that’s romantic!  She is hoping to make her backyard to be at least a tenth of how pretty the grounds are at The Felch House Inn!

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It was a casual invitation by Cara’s best guy friend to come along and participate in a kickball league game.  Little did she expect that she’d meet her future husband, Chad, who was on the team.  After a friend request through Facebook, Chad asked messaged her, “So, when are we going to hang out?” and hanging out soon turned into a year and a half of dating, and a sweet proposal at the top of Phoenix’s premiere and most difficult hiking trail, Camelback Mountain.

Hiking on the way to the top, Chad worried if Cara was going to make it or if he’d have to change his plans and stop along side of the trail to propose – he was ready to do that as well.  He kept encouraging her to push through to reach the summit – 2,704 feet overlooking the Phoenix Valley.  Alas, they reached the top and Chad suggested they take a photo and handed his phone to a fellow hiker, and whispered, “It’s on video!”  Confused, the hiker quickly caught on and documented Chad getting down on bended knee.

I am honored and thrilled to be a part of a long time friend’s event, having met Chad during my time at UofA and kept in touch all these years.  ”Is it that pretty redhead?” I asked Chad, having seen her face on his Instagram feed.  There’s something super wonderful about  seeing an old friend find  his  soulmate and knowing that he will be well taken care of and have a lifetime of laughter and adventure with a gal who can keep up.  Chad is one of the kindest souls, so I knew even before meeting Cara that she had to have an equally kind and warm personality, and it was all confirmed during our first meeting.  Cara and Chad, my heart is overflowing with happiness for you both, you are absolutely made for each other.  I cannot wait to see you this fall and have a wonderful time with you both!

Diana Elizabeth wants you to know that Mr. Wonderful drove her to Prescott and even helped carry her lenses.  He thought it was super fun and on the way home asked if she wanted him to get into photography to help her.  She kindly responded, no, he definitely doesn’t have to, but his willingness to carry her equipment and drive her around is more than enough.

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My best friend Meagan is amazing, and she has a wonderful family.  I love attending all of her functions, her birthday party, the kid’s birthday parties, showers, you name it because it means I get to see her siblings and parents who I have been able to love and spend time with over the years.  Many of the sessions you see take place on their farm land in Buckeye (they are also dairy farmers) which changes from barley, alfalfa and cotton to name a few.  They have always been so generous and supportive of my photography that I joke because of them, they allow me to take images that attract amazing clients and landscaping images that are hard to come by in the city!

Sine told me she and Bill will be celebrating their 33rd anniversary at the end of this month, so this was perfect timing to document a wonderful occasion.

After our time together I had a lot of time to think as I drove home, and began to think about my girlfriend’s who live here and how much I love being around their families and feeling close to them. It means so much to me since my parents are back in Nor Cal and Mr. Wonderful’s parents are in Illinois.  We feel so blessed to have such close friendships and are able to enjoy being welcomed into our friend’s families since Phoenix is our home away from home.

Congratulations Sine and Bill on 33 years of marriage, four kids, three grand babies (and more to go!) and a beautiful relationship that continually glorifies the Lord.

Here they are posing with their two of their three grandkids – these little dudes belong to Meagan and were patient while we shot around the farm.

Diana Elizabeth says the drive to Buckeye is worth it for the amazing fields and the exclusivity.  She was also thinking that she sure does love farm land and could see the perks of living on one!

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When I told Angela Saban to design the wedding of her dreams, she immediately said, southern.  This is why Angela and I love collaborating, we love the sweet south, the romance, simplicity, and the timelessness of it all!

This concept shoot was created for my 2-on-1 wedding workshop where I mentored two sweet and talented photographers exclusively all day who want to dive into the wedding industry and learn how to market themselves, shoot better, and develop their style.  It was a long day with lots of information, portfolio review, and shooting a beautiful set up.

Angela and I are trying to start a movement.  Although we’re in Phoenix and Arizona is the Southwest, we’d like to drop the “west” and be considered south so we can catch on with the Southern inspired weddings that we love.  Make sure you scroll all the way to the end to see the workshop in action, thanks to Love Story Films for capturing the day!

A bourbon and biscuits dessert bar – with homemade grapefruit curd made by Angela Saban herself – she’s also a pastry chef!

I had a blast with these two, Poly and Alan:

Watch the behind the scenes captured by Love Story Films who were wonderful, hire them for your next event!

Event designer: Angela Saban / Wedding gown and pearl belt: Enzoani courtesy of Uptown Bridal & Boutique / Florals: The Garage by Ivy / Stationery: Celebrations in Paper / Hair: Vonn Wynn / Makeup: Brenna Heater / Veils: Bel Aire courtesy of Uptown Bridal & Boutique / Earrings: The Audrey Earring, by Meg courtesy of Uptown Bridal & Boutique /  Tea length blush gown: Destinations by Mon Cheri courtesy of Uptown Bridal & Boutique / Pearl clutch: Uptown Bridal & Boutique / Necklace: Everything Angelic / Gluten Free Cake: Angel Cakes Bakery / Magnolia napkins: SMP Living / Models: Brenna and Nate Heater / Cinematography: Love Story Films

Diana Elizabeth missed Alan and Poly as soon as she dropped them off.  What a fun time and she hopes their paths cross again soon!

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Last week my girlfriend Jennifer welcomed her second little girl to the world.  Meet Miss Allyson Sky.

Last week it was my third time witnessing a delivery with camera in hand, and after a quick post on Facebook, I was surprised by the response and knew I had to write about capturing birth stories. After all, does anyone else feel like everyone around them is having a baby?  Last winter I had 15 pregnant friends!

I’ll be writing a much more in depth article to appear on PhotoTuts+ where you will begin seeing super in depth how-to’s by me (as in, 1500 word articles).  But for now I’ll keep it simple and give a few tips whether you’re professional or hobbyist to help you document the day as well as you can.

Tips on capturing a birth story:

• Turn off your flash.  No no flashy flash.
• Pick an ISO that’s high enough, works well, and stick to it.  With everything going on, you won’t have time to change it. You’ll be indoors the entire time anyway.
• Your light will change – some rooms will be darker than others, lights will turn on, some areas will be better lit. You can manage proper exposure by quickly adjusting with your F-stop. I choose to shoot at F2.0 and stay around that range to let enough light in, but still get sharp images. Again, ensure your shutterspeed is fast enough to get a sharp image as you toggle from say F1.4 to F3.2.
• Know you aren’t constricted to sitting on the chair, but ask what you are not allowed to touch (you really shouldn’t touch anything).
• Document what’s going on, emotions, capture the clock, who is visiting, the contraction charts.
• You are not there to stage, ask to repeat, or do anything.  This is not portrait time during a wedding. You must shoot fast, know your focal point, correct settings, and shoot.  There are no re-do’s when the baby comes out (you can’t put it back), when they clean, weigh, measure, or footprint be there and document quickly.
• Be aware of baby privates, mommy privates, and strategically crop or capture when either isn’t exposed.  You can do so by your positioning or waiting for a better moment.
• As you edit, typically B&W images cut away distractions and allow you to focus on the feelings.  I prefer all birth story photos in B&W.

From different past captured birth story moments (different babies in all pics):

Here is a slideshow of a birth story I captured a few years ago, I’d say this accurately depicts a successful documentation.  If you have 5 minutes, watch this – it’s a very special mom in my life, I have known her since she was 10 and I was in college.   You will see a few shots of me in there.

Good luck capturing your birth stories, don’t be afraid to move around and be creative!

Diana Elizabeth doesn’t regularly shoot birth stories but she has been there as support if she’s super close to the mom’s who need her in the room. She just so happens to decide to bring her camera with her too – with permission of course.

Photography, Portraits

Before I became a Christian, I had just met Jennifer.  Immediately, I took a liking to her.  She is as friendly and joyful as she looks, a true testimony of Christ.  She was one of the first and most influential on my life when I was a new Christian – we had in depth talks over lunches, she was patient and a huge encouragement as my mind was renewed, and she always delivered God’s word to me in a way that I could understand, and yearn to grow.  Her sweet spirit is what drew me in, and seeing her genuine heart is why I confided in her as I tried to find my footing in my early stages of my new life.

It’s been years since I met her, and when I think of our genuine friendship, it reminds me that a friend like her are the ones that are hard to come by.  I think of all the times she was there for me when life got hard – like really, really hard.  Through it all, her presence alone comforted me and she always gave me the gift of her prayers.

I’m excited to document baby boy number three who will probably be given an equally awesome and strong name as his older brothers Owen and Eli.  Congratulations JM, you are like a real sister to me.  I feel so fortunate that the Lord placed you in my life at every moment I needed you.  I love you so much and you bless me with your friendship that makes God feel all that more present in my life.  I admire you more than you know, and you have shaped me so very much into who I am today.  I cannot wait to love on your next little one!

She’s also a signed with talent agency Dani’s Agency, not surprising!

Diana Elizabeth is going to share a random fact with you – she got baptized in JMar’s pool many years ago.

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I found myself talking to the photos as I edited, gasping in between saying things like, “Oh Farrah!” and “So gorgeous…” as if I were talking to my sweet friend.

I am always honored to be asked by a client turned friend to photograph stages of life (she was the model for the PHOENIX magazine cover I shot a few years ago in Sedona, Arizona).  Mr. Wonderful and I are itching for the day when Farrah and Matt move closer to our neighborhood so we can happily hang out and see each other more often.  Farrah and I have been plotting this move for what seems years since the day we met.

Baby girl will inherit the most sought after genes in the world. Farrah is most certainly one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen and her heart is just as lovely.  I love you so much Farrah, thank you for choosing me again to capture the important moments in your life.  I am so happy to document them as a photographer, and to live life with you as a friend.

Many thanks to one of my favorite makeup artists Allison Pynn for helping me battle the wind with Farrah’s hair.  As a photographer, I love wind!

Makeup and hair: Allison Pynn / Floral headbands: Elba Brown

Diana Elizabeth knows you are wondering where wheat fields are in Phoenix, Arizona.  Well, she’s always shooting in the same crops that belong to one of her best friend’s parents and the crops are just on rotation!  Sometimes cotton, sometimes alfalfa, this time, beautiful wheat! 

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A spectacularly beautiful maternity session coming up…

Hair and makeup: Allison Pynn /  Belly belt: Elba Brown

Diana Elizabeth says spectacularly beautiful because of who she photographed!

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I had been looking forward to seeing these two since their cotton field engagement session.  It was like being reunited with old friends again, with the wonderful treat of witnessing every minute of happiness during their big day.

Emmy has impeccable taste – just peek at her Caroline Herrera gown and those Valentino shoes! The personalization and sweet details reflected so much of this couple – classic and romantic – and incredibly fun!

Camelback Mountain was the stunning background of the ceremony as the pastor recited the top five things the couple loved about one another.  Immediately after the exchanging of the rings, it was time for the breaking of the glass which kicked off a laughter filled reception and ending with the Horah dance!

Before I knew it, the night had come to an end.  The day was that wonderful, that joyful, and that much fun.  This is one of those weddings where I can honestly say, it was that beautiful, everything – the bride and the groom, the photos don’t do it justice.  Excellent planning by Outstanding Occasions!

Now onto El Chorro!

Mazel tov!

Everyone loves a groom that gets down!

Watch Emmy and Ian’s Wedding Movie Trailer by Serendipity Cinema who were absolutely amazing to work with!

Wedding Event Planner:  Outstanding Occasions / Getting ready venue: Montelucia Resort & Spa, Camelback Villa / Ceremony and reception venue: El Chorro Lodge /Bride’s gown, veil and earrings: Carolina Herrera / Bride’s Shoes: Valentino / Bride’s bow flip flops: Aldo / Bridesmaids dresses: Jenny Yoo / Bridesmaids shoes: Christian Louboutin / Groom’s tux: Paul Smith / Groom’s Ostrich shoes: Mezlan / Pocket squares: The Tie Bar / Makeup: Lauren Snow / Hair: Lisa Palacios / Cinematography: Serendipity / Florals: Petal Pusher / DJ: MT Sounds / Officiant: Scott Morgan / Linens: Wildflower Linen / Cornhole and bags: Style my Corntoss / Cake: Classic Cakes and Confections / Transportation: Dunn Transportation / Invitations: Idieh Design by Heidi Bartlett / Save the Dates: Nostalgic Imprints / Personalized hanger: Bragging Bags / Mr. and Mrs. Wood Signs: Merry Me Signs / Ring Bearer signs: Signs to Live By / Personalized napkins: The Knot Wedding Shop

Gear used:  5D Mark III / 50mm 1.2 / 35mm 1.4 / 70-200 2.8 / 100 2.8 macro / Speedlites 430 and 580 / Radio Popper JrX receiver, transmitter and RP cube / Gary Fong Lightsphere Flash Diffuser / Canon Compact Battery Pack

Diana Elizabeth thinks the best part was when the male guests realized they needed to lift the chairs and ran to throw off their jackets and said, “Let’s do this!” and proceeded to lift.  Love Emmy’s expression!

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