Down Time

Summertime and the livin's easy... gotta love that tune. :0)

Well, it's not so easy here in hot Phoenix so we had to get away!!! Andy and I packed up the kids and went camping up on the Mogollon Rim here in Northern Arizona. It was so nice, it even rained a bit on our way up so I had to stop and snap this shot. I really love it here sometimes- that is, when it's not 112 F out!



My brother asked me to take a few pictures of all the kiddos and I wasn't going to post them just because this type of set up shot really isn't what I normally do but I just couldn't resist posting this one!


And here's one of my daughter and our little dog, Paige. I just love this image. Paige is the best dog ever, she loves the kids so much and lets them do just about anything to her. We couldn't have asked for a more gentle pet from this little pound pup!


So that's what I've been up to- summer can be good! :0)

The Breadwinners

I had such a fun time last night with The Breadwinners. I've never really done a band shoot before but it was awesome! They play at The Loft in Tempe every Tuesday night so that's where we started out, just wandering around Mill Avenue. The best part is I really got to play around with some unique ideas and in camera settings. Here's a few! :0)



And having a bit of fun with a cross processed look on this one!


I stayed to hear their first set and their music is just so good! I do love my bluegrass. :0) You can hear some of it on their myspace page. Check them out!

A Breathtaking Sedona Wedding!

I had the pleasure of shooting along side Kevin King last month! If you haven't checked out his work, you should- he has such unique vision and a gift for turning photographs into incredible pieces of art.

And you just can't go wrong with such a stunning couple and the gorgeous Sedona location is second to none! We shot at Sedona Golf Resort with the red rocks directly behind the ceremony site and the weather was absolutely perfect. The clouds couldn't have been more lovely if we had placed them by hand!


Here are a few detail shots that you all know I just love to take! :0)



A new idea I've been seeing more and more of is the bride and groom meeting each other before the ceremony in a secluded area where the photographer can truly capture the excitement of seeing each other for the first time on the wedding day. It also makes the day go smooth for the couple- the formal shots can all be done with before the nuptials and the couple can go straight to their reception!

Here they are about to meet- I absolutely love an image with a story like this to tell. You can only imagine what will happen next.


A quick shot before the ceremony- doesn't this cake look tempting!


Did I mention the word breathtaking???? What gorgeous colors!


So thanks Kevin! I love shooting and continually learning with other photographers- you were a blast!! :0)

---
Laura Siivola- Photographer. Organic wedding photography based in the Phoenix Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotpgrapher.com

Ivana and Don's wedding in Cave Creek

It's summertime officially now because the kids are going stir crazy around here!!! And summertime means ahhhh... less time to blog!

And so I am just now posting Ivana & Don's fabulous wedding. Their slide show is one of my favorites so far- so awesome! And Ivana has been so kind to me, it's brides like her that make me love my job even more than I thought possible!

So check out these breathtaking images!!! (Am I allowed to say that about my own work???) I can't help it- I'm absolutely in love with them!



They had such a unique ceremony- check out this ring exchange shot!




Did I mention she loves photography? :0)






Thanks Ivana & Don- you guys truly do rock!!!

Something Old, Something New!

I had an awesome family shoot with the Woods last weekend!!! Here's another technique I've wanted to try- it's all about the texture.


When I was shooting this I was thinking umm- not exactly the greatest backgound, I have to move! So I did, but when I got home and uploaded it I thought how perfect for a layered image!

Basically you'll want to grab a cool free texture from a site like this one- http://www.mayang.com/textures/
and drag it on top of the image you'd like texture in! You should stretch the texture so it covers the entire image and then change it's layer mode- I think I used multiply on this one, but check them all out because they each have different effects. Usually you'll want to desaturate the layer too but I liked how it looked in this one so I kept its color. Then I went over with the eraser tool the parts I didn't want grunge- like their faces!


I love it!!! So Fun! :0)

Suan and Don's wedding at Four Points Sheraton

Susan and Don are such an awesome couple! They are both so laid back and easy going it was a joy to shoot their wedding. The best part is they didn't mind a bit each time I asked them to 'oh, just come over here for a second' or especially when they postponed a dance so we could take a few images outside after it cooled down!

I just had to laugh when they were both sitting in the lobby at their own reception, watching our Phoenix Suns!!! :0)

As you can plainly see we have some sports fans here!

Susan and Don both got ready at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, right across the hall from each other. They did a perfect job of not seeing each other for being so close!


Here is Don, about to go into the church while Susan is tucked away into a little nook not more than five feet away...


My second photographer for the day, Aimee Cooper captured this shot of Susan's dad glancing over at her as they were about to walk down. I love this one!!

Did I mention it got up to 105 F on Saturday?!?!! Here's a little sun flare just for the occasion!! :0)

The reception was at the Four Points Sheraton Phoenix and the dinner was so yummy. I didn't get to eat much- Melissa, the coordinator, was fantastic to set up a table for me and I worked on my slideshow of images from earlier in the day. It went great!



And here is Suellen and Don for the mother son dance- we are in a book club together and I wouldn't have hooked up with her awesome son & new daughter-in-law without her!


And here is the fun shot of the night! It's a tricky one- you have to use a slow enough shutter speed to get the glow of the lights but fast enough so you have no blur. It turned out perfect!!


Congratulations to a beautiful couple inside and out!! Check back on my website soon for the slideshow!!

Disneyland!!

Just got back from a family vacation and it was so fun! We spent a day at the San Diego Zoo, a day at Sea World, a beach day and three days at Disneyland! Wouldn't it be cool to shoot a wedding there?

Here's a game for you- how many kids can you count??? I went with my two brothers, their families and my mom too! It was a huge group and they had a blast with each other.

Ok, so the answer is 8! Eight kids in the image (one was asleep in the stroller!) if you only counted seven, look again between my son and Pluto's armpit!!! ;0)

I think Sea World was my favorite, here I am petting a dolphin!


My son ran through this tunnel about three times just to do it again- it was pretty cool I must admit, but in the end he decided he does not want to be a shark trainer when he grows up anymore because- they bite. :0)


Here is my husband and daughter on the beach- she loved jumping in the waves!


And here is a misc. shot from staying in PA with Robin. This is her adorable little Xander!! I've heard he has his own blog! (ummm... that's not a joke!!!)

Kristen and Geoff

I've been so swamped traveling and I'm leaving again this weekend! It's exciting but I feel like I have no time left. I'm so excited to be going on vacation to Disneyland with the whole family!!!

But! Just before that I have Ivana and Don's wedding on Saturday (talk about swamped!!) But it's been one I've looked forward to for a while. Ivana is wearing a green dress so you know this is one unique couple!!

So, here by request (huh? I have requests???) Yep, that's what happens when you shoot for Bellissima- Robin and Brenda are so spectacular everyone wants to see the goods! :0) So you got it! Here are a few of my favorites!

Kristen getting ready...


gotta get one of the shoes!
Isn't she beautiful? I love this image!!!


And looking a little devilish! :0)


This church was incredible!! We don't have anything this grandiose in Arizona so I was very happy and probably took way to many shots!



And I just had to include this one! Toasts aren't something we post very often but Geoff's brother gave a beautiful one and this image caught that emotion so well I just had to share!

So thank you once again Robin! It was a joy! Kristen and Geoff I wish you every happiness! I'm blessed to have been a part of your day.

I'm 35!!

Whew! A milestone (at least I feel like it is!)

I spent my birthday weekend in cold, rainy Pittsburgh with the fabulous Robin Pesa of Bellissima! :0) It might have been dreary but she made it awesome! I don't have any pics uploaded as of yet, so I'm directing you to her blog where you can see some fun images from the wedding!

Ok, I'm stealing one from her because it's just funny! I didn't even know she was shooting it!! Isn't their logo superb? Simple and classic- I love it!


I'm so glad I went! Thank you Robin!!! :0)

Water Damage, Albums and Mudpies!

It's been a long couple of weeks since I last posted! We started a project redoing our roof and a few other things when the big rain hit the valley last Thursday. We were probably the only people in Arizona praying for it not to rain- now we're setting heat records. Go figure!

Needless to say, the house was drenched. Thankfully we have no carpet yet. We really were very lucky. Sorry to say that our fax machine bit the dust. One of the guys framing in the laundry room yelled out "dude, I smell something burning!" hmmmm... off to the store for a new one tomorrow!

here are a few obligatory pictures for those interested! :0)

our new laundry room...


The water was running down this wall continuously...


I never liked the ceiling, but wasn't quite ready to start tearing it down!

But the whole office ceiling is coming down now- drywall and insulation!


But wait! What's a kid to do when it's pouring rain in the house??? Go outside and make mudpies of course!!!

My son said "come outside- you aren't gonna like this!" I'm thinking what have they done, I don't think I can take any more stress right now! I got outside and Cole had this sheepish look on his face and I just broke out in laughter! I love it I said, it's BEAUTIFUL! And gave both of them a huge hug right before running in to grab my camera :0)



And does life or business stop while all this is going on? Not at all! I got my first album order in and I fell in love with it! It was the second thing I rescued from the office! (And I bet you can guess what was first!) The funny thing is, I actually invited my bride Diane over to meet and look at it. I had to call her back when I realized our table was covered with office supplies and there was literally no place to sit!

So here is the finished result!!! (Yea!!!)



and a peek at it open- to one of my favorite pages!


I really get into the album design! I Just finished up Shannon and Barry's wedding album before all this house stuff went down (thankfully!!) :0) And here's a slideshow of that!

Whew- is there anything I've left out?!?!! ;0)