Did I mention...

That I went to California... a month ago! I've been keeping so busy I've barely blogged at all!

So without any further ado let me tell you about my fun trip!! :0)

Pictage's Partner Con was great- it really made me think about my business in different terms. The funniest thing happened while I was there thinking and toiling over my love for photography and how to make not just a business but a successful business...

I ran into this guy in the elevator going up and we were joking around and stuff. Well 20 minutes later I came back down and he hopped on the elevator again! Talk about serendipity! We started talking and I asked why he was in town- he said that he was in the music industry and he was here for a photo shoot. I just started laughing and told him I was a photographer and had just started shooting musicians. He had to laugh too now because he was saying how hard it had been to find a photographer and here I tell him I'm at a photography conference and well, he couldn't say much but 'get out!' hehe

So Kyze was totally cool and invited me to this shoot they were doing the next day with Nikki Smith at Chad Hill's studio. It's funny because I didn't really want to buttinski on someone's shoot so I wasn't gonna go but I bumped into Kyze for A THIRD TIME!!! Crazy! So my friends told me I had to go- as Rachel said, 'It's kismet!'

Chad was very cool and we started talking shop as soon as we had a second! We even traded websites we enjoyed for inspiration. Here's one of him shootin'!


So thanks to Kyze and Chad and Nikki too! You've given me some much needed inspiration- I've been shooting more musicians lately and I absolutely love the creativity it affords me!! :0)

So since we had pretty much been all work and no play a group of us decided to go to The Wherehouse for dinner and it was soooo yummy!


Kadie and I ordered this ginormous drink but neither of us could make a dent in it...


So I got a little help from Rachel :0)


AND a little more help from Betsy and Michelle!!! hehe


Then when we got back to the hotel I had possibly the best desert ever! A flourless chocolate volcano cake. I had never heard of it but woah momma I'm glad I ordered it even though I couldn't finish!!! :0P

So the next morning on our way home Rachel let me (or had to, however you wanna look at it!) and Kadie tag along on an engagement shoot of hers on the beach! Well, for us Arizona photographers it's a treat!





And here's one of Kadie- we both decided to get in the water!!


I had an awesome time!!!


--
Laura Siivola- Photographer.
Organic wedding and portrait photography based in the Phoenix Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotographer.com

My Little Firestarters!

Just got back from a weekend trip with the Boy Scouts! Every year our troop gets together at our Fall Family Campout and man was it chilly this time- it was wet and muddy and the kids enjoyed every last speck of dust!

I just had to share these images where the kiddos had the chance to make their very own fire (supervised of course!) hehe




Any of the families who want to check out the rest of the images just click here for the gallery. It's password protected but anyone who was there should know the secret code!

Jacq even borrowed the camera and took a bunch of pictures this weekend too so enjoy them!! :0)


--
Laura Siivola- Photographer.
Organic wedding and portrait photography based in the Phoenix Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotographer.com

Engagement Session Contest!!!

I’ve been plotting in my head all year about how I wanted to do a contest for Valentine’s Day but you might have seen my last post which gave me a kick in the pants. Why not do it now!?!!

So here’s the deal… if you’re getting married or have a friend who is send me a picture (of the couple!) and a story. Make me laugh or make my heart sing- we all need inspiration and giggles sometimes! I’m hoping to have some serious fun with this! :0)

Rules? We don’t need no stinking rules!?!!

Ok, ok so I need a few rules! :0P
The couple must be willing to appear on my blog at… well here! You don't have to be from the Scottsdale area to enter, but you do have to either travel here for the session or pay for my travel expenses to get to your neck of the woods!

To enter just email me at laurasiivola@cox.net (Email Laura linky!) with:
- Name of both of you
- Picture of the two of you together
- Wedding Date
- A little story :0)
- Entries are due by October 25th
- If you are entering someone else make sure to include their email address so I can ask permission to post their image and your story on the blog!

I’ll post my favorites on the blog and let you- the readers decide! After the voting stage, the winning couple’s photo will be posted here! (WOOT! I’m starting to get excited!) :0)

The winner will receive:
- Complimentary engagement session (of course!)
- Custom designed 10x10- 20 page guestbook
- Online slideshow to share with your friends and family


Send this to all your friends and may the best couple win! :0D


--
Laura Siivola- Photographer.
Organic wedding and portrait photography based in the Phoenix Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotographer.com

Bad juju... or something!

I wanted to write about something that happened to me and my husband but I really wasn’t sure I wanted to share with you guys and let’s face it- everyone on the whole internet!

My husband Andy is an electrical contractor. Just this week a guy who has been working with him for years stole our debit card and drained out our bank account. What might almost be worse, he stole my son’s Boy Scout money off the shelf.

Why didn’t I want to share it with the world? I felt heartbroken for trusting someone that totally took advantage of us. And I felt stupid for allowing myself to trust someone that I had misjudged so plainly. I felt completely let down- not only by this person but by myself.

Then of course I go into some kind of weird spiral – I can’t trust anyone. -I have to trust people or life’s not worth it! –But believing in people will ultimately make me feel let down. Well, let’s just say it’s not pretty.

So… (and I just want to be completely honest here) I want to do something that will make me feel better. Yep I am selfish! I want to feel good again and stop this feeling hanging over me. And this might just be the weirdest reason behind why I’m doing something.

On the 1st I’m going to announce a contest for couples to win a free engagement session. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now and this scenario has given me the perfect shove I needed. I still need the few days to work out all the details but I’m already starting to feel better and get excited! :0)

Oh and on a side note, after ten years of marriage (or to be specific, ten years this coming May!) Andy’s achieved a first- he arranged a surprise date for us tonight. He just now called me up and said wear something sexy, think New Orleans, I’m taking us out to a jazz club. So I keep trying to think on the bright side. Who knows what this setback will spur us to do. Who knows-maybe any of these bad things that are thrown at us in life are put there to incite us to greatness.

Maybe I’m thinking too much…



--
Laura Siivola- Photographer.
Organic wedding and portrait photography based in the Phoenix Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotographer.com

A trip to the Woods :)

Got away from the heat a little bit this last weekend with a trip up to Pinetop!

It really is gorgeous there :0)

Just a few of my kids hamming it up.






--
Laura Siivola- Photographer.
Organic wedding and portrait photography based in the Phoenix Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotographer.com

Phoenix Business Workshop

Have you heard about Liana's Business Boot Camp? If not, you have to check it out! I've heard nothing but awesome things about the workshop and now she's coming Phoenix! She'll be here October 19-21 so get a move on and sign up while there's still spots left!

I didn't think I'd be able to afford it but Liana just stared this new thing where you pay $99 a month for a year instead of the big chunk up front! (whew!) :0)

So check it out!

http://bananasedu.com/BBC/

---
Laura Siivola- Photographer.
Organic wedding and portrait photography based in the Phoenix Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotographer.com

Singer Jason Rich :)

Just got back from LA Pictage's PartnerCon late last night and I promise to blog about that next but I wanted to post about how much fun I had with Jason Rich and Tai Navares last Sunday!



I got to bust out my one light setup with my new radio poppers!



Jason went a little nutty with his Will Farrell and Zoolander impressions and had me and Tai cracking up! :0)


back to business now :0P




And one last kickin shot for the night...



---
Laura Siivola- Photographer.
Organic wedding and portrait photography based in the Phoenix Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotographer.com

First comes Love...

Then comes marriage! and you know what comes next!!! :0)





the cutest family ever!







We almost left without doing the Love statue- *Gasp!* hehe



You guys were adorable and fun!!!! Thank you for letting me capture your family moments! :0)

---
Laura Siivola- Photographer.
Organic wedding and portrait photography based in the Phoenix Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotographer.com

Old Town Scottsdale Engagement

Do Carrie and John really need an introduction???? :0)


my best friends gettin maarrrried!!!!!


so we headed into Old Town...



where they first met!





sooo cute! I think this is the one I'll give out to your friends so they can print them on shirts to wear at your bachelor party John!!! (oops- did I just write that 'OUT LOUD'????) hehe


if ya wanna check out the slideshow it's right here!
Scottsdale Engagement Photos of Carrie and John :0)


---
Laura Siivola- Photographer.
Organic wedding and portrait photography based in the Phoenix and Scottsdale Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotographer.com

The best picture ever!

I had a shoot his weekend with The Patterson Family :0)

Soooo... I was sorting through my images I just had to share this with you!!!





I absolutely love it!!!!!! hehe :0)
...more to come!


---
Laura Siivola- Photographer.
Organic wedding and portrait photography based in the Phoenix Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotographer.com

Textures in Images

I just had to post these final images! Once Trevor picked the ones he wanted to run with I was really able to get funky! :0P

Before the texture:


and after!


If you're interested in how to apply this technique to your images just check out this textures tutorial I wrote on the DPChallenge website. (and if you're interested in photography I highly suggest you check out that site, it is so fun and addicting!)




And I didn't use any textures on this one but I thought I could show you a cool before/after shot. Just scroll down to the my previous post to check out the straight from camera image :0)



AWESOME!!!!

Laura Siivola- Photographer.
Organic wedding and portrait photography based in the Phoenix Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotographer.com

Phoenix musician- Trevor Pan! :0)

Woot! Trevor and I had an awesome shoot and by the way, you've got to check out his music! He told me about how he's just finished recording a CD and he needed to get some images for the cover. Such an exciting time for him!

After we talked a little bit I suggested doing a shoot somewhere in the desert and can you believe it- he actually designed and built this bungalow up at Taliesin West! So incredible!!!

Of course we had to use it as a backdrop! :0)





The lighting turned out awesome!


So serious! Erika and were trying to get him to laugh more...


Caught one! :0)


It was hot out there but it was so worth it! :0)

---
Laura Siivola- Photographer.
Organic wedding and portrait photography based in the Phoenix Arizona area.
laurasiivolaphotographer.com