Bethany and I met right before I got married, so she was able to go to my “destination” wedding (if you count a little mountain town 4 hours North of Phoenix as a”destination”), and now I get to go to her destination wedding… as her photographer!  Considering that Bethany’s wedding is international, I think it definitely counts as destination!

With as much trouble as Bethany and Mike had with their wedding planning, we couldn’t be happier for them with how it all has worked out!  Radiant was the first vendor they chose but they couldn’t find a location in Phoenix they liked.  Once they did find a place, it went bankrupt and they were starting at square 1 again!  Finally they just said, “Screw it, we’re outta here!” and they decided to do their wedding in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico (near Cancun).

So we’d been talking about their engagement session for awhile before they even officially booked us since they were still waiting on finalizing a location and a date.  By the time the day came to actually do their session, we were very excited and I think it’s safe to say that Bethany was very relieved that she was finally making headway in her wedding planning to do list!

We couldn’t have asked for better people to work with!  Though Bethany and I were friends, we’ve been out of touch for the last couple of years (and then re-united thanks to the magic of Facebook), so when she contacted me about doing their wedding photography, I was thrilled!  It’s been so fun getting to spend time with her again, especially during such an important time in her life!  Mike is super friendly and the kind of guy who makes you feel comfortable the very first time you meet him, so of course we liked him right away and we could not be more happy that Bethany found such a great guy! :-)

You only have to see one photo of Bethany and Mike to know that they are a photographer’s dream!  I don’t think we could take a bad photo of 2 people who are so good looking even if we wanted to!

The actual session was a blast too!  Mike has 2 boxers that he loves… we knew that because he showed us a picture of them on his phone the first time we met him! ;-)

These dogs are definitely a part of the family so we thought it would be fun if he brought them along…I’m not sure if Mike agreed in the end because these guys were full to the brim with excitement and Mike was stressing out trying to get them to be better models for us!

We loved it though, they were hilarious and we couldn’t think of a better way to ease some of the awkwardness that couples inevitably feel in the first 15 min. of their sessions!  Plus, Scottie LOVES boxers, so he was very happy to get a chance to spend some time with these 2 loving animals. Although, as much as he loves our new little chihuahua (how we ended up with a chihuahua is a whole other story in itself), I’m sure being around these awesome dogs did make him a little jealous that he doesn’t have another boxer yet.

We only kept the dogs for the first part of the session and Bethany’s parents were kind enough to come get them and take them home so we’d have a chance to get some shots where Bethany and Mike’s arms aren’t being yanked off!

And I’m happy to report that we did in fact get some “normal” shots (if you can call any photo of these 2 anything other than amazing) of them hanging out together at DC Ranch once the dogs were safely at home.

Thank you guys so much for choosing us for your photography and for being such good sports about bringing the dogs to your session!  We absolutely can’t wait for your Playa Del Carmen wedding!  Seriously, Scottie talks about it and reads about the location online every single day!! Click to see the rest of Bethany and Mike’s Phoenix engagement photo session!

The engagement session we shot with Rachelle and Paul was really fun for us…. and also a little different for us.  The couple was great and totally on their game with smiles and poses.

We loved it because whenever they looked at each other they would just bust up laughing… such a cute couple in love!  It was awesome.

The part that was “different” about this session was that Scottie and I switched roles a little bit.  Usually Scottie is the “lead” shooter.  Which means he poses couples with his vision, while I stand further back with a lens that zooms in close and I focus on catching the intimate moments that happen “between” the poses.  This time, I led the session for a good part of it and Scottie got the sneaky shots!  Scottie was VERY excited because it can be exhausting to lead all the time, so he just got to chill in the background and let me take over this time.  Luckily, Rachelle and Paul were very easy to work with and I was totally relaxed around them, so I was good and ready to take over the session!

Scottie and I always joke about who’s the better photographer (don’t worry, we’re still great at encouraging each other as well!) and him being the lead most of the time puts him at an advantage to get the shots that you get to “design” a little more and you can take all the time in the world to get that perfect shot.  Second shooter is at the mercy of chance… to chance that you can click the button at the EXACT right moment of the couple interacting, not a moment too soon (aka blinking pics) and not a moment too late (aka guys wiping lip gloss off pics) and to chance that your camera settings are perfectly right to catch that perfect moment in the perfect setting.   So basically, now that I’m leading more sessions… watch out Scottie!

(This is my favorite photo that I took when I was leading)!

(Oh and this one…)

(… and these… well, you get the idea. Basically I had fun leading)! :-)

Back to the happy couple…

Rachelle and Paul confided in us when we first got there that they were worried about being awkward in front of the camera.  I was totally shocked when they told me that because they seemed so natural!

Some couples do better when we pose them and some do better when we just put them in the right lighting and tell them to hang out together.  Rachelle and Paul did amazing when they were just interacting.  We loved capturing all the tiny intimate moments between the two of them!

Hopefully they felt good enough about how the engagement session went that they can spend their time worrying about things other than photography on their wedding day (i.e. tripping down the aisle, passing out before you say “I do”, and bees being drawn to the flowers… you know, all the important stuff!).  Don’t worry guys, I’m totally kidding about this stuff,  I’ve been to countless weddings over the years and I’ve never seen any of this happen!  This is why we do the engagement session… to give us all a little practice session before the wedding!  Now we know that they feel the most comfortable when interacting with one another and they know how to hold a long kiss with people looking on and cameras shoved in their faces!

Rachelle and Paul, thanks for being so friendly and easy to work with!  We can’t wait to see your smiling faces standing at the alter with all your family and friends smiling back!  Click to see the rest of Rachelle and Paul’s Tempe Town Lake engagement session.

The main goal of Lee and Suzanne’s wedding (other than for them to be joined as husband and wife!) was to have a great time with their friends and family. 

So they planned an intimate morning wedding at The Buttes Resort…

…and had a brunch reception (complete with an awesome chocolate fountain) at Top of the Rock Restaurant there. Top of the Rock has a special place in my heart because it is where I wanted to go to every year for my birthday dinner when I was a little kid.  My parents were always confused why I wanted to go to a fancy place instead of  somewhere for kids.  One year they finally asked me and I said it was because the door handles there are made out of rocks!  We started going to Chucky Cheese after that.

And let me tell you, they definitely succeeded in their goal to have a great time with family and friends!  It was so fun watching them interact with their loved ones before the ceremony, during family portraits, and at the reception.

Well, especially at the reception I should say!  I’ve never seen people get down and dance so hard during the afternoon before!  I’m sure a good part of that had to do with their AH-MAZING DJ, Chad, from All American DJ.  We’ve worked with him on more than a few weddings and every time he is super professional, fun (but not obnoxious), and he gets the party going with some great activities, all while managing to keep the attention on the right people and off of himself…. perfect.  He was a success, yet again, at this wedding where everyone was on their feet most of the time.

Lee and Suzanne had taken dance lessons for their wedding (we got some shots of them practicing at their engagement session), and by the looks of it, you would think the rest of their guests had been taking classes with them all along as well!  The father/daughter dance was particularly one of our favorites since they did a really fun song (I believe it was “Another One Bites the Dust”) and just had a blast with it (that’s the pic on the left above)! Of course the mother son dance gave it a run for it’s money since it was totally beautiful and full of genuine emotion.

Lee & Suzanne, we were very proud of you on your first dance as well… your lessons paid off!

Somehow Lee and Suzanne had enough time to plan, not only a really fun reception, but also to add in some beautiful details as well!  Here’s a few shots of the little things that made up the bigger picture of their wedding day…

(Just a minor detail there… it’s only the marriage license!) :-)

And here’s a few more of my favorite pics of the happy couple!

Congratulations Lee and Suzanne!!  We’re glad your wedding was a success in all ways and we wish you all the best!  Click to see the rest of Lee and Suzanne’s Top of the Rock wedding photos!

You may remember Tim from my brother’s wedding.  He was the main photographer there since Scottie was pulling double duty as a photographer/ groomsman and I got the chance to be a full- fledged bridesmaid!  So because we love his work enough to choose him for our own family member’s wedding, here Tim pops up again as the main photographer for Vicki & Zach’s wedding!

One thing we love about Tim (other than his mad photography skillz and just his genuine, intriguing, intelligent self ) is his desire to truly help people.  You may remember our blog about Abby and the work she does in Africa (especially since it’s right below this one) well, Abby is Tim’s sister-in-law!  Tim is saving all the money he makes doing photography to go to Africa with his wife to visit Abby next summer.  We’re more than thrilled to help fund Tim’s worth while goal.

When he’s not working with Radiant, Tim is a High School English teacher (this is starting to sound like an add on eharmony or something).  Judging by his extraordinarily creative vocabulary (and his chosen profession) I figured he was a good writer, but I was still surprised by just how good he actually is when I read the blog he wrote about Vicki & Zach’s engagement session!

And now, some words from the man himself!!

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They say, “Good things come to those who wait.”  For Vicki and Zach’s engagement shoot, this couldn’t be more true.

We were originally scheduled to shoot in December, at Tempe Town Lake, but the Iron Man Triathlon foiled the plans – not many people want short-shorted people adorning the background of their engagement photos.  We blindly rescheduled for January, a few weeks after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

A few weeks before the rescheduled shoot, we realized the PF Change Rock and Roll Marathon was scheduled for the same day!  Coincidence?  Nay.  Frustration?  Yeah.

We settled on Scottsdale Civic Center Park – home of the infamous “LOVE” sculpture on a chilly Sunday morning and the day couldn’t have gone better.

Vicki and Zach were such a pleasure to work with.  Comfortable in their own right and with one another, they were photogenic to say the least.

We cruised around the park, and with Scottie as our guide, hit some great spots for shooting.  Vicki and Zach appeased our creative risk-taking as we placed them on cold metal walls and had them dance around in plain view of passersby.

All in all, it was a great shoot and I am very much looking forward to photographing Vicki and Zach’s wedding in May. Click to see the rest of Vicki and Zach’s Scottsdale Engagement photos.

Do you ever have those experiences that completely transform the tone of your entire day within an instant?  That’s how I feel every single time I read my friend Abby’s blog.  Now you might be thinking “wow, she must have some really hilarious kids, a very intense home improvement project, or an especially cute little puppy to have the ability to affect you that much”.  Umm, not so much.  Abby lives in Africa in a home for street kids.  She takes care of these kids like they are her own and she deals with situations, emotions, and tragedy that is beyond my comprehension… and way above the abilities of most 20 somethings I know, and of most 60 somethings I know actually!

(so… she’s the white one! Abby or the people on her team took all of these photos.  These are not Radiant Photos.)

The lives of street kids in Africa is something so difficult to hear about, that most people would rather not know about it.  As a result of war, the HIV/AIDS virus, and severe poverty; 13% of all children under the age of 18 in Uganda have been orphaned. Once on the streets, these children experience significant levels of all kinds of abuse and mistreatment. They are hated and feared by the rest of the community, even though they are only children.

The kids are forced to sleep wherever they can.  Since they are in danger of being taken by the corrupt police force, being kidnapped to be sold into slavery, or just receiving random beatings while sleeping, they never get to feel “safe”.

(This is where one kid chose to sleep so that it would be harder for people to get to him).

Here’s where some of the other street kids sleep.

These children, who are left to fend for themselves in a community that is out to destroy them, are the children that Abby provides shelter, food, medical care, education, counseling, friendship, and family to.

She has 14 of these children in her home in Kivulu and she (along with others in her organization, “A Perfect Injustice“) support another 100 street kids through a program that meets 3 times a week that provides many of the same things that the children who live in the home receive.

(Here’s Abby, providing medical care at the clinic.)

(There are much more graphic photos of her doing this on her blog, but I figured there were some people who wouldn’t appreciate seeing those!)

“A Perfect Injustice” also financially supports other street kids who have been sent to boarding schools where they receive the care, attention, and education they need.  Thanks to the commitment and love that Abby and others have shown towards these kids, all these children are now being healed (medically, emotionally, and relationally).  They now stand a chance for the kind of life that every child deserves to experience.

(birthday party!)

(They love soccer)!

(I think this photo is my personal favorite.  This pictures just says “family” to me).

Now that we’ve been exposed to what she’s doing over there, we couldn’t help but participate!  We support various non-profit organizations through our “Radiant Love” program so we’ve supported Abby in the past… and we can’t help but support her again now.  So for every wedding we book from now until we change organizations (at an undetermined date), 10% of our shooting fees are going towards supporting these kids and the changes they are working so hard to make in their lives. (Click to read more about our Radiant Love Program and click here to see organizations we’ve supported in the past).

Nothing I can say could ever communicate what’s really going on with Abby and these kids in Africa.  Luckily, Abby has an extraordinary talent for writing (and photography!) and uses these skills to reveal her heart and explain her world to everyone who takes the time to read about it.

So please, PLEASE take the time to read at least this one blog post from her regular blog that we believe is life changing.  If you don’t love it, then you never have to read another blog by her again (even though we might still share her posts on our blog from time to time)… but I think you’ll be hooked!

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Danger! Hatari!

Posted on Jul. 12th, 2009 at 10:11 am

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Of course Abby has many more AMAZING pics on her blog and also some videos that help you really connect to the kids that she’s dedicated her lives to.  Here are some of my favorite cute kid pics of hers!

(Abby has stories about all these kids on her blog).

(Abby said that he carries his little brother rain or shine, even when he’s stuck wearing snow bibs (and sweating profusely because of it). She said it took so many shots to get this picture because he would never push back when all of the other kids crowded as close as possible for the picture).

(She said it was really hot out this day, but he loved the jacket so much, he wouldn’t take it off)!

Scottie and I have committed to reading at least 1 blog post from Abby every day for the next 2 weeks.  We want to be reminded every morning that there are bigger things going on in the world than we see every day in our tiny little lives.  We hope you will join us in this commitment to be inspired every day by how love can change everything.

Do you know Moriah?

If you’ve lived in AZ for very long, the answer is probably “yes”.  It seems like Moriah knows everyone!  In fact, every time we show her wedding album at a bridal show, every other girl that stops by points to her photos and says “hey, I know her!”

And to Moriah’s credit, out of all the tons of people we’ve met who know her, none have had a single bad thing to say about her!  And how could they?!  I mean she’s MORIAH… and since knowing her, that name now represents one of the most caring, friendly, loving, social, wonderful girls I’ve ever met (I’m not even exaggerating).

(doesn’t she just look like a nice person?!)

Needless to say, we feel beyond blessed that we had a chance to shoot her wedding two and a half years ago and to continue developing a relationship with this girl who treats everyone like they are the most valuable person in the world.  Who doesn’t want to be friends with someone like that right?!

It would be impossible to talk about Moriah, without mentioning her husband Wes, who treats her like the true princess she is!  Okay, I’ve reached a level of cheesiness that I’m highly uncomfortable with… I just couldn’t help it because I could gush all day about these amazing, beautiful people.

(Scottie took these awesome pics of him while I was getting shots of her.  You can’t help but notice the way he’s looking at her…  I think he loves her!)

(Once you see them you may think that when I refer to them as “beautiful people” I’m talking about them on the outside, but of course I’m referring to all the beauty that’s hiding behind those breathtaking eyes they both have)!

We’ve mentioned before that one of the best parts of our job are the people we meet along the way.  We not only gain some great friends through the time we spend with them preparing for their wedding, but we also get to follow them through all the major celebrations in their lives.

Going through the entire wedding process can be a pretty bonding experience, so then to get a chance to see these same people as they begin preparing to be parents for the first time is an opportunity that we feel very honored to have.

All that to say, we were VERY excited when Moriah called us and asked us to do her maternity photos!  You would’ve thought we couldn’t have been any more excited… and then we heard about the kind of session she wanted to have and… well she just made our week!

Her goal was to be different than most maternity sessions she sees and also different from the style of photo sessions her and Wes usually have.  They have a lot of green grass, sunny, happy pictures (aka the Christmas pictures we did for them this past year) and she thought it was appropriate since she is having a boy to go a little more rustic this time.

Her vision for the session consisted of her wearing a white dress, standing among yellow/dead looking fields and also posing in front of a few rustic looking places. Translation: A freaking cool session that fits PERFECTLY with what we like to do! :-)  Good job being ridiculously creative, Moriah!

There are a lot of open in fields around Phoenix, but the trick was to find tall, yellow grass.  It just wasn’t really happening.  Luckily, Wes and Moriah found this cool little fake Old West looking town.  We were a little skeptical when we first heard about it, but we should’ve known to trust their opinion… because it ended up being perfect.

We even got a few tall, yellow grass shots there (thanks to the teeny tiny patches that we were able to make look bigger than they actual were)!

Here are some more of our favorites from Wes and Moriah’s session…

So as always, Wes and Moriah, we had a blast with you guys and we feel so honored that you’ve allowed us into your lives and had us there to share in all the biggest moments of your lives.  We’re thankful you’ve decided to “keep us around”. :-)  Congrats on the pregnancy, we’re VERY excited for you guys and we can’t wait to meet little Camden when he gets here!

Click to see the rest of the photos from Wes & Moriah’s Scottsdale Maternity photo session

4 hours of sleep… a long day of hard work… 1 meal a day…. 3 days in a row.  What is the name of this torture?  It’s called the Phoenix Bridal Fashion Debut.   I joke about the horrors, but really I absolutely love having a booth at the bridal show (aside from the horrendous work involved in setting up/tearing down our booth), and I always have a great time doing it.

Speaking of our booth… check it out!

Our friend Amanda drew all the rectangle frames (THANK YOU AMANDA!), I drew all the oval frames, and Scottie drew the logo… all in chalk!  What teamwork!

I love nothing more than watching thousands of the happiest girls you’ve ever seen prancing through the aisles with their entourage of bridesmaids in matching t-shirts tagging along and picking up flyers from booths the bride missed along the way.  Talk about an entertaining group to people watch… and talking to them is even better! :-)  The energy in a room of 6,000 soon-to-be married girls mixed in with hundreds of hopeful vendors is unbelievable. Such a fun place to spend a weekend!

(This is Dave & Krystal.  We shot their wedding a while back and they came to be a “testimonial” to say that we do in fact shoot real couples and that they really do like us enough to come help us out later on!)

(Scottie and Breanna, aka= us.  The people behind Radiant Photography)

Thanks to everyone who took the time to stop by our booth and say hi… you all made what could have been a very difficult weekend for us, transform into a riotous good time! If you missed the January show, be sure to stop by in June… we’ll be there then too!  And what else are you going to do when it’s 115 degrees outside?!  See you then!

Ashley and Don were very excited to do their engagement pictures with us… because they almost didn’t get them!

In fact, they almost didn’t get us as their photographers at all!

We received 2 calls for the same wedding date within literally 30 seconds of each other!  Fortunately for Ashley, she called us first.

And she was not about to risk losing us for her big day, so she booked us asap without even meeting first.  When we did first meet (after she had booked us) we were excited to be able to skip all the normal meeting stuff and just jump right on in to talking about the details of their wedding and planning their engagement session!

The only real request they had for their session (other than just fitting in with their busy work schedules and being within decent driving distance from their house) was a little bit of desert landscape.

Considering we live in the Arizona, that seemed like a pretty simple request!  So we found some saguaros and a bit of wide open sky, framed by a couple of mountains and had the happy couple stand and smile in front of it all!  You can’t go wrong with such a beautiful background and a fantastic looking couple like this one! ;-)

Here are some more of our favorites from the day!

Thanks for choosing Radiant, guys.  We’re very happy that you booked us and that we get to shoot your wedding!  We’re SO looking forward to the big day!  Good luck pulling it all together! :-)

Click to see/purchase the rest of Ashley and Don’s Phoenix, AZ engagement session photos.

I’m trying to decide between going with the cheesy “endings bring about beginnings” type of blog for this, or a “book your 2010 senior session now” shameless self-promoting kind of blog, or simply a “look at these photos” blog.  Since I can’t decide and I tend to have strong nostalgia for things that remind me of childhood… I’m going with a “Choose your own adventure” blog!!!  Aren’t you so excited?!  There you are…. thinking you’re just taking a normal/boring break from work (that’s right, I know our blog gets the most hits during work hours!) to read a normal/boring blog while sipping your normal/boring coffee…. and you find out your on the brink of a great adventure!

So here’s how it works….

To read about Jake and his big move up the coast, skip to where it says “PAGE 1“.

To read about why you need to book your 2010 senior session now, skip to where it says “PAGE 2“.

To read about… well, nothing because you just want to see the photos, skip to where it says “PAGE 3” (easy to find because it’s also just a bunch of photos. Ha).

If you have a REALLY big cup of coffee to finish and you are settled in for a good, full story, you can read straight through!  If that’s not adventuresome enough for you, you can always be a bit edgier and read the pages out of order, you dare devil you! ;-)

PAGE 1

When Jake’s mom (Pamela) originally called me to schedule his senior session, it was during a time when we were completely booked and had no openings available for photo session.  She was pretty bummed because she had just found out they were moving for a job in a couple of months and she really wanted him to have Radiant photos to remember his last year in AZ by!

(Not everywhere has wide open skies like Arizona does!)

Luckily, they were going to be around just long enough for us to schedule a session far enough out that we’d have time to shoot it.  The timing has worked out perfectly because Jake has finally decided to cave and get a Facebook page so he can keep in touch with his AZ friends once he moves up the coast.  Now he has some photos to use as his profile pic!  To help you get started on Facebook, Jake, here are our picks for the best profile photos! (Fan us on Facebook to see all our new photos and blog posts!)

When we asked Pamela if there were any props she’d want to bring to help us capture who Jake really is, she mentioned drums.  Uh… that’s a new one for us!  Luckily she had a plan… they were just going to bring the snare drum!  Phew!  I really didn’t feel like dragging around an entire drum set from place to place! ;-)

Jake’s been playing drums for pretty much as long as he can remember (his dad plays too… they have a loud house!) and his mom says that when you think of Jake, you think “drums”.

We thought it was so awesome that even though his mom was the one who really wanted him to get photos…. she did everything she could to make sure the photos really fit him and to make sure these pics would be ones he liked as well.  He wore his favorite jeans and t-shirt…

….and brought along what we call “the mom/grandma outfit”… that is the nicer shirt that seniors usually bring along to wear while we get some standard shots of them smiling. These are the pics designed to make their mom/grandma happy enough to pinch their cheeks when they see the final product. :-)

Of course the jeans and t-shirt outfit is to be worn for the pictures they’ll like that make them look cool, tough, or whatever look their particular style calls for.

We were happy that Jake and Pamela seemed to get this and work it out very well!

(Here’s mom and son collaborating… t-shirt plus smile).

PAGE 2

Those of you who skipped ahead, may not have read about how Jake almost didn’t get to schedule his senior session before he moved because we were completely booked!  And if you skipped here, I’m assuming you’re considering the possibility of having Radiant Photography do your senior pictures.

If so, you need to book soon because we do and will fill up our schedule!  And while Billy Madison is a cool movie, you don’t want to actually have to wait until you’re 27 to get your senior pics done.  Click here to see more senior sessions we’ve done and to get more info about our pricing and all that.  Make sure you check out our photo “tips” page too because there might be some helpful stuff in there for all the important photo opps you’re going to have during your senior year.

Fan us on Facebook to stay up to date with our schedule and our most recent photo sessions.  Email us to schedule YOUR senior session! P.S. We can do you and your best friend’s senior sessions together!  So you can get photos of the 2 of you and of you by yourselves!!!

PAGE 3

Pictures, pictures, pictures. Here are some of our other favorites from the session.  P.S. If you skipped to this section, you missed all the photos I posted earlier in the blog!  Ha ha, that’s how I trick you into reading the rest!

Jake,  congratulations on graduating!  You are an awesome guy and you put us at ease within minutes of meeting you.  We appreciate how friendly you were to us and how much you humored us (and your mom) as I’m sure standing and smiling in front of a camera wasn’t your favorite way to spend an afternoon. ;-)  You did a great job and we truly did enjoy your session.  Thanks to you and your mom for being so fun to work with and making our job so easy!

Click to see/purchase the rest of Jake’s senior portrait photos!

When Melanie and Derek were planning their destination wedding in Phoenix, Arizona, I’m sure they didn’t picture it quite the way it turned out!  When the time finally came, their family and friends packed their bags and headed for the sunshine.  Unfortunately…. their search for the sun was in vain!  When they arrived in “the Valley of the Sun” they found nothing but gray skies and people hiding under umbrellas!

Melanie and Derek picked McCormick Ranch Golf Club for their big day.  When it was time, we all ran out onto the golf course and finished the ceremony as quick as we could to beat the rain that was headed our way. It started sprinkling as we began and just as we finished it started really coming down. 

(If you look closely in the pic above, you can see the rain falling).

When the ceremony was over, we piled as many people as we could into the 2 golf carts we had and the rest of the guests ran back to the reception room while covering their heads and trying to keep warm at the same time!

(Here’s the mad dash).

Scottie and I were able to cover our cameras just enough to save them (even though Scottie had to stop shooting for about 20 minutes while his camera dried out)!

Fortunately, Melanie and Derek are incredibly fun people and they were just having a blast through all of this!  I personally thought it was really fun and I was relieved to find that the bride and groom agreed with me!

(thankfully their family and friends are just as much fun as they are)!

While the rain made our job slightly more difficult, the wind decided to be on our side for once (thanks to Melanie’s decision to go with a cathedral veil)!

(We were happy Melanie decided to have some fun playing with her veil in the wind).

We spent the rest of the night inside, not counting the few minutes that rushed outside to catch the sunset just as the rain stopped.  We ended up being very glad we attempted that mad maneuver of trying to beat the weather because we’re pretty happy with the results!

Once we were inside we got a chance to ogle the unbelievable flowers they had there… that her mom arranged!  We couldn’t stop taking pictures of them!

These cupcakes held their own as well!

We watched their beautiful first dance…

….and then spent the majority of our night following Melanie around while she played with the kids she used to nanny for.

She LOVES these kids and it was really fun to watch her dance, color (they had a craft table to entertain the kids), and just play around with them in general.

The kids felt so special that they got to hang out with the bride all night!  It was awesome.

Here are the rest of my favorites from the day (click here to see the rest of the photos as well)…

(There I go again with all my shoe shots).

Melanie and Derek, we had a blast at your wedding and we’re so glad we got to hang out with such fun people!  We loved your chill attitude and your desire to not worry about anything so you could just have a great time on your wedding day.  You seemed successful in that and we hope you enjoyed your wedding day even more than you expected to!

Click to see the rest of Melanie and Derek’s Scottsdale wedding photos!

In 2009 Radiant Photography….

• Got 1,100 Facebook fans (the most popular Facebook languages: English-US, English-UK, English- Pirate).
• Had 4,794 first time visitors to our website (from 55 different countries!).
• Had 2,679 first time visitors to our blog.
• Had 2 destination weddings (we count New Mexico and California!).
• Paid off  all debt to become a debt free company.
• Financially supported 6 different non-profit organizations.
• Started doing “Unique Sessions“
• Launched “The Radiant Photobooth“
• Re-designed and launched a new website.
• Was a LOT of work.
• Was a LOT of fun.

And my favorite part of all of 2009….

People found our blog when they searched the following phrases on google (all spelling is exactly how it was searched):

• “giggling bride”
• “a picture of a baibre trampoline with numbers on it”
• “America’s got talent zebra hat girls”
• “barbie shoes wedding”
• “carried off into the sunset photos o wedding days”
• “dear Mr. Technology”
• “gooey peppermint”
• “help get rid of foster care”
• “how to man up a little brother”
• “pool table cake picture”
• “pregnancy picture poses outside in white gown with older brother”
• “prostitute chandler Arizona” (there’s a good reason for this one, so don’t freak out!)
• “what is genuine love” (this person actually spent awhile on our site, so maybe they found the answer!).

Thanks to all our fans, family, and friends who supported us this year!  Thank you for telling everyone you know about us to help create our success this year! We love you all!

So what do you think? Is Gloria a beautiful bride or what?!

(Her flowers were awesome too!  They had coffee beans in them since Gloria and Ricky like coffee so much… awesome! I wish I had thought of that for my bouquet!)

I had a great time hanging out with Gloria, her mom, and her bridal party before the ceremony.

It was awesome to watch her and her mom interact!

You could tell after just a few minutes with them that they are very close!

They had some really neat sentimental additions to their wedding that I got to hear about while hanging out with Gloria and her mom while they were getting ready.  Gloria’s Grandmother died recently and they chose some great ways to honor her.  For one, Gloria wore her pearls.

(It was a very emotional time while her mom put them on her).

Gloria, her mom, and her sisters all wore one of her grandmothers’ rings as well.

And then her cake topper was one of her grandma’s old figurines (and I thought it was beautiful!).

They were all very wonderful ways to honor her grandmother. (Click to see the rest of the photos from this wedding).

If these pictures he took are any indication, it looks like Scottie had a good time hanging out with the groomsmen as well!

Gloria and Ricky were both so excited during the ceremony!  It was so fun to see two people with two of the biggest smiles you’ve ever seen!  They were giddy, they were so happy.  So cool!

The whole ceremony was very nice and the beautiful day fit it perfectly!

(Gloria loves vintage looking stuff, so we processed this photo with an old fashioned, classic look just for her!).

A bunch of happy people on a beautiful day… a wedding can’t get much better than that!

(This picture makes me really happy!)

(Actually, all these pictures make me happy!)

We thought the day couldn’t get any better…. then the sunset came!  Gloria said she actually prayed for a beautiful sunset on her wedding day.  Looks like prayer works!

(This is one of Scottie’s favorite pictures he’s ever taken!)

Like I said, Gloria loves the vintage look… which is why she has this BEAUTIFUL vintage wedding ring now!

(Gloria and Ricky gave their bridal party lottery tickets! I need to ask if anyone won!)

And this wedding day story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning her ADORABLE little ring bearer!

I just had to include a few pictures of him in his cute little white tux and tennis shoes!

And I can’t forget to mention the awesome dancing that everyone was busting out during the reception!  I was amazed at what a fantastic dancer Ricky was and then I heard that he used to be a professional dancer!

But he wasn’t the only one, everyone was doing amazing out there!

There was definitely a party on the dance floor!

Gloria and Ricky, your wedding day was perfect and I hope you are as happy with how it went as we are!  We felt very privileged to be a part of such an important day and we really enjoyed the time we spent with you both on that day!  Thanks for treating us so wonderfully.  We hope you are both very very happy! :-)

Click to see the rest of Gloria and Ricky’s Arizona wedding photos!

So what happens when you give Radiant Photographers the perfect location, perfect lighting, perfect timing, and the perfect level of creative freedom?  Well…let us show you because that’s basically the definition of our Unique Sessions!  A Unique Session can be added to our wedding packages… OR if you are already married but couldn’t afford the kind of wedding photography you wanted, you loathe that frizzy perm you got the day before your wedding, your photographer didn’t get certain photos, or if you just REALLY miss your wedding dress… the Unique Session might be a solution for you!

Unique Sessions are a chance to get your wedding dress on (your hubby can just wear a nice suit or something), and  go to whatever location you want to give us a chance to get some of the best photos possible!  On the wedding day, we are really out of control of the situation and this often gets in the way of us being able to do everything we’d like to with your photos so the Unique Session hands the control back to us so we can let our creativity really shine!

Unique Sessions can be done like Abigail’s session which was more of a “trash the dress” kind of idea.

Abigail wanted to capture the beauty of Pine, AZ where she lived and she was all about showcasing every aspect… even the kinds that put her dress at risk!  She figured that she had already used it and now it was just going to be shoved away in a closet forever (there’s maybe a 1% chance her daughter would want to wear it when she got married), so she might as well get the coolest pictures possible to remember it by!  And as a side note, her dress did end up being fine after a post session dry cleaning! Click to see more from Abigail’s Unique Session!

You can also do a Unique Session like Tracy and Paul who got married over a year ago and just wanted to get some more snazzy photos to add to their collection of wedding photos!

We shot Tracy and Paul’s wedding in Sedona, but they live in LA and like Abigail, they LOVE where they live!  So they wanted to get some photos of them hanging out in the city they affectionately call home. And of course we were all too happy to take a trip to hang out with them in California! There’s nothing better than making friends as a result of art, love, and the shared emotional experience of a wedding day, so we are always so excited when we get to work with a great couple like Tracy and Paul and then get a chance to stay friends even after their wedding! Click to see more from Tracy and Paul’s Unique Session!

One of the most stressful aspects of a wedding day is a rushed, crammed, schedule.  We feel like we are always dashing around trying to beat out the sunset, hoping no one is running behind, and attempting to make the cocktail hour as short as possible on the wedding day, all the while trying to calm down brides who are worried their schedule is too far behind we won’t have time to get the kind of photos they want.

If you book our “Unique Package” (which includes the Unique Session) then we get some photos on your wedding day, but we also know we’re going to get a second chance to spend more time with you to get the kind of stuff we REALLY want.  So if the schedule doesn’t go exactly as planned on your big day, you can relax and know that we’ll have plenty of time later for photos and that much less stress can make a huge difference in how much you enjoy your day!

This is what Mike and Emily chose to do for their wedding in La Jolla, California!

It was a perfect option for them because they traveled from Arizona to California for their wedding just to be able to get married in such a beautiful place.  So having the chance to take the time to actually drive around and get pictures in all different stunning CA locations, was something they were thrilled to do!  Click to see more from Emily and Mike’s Unique Session!

As you can see, when we say “Unique Session” really do mean unique! We work to design your session with the perfect blend between your personal style and our artistic abilities.  You can be an engaged couple planning a low-budget wedding who just want to get some amazing photos after your wedding at your favorite look out point.  Or you can be a couple who’s been married for 5 years, who want to re-connect with one another and feel like you’re getting married again!  Since they are so unique, they are for anyone with a wedding dress, who wants some more photos in it!

Contact us and we’ll help you dream up your own perfect Unique Session!!

I would like you to meet Matt.

We were the photographers at Matt & Amy’s wedding.

(see, this is Amy).

Matt was also a groomsman at a wedding with the Radiant Photobooth.

Where Amy was a bridesmaid as well.

Then Matt was at a party with the Radiant Photobooth….

…a Christmas party…

…with Amy.

Now Matt has earned the title “King of the Radiant Photobooth“!Amy is of course (by rightful earning), Queen.

Thank you, Your Majesties, for helping the Radiant Photobooth be all that it can be!

We want to see you in there again sometime very, very soon.

If you saw these photobooth pictures on our Facebook page, you were probably left with quite a few things to ponder…

Like… how did we get Buddy the Elf to make an appearance?

Can she eat her candy cane costume?

Why is Santa showing his butt off… and doing the Macarena?

What exactly is… that? A person? A faun? Someone distantly related to elves?

Why do those elves look slightly intimidating?

Why did they invite a zombie to the party?

Is this a wanted kiss?

Is he jumping or just really that tall?

While we probably can’t answer any of those questions.  We can tell you a little bit more about what was going on here.  The High School Ministry at Scottsdale Bible church asked us to bring our photobooth to their Christmas Extravaganza party!  And really there is no better word than “Extravaganza” to describe the goings on at this particular party! (Fan us on Facebook so you can tag yourself in the photos).

In case you were wondering, yes, there was an ugly sweater and a costume contest.

(Ms. Candy Cane here one the costume contest)!

This was the first time we didn’t really need the props we bring for the Radiant Photobooth!

The theme of the party was “Techno Christmas” so everyone had a bunch of glowsticks and at random times they’d turn out the lights and turn up techno renditions of Christmas songs for everyone to boogie down to.  This was all complete with a fog machine and red and green spotlights. It was equal parts insane and awesome!

They had a bunch of performances including… 3 grown men dressed as elves doing an interpretive dance, Buddy the elf singing a hilarious Chrismas Medley, and a Christmas music video competition (the Seniors won).

(There was also a skit in which this group made up a family… of some sort).

And all of this was complete with tons hot chocolate, egg nog, cookies, and general sugar all round.  It was the Christmas experience of a lifetime.  I vote that it should definitely be televised next year.  It’d be a better Christmas special than Dick Clark, Jay Leno, Ryan Seacrest, or any of those guys put together could do!

Click here to fan our Facebook page so you can tag yourself in the photos to use on your own profile.

Click here to purchase prints of these photos.