Creativ Productions

God definitely made little girls a little extra special.  Anika loves ballerinas as do most little girls I think.  She gets the cutest little smile when she is all dressed up in her toe shoes and tutu.  You can see a sparkle in her eye similar to brides when they get all done up for the first time at the bridal shoot.  I love working with kids because always get such raw emotion.  They can be so unabashedly happy and give you the best smiles and they can also be unmentionably cranky and give you the best sad face pictures ever.  Anika was overjoyed to be all dressed up like a beautiful ballerina and could hardly keep herself from smiling and dancing all about.  What a sweetheart.  Here are a couple of my favorite shots and a short video montage.

One of the hardest things about bridal photos is waiting until after the wedding to blog about the shoot.  We did Heidi’s bridals middle of February at Wheeler Farm and had a beautiful day.  I knew when I took these pictures they were amazing and could hardly wait to show them.  But we always make sure not to let the bridal photos out early in case the groom sees them and brings bad luck to their marriage.  Well they are worth the wait.

She had originally hoped for snow but after enduring even the nicest day in February in a dress I think she was happy it wasn’t colder that it was.  We try really hard to keep the bride comfortable because I believe you can see it in the photos.  Maybe that’s why our brides always look so good.

It was so great working with Heidi during the bridal shoot I could tell we’d have a great time at the wedding too.  I really like Heidi’s easy going approach to everything and I think that attitude added to her beauty.

They had the wedding and reception at the Rice Eccles Stadium.  We were able to go down to the field and do some photos with the wedding party on the 50 yard line.  It’s always a pleasure shooting at the U of U stadium and Heidi and Jason’s wedding colors complimented the stadium nicely, don’t you think?

Great time with Heidi and Jason.  They really did it up right and created these amazing memories.  I think it was good times for everyone.

One of my favorite things to ask clients is how can we incorporate your personality into these photos? I ask them about hobbies, interests, activities. We’ve seen a lot of fun things over the last 8 years and Karissa and TJ really did it up right. TJ had the hook ups with this sweet candy apple red 67 Camero, so we had a little fun with it.

Karissa and TJ have such a sweet and pure love for each other too.  Some brides you can really see in their eyes that they just really adore their groom.

Then TJ wanted to get some shots of them with his second great love, Dirt Biking.  Now the only photoshoping on these photos is a little color enhancement.  Otherwise TJ really is jumping his bike that high and Karissa really is that cute.  They are amazing!!

Once again the best photos prove to be those that require a little Creativity and thought.  I learned that TJ and his Dad spent hours fixing up the track and getting the car ready.  Karissa did a lot with their wardrobe in coordinating colors with the car and TJ’s dirt biking outfit and also being willing to work with the dust and dirt.  All in all they got some really great photos that they can cherish a lifetime.

Ali & Tyler Brown were married December 19th at the Draper Temple.  Although they look warm and very much in love, they braved the bitter cold weather to capture some priceless memories.  Ali and Tyler you were so fun to work with and we loved being able record your sweet relationship.

Melinda and Brennon were married in the Timpanogos Temple in December.  It was a bit of a chilly day but Melinda was well prepared with a beautiful wedding cloak and a tall groom to keep her warm.

Melinda and Brennon are my favorite type of couple.  They were so much in love and just happy to be together that all I had to do was ask them to get close and Brennon took care of the rest.

Grooms that pay the most attention to their bride and could care less about anything else going on around them are the most fun to photograph.  Some grooms are pretty stiff and eager to just get on with it that they forget to take in the beauty of their bride and cherish the moment.  That probably sounds pretty cheesey to most of you guys but sometimes it really is just a mental decision to enjoy the magic of this special day and all the hard work your bride has done to put it together.

After the Temple photos Melinda and Brennon had a beautiful reception in Alpine at the Alpine Art Center.  Throughout the night you could tell this couple were still in their own little world of joy together.  It didn’t matter what went wrong or who was late, they were just having a great time together, and I think you can see that in their eyes.

We had the opportunity to be featured on Good Things Utah yesterday on ABC channel 4. It was a lot of fun. I hope we didn’t look too nervous. I’d much rather be behind the camera than in front of it. Check out the video and tell us what you think!

Ashley & Mark are getting married in March and they chose to do their engagements out at the Great Salt Lake.  I advised them it would probably be a little chilly but they were willing to sacrifice for their photos.  This is a tough couple and their sacrifice definitely paid off in getting great photos.

The Great Salt Lake is one of my favorite places to shoot anytime of the year because it is so wide open and has a lot of personality.  Getting there can be kind of rough as we found out driving out on a snow packed dirt road.  There is also a railroad close by, but watch out, as we found out it is an active railway and you’ll get a speeding locomotive come by now and then!

There was some fresh fallen snow, and I forgot to mention to Ashley she should wear some shoes that would keep her feet warm.  Fortunately she has a very chivalrous fiance and he gave her his socks to keep her feet from freezing.  Unfortunately I think his feet did freeze.

Despite the cold conditions, with the right lighting and some very warm smiles this happy couple look very happy and in love.  They did great and it just proves my saying that they who sacrifice most for the picture end up with the best photos!

Heidi and Jason really love the snow.  Jason is an avid snowboarder, so when I asked this couple in consultation where they’d like to do their engagements and how we could incorporate their personalities into the photos they both said snow.  Even though it’s cold and kind of hard to work in, I love the character the snow adds to these photos.  I warned the couple that it might be more difficult working at the mercy of the elements, and they would need a little extra courage, patience and a warm set of shoes.  They were definitely up to the challenge.

They also have 2 dogs they wanted some pictures of.  I love working with animals.  They can be hard to keep interested and most often the couple gets tired of trying to keep the dogs under control, but getting the right shot with your furry friends can really make the whole shoot.  It always helps when I get to hold their favorite squeeky toy to get their attention.

Heidi and Jason braved the weather and it really paid off.  More and more couples want to do something unique in their photos to show their personality and whether it means freezing my fingers off or having animals jump all over me I’m always happy to do it because it really makes the photos that much better.  Great work Heidi and Jason!!

Christmas is here and lots of people are trying to think of the perfect gift.  Well here’s a couple families that really did it up right.We went up the canyon with the Howser family the end of October and got some great fall colors.  They chose to wear great outfits for this time of year too.  I always advise to wear clothes that contrast the colors in the natural surroundings so the greens and blues they are wearing really help them be the focus of the picture and stand out from all the red and orange leaves.  Color is what draws people into art so we love bright colors in photos and try to make all our images vivid and artistic.

We did this photo with Dave and Amanda Swanson around the same down in the valley.  The Swansons like the rustic look so we took them to where we had barns, logs, and a lot of wood textures.  After trying my usual tricks to get their daughter to smile and look at the camera, I was able to get her attention by bribing her with some fruit snacks her mom brought.  She liked that idea.

I’ve always felt that photos make such great gifts because the people in them are always so close to our hearts.

This last weekend my wife and I flew to our nations capitol to shoot a wedding for Kim and Craig Ballard.  We spent a couple days seeing the sights, and  these are some shots of the presidential monuments.

Above is a sunset shot of the Jefferson Memorial.  That is natural lighting by the way.  This was a very slow shutter and the night mist enhanced the purples in the night sky.  Below is the Lincoln Memorial.  I like how the statue of President Lincoln is visible between the columns.

We had a wonderful shoot at the Washington D.C. Temple with Kim and Craig.  They are so fun, and so classy.  I love Kim’s dress.  It is very vintage and just extremely elegant.  Very fitting for Kim.

There wasn’t much daylight left, but we took the bride and groom over to the monuments in downtown D.C.  We had to move fast but we got a couple great shots with the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

I love this shot because as soon as Kim and Craig came on the scene, all the tourists were cheering and congratulating them.  Notice all the Japanese tourists with their cameras snapping away right behind the bride and groom.  Kim and Craig performed under pressure really well gave us some great images.  Good work guys!

Finally they held their reception at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in downtown D.C.  I have to say this is probably the nicest reception I’ve been to.  In the wedding industry you see a lot of really nice places and venues, and it isn’t very often I get wowed anymore.  But seriously, wow, I felt like I was on set of a classic Clarke Gabel movie.

Everything was fantastic.  The food was amazing, the live band was rockin’, the guests and family were having a blast and they topped it all off with a sparkler send off and an intimate horse drawn carriage ride through D.C.  They really know how to do it up right.  It truly was an honor to be there and capture this fabulous evening on video.