Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Wedding Album for Megan & Tres

During Covid, the Governor’s mandates closed wedding venues and religious buildings, so weddings moved into people’s homes. Megan and Tres had a gorgeous wedding at the end of 2020, and I have wanted for some time to share their album design. I’ve now got it on my blog, and this video shows each page of the album.

I like sharing entire albums because people will often say, “My wedding photographer shot thousands of images, but only about 5 turned out. The rest are blurry or our faces are dark. You got to be really lucky to get a good image.”

My answer is, “No. I create amazing images all day without excuse, regardless of location, time of day, or weather.” That’s why I like to share entire weddings so you can see that every page and every portrait is stunning. There’s nothing lucky about this. I control lighting with studio gear on location, so that whether we’re outside, inside, or even in a storm, your portraits look amazing.

So even though this wedding was in a variety of difficult locations (like being in a home, outdoors in the freezing cold, and ends on a rainy, foggy day), you’ll see that every page is gorgeous.

This video goes through all the wonderful images and page designs. Each double page spread is designed as a mini story, sharing the important moments of the day. Each spread is designed to be magical and eye-catching, so that no matter where you happen to open the album, there will be impact.

These are not designed with quick drag-and-drop or speedy auto-design software. It’s laid out by hand, meticulously page by page to make sure that each image is presented in exactly the right way.

This wedding couple is so beautiful and great together. I love the story of this album. I can’t get enough of these two, and have been thinking of some sample prints to make up from this wedding. Just look at this opening page. I love this design, with the mountains and deep blue sky framing in the new couple. The bride’s dress is swooped out to match the lines of the mountain sides.

After getting ready, we battled the cold to create some portraits alone on a nearby walking path. The warm colors surrounding the couple in these is so inviting and beautiful.

We then mixed in some new family portraits with the little kids. And you’ll notice that faces are clear and skin tones are natural while at the same time skies and backgrounds are vivid. This clarity is unique and created with studio lighting on location – not haphazard, “natural light,” which leaves faces dull, skin blotchy, and skies white and blown out. The expressions on the kids are cute and natural, and everyone looks great.

With this control of light, we can create some epic portraits that are crystal clear of the bride and groom. The skies are vivid blue, mountains clear, and the bride and groom are not blurry. Their faces are clear and in focus, and their skin tones are perfect and natural.

The action sequences are fun but beautiful. I love this cake and the expressions on the couple in this series.

During covid, the LDS temples were closed. But later when they opened the couple was able to get an appointment to be sealed. This was months later at the Draper LDS Temple, and I came to finish the wedding album with some beautiful, foggy, temple portraits.

Without excuse, we’ll get some beautiful images. On this particular morning, it was a really cold, rainy, and foggy. But a little pop of light in the right places, and the couple really stands out and the sky shows it’s true color tones of being dark and gray. The rain and fog just add drama to these images, making this an unforgettable morning.

The spring flowers mixed with the tall lines of the temple, made for a gorgeous set of images. These are just some of the highlights. There’s a lot more from this album, and you can see it all in the video above.

If you’re getting married and would like beautiful images without excuse, no matter the time of day, location, or weather, give me a call – 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.

President Nelson Invites Families to Hang Portraits on Their Walls

We’ve been asked by church leaders to hang family portraits on our walls, and I agree. I have long believed in the strong but subtle messages that come from viewing portraits on our walls daily, particularly when those images show families and relationships happy and together.

In this video I share my thoughts on family wall portraits vs TV size and placement (and the messages both send), and also how self-esteem is different from self-worth.

I’d love to create something amazing for your family. Give me a call at 801-728-3317. It’s the perfect time of year to photograph your family, and get a beautiful piece finished for Christmas.


Recently, President Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints asked church members to decorate their homes with portraits of their families and loved ones. Here’s the quote:

I invite the members of the Church to place on the walls of their homes pictures of their family, pictures of their grandparents, pictures as a couple, pictures of their children, and pictures of the temple. These all symbolize God’s eternal plan. It’s all about the family.

And here’s a link to the story:
http://www.ldsliving.com/President-Nelson-Invites-Latter-day-Saints-to-Hang-5-Things-on-the-Walls-of-Their-Homes/s/88680

Kendra Lowe Featured on Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s Blog

My friend Kendra Lowe is featured today on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir blog. The opening photo is the image I created for her, to be used in exactly this way, for musical bios and write-ups.

It’s quite an honor for her to be featured by the choir, as it is world-famous. Founded in 1947, it is a 360-member, all-volunteer choir, part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Called “America’s Choir” by President Ronald Reagan, the choir is completely self-funded, recording albums for support.

Kendra has performed with the Choir before, and on June 24, 2014 Kendra will accompany David Archuleta for a worldwide live Facebook chat.

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Kendra is a good friend of mine and a great musician. She’s a full time composer, arranger, and performer, and she plays multiple instruments like the piano, banjo, and violin exceptionally well. She has perfect pitch, she performed with the Utah Symphony at age 6, was the Assistant Executive Director of Utah’s Stadium of Fire show, toured with David Archuleta (of American Idol fame), and is a constant studio musician.

We really had a great time during this photo shoot and the image above is one of my favorites from the shoot. In fact, I actually posted about this shoot on my blog at the time and you can see it here, but here are some of my other favorites.

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If you need something more than the normal photograph, and instead desire some iconic images that also tell a story of who you are, then give me a call. I’d love to create something wonderful for you. 801-728-3317.

And until next time, America.