This past weekend there was a perfect wedding setting for Shawn & Jasmin at the Heard Museum which Arcadia Photography being the premere Phoenix Arizona photographers were selected to capture all of the images. The weather was great. The family was all there from near and far. And, it turned out to be a picture perfect wedding day. After much deliberation Jasmine picked the Heard Museum as their private destination for their ceremony and reception. I have two lists I have compiled from the over 200 weddings I have photographed that I give to all my brides. One is my favorite vendors and the other is my wedding day suggestions. The wedding day suggestions list I have made up from all of the coolest unique ideas I have seen at all the weddings I have photographed and there have certainly been some very cool ones. Jasmine and Shawn went with almost all of my suggestions from as far as the other vendors they used to produce their wedding. They picked Barbara and Mitch from Let Them Eat Cake to make their beautiful scrumptious cake. They choose Jon who is the best and my very favorite from AZ #1 DJs to play all their music, make all their announcements, and light the reception room throughout the eventing. They had Gwen of the infamous Arizona Ministers perfectly perform the ceremony. And, they had Arizona Taste take care of the great food and drinks for everyone. Jasmine also put a lot of effort in customizing the event and setting to make it just hers. All of the napkins were hand made and brilliantly unique. The seating chart was determined by tiny flower bin take home gifts with flowers in them matching the flowers in the center pieces of each table. To add some fun out in the halls of the Heard she had a custom bride and groom bean bag toss set up along with a hand made photo wall which was decorated with wall paper and pictures of both herself and Shawn aside picture frames with cut out holes through the wall so guests could stick their heads through with prop mustaches and lips which made for some super fun pictures. From beginning to end it was a great, unique, and fun wedding.

http://www.heard.org/

http://www.arizonaministers.com/

http://letthemeatcakeaz.com/

http://www.arizonataste.com/

I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to continually re-connect with Paul and Leslie who’s wedding I shot a few years back.  They loved my wedding and portrait photography so much that they have done a couple family sessions with me since their wedding. I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to shoot them with their two adorable children.  Children always bring laughter and smiles to a photo shoot.  Some of my best photography and most candid shots have been when a child has done something random or offbeat that makes everyone just crack up! The Barron family was also cashing in on the all inclusive portrait session they won this past summer when I held “The Cutest Kids Contest”.  From time to time I like to hold contests and award winners with photo packages.  It is a great way for me to display my passion and love for the art, as well as give back to the people who have supported me through my journey as a professional photographer.  We shot this photography session close to the Barron family’s house for ease of outfit changes for the kids. Typically I would not suggest to wear super bright colors, busy patterns, or logos for portraits.  Earth tones usually come across and blend best. Greens, grays, blues, browns, purples, or darker yellows and darker reds I think look best. However, the Barron family’s vibrant colors worked perfect against the bland rocky desert.  We had a really fun day shooting.  The kids definitely proved to live up to their title ” Cutest Kids.” Ella was a sassy little thing, jutting her hip out to the side when I was photographing her like a little model.  Logan on the other hand, with his gleaming blue eyes was making funny faces and just being the silly little boy that he is.  I love that child like wonder.  It reminds me of the days when I was young with no worries. I love to try and capture that essence of what it is like to be a kid again. It is a special time in our lives and one that deserves to be captured…The priceless moments. 

Of all the Scottsdale photographers I received a phone call from Tim Furrier, owner of Desert Rat asking me to shoot a poster he was helping sponsor and put together for the annual CVS toy drive. Being a top quality photographer, I was glad to take on this new photo opportunity. I knew the kids would respond well to me, because I am fun to work with and enjoy to make each shoot unique and personal. This particular image was taken on a beautiful sunny day at the Shea/Gold Dust location in Scottsdale, Arizona. The poster can be seen valley wide at 125 CVS Pharmacy’s in Maricopa County, Arizona. In all my 20+ years of being a professional photographer, this was the first time the Police Department assisted me with setting up for the shoot. In anticipation of the arrival of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the police blocked off the parking lot while we arranged the kids with the toys and presents. This was a fun shoot and it brought a smile to my face seeing how excited the kids were to be getting their pictures taken along side Santa Claus and the local Sheriff.  I am always glad to donate to charities and especially kids in need.

Some of the other sponsors included in helping out the toy drive

You can learn more about the sponsored organization here: http://www.youthassistancefoundation.org

Desert Rat  http://desertrat.com/

Fiesta Bowl:  http://www.fiestabowl.org/

Sleep America:  http://www.sleepamerica.com/

Intimate. I couldn’t think of a more pertinent word to describe Michael and Melissa’s beautiful wedding photography captured creekside in Sedona, Arizona.  Melissa’s pristine white dress from David’s Bridal, was gracefully contrasted by the bold, robust red and burnt orange leaves that the fall season naturally granted as the backdrop for such a rich, meaningful rite of passage. The green and yellow trees cradled the area where the ceremony was held while the beautiful hymns of the harpist Oman Ken were strummed in the background. It was a great delight to catch a glimpse of the peaks of the red rocks dipped in what appeared to be white chocolate, as it had just recently snowed. I took portrait shots of Michael and Melissa both before and after the ceremony, as well as a few off site photos using the outstanding Red Rocks and beautiful bouquet of flowers from Mountain High Flowers Sedona to compliment the lovely couple. The guest list of 40 who flew in from around the country and all stayed at The Creekside Inn were tuned into the wedding with all their senses. Excuse me, 41 guests if you want to count the grooms father, who couldn’t physically make it to the wedding, but was still able to take part in the festivities via Skype. This was a beautiful fall wedding ceremony…The evolution of the seasons and the evolution of the couple, as they join together as a union.

Their entire wedding proof gallery can be seen at:  www.alstrinphotography.com/gallery/michaelmelissa

The amazing vendors and contributors to the beautiful Sedona wedding

Bread & Breakfast www.creeksideinn.net

Rings www.jared.com

Florist www.mountainhighflowerssedona.com

Harpist www.omankenmusic.com

We shot some cool senior portraits of Tiffiny in downtown Phoenix yesterday. Tiffiny goes to Cactus Shadows School now and will go going to the downtown ASU Campus next year. We looked for locations that were old and had great textures and colors and wanted to make the images look fun as possible. In two hours we shot in a dozen different spots with six outfit changes. I shoot portraits in any and all parts of the valley. The great spring time weather made it really easy to be walking and driving around downtown creating unique portraits in the late afternoon easy and comfortable too. 

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Josh and Lyndsay got married yesterday at the Arizona Bilmore Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. What a beautiful location for a wedding, especially on a cool spring day in Arizona in April.  We enjoy meeting  our Brides at the wedding location a few weeks prior to the wedding and brainstorming ideas for shots. The architecture and gardens at the Biltmore add so much ambiance to the images and there are so many unique spots to take photographs that it was hard to choose.  We think the backgrounds add so much to the story of the wedding and we always try to give our brides as much variety as we can. The Biltmore is a contemporary wedding photographers dream location.

We photographed the Moehn family last week in North Scottsdale at their parents residence. The house was great to shoot in as was the desert landscaping outside and around the house. It was a really nice day and desert up by Pinnacle Peak is beautiful for Scottsdale portrait photographers, creative portrait photographers, and creative portrait photographers. I had shot their wedding about five years ago and now they have a daughter. So, I photographed them and their siblings families along with the parents and then the entire group.

I shot the Ressler family last weekend at their home in Scottsdale. I brought a studio set up and we did both studio type images and outdoor location images all at one time at one location. We shot the entire family, then all three of the families, and then each of the smaller kids. With a couple outfit changes this is the best way to get the most out of a photo shoot. You are more likely to put more pictures up in your home to enjoy if they do not look like they were all done at the same time. As professional portrait photographers of their wedding also a couple years back, it is alway great to keep photographing people as their families grow. I love doing high end portrait photography and creating artistic portrait photos for families anywhere in the valley of the sun. 

Six, Eight, and Ten years old. About as good as it gets in life. I shot these great portrait photos of these girls at Freestone Park in Gilbert, Arizona this week as all the leaves were falling in the 70 degree temperatures. Awesome. I will shoot portraits just about anywhere though and just about anytime of year. If you are looking for a high end portrait photographer to create artistic portrait photos give me a call.

Last weekend I photographed Eddie and Katarina’s wedding held on a small clearing on the side of Camelback Mountain in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Being a creative wedding photographer shooting weddings at private residences are my favorite places, especially when they are on the sides of mountains. I also shoot weddings in Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona.