RACHAEL EARL » PHOTOGRAPHY: Lifestyle Portraiture and Wedding Photography

Coming soon…Nate and Ali.

Sometimes having something a little unexpected in the frame can add humor/color/fun

I deliberately chose not to move it.

Okay, I think if I could swap photogenicality (yes, I just made up my own word), I would probably trade with Amanda. Perfect smile? Check. Perfect photographable laugh? Check. Cute, natural posture and movements? Check. Kevin did a great job, too, don’t get me wrong! These 2 have actually been married about 2 1/2 years and haven’t really had any photos taken! I can’t even believe it! Now, they should have PLENTY to choose from, and promised to get in front of the camera more often. Check them out:

First we hung out in the city:




This is my favorite angle

Then we decided to do some mountain climbing (kind of):


Then we ventured out into the country (kind of) with a few remnants of wildflowers still left:



I had weeds in my pants for the rest of the day, but that’s just how I roll.




And some fun:

Warning: I had a really hard time choosing, so although these are just from yesterday, I cannot call it a sneak peek. Feel free to make up your own name for my “peeks” and post it in the comments. I need help.

This is Justin + Josi. They are awesome. They make awesome art. The have awesome dogs. They have awesome clothes. The end.

They make these amazing metal paintings (for lack of a better word), which are hung all over their home.

This was my first time ever photographing a Murder by Death shirt for an engagement session, but it worked

I love this one:

This is still their backyard-so many cool areas to shoot!

Then, we headed to the Boojum Tree for a few more shots. They are getting married there next Saturday, and I can’t wait!

Oh yeah, Justin’s beard is awesome, too.

Maybe this is a Boojum Tree?


Justin used to be a male model, which is probably why you recognize him.

Thanks, guys, and I’m excited to shoot your wedding next weekend!

Well, the rain foiled me again. If you’ve read my blog, you know that my greatest wish is that I could control the weather! Maybe I could be like Storm from the X-Men…

Jennifer and Ryan originally wanted to go out of town for their engagement session to escape this miserable valley heat (113˚? Uhhh…no thanks!) But courtesy of the hurricane weather in California, the cooler areas of Arizona are getting hammered by rain right now! Bummer!

Being the troopers they are, Jen and Ryan decided to try shooting in the heat (with plenty of water and “blotting” breaks). These guys are two of the kindest people I’ve had the pleasure to work with, and I love the results. I hope braving the heat was worth it, guys!

Here are a few that caught my eye:

I LOVE their eyes in this one!

I also love the stories of how these two met. Gilbert is actually integral in their getting together (since they’re both from here, but met in Utah-coincidence? I think not)

This is their romance novel cover Ryan felt like Fabio, although he would have probably had to unbutton a button or 4 on his shirt.

AND…this is one of my FAVORITES. Totally changing my opinion of cactus (cacti?).

Thank you guys, and I can’t wait for your wedding in October!

I thought I would reference what I get to do tomorrow (okay, technically today) in connection with my insanely amazing engagement session from today (okay, technically yesterday). So before I head off to fulfill my civic duty of the jurors, I wanted to post up a few shots of Shanell and Forrest, who are insanely fun and willing to try anything. I loved these guys! Looking forward to shooting you some more, but for now, here’s a small teaser at nearly 1:00 am

Many many many more insanely cool shots to post, but these just jumped out at me tonight (okay, technically this morning)

I commend any bride (or anyone, for that matter) who will brave this heat for their photos. It is brutal out there! BUT…you get fun summer shots like this one, which I LOVE.

This shot is perfect for them, too, because they’re moving to Maui after the wedding. What’s more Hawaiian than shaved ice?

What can I say about Tiffany and Brent other than 1.  They are awesome.  2.  They are hilarious.  3.  They are hilariously awesome.

Here’s a little preview of our awesome sweaty engagement session from yesterday (it was like 112 degrees out!)

They were playing and joking around the entire time-my kind of couple!

Check out these gorgeous clouds!  The rain taunted us all day long, but never came, luckily!

Oh, and YES WE DID.  This usually hangs above my computer.  This is one of my favorite photos EVER.

(She said YES!)  Thanks guys!  You were so fun, and I can’t wait to shoot you again!

I am writing this post at just past 10:00pm after getting about 2 hours sleep last night.  I was up bright and early, Monster Lo-Carb in hand, to shoot a bridal session for the awesome and amazing Lauren and Layton, who are getting married tomorrow.  Yes, I am tired, but I am also so glad that we got to shoot this morning for about 3 hours.  About an hour after finishing up, the clouds rolled in, and it has been dark and dreary all day.  We’re hoping for clear skies tomorrow!  Tomorrow is super special because it also happens to be my 29th birthday!  Why work on my birthday?  Because these guys are truly some of the most fun, in love people I’ve ever had the chance to work with!  So worth it.

Here are a few more from their engagement session (which I posted a teaser and had yet to continue the post!)-ENJOY!

Awesome.

They make each other laugh all the time-so cute!

Gorgeous sunflare!

These next two shots make me laugh!  I was crouched down hiding behind a giant trash can trying to shoot Lauren and Layton on Mill Avenue with tons of people passing by me.  Somehow, everyone still saw me and would stop in the middle of the photo instead of just walking through.  I managed to snag this shot, which I liked because of the motion of the guy walking through, and the other guy walking up the stairs (not Photoshopped).

But before I got that shot, Patrick Tipton, who was assisting me that day, decided to take matters into his own hands!  This makes me laugh:

This makes me laugh, too, because we sneaked into an old bookstore because Lauren and Layton love to read, so we were looking for a cute book and couldn’t find any!  We found this one, which related to the ring.  The funny (kind of…) thing that I found out today is that they actually had to take her ring back and get a new one because the diamonds just wouldn’t stay in!  They ended up buying from a different jeweler!

I look forward to working on my birthday to work with these two again!

And I’ll leave you with ONE image from today.  Something I am really impressed with in Layton.  He actually MADE this bouquet for Lauren last night because she wasn’t going to have her flowers until tomorrow, and wanted her to have something for pictures.  He found a video on YouTube that taught him how to do it.  I was seriously impressed!  It looked awesome!

See you guys tomorrow!  Can’t wait!

Almost every day, I have that song from The Apprentice running through my head.  It’s just so catchy, and I have to admit that The Donald looks pretty cool walking through that field in slo-mo…but anyways…

Mr. Trump certainly doesn’t have to worry about money whatsoever, but many modern brides do.  They want their wedding to be awesome, spectacular, unique!  Everyone should!  Check out these tips on

1.  Okay, so it’s important to first PRIORITIZE.  I am sure every photographer that ever meets with a bride asks them what is most important to them on their wedding day.  Yes, I do believe photography is one of the most important elements of your day because it is what you will have on your walls or in your album forever.  Photos help us remember key moments,  emotions, and details.  No, I’m not telling you to forgo a cake for your photography, but I can say that a $300-500 dress can photograph well and look just as lovely as a $3000-5000 dress, and yes Christian Louboutins are to die for, but sometimes you can find them more reasonably priced if you look hard enough.  (Alas, they apparently do not make size 5, which makes me so sad…)

Yes, photography sometimes can take up a large portion of your budget, as the photographer spends the most time with you during the day (6-10 hours), spends a considerable number of hours perfecting and editing through each image, deisigning albums and products, before finally delivering a very valuable product.  Photographers only have one shot at getting it right (which is why I always suggest finding a photographer who has insurance and is a member of the PPA to make sure they’re covered in case EEK! they don’t).  It is the most important day of your life.  If they screw it up, you can’t redo your day, the emotions, the moments.  I have actually been called on to photograph people after the fact that “didn’t get any good photos”, and also one bride who didn’t get any photos of just her in her wedding dress, which is extra money they didn’t intend on spending…

2.  Ask about making payments.  If you’re wedding isn’t until September 2010, but you know who you want as your photographer, ask if you can make monthly payments.  Most will be more than willing to accomodate you.

3.  If a photographer’s pricing just isn’t within your grasp, ask if they would book a bridal session (with or without the groom, before the wedding day), an engagement session, or a post wedding/trash the dress session with you.  Often, these 1-2 hour sessions are cheaper, and will still yield amazing art that you can put on your walls, or in a small album or guestbook.  Photographers will usually schedule these sessions during the week, and they can be set up during prime outdoor lighting time at a really cool, unique location, which is another plus!  No, I am not discounting the time spent photographing your wedding ceremony, reception, bridal party, and family.  These are also important elements that need to be photographed correctly, but if you are looking to still get great images without going over the established budget you have set, consider this option.

4.  Wait a year on your album or your disk.  Yes, I know you want your wedding photos right this second, but how cool would it be to get an album on your first anniversary to relive those special moments?  You can always get some cool prints or a few canvases to hang on your wall before then, and I even offer my clients the option to download individual files straight from their online gallery.  You don’t have to pay for an album upfront, and I never try to push products on my clients.  Consider making your album a little smaller-maybe not in size, but in the number of pages, and include just your favorite photos of the two of you in it laid out in a modern, magazine-style layout.

5.  Ask about weekdays, or other non-prime times.  As with any vendor, you can sometimes get a small discount if you get married on, say, a Thursday instead of a very desirable Saturday.

Photographers spend a considerable amount of time determining their pricing based on travel costs, assistant fees, time spent at the wedding, time spent editing and producing the final product, wear and tear on our equipment, insurance and professional organization fees, cost of products included in your packages and time making those products, among other things.

I hope this helps!  Photographers, for the most part are really cool, normal people, and I for one know that if I meet with a couple who loves my work and clicks with me on the personality level, but doesn’t have the budget for a full day of wedding photography, I always want to explore other options for them to create truly memorable, yet affordable memories of the best day of their lives!