Bean Snaps

A-mazing Aileen

2012-01-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

It is no secret I love to photograph beautiful ladies. Portrait sessions with a fashion emphasis inspire me like no other!! Aileen wanted a few pictures of herself with her sweet dogs, but we took things a little further :)

Aubrey & Kyle's Engagement

2011-07-23T08:35:00.001-07:00

Aubrey and Kyle are madly in love. They will make it official in November when the temps are cooler and the colors are poppin'!!! I can't wait to capture some wonderful moments for them on their big day! Here are a select few shots from their engagement session in June.

True Family

2011-06-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

I met the True family for the first time in the heart of Bentonville. I was curious to discover the locations to photograph downtown since it was my first time to shoot there. Downtown Bentonville is a goldmine with an urban vintage feel to it! Around every corner is a great place to snap a portrait or two. It was a pleasure to photograph the Trues.

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!! I wish everyone a fulfilling year full of promise and happiness. 2010 really went by so fast. 2011 is going to fantastic!!

I would like to share pictures from a recent photo shoot, of siblings Zack and Chelsey. You may recognize her from a senior shoot I did over a year ago. It is always exciting to meet up with previous clients! I was already looking forward to this for a while due to the dramatics of the shoot. There were several opportunities to get killer shots. Zack is a previous skateboard fanatic and his mother wanted me to capture shots of him in action. It turns out…Zack hasn’t seriously been on a skateboard in about a year. After a few practice runs (and falls), he warmed up! I know he was probably sore the next day. There are also a few pictures of the two together. I hope mom and dad will cherish these for years to come. I hope you enjoy the photos, because I know it was fun photographing them. Here are some of my favorites.

Sunday Funday

2010-12-03T20:54:00.001-08:00

If you are a blog follower you might remember a session over a year ago with Mary, Neal and their adorable dog, Max. They were definitely due for another portrait session. I recently snapped several shots at my favorite locations around Northwest Arkansas. This photo shoot was particularly special ;) I appreciate clients like these two. Thank you and congratulations!!

The Spa Model Shoot

2010-11-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to photograph several gorgeous models with services provided by The Spa Esthetiques in Bentonville. The stylists spent the afternoon dolling up the models while I captured their beauty with my camera. It was super fun. Each stylist had one to four models with specific time slots for their ‘session’. I can honestly say I was very impressed with the cuts and colors provided by the stylists. It doesn’t matter if you are looking into wedding styles, a seasonal color change, or a temporary style for going out on Saturday night… The Spa is definitely the place to get it done. Many photos were taken; here are a few of my favorites. I am in LOVE with the red pixie cut. If only I had the guts to do that! I personally recommend Rachel; I couldn’t be blonde without her!! ;)

Rachel

2010-10-15T20:43:00.001-07:00

Here are some cute pictures of Rachel! Portrait sessions are my favorite.

First Time Bridesmaid

2010-09-30T18:39:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I was honored to be a bridesmaid in my cousin Alex's wedding. It felt great to be a part of such an important day in her life. Since I can remember, I was overly excited about family gatherings knowing she was there. She is just that fun to be with! It is funny that she stressed about asking me to be a bridesmaid instead of the photographer. Alex means the world to me and I would much rather be her bridesmaid any day. However, she did ask me to take my camera with me during the ceremony. Anything for the bride! I caught a few photos that still remain unedited but below you will find one shot from the ceremony. The candy table is pictured featuring Alex's colors, as well as a shot of the couple before leaving in their plane. They were headed to Key West to go sailing (romantic)! The other picture is introducing me...since I have no pictures of myself anywhere on my website. This was taken by my mom the day of the wedding.

2010-08-21T08:40:00.001-07:00

Here are some random pictures I snapped this summer. If only my flowers would stay that pretty...I do not have a green thumb :(.

It is always bittersweet when summer draws to a close. However, the beauty and cool temperatures of the fall are right around the corner. I can't wait!! It is the perfect time to update your family pictures. Families should update their portraits every few years, especially younger, growing families. If you are intersted in updating yours, let me know, I promise to give you some photographs you will enjoy. I have a zero tolerance for the stuffy-posed-unnatural family portraits that you might be familiar with. Contact me for something different ;).

In these shots I was testing my new lens which has a much wider 1.8 aperature. I love it to pieces. Enjoy the rest of your summer!!

2010-08-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

This summer I had a chance to travel to New Orleans for the first time. It was a good chance to see my husband's family in Welsh as well. While in the NOLA we dined at some amazing restaurants and walked a lot. I loved the history and art within the city. Here are a few pictures I shot while there.

Trash the Dress

2009-11-21T19:38:00.001-08:00

OMG!! Today I had so much fun photographing a 'Trash the Dress' session. Although, we didn't get her dress too dirty, we explored a few concepts and ended with spectacular shots ;). Her session was on HWY 62 and in Eureka Springs and Beaver, Arkansas.

2009-10-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a wonderful adrenaline pumping day. From morning to night I documented Alisha and Steve's wedding events. I think I might have some walked away with a few good shots ;). We had a change of plans regarding the formal pictures. Eureka was crazy on Saturday--very busy. We ended up skipping the Basin Park location and went straight to the Crescent Hotel.

Before that we made a pit stop at the long one lane bridge in Beaver. It was a dream of mine to shoot some formals there but I had no idea we would be so close in proximity. I couldn't miss the chance especially with this being the best season to take pictures. Here are a couple of pictures to show you a taste of what was captured. The first one is at the bridge and the second two are at another spot in downtown Eureka that is falling apart but adorable at the same time. Thanks Alisha and Steve for letting me photograph your special day!

Website Launch

2009-10-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

I just launched my website [www.beansnaps.com] and I am super excited! I screamed and danced and almost cried when I published it finally. I've been sitting on it for about a month making tweeks here and there.

I'm going for the professional look. I want prospective customers to know I mean business! I'm not just a wanna-be photographer fishing for compliments on my rinky dink facebook group, nor am I just trying to make money to feed a lifestyle beyond my means. No...this is the real deal and I love what I do. I know I still have so much to learn but I crave any and all photography knowledge that it sticks like glue. Let's just say my brain is like one of those sticky glue boards that catches spiders when it comes to photo stuff ;)

I'm shooting a wedding this weekend that I have been looking forward to since January. It is in Eureka Springs at the Thorncrown Chapel. It's peak fall colors this weekend and supposed to be nice and sunny on Saturday. You have no idea how excited I am about all of this.

Want to see a random photo? Well, here is a picture of my sweet pit bull. What a beast?! I shot this in my backyard with my standard lens. I panned and focused while Casino was running.

I hope everyone enjoys the upcoming weekend, the colors in Arkansas are amazing right now!!! Get outside!

Happy Birthdays

2009-07-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

Good morning and Happy 4th of July. I wanted to share with you a couple of pictures I took for my sister-n-law. I do not have my own studio yet. That is something to look forward to in the future but in the meantime for some of my favorite people I will shoot in doors with the work/utility lights that I have. My sister in law is celebrating a birthday today but she is also due to have her baby.

Happy birthday to Heather and maybe...happy birthday to Annica :) I can't wait to meet her. It seems I've been an aunt to mostly little boys, since my brother has two young boys and I was introduced to my husband after his neice Aryanna was already a toddler I am really excited to be around a baby girl. Awww.

It's a Scorcher!!

2009-06-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Today is supposed to be the hottest day of the year. How do the weather men know this when July is coming up? I have a feeling there will be more hot days, but relish the summer as much as possible. Some part of me feels like I'm wasting my time not being on the river or lake on such a gorgeous day.

I would like to take this time to share with you several pictures I snapped at a worshop in May. It was the Mid-America Photography Symposium held in Eureka Springs . I learned a lot, wrote over ten pages of notes and guarenteed I was the youngest photographer there. (I must be getting a head start!) The most informative session was with Liddie Deshotel. She is from Dallas and an amaaaaaazing senior portrait photographer. Which by the way Chelsie's senior portraits are scheduled in a couple of weeks. I couldn't be more excited.

Here are a few of the workshop pictures.

2009-06-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

In photography news I have booked a wedding on July 25 for my cousin, Andrea and her fiance Matt. They are getting married at her grandmother's house in northeast Arkansas (where I grew up). The setting will be cool to work with since it will take place during sunset and the house is a vintage cutie. Not sure what style of architecture but I know there is a specific name...hmm. She is having a large wedding and I am really happy for her. She is going to be drop. dead. gorgeous.

Also Alisha and Steve booked a wedding for late October during peak fall colors!!!! The two lovebirds are having their ceremony in Eureka Springs at the Thorncrown Chapel. I can't wait to be able to take their formals outside with the luscious Ozark setting. I'm super excited and and thankful to be such a big part of their day.

Want to see some pics? Check out my two favorite pictures from a recent photo shoot with Mary and Neal. Look for upcoming pictures from a workshop I attended called the Mid America Photography Symposium in Eureka. Coming soon...

Day at the Park

2009-04-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was blessed to spend a day with my nephews at the park. We had a cook out, it was yummy, but the best part was playing!

Wedding Shots

2009-04-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Good morning! It is almost the weekend, horay! Here are a few pictures I was telling you about. These are from the wedding I photographed last Saturday and a still life of the rings.

E-Session for Brandy and Josh

2009-04-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hey there! It has been a while but I wanted to share with you a couple of my favorite images from an engagement session I did last month. This will lead up to some wedding pictures for the same couple. I have a lot of editing to do on the wedding photos still but I have a couple completed now. You will see those in a new post. I love Brandy and Josh, by the time I shot their wedding they were very comfortable in front of the camera. I felt like the paparazzi and I'm sure they felt like celebrities on their big day. It was an absolutely beautiful day, Brandy could write a romantic novel just on her vows. The weather was perfect and some of the bridesmaids may have ended up with a little sunburn. (Bring on the summer!!!)

I learn something new about editing, aesthetics, or other technicalities everyday, photography is such a huge artistic medium. It is exciting to imagine the places it can take a person, but one thing that bugs me is a prideful photographer, an artist who already thinks they are a hot shot isn't going to push themselves beyond the envelope. If you think you are some photo genius then you're already weak in the knees.

Here are a couple of engagement pictures from the E-Session.

Fam Damily Pics

2009-02-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

I know Elizabeth is anxious to see some pictures from the family session.

Yay!

2009-02-26T06:32:00.000-08:00

Hello there. Here are a couple of photos I snapped for Elizabeth. It was easy to get a good shot with her as my model :). I'm trying some different editing in photo-shop using luminoscity layers and pushing beyond where I normally take my midtones and highlights.

Spring is just around the corner and my hyacinths are already starting to pop out of the ground--not good!! Wednesday night I covered them with a plastic sheet in hopes they aren't going to freeze their *bulbs off. It would be sad if the flowers didn't bloom next month, the aroma is amazing plus its great for the aesthetic beauty surrounding my house ;). Its crazy they still bloom, they were planted at least 5 years ago by the elderly couple who lived here before. Hyacinths are native to the eastern Mediterranean region, here is a story about the flower:

Ancient Greek legend describes the origin of the Hyacinth. Two of the gods, Apollo and Zephyr, loved a handsome young Greek called Hyakinthos. Apollo was teaching Hyakinthos the art of throwing a discus.
Zephyr, who was the god of the west wind, was overcome with jealousy and he blew the discus back. It struck Hyakinthos on the head and killed him. From his blood grew a flower, which the sun god Apollo named after him.

Check out a couple of pictures from last year.