Southwest Care Center's AID and Comfort Gala 2011 {Santa Fe Wedding Photography}

Southwest Care Center provides comprehensive medical care, research, education, prevention and support services to people affected by HIV/AIDS and related conditions in New Mexico. Every year they hold a fundraising gala. It has the reputation of being one of Santa Fe's best parties.

A friend on the planning committee asked if I would consider volunteering photography. How could I say no to an issue that is so near and dear to my heart? My husband's cousin died of AIDS in the 90's. The theme for the fundraiser was "BOND ~ James Bond." Everything was done with the utmost of care, the decorations were outstanding, the entertainment was awesome, the food was amazing, the donations for the silent auction were wonderful and the generosity with which everyone donated their time was truly heart warming. Clearly there are a lot of people in this town who care about this issue. It took place at the beautiful Hilton of Santa Fe with the help of Hugh Thomas, the Director of Catering.

Guests enjoyed dancing. 

Martini's were poured through a 9mm ice sculpture gun.

Guests had fun playing Roulette.

Donated jewelry for the silent auction.

Guava Chiffon performed for the delighted guests.

The guests had a great time dancing.

More items were auctioned, like this stunning necklace. All proceeds going to Southwest Care Center.

Nucia Lee and Beth Baldini performing.

I also had the pleasure of working with three wonderful photographers who donated their time to this event. 

Please check them out: Karen Schuld, Kerry Gallagher and Eric Cousineau.

A Grandmother's Love {Santa Fe Wedding Photography}

I photographed Maria's wedding this year and wanted to post about a moment from her day that touched me. We were shooting the formal family portraits right outside the venue, the Historic Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Different groupings of different family members, one after another. Her grandma waited patiently. When it was her turn to be photographed next to her newly married grand daughter, she did what most proud grandparents do, she smiled. 

Then she turned to Maria and kissed her forehead. They looked at each other and began to cry. Then they hugged and cried some more. That is exactly what I cherish about photography. Being witness to these moments and having the honor to document such memories. 

The flowers were gorgeous! 

The Historic Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Head shots & Dog shot {Santa Fe Wedding Photography}

Sometimes my wedding clients will refer me to their friends, even when it's not a wedding referral. For instance, Ranier knew that her married friends, Ed and Judy, both needed head shots for their individual businesses. She gave them my name. When I have time (like now, like today), I will do portrait jobs. Besides that, it's hard for me to turn down any photography. I enjoy it so much. So we made arrangements to shoot a session for professional head shots. What I love about going to someone's home is that I get to observe their environment. 

First we got the head shots out of the way. Don't they look professional? I think so.

Then it was time to get some fun shots. What I consider "snuggley" portraits. Look, they are still in love, after fifteen years of marriage. I can't help it. It's the wedding photographer in me, that can't resist capturing love.

 Then I had to steal some portraits of their amazing dogs. Here is Lucy. She was watching us so intently. Look at those eyes!

Ray & Sarah {Santa Fe Wedding Photography}

I had been looking forward to photographing Sarah and Ray's wedding from the moment I met them last fall. They were sweet, in love and enthusiastic about their wedding photography. It only got better from there. First we photographed their engagement session on a cold winter day. Sarah was such a trooper, limping along with her knee injury. Here is the link to that session: Sarah & Ray engagement. The good folks at Museum Cafe liked the silhouette image so much, they asked if they could use it in an advertisement. Sarah and Ray were proudly in the magazine "Edible Santa Fe." Months later, after learning some new skills at a photo convention, I asked my friends on Facebook if anyone would model for me. They were the first to volunteer! We had another fun session together at the top of La Fonda Hotel. Did I mention that Sarah and Ray met on Facebook?

February 27, 2011. We had such fun shooting in the snow! Well, despite the fact that it was a little chilly.

Fast forward to July 9, 2011. As you can see, it's an understatement to say that Ray is taller than Sarah. I'm going to guess by twelve inches? So you may wonder why she chose to wear flat shoes on her wedding day. Well, it's complicated. That knee injury that was bothering her last year only got worse, much worse, before it got better. But Sarah was determined to walk down the isle. She worked hard in physical therapy. Once again proving what a trooper she is.

What stuck me the most about Sarah, on her wedding day, was her interest in helping others. It was so generous and selfless on her part. Really a beautiful sign of her character.

I loved photographing Ray and his groomsmen as they waited for the ceremony. Documenting the camaraderie and getting relaxed candid photographs is one thing I really love about wedding photography.

Sisters.

Minutes before the outdoor wedding, it began to rain. The first time in months. Most New Mexicans would see this as a joyous event especially considering the devastating Los Conchas wildfires that had been raging since June. Not so joyous for Sarah on her wedding day. True to New Mexico's style of weather, it was over in less than ten minutes. There was a huge sigh of relief and the sun came out.

Honestly, the weather couldn't have been better!

The happy couple after a beautiful ceremony.

Instead of flowers ~ feathers and fans!

The reflecting pond at Sunrise Springs.

A quiet moment after the ceremony.

The ponds at Sunrise Springs are so full of life. 

The gorgeous cake from Chocolate Maven.

Sarah & Ray's first dance. 

Some toasts make you laugh.

Some toasts make you cry.

Some girls like to fly.

I was astounded to learn that Sarah's father designed and made their rings. I knew he owned a landscaping materials business but I didn't know, until the wedding day, that he was also a jewelry maker. 

Babies, babies, babies!

Three of my wedding clients have gotten pregnant and/or had their babies this year. I've had the privilege to photograph them. It's such a joy to continue to stay in touch with these amazing couples!

Adriana & Brain ~ Married April 24, 2010

Will & Ranier ~ Married August 14, 2010

Anne and Dan ~ Married September 6, 2009. 

Thanks to Facebook I've been able to stalk, I mean "follow" what Anne and Dan have been up to including Anne's pregnancy. Their TWINS were born a few months ago which is really fun because my husband and I have twins too, ten year old boys. Anne and Dan were in town this last weekend visiting family. We had an opportunity to get together and I took a few snapshots of the new parents and their adorable off spring!

 Here they are with their little bundles of pure love.

Babies are so yummy!

For the Love of Type!

Before doing photography professionally, I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design. A large part of that degree involved learning and gaining an appreciation for typography. I can honestly say that I love type.

We live in Santa Fe, New Mexico where the Palace of the Governors is one of the oldest buildings in the country. It is a museum and has an equally impressive Print Shop. I volunteer in the art class of our ten year old twin boys. One day last semester, their wonderful art teacher, Mary Olson, planned a field trip to the museum and all the kids got to witness a demonstration of print making on one of the nineteenth century presses. It was amazing, I saw it too.

Here are our boys in the almost 400 year old courtyard of the Palace. My sister and I are planning a 50th wedding anniversary party for my parents. After the 4th grade class visited the Palace Press, I had the impulse to see if they could print the invitations for us. What a privilege that would be! I contacted them and kept my fingers crossed.

They said that as a "rule" they don't normally do private jobs but happened to have the time and supplies for our small job of only twenty five invitations. Here is the way the type was set on the sixty year old press they used.

The amazing men who ran our job, James Bourland and Tom Leech.

Just look at the way the type is set. I choose the word luscious to describe how that looks to me. Proving what a geek I am about type.

The final invitations wrapped carefully and beautifully. We feel so lucky!

La Mesita ~ Doriane Woolley & Scott Wray ~ June 4, 2011

Doriane and Scott's wedding was quite a production! First of all, it was held at La Mesita ranch which is now owned by Buffalo Thunder. It had been in Mott's family (the father of the bride) for many years. In fact, he spent his youth growing up there. I went out several times before the wedding to get an understanding of the wedding day schedule. During those pre-wedding visits, I learned a little history about Mott's time there as a child.

I thought it was ironic and delightful to see one of the flower girls hiding under the chair in the master bedroom. She was such a sweetie pie. She had silently crept in while I was alone in the master bedroom photographing Doriane's dress, jewelry and shoes. You can imagine my surprise when I turned around and saw her under the chair. Mott spoke of entering this room, which was his parent's bedroom, as a little tyke and having Christmas morning near the fireplace.

Doriane received this amazing turquoise bracelet from her mother Tina. Look at those shoes!

I love when I have a few quiet moments alone with the bride before the wedding.

The other flower girl was such a sweetheart. I happened to walk past the room where she had been getting ready. There she was, sitting there looking at her shoes, with the beam of sun illuminating her perfectly. That right there is what I love about photography. Capturing moments that are gone in a split second....

The flowers were stunning and done by Margaret Bost the owner at Margaret Bost Floral Design. This is Doriane's bouquet.

The bridesmaids bouquets.

Doriane and her mom Tina moments before the wedding. All the bridesmaids wore cowboy boots.

The first major part of the production of the wedding was getting guests from the equestrian area, where there was a mariachi band playing and horses jumping, to the location of the ceremony, which was near this beautiful pond. Horse carriage rides were available to all provided by Eric Roybal of Bear Creek Adventures.

Every detail was handled with care, even the seating at the ceremony.

Here is Scott seeing Doriane for the first time. She was escorted to the ceremony site in a horse drawn carriage with her father and the flower girls.

The Christian ceremony was beautiful and they received a blessing from a Native American. The wind was strong and stirred up dust clouds and blew things over. In my opinion, it was perfect for a wedding on a ranch!

Here are Scott's parents, Kay & Lewis Wray, watching the ceremony. I'm not suggesting that Kay's lip was quivering here, but let's just say that it was. Well, then I would have been fighting back a tear or two myself. You see, I can't watch another person cry without getting emotional.

The kiss and the happy couple!

This is one of my favorite images from the day.

Next up, after the ceremony was the reception at the main house. You can see the fields in the distance. Did I mention that La Mesita is over 100 acres? Dinner was buffet style with Italian in the main house, Mexican in the guest house and BBQ down by the pool. Guests were free to wander the property. Peter Lovato, who is the head of catering at Buffalo Thunder, did an amazing job making it all happen.

The gorgeous bridal party. When Doriane's mom told me they were "horse" people I didn't really know what that meant. Well, she wasn't kidding. Most of these folks ride, train and work with horses on a daily basis. The cowboy hats came off for this photo.

The tent for the reception was stunning and was placed over the tennis court. Naomi Romero and her team from Garcia's Tents did an incredible job setting that up.

Mott's toast.

Vicki Speer of Solstice (from Absolute Entertainment) did an amazing job performing with her band.

I love this photo. It's Scott squeezing his mom and mother-in-law at the end of the night. Please visit my dear friend, Tonya Peterson's blog. She is an amazing photographer and was available to second shoot with me. She posted some of her shots from the day.