Life. Documented.

NEW BLOG IS LIVE!

2010-05-23T23:03:00.001-07:00

Friends, please join me at my new blogsite!

www.stephbarber.com

See you there!

leaving the blogspot world

2010-05-20T01:12:00.000-07:00

well friends, the time is nearly here, www.stephbarber.com is almost ready to go live. i cant believe its here! im so excited for my new and completely customized blog but at the same time, a little sad to be leaving the blogspot world. blogspot has been good to me, real good. since february of 2008 i've been logging in and creating posts in an effort to document life. ive made this place my home away from home... a place to share stories, memories, laughs, and to share in the joys of others through photos and designs. ive customized it more times than i can even remember and tried to create a space that truly represented who i was.

it is because of these reasons that i had a difficult time deciding to move on to bigger and better blogging, part of me questioned "does it really even exist?" blogspot has always just done the trick, its just what i know. but what if something was out there... blogging that would actually make my life easier, display my images better, and still offer really cool customizable settings. so now, 22,300 views later (say whaaaaaaa??), i've found the answers to these questions and im ready and excited to launch my new .com blogsite! im inviting, no BEGGING, for you to stay with me for the ride! the stories, projects, memories, photos, designs will all continue and hopefully even get better! i will just be at a new location.

i know a lot of you have followed me from the very beginning of this blog and i really cant say enough how truly truly grateful i am that you've kept coming back. im so excited for the new blog and everything that it will offer us! stay tuned and be ready for when the new site goes live and you can check it out for yourself!

in the mean time, i'd absolutely L-O-V-E it if you faithful readers would leave me one last blogspot comment?! i feel its only right.

alright, love to you all!

(ps, sorry if this seems like a way overdramatic post. i know its just a blog, but it really is more)

some happiness

2010-05-19T02:18:00.001-07:00

gettin ready to send out jessica & steve's photos and just had to share these little pieces of happiness with you. seriously, i dont know how i miss this stuff when im blogging. i seem to just skip right over what end up being my favorite shots two weeks later.

i also wanted to give you fair warning that the blog is about to start blowin' up, two weddings in the next two weekends! im getting excited just thinking about it.

oh! and one more important thing... are you having a good day? sure hope so friends!

emilie & a pocket full of sunshine

2010-05-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite photographers, stephanie fay, recently wrote a blog post on how to use the light while shooting. after reading her post, i decided to find a model and go out to practice some of the tips she gave. luckily emilie was around and willing to model for me! she will be assisting me at this weekends wedding so i asked if she'd start the job a little early and model for these shots. i really wanted to focus on back and front lighting with these shots and i ended up getting some of my favorite lighting shots ive ever taken! keep in mind im still practicing and trying not to be scared of light... its a tough thing to master and something i am far from doing, but relaxed and low key sessions like this help me take my time to figure it out : ) thanks to steph fay for such a thorough post on lighting!

and thanks to emilie for being so willing to help me out with this! our "session" basically consisted of chatting, laughing, trying to change clothes without random strangers seeing, and a HUUUGE oreganos meal afterwards. love it.

kristin & zack's wedding paper suite!

2010-05-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

quite the little treat arrived in the mail today! over the past few months ive been working with kristin & zack to create their custom wedding invitations! kristin is a good friend of my sister in chicago so when she emailed me asking if id design their wedding invitations i was so beyond excited. kristin and zack came to me with some key ideas they had in mind and i was READY to make those ideas come to life. i really love teamwork. zack had drawn the incredible tree graphic you see on the main invitation as well as the "zk" symbol located on a few of the pieces, and it became my job to translate those images to computer and work with them to create the design pieces for the big day! kristin & zack are going with a teal and grey color scheme for their wedding and i must say i love the simple and clean look of it. i absolutely LOVED working with these two to create something totally customized, totally fresh, totally them. below are some shots of the 3 front and back design pieces we created: the main invitation, rsvp postcard, and general information card!

[fronts]

[backs]

here's that tree graphic up close... the heart inside the branches, yes you guys

postcard back, love the type setting on this one

postcard front, love the consistency we're getting with the repeat of the verse and "zk" symbol

and the general information card front and back, again love the typesetting of all the information

and are you wondering what the happy couple looks like? i thought so. do these wedding invitations not just completely fit them?? LOVE IT.

oh goodness i love this stuff, i really do.

like what you see? all of the above was printed by d&l press! im telling you, its an easy process, give me a call and lets make something!

mirror mirror invitation!

2010-05-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

my grandma is retiring after 35 years with the same company! she has worked for a mirror & glass company so her retirement party in june will be decorated with all sorts of mirrors and glass. i was in charge of designing some invitations for the party and this is what i came up with, using purple (her favorite color) and silver (to represent the mirrors/glass)

once again, printed by the fabulous d&l press!!

yay grandma!

maternity session anyone?

2010-05-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

two summers ago i did my first maternity session with the lovely and glowing amanda. its now been 2 years and i have yet to do another one! i'd like to think that ive learned more and gained more experience since that session 2 years ago and i would LOVE to revisit maternity portraits.

so... is anyone interested? $75 for a 1.5 hour session. just you, me, some cute outfits, and some great memories to show your little one some day!
email me at stephbdesign@aol.com if you or someone you know is interested! cant wait to hear from you : )

slice of life... summer goals!

2010-05-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

well friends, summer time is upon us. i loaded up paula to her maximum capacity with all my stuff and said goodbye to the mountains and hello to the valley. im beyond thrilled to be back home for the summer, good times are in store. i am excited to share with you that this summer i will be unemployed! now i know what you're thinking, how is unemployment exciting news? and i want you to know that ive decided to take a risk this summer, and im inviting you to take the journey with me. rather than being employed at a summer job, i will be spending some time further developing my photography & design and pursuing it as a possible post-graduation career. this means my summer will be spent doing photo sessions, weddings, and design projects! i couldn't be more excited/scared/ready/anxious for all the craziness to begin and i cant tell you how blessed i feel to be able to spend even more time and energy towards what i LOVE doing!

so i decided that i need to have a summer goals list prepared to keep me on track and feeling productive throughout the summer. i also decided to post it here so you can see and be updated on all of the exciting things that will be happening! this list is not ALL photography/design related but keep in mind that this is summer BREAK we are talking about, there has to be some fun thrown in there as well. so without further a do, here it is! (in no particular order)

+ new blogsite!

+ design/develop photo & design packaging

+ update hanging pictures

+ hang out with this guy... alot

+ develop decorating idea for what my OWN room and bathroom will look like next year

+ fix the yellow table : ( this poor table took quite a beating this year

+ purchase new bedding for my BIGGER bed next year!

+ learn the "in my head" dance... you should know this is already in progress.

+ stop biting my fingernails (per joels request)

+ make my first ever craigslist purchase!!

+ purchase another piece of photography equipment (flash? lens?)

+ day trip to williams/flagstaff

+ have tons and tons and TONS of fun

so there it is! this list might be changing and being added to throughout the summer but for now, im starting to attack these goals one by one and already loving it. it is another goal of mine to update you with my progress on each of these goals, i hope to have fun updates and pictures with the completion of the projects! oh and for the record, is anyone going to judge me if i dont finish everything on the list? i sure hope not, because im not making any promises.

also be on the look out for WEDDINGS, WEDDINGS, WEDDINGS! so far i have a total of 5 scheduled for the summer and two are coming up, back-to-back weekends in may! and please contact me to schedule any other photo sessions, im around!

happy summer everyone! and thanks for continuing on this journey with me!

christina & jessica... sisters!

2010-05-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

i met up with these two lovely ladies to take some SURPRISE pictures for their mom for mothers day! i just love jessica & christina and their beautiful personalities... its always fun hangin with them. im so blessed to be a part of a church family with such great people, and these ladies happen to be a part of that. i know their mom will be happy to have some updated pictures of the two together, what a great SURPRISE mothers day present!

jessica & steve... expecting!

2010-05-02T01:07:00.001-07:00

ive known jessica for about a couple of years now and i really cant get enough of her and her sweet family. it seems i am just making my way down the list with she and her 4 other sisters and i couldnt be more thrilled! (i recently shot her sister ashley's senior portraits as well as her sister jennie's wedding last may.) im honored any time i am contacted by these people. ive said it before but i will say it again, jessica and her family are just the nicest and most warm spirited people. so you can imagine how excited i was when jessica emailed me the BIG news... she & steve are expecting their first child this november!! as if that wasnt exciting enough, they wanted to get together to take some photos for an announcement they will be sending out. they decided to make the trip up north for the session to experience a little of flagstaff and let me just say, they sure got to experience it. the weather up here is SO unbelievably bipolar, its really not even funny. it will be warm short weather one day and SNOW the next, unbelievable. jessica & steve were such champs during the cloudy, cold, WINDY weather as we took the photos... and why it couldnt have been 76 and sunny? who knows.

anyways, jessica has got to be THE most creative gal i know. seriously, we used to work together and every day i was amazed at her genius ideas. she thought up all of these brilliant ideas for the session and a fun way they could announce to family and friends that she will be having a baby. the theme for the shoot was "first came love, then came marriage, now comes the baby!" so jessica created three different scene ideas for each of the little phrases. soooo cute, right?! these first shots are some of my favorites and they are from the "then came marriage" set:

and here are some shots from the "first came love" scenes involving a handful of balloons that SOMEHOW we managed to hold on to

i mentioned this in the last post about subtle angle changes and how big of a difference they make, keeping your subjects in place but taking a few steps yourself. subtle differences people, subtle differences.

so in love

and now comes baby!! highlighted by a cute frame!

jessica & steve are going to make such great parents, their child will be surrounded by SO much love and laughter and (my favorite) creativity! im just so thrilled for them and this new adventure they are beginning. i cant wait to hear if its a boy or girl and which name they decide to go with! they've got some great ones picked out.

jessica & steve: thanks for bearing with the chill factor to get these shots. so fun spending time with you guys!

dustin & jenny... engaged!

2010-04-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

i met up with dustin & jenny for an engagement session this weekend and loved every second of it. these two will be getting married in august and i am so excited to tell you that i will be there documenting the big day! dustin & jenny have so much fun together and it sounds like their wedding will be so beautiful and such a blast! they probably didn't know it but they presented me with a small challenge when they said they wanted to shoot their engagement pictures in a nature and outdoorsy fashion. dont get me wrong, i looovvvvee nature and loved the idea of this, but taking away the city/town scenes from portrait sessions intimidates me for some reason! maybe its the fact that i no longer have random cool walls and benches and doorways to set my subjects against, or maybe its the inconsistency of light due to all of the trees and branches in the forest, meaning its hard to find good shade. whatever the reason being, i was once again nervous to shoot in open nature! i dont know what my problem was though because dustin & jenny were so laid back and chill about the photos and they were so easy to work with, the perfect models for a "scary" forest session. we were able to find the perfect little pockets of light and i was so thrilled with how the shots turned out, so natural!

i love how the angle from which a shot is taken changes everything. i love this next set because of that very thing

i love these next two shots... so happy!

dustin are you seeing how beautiful your girl is?? she's WORKIN it

and a little candid to make your life better:

i think what i loved most about working with dustin & jenny is how simple and relaxed they were about the whole thing... they even mentioned a couple of times that they were hesitant and nervous about having their pictures taken and only needed "1 or 2 good shots"... i quickly told them that wouldnt fly with me : ) and we'd have to take at least a few more fun and creative shots. so, we did! and they were great about it! they seem like they are just along for the ride and i love that. they gave me some excellent shots that i know they will cherish forever!

emily & lisa... graduating!

2010-04-27T10:19:00.001-07:00

this weekend emily & lisa paid a quick visit to flagstaff so we could take some senior pictures. these sisters are both graduating in may, lisa from college and emily from high school! its a busy time for the two with emily enjoying all of her high school senior activities (props to her for coming up the day after prom!) and lisa wrapping up her student teaching so i was glad they could carve out some time to come up! emily & lisa are such sweet sweet girls and i loved getting to spend some time with them. we just spent the whole time chatting about all the fun and exciting times they will be experiencing in this next year. emily will be attending asu in the fall and lisa will be done with school, starting a teaching job, and getting married in december! i told the girls i was jealous of where each of them are at in life, emily and all of the exciting "newness" she is headed into with college and lisa being completely DONE with school. im just sort of in the middle, but still loving the middle. i loved spending time with these two and im so excited for their next year, i caught myself moving my camera away from my face too many times to just stop and talk with them about everything. but i did manage to grab a few shots:

here's emily, with the wind totally workin' to her benefit

and lisa!!

dresses! i seriously think everyone should bring at least one dress to their session. SO cute.

emilyyy!!! soooo fun

isnt lisa going to make such a beautiful teacher?? (not to mention BRIDE come december!)

and of course, the lacrosse jersey. she'll be starting playoffs soon! go huskies!

well ladies, you really did fantastic with these photos. im so excited for this special time and so honored to be a part of it all!

as for the rest of you, love the middle.

-steph

the lovely lisa!

2010-04-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

i met up with lisa from lisa & alex this weekend to take some portraits for her to bring back to germany. she will be leaving flagstaff soon to head home and wanted some portraits to document the time she has spent here. lisa is such a lovely gal with a sweet spirit that i have loved to get to know a little bit better. she's also a gorgeous model and does so well in front of the camera.

becca is graduating!

2010-04-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

the lovely miss becca is graduating from asu next month so she and her friends, aubrey, & emma, made a trip up to flagstaff so we could take some senior portraits for her! all three of these ladies are just fantastic. i was lucky enough to serve with them this past summer at zona yuth kamp and am looking forward to again this summer! becca, emma, & aubrey are such a fun group of friends and you can tell they totally love each other so much. im so excited for each of them to be finishing up college soon and pursue their passions. and becca happens to be the first doing so out of the bunch! i had a great time around town with these girls.

lookin good laaaaddiiieesss

stunning.

the girls brought along their "grandpa sweaters" so we took a few shots of them sportin' those

and here she is in the cap & gown!

hang in there becca, only a few more weeks 'til graduation! thanks for makin' the trip up ladies!

theo & crystal... engaged!

2010-04-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

theo, an intervarsity staff worker in flagstaff, just proposed to crystal this past week at the grand canyon during the sunrise..... yeah i know, perfect right? crystal has been visiting flagstaff from colorado this week and theo planned a time for us to take some engagement pictures while she is out here. i am happy to say that crystal will be coming on staff for nau intervarsity next year and we're all so excited to have her join us! i had a great time walking around downtown with these two and could totally see why they are perfect for eachother. they will be getting married in november and are so excited to start living life together!

crystal, the thing is, you're gorgeous.

it was suuuperr cold out during the session so crystal & theo kept their jackets on right up until it was time to snap the shots, this was just a shot testing the light but i loved it just the same

but then it was time to get serious so the jackets came off

we ended the session outside of macy's since these two love their coffee...

thanks you guys for bearing with me in the cold! you were troopers. crystal, come visit us again soon!

him again... slice of life.

2010-04-19T23:51:00.000-07:00

he texted me on saturday morning, it read: "hey what are you doing today? im gonna come up after work!" (up meaning to flagstaff) i.was.stoked. all i knew was i had a photo session with mel & kris at around 5:30 and he was scheduled to arrive at 5:15 so it'd be tight, but we could manage. he got to campus, jumped in my car, and we headed over to the session. not exactly the way i prefer to welcome my "out of town guests" but we both knew i had a job to do.

but let me tell you, he proved himself again. and again and again. i felt bad for having to drag joel along to the session when he would only be spending a few hours in flagstaff anyway, but without even being asked he carried my bag, switched out my lenses, helped set up props, and put away mel's cello (who knows how he did that last one). and yes thats my shoot sac strapped over his chest in the picture... adorable.

as if all of the assistance wasnt enough... he even managed to snap this photo from his camera phone. look at my boy exercising the rule of thirds and everything! im so proud.

so in conclusion, the award for the best assistant ever goes to mr. joel henderson.

mel & kris... contest revisited!

2010-04-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

remember the contest i hosted a while back? i wanted to know what inspired you. melissa submitted this beautiful entry about a photo that inspires her and she won! for the free photo session mel decided to recreate the photo with her husband kris. we found a similar setting we could use to create the same environment as the original photo and mel & kris showed up lookin just like the old folks in the picture and i was ready to rock.

my favorite part of the photo mel submitted is that it emanates joy. and my favorite part of this idea mel had to recreate it is that she and kris emanate the same joy with eachother, and i knew it'd be fun to capture.

after the bench scene we headed over to an abandoned train car and track to have some fun with the props they brought along!

here's kris playing some box drum for us

they also brought along their instruments to play some music on the train. yes, mel plays the cello and kris plays the dulcimer, but here he is seen rockin the tambourine:

in september mel & kris will be headed to africa to travel around doing various mission work for several months so they decided to take a few pictures that they will use for prayer support cards

all in all it was a super successful photo session, so many different looks were achieved and i know mel & kris will be glad they have these photos some day when they're as old as the people in the original photo. im so glad i can call them such good friends of mine and it was so fun to take these memories for them.

a shower invitation!

2010-04-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

my sister melissa's friend kristin is getting married this july and mel along with another friend is throwing a cute little personal shower for her and she asked me to design some simple invitations around the "tying the knot" theme. here is what we came up with!

stay tuned because i am also working with kristin & her fiance zack to design a custom wedding invitation suite for their big day! and we're almost finished!!

slice of life... dance!

2010-04-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

(if you dont read this post at least scroll to the video and watch from 2:10 and on)

yesterday my roommate randi comes in and says "you HAVE to watch this video of jason derulo dancing!!". if there's one thing ive taken away from living with randi its a greater love for dance, hip hop dance to be exact. ive always loved movement, and the way people turn it into a true art form. but just something about hip hop dance, holding your belt buckle or the tip of your hat and sliding your feet around was never what i seemed to enjoy watching. sure i enjoyed the occasional save the last dance or step up final dance scenes (which you should definitely watch after this one), but i never cared to pursue watching it outside of the movies. like i said, UNTIL i started living with randall. and when i have no choice but to watch videos like this one when she throws them at me, and i end up loving them.

so back to this particular video... when it hits the 2:10 minute mark a dance sequence begins that struck the PERFECT chord within my soul. its an incredible but subtle sequence of movements that seriously (not kidding) inspired me. i really have no idea why i am so obsessed with his footwork and dancing here but like i said, for some reason it just hit the spot. he has an obvious gift for feeling the music in more than just his head, it translates to the way he moves, specifically his feet. and i cant get enough of it. im not exaggerating when i tell you that ive probably watched the video 15-20 times in the past day. i would love nothing more than for you to turn off the music at the bottom of my blog, turn UP your volume, make this video full screen, and watch the dancing. no need to watch the full video if you dont want to, but the dancing that lasts from minute 2:10 to the end is WORTH IT.

(dont forget to scroll down and turn off my music!)

dancing is another form of expression and art that God has blessed people with and videos like this remind me of that as strange as it may be. NOTHING God created was an accident, He loves dance and He loves movement and the expression of who we as His children are. He created us capable of exploring creative movement, some just more than others. like jason derulo for example.

now PLEASE understand that none of this means i am now pursuing dance or trying to be the new jason derulo, because i would roll if any of you even began to picture me doing this. i will just stick to appreciating their talent and dancing in the car and let the pros do their thing : )

jaggar's birthday invitations!

2010-04-12T02:21:00.000-07:00

here are the invitations for one year old jaggar's fun birthday party! these were printed as 5x7 front & back cards at d&l press. i think they are totally boy and totally cute!

angela... class of 2010!

2010-04-11T10:58:00.000-07:00

Where do I even begin to describe angela? I grew up with this chick just a few years behind me at church and loved every second I got to spend with her. we’ve shared many laughs, good heart to hearts, and awesome youth group experiences together and ive loved watching God do a good work in her heart. He is fashioning her into such a beautiful and strong young woman and I only see BRIGHT in her future. I am SO pleased to say that angela will be joining me up in the high country at nau next year for her freshman year of college! She made the right choice : ) I can’t wait to watch her experience life up here in flagstaff and continue on the crazy journey that God has for her. I know she will just love it! I had such a fun time spending the morning taking her senior pictures. The whole thing came so naturally to her, I barely did any work at all! After the session we sat in the car and just chatted while singing “hey soul sister” by train, talking about how stinkin excited I am for her to get to flagstaff! Angela, hurry up and graduate! Just kidding, enjoy every minute and especially these lovely photos. (but seriously… get up here)

angela, seriously? LOVE.

it really would be hard work for angela to take a bad photo

just for fun

you know you're steph b when you want your senior model to model really cool lamps. oh angela, thanks for humoring me.

too.beautiful. love you girl!

brad graduates college!

2010-04-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

brad is graduating college from ASU in may! I’m not gonna lie, shooting college graduates always brings out the jealousy in me. do I really have 2 more years left? Anyway it only seemed appropriate that we meet up to snap some quick grad photos for mr. francis. Brad’s got such a fun and adventurous future ahead of him and I know he will love every second of it, especially once school is over for good! For his session he brought along his guitar. Guitars are excellent props. even if you don’t play guitar, you should bring one to your session. But brad DOES play the guitar and quite well in fact. No, VERY well. he thinks he hired me to take pictures when really all I wanted to do was hear him play. However I did manage to walk away with a good amount of pictures : )

lisa & alex, so happy together

2010-04-09T15:41:00.000-07:00

introducing lisa & alex! lisa and is from germany and has been studying at nau this past year! her boyfriend alex came all the way over here from germany to spend the past 2 weeks visiting lisa in flagstaff. they've spent the past year developing their relationship from a distance while lisa is over here attending nau and alex teaches school in germany. soon they will be reunited in their home country, which im sure they are both looking forward to! during alex's visit they've gotten to spend alot of time together doing fun things like visiting the grand canyon and attending a phoenix suns game! alex has always wanted to attend an NBA game and he finally got the chance! i was so excited when lisa emailed me the beginning of march asking if id be interested in taking photos of the two while alex was out here visiting. ummm, YES!! of course i would. what a great idea to remember lisa's year of school out here and the time alex was able to spend visiting! so this morning finally rolled around and such a good time was spent walking around flagstaff with these two, hearing their story and learning about them. did i mention that they met in france?! probably not a big deal to them but i was freaking out when i heard that.

oh yeah, did i also mention that they are beautiful people? well they are.

lisa you are gorgeous!

i love this next dancing series

!!!!!!!!!!! probably my favorite shot of the session

im so happy i got to meet and spend some time with lisa & alex. they are such pleasant people to be around. flagstaff will definitely miss lisa and her sweet spirit but i know she's excited to be back in germany with her man!

i LOVE meeting new faces! have we met yet? if not, lets!

-steph

subtle differences.

2010-04-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

just getting ready to send out andy & chelsea's engagement photos when i stumbled upon these two [unblogged] gems. the difference between these two shots is so subtle, barely anything. but doesnt it make the world of a difference? i cant get enough of it. andy & chelsea, pretty soon you're gonna open up your mailbox and see this and your life will be just a little bit better.

slice of life... nan lawson.

2010-04-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

a little over a month ago i stumbled upon the amazing nan lawson. she's an incredible artist and digital illustrator that creates these wonderful custom portraits. i immediately emailed her and asked for information on getting the process started and was so excited at how completely custom this portrait would be. nan explained that all i needed to do was send over an email attaching a few photos of joel & i and let her know a little bit about our "style" (as if we have one), and then she'd start working on our portrait, and then i'd start FREAKING OUT -----> !! i patiently waited for about a month while i knew nan was hard at work creating a digital "us" and leaped for joy one night when i checked my email and the first draft was waiting in my inbox. after giving her my obvious approval she sent over the digital file and the fine art print, which i now present you with here in a lovely spray painted purple frame courtesy of goodwill. it will sit on my desk and hang on my walls and smile at me forever : )

if it was possible to love the little digital version of joel more than the real deal, i would. of course thats NOT possible but it comes pretty dang close. make sure you visit nan's website as well as her flickr page where you can see more of her custom portraits, including ours! seriously, go look at her stuff, these make great gifts and she's done some ADORABLE work with families and couples. NAN LAWSON, you are the key to success my friend.

katey & rick, headshots!

2010-04-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

katey and her dad rick needed some new headshots for some acting work they are pursuing. we spent the morning snapping some simple, sharp shots and watching people in line at the mac store to buy their ipads, dont even get me started on those. ridiculous. hopefully some of these shots will help them stand out amongst all the other faces, not that they need any help with that : )

katey & rick were so easy going and fun to work with, their session reminded me of how stress and care free this job really can be at times. not that i dont enjoy ALL of my sessions and clients, but lately ive just found myself so busy with my photography (which is great!) but also stressed with it, so it was nice to have a simple relaxing session like this one to detract from all the craziness. just good people, their faces, and my camera. its the life.

baby jaxon & his fam

2010-04-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

i met up with 3 month old jaxon and his mom & dad yesterday to take their first family photos! other family members were able to join us for the evening of shooting and we are able to get some great family shots while they were all together. ive said it once, and i'll say it again, i love new little families of 3. just something so special about the deep deep love they already share. and i love being able to catch some of it on camera:

i love meeting new people! jessica & adam were such great and easy people to work with and i know they will enjoy having these memories of the family being together with tiny j : )

slice of life... the last song.

2010-03-31T23:48:00.000-07:00

judge me all you want, but i loved it.

is miley cyrus annoying? you bet. but its nicholas sparks. and i dont care who you are, you just dont not like nicholas sparks. i sobbed.

i told joel i was seeing this movie tonight and he responded: "oh good im glad you're seeing it with your friends, because that means i dont have to see it"

then after the movie i told him i loved it and that i sobbed, to which he replied: "doesn't surprise me, you cried in UP"

boy better watch it : )

common grounds, the package!

2010-03-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

the next project in the common grounds project series was to create the actual packaging for our food product. i really wanted to do something different with the coffee brand i am creating and produce a modern and unique package design thats unlike whats out there. so i decided to create coffee in a box. i created a package that is similar to the normal bags coffee is sold in but adds a little more structure and boldness to the overall presentation. my favorite part of the package is how it resembles bags of coffee but is just enough of a difference to make you want to pick it up and check it out. you'll have to forgive the white fold lines of the thick card stock, i had to do the best with the resources i had to print the mock up package. but it folded up into the real deal and actually holds the coffee beans so im pleased with the final:

and just for kicks, i thought i'd photograph the package on the shelf with the other foods to see how it looks up there with the big guys

MIA.

2010-03-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

ive been MIA. its because im here ^^^. i would apologize, but look at the picture. naaaahhhh. lots to come soon!

andy & chelsea... engaged!

2010-03-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

andy & chelsea are engaged!! and after over a year of being engaged its finally almost time for these two to tie the knot! this morning we took some engagement photos and talked about wedding details and i just cant wait for their big day coming up in may! andy & chelsea are such a fun couple and i have no doubt their special day will be a blast. we spent the morning laughing and chatting and i loved watching these two have so much fun together. they're so laid back and chill and always seemed to be laughing with each other and i loved it. im so grateful for the chance to meet and work with them to document this special time!

chelsea you look the bomb.

some time with kacey

2010-03-19T11:06:00.001-07:00

ive been so SO so sooo blessed this past week to meet and talk life with photographer extraordinaire miss kacey luvi. if you remember a while back i blogged about a few different blogs that i cant get enough of and kacey's was one of them. kacey is THE COOLEST. in the short few days ive known her she has already had such a huge impact on my life. i cant get enough of her fun spirit that just makes you want to be around her. she has such a heart for people and that comes across in every photo she gets. over the past few years ive watched her work develop from a distance only getting better and better with each shot she takes. you can only imagine how stoked i was to be able to spend some time chatting and working alongside her! i was able to tag along to a senior portrait session she shot yesterday and take some photos of the whole process. kacey is also a fabulous makeup artist, so her senior model met at her house for a makeup and hair session beforehand. here's a little glimpse of what i got:

then it was off to start shooting:

kacey might kill me for posting this but come on girl, you look HOT!

and here's the lovely senior model who WORKED IT all day long

im learning so much from kacey. not only is she a great photographer but she's got such a dedicated heart to the Lord and that in itself is teaching me so much. like i said she's just the coolest and im so grateful for meeting her. make sure you check out her site to see more of her awesome work.

slice of life... our trip to the mall.

2010-03-17T01:06:00.000-07:00

it was a tuesday night at 7:00. we'd just finished having dinner with the barbers (aka, my parents and sister) i looked over at joel and said something he's never heard before: "lets go to the mall". surely you all must know how much i truly detest the mall. but for some reason i just had a strong desire to go, so we did. we enjoyed our stroll around the place, and i ESPECIALLY enjoyed watching joels interaction with anthropology and how he managed to find something like this among all the cool stuff in there that he most enjoyed. love.him. we didnt leave the mall with much, other than a sad feeling that we couldnt take home a puppy from puppies'n'love. but as we were leaving joel pointed out the fact that "hey we both got something for our heads!" he couldnt have said it better.

before you judge me, its not an eye patch. its a headband. but you never know when you're gonna need it to double as a cute sequined black eye patch, right?! the thing i love most about this picture is that joel could not look any more like a 5-year-old if he tried

here's to going to the mall on tuesday nights and buying something for your head. live it up.

jaggar turns 1!

2010-03-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

i met up with jaggar and his mom & dad this afternoon to take some pictures for his 1st birthday! jaggar is such a cute CUTE little boy and probably THE most well dressed little 1 year old ever. jaggar is getting so mobile and moving a lot faster than our last session back in november. we're lucky he cant walk yet or he would have been impossible to shoot!

jaggar turns 1 in april and i will be designing the invitations for his fun filled party so be on the lookout for those!

calendar!

2010-03-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

i just finished my most favorite project yet.

we had to create some type of 3D calendar incorporating any lyrics or poem on each of the months that give the calendar an overall theme. one of the biggest no-no's of this project was for the calendar to simply be a spiral bound hanging calendar. so we had to get creative, a new and unique way to display a calendar.

i.was.pumped.

i decided to create a wooden base with thick board sliding panels that change in and out for each month. for the lyric/poem part i used various verses from the bible that correspond with each season. definitely take the time to read each of the verses, they are so refreshing. the back of the panels has space for writing notes and birthday/special day reminders.

oh and we only had to create 4 months plus some sort of cover so that is what is shown here, but i will be completing the other months and busting this baby out once 2011 rolls around

i chose to use these faded symbols behind each month calendar to reinforce the theme for each month

one of the reasons why i loved this project so much was because it forced me to really explore my ideas and limits as a designer. i had SO much fun creating the wood base from scratch pieces of plywood. working with materials other than just paper opened up a whole new door for me and i definitely found a new love and passion for piecing together 3D materials with my designs. this is something i hope to continue to explore.

ive been thinking about this quote lately:
"Design is in everything we make, but it’s also between those things. It’s a mix of craft, science, storytelling, propaganda, and philosophy."

and i think this project pretty much sums it up. design is so much more than what comes out printed on that paper. its conceptual. and this project gave me the chance to show that.

winner winner chicken dinner!

2010-03-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

congratulations to melissa d. who submitted this beautiful entry:

"From the moment I saw this photo I was inspired. A friend of mine had received this photo as 'junk mail' and it was carelessly thrown upon her counter. From the moment I saw it my heart lept and I asked if I could take it home. So why do I love this photo? Simply put, I love everything about it. I imagine it as a couple who has been married for 50 years. I love how he looks at her, as though her laugh is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. I love the wrinkles on her arms that speak to the years she's devoted to loving her husband and family. I love the pure and simple joy that is shared between them. I love the way their arms lightly touch because that's all they need to know the others presence. Each of these things inspires me to love my husband with such depth and joy. I hope that someday we can sit on a stone bench and be this in love!"

right when i pulled this photo out of the envelope my eyes began to tear up. what a sweet image! i think both the story and photo are such a beautiful testimony to love. and im so grateful that mel decided to share this with me.

all you other contestants: you made my job so hard! all of your stories and photos were inspiring in themselves. it was so refreshing to hear who and what inspires you. my friends who helped me judge and i all had a very difficult time deciding between all of the entries. THANK YOU for sharing and thanks for being here, you are loved.

mel, lets take some photos!

dancing in black & white

2010-03-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

as ive been preparing to send out anneliese & marc's wedding photos, ive really been enjoying some of the dancing shots from the reception. if you know me at all you know that i love me some dancing. in the car, in my room, and especially at weddings. even when im the photographer im still tapping my foot and shakin' my hips in the corner. dont judge. anneliese & marc could not get enough of dancing (especially with eachother) at their reception and of course i l.o.v.e.d that. i thought id share some of my favorite movement/dancing shots edited in black & white, because they just looked so cool!

anneliese dancing with her dad. JOY!

marc and his mom did their thing on the dance floor to a funky spanish song. loved that!

happy monday everyone!

slice of life (missed)

2010-03-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

you guys. i missed my weekly slice of life post. over it? yes.

its been a struggle.

but in less than a week i will be in this yard with them...

minus the one on the left, plus him...

spring break comin' atcha!

cards!

2010-03-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

lately ive been in the process of creating a consistent identity i'd like to brand myself with. this is a long and hard process when working for someone else but when you yourself are the client, the job becomes that much harder. one thing ive wanted for a while now is little cards to pass out to people who request information on photography or design, a business card if you will. and for valentines day that cute guy joel paid for me to have professional business cards printed!! like seriously? most girls get flowers and chocolate for valentines day, but me? i get business cards. i love that. love that he thought of it. (i must say i was also given a beautiful necklace along with these cards. he's way too good to me) so i began the task of designing my very first business cards and after changing my mind about 235 times, i am pleased to present you with them!

the front.

the back. why yes, that does say www.stephbarber.com right there, CHECK IT OUT! thats my next project ; )

and just because it makes me so happy to see them neatly stacked like this...

these were fabulously printed by my favorite printers ever, d&l press.

and there's plenty more where this came from... im working on using my new brand identity on a new blogsite that will be up and running soon!! i'll sadly be saying goodbye to the blogspot world and moving on to bigger (and dare i say better) blogging! for now, just for kicks, check out www.stephbarber.com and just get excited about that fact that i have a real .com site.

for now,

sb.

slice of life -----> !!!!!

2010-02-27T14:14:00.000-08:00

a save the date postcard!

2010-02-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

for mike & katie!!

the front:

the back:

love it when photography turns into design. LOVE IT.

i think its time for a...

2010-02-21T13:55:00.000-08:00

whats the contest?

i want to know what inspires you. is there a person, a quote, a hobby, a place, an idea that inspires you? i want to know. this blog is all about what inspires ME, what gets MY blood pumping, and now its time for me to learn this about you.

what to do?

its a very simple contest. and this time creativity holds no value. i just want to know one thing: what inspires you. im doing this to give some of you who feel you "dont have a creative side" (even though i KNOW you do) more of a desire to submit. here's what to do:

1. send me a photo with a story about how and why whatever it is inspires you to be better, think bigger, get creative, change, take a risk... whatever you feel inspired to do.

i want this to be seriously ANYTHING you want. dont feel that someONE is more significant than someTHING, or the other way around. there is so much in this world to be inspired by so im excited to get a wide variety of entries and to hear all about what does it for you!

2. mail me your entries no later than MARCH 5th!

Stephanie Barber

PO BOX 07298

Flagstaff, AZ

86011

note: this is only about 2 weeks away so dont delay! get your entries in asap

3. once i recieve all of the entries (after a 3 day grace period) i will sit down with a few close friends of mine in flagstaff and together we will decide which story inspires US. and THEN i will announce a winner! its gonna be a tough decision, im sure.

whats the prize?

well... there are a few:

1. free photo session!! up to 1.5 hours

we will have to work out scheduling for this depending on when works for you and when i will be home from flagstaff. this will require some patience on your part but THERE WILL BE A PHOTO SESSION!!

2. free disc with all of the edited images from the session

... and here is the exciting one...

3. free 12x18 wall print >> !!!! (image of your choice from the session)

why am i doing this?

its been a year since ive hosted a real contest and i wanted to do something again to celebrate you, my readers. plus i want to hear more about you! im doing this because i actually do care about what inspires you. sometimes sharing what you're passionate about inspires others to further pursue their own passions. and it is ALWAYS my desire to learn from others and pursue passion.

questions?

if you have any questions or need clarification on any of this please post a comment in case others have the same question. or email me at stephbdesign@aol.com

remember:

1. send a photo and story of someone or something that inspires you

2. mail it to me NO LATER THAN MARCH 5th!!

Stephanie Barber

PO BOX 07298

Flagstaff, AZ

86011

3. wait patiently for me to select the winner!

excited??!!? me too! get to work and i will look forward to your questions and entries!

growing up... slice of life

2010-02-20T22:40:00.000-08:00

you know you're becoming a real adult when you spend your target gift card on:

1. toothpaste

2. laundry detergent

3. printer ink

4. shampoo

oh, and grape juice.

yikes.

(this photo was taken while waiting to take the business exam that i missed. clearly i am ready to be an adult.)

introducing common grounds

2010-02-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

this semester in my graphic design class we had to choose a food product that we'd be working with throughout the rest of the semester. we will be creating a visual identity for the product that will be incorporated in the actual packaging, a multi page print ad, and a website. the first project was to create the food product and the logo, using 2 different color schemes and a b/w version. we also had to display a scaled down (20%) logo to show what it will look like smaller.

i chose to create "common grounds" coffee... where good conversation meets good coffee. mmmm....

common grounds is all about a refreshingly simple taste that brings positive changes to your lifestyle.

our next project is the packaging, which im stoked for. its gonna be something you've never seen before. cant wait.

boys, listen up...

2010-02-14T08:05:00.000-08:00

well its valentines day and ive just finished the perfect project for this time of year. im in type 2 this semester and our first project was dealing with typographic hierarchy. we had to choose a set of instructions involving 4-10 steps and design 7 panels that function together as a family. but of course, thats not all. each of the panels had a different form of type hierarchy/set of rules we had to follow. (i will explain as i go) for my project i decided to give very basic instructions on "how to impress a girl"... something i feel could be useful to some young men. ive even offered to print pocket sized copies for a few of my guy friends... who shall remain nameless ;)

panel #1: present instructions using color, varied size & weight of type

panel #2: present instructions using varied size & weight of type

panel #3: present instructions using a visual element, color, & varied size type

panel #4: present instructions using an image, color, & varied size & weight of type

panel #5: present instructions using the SAME size & weight of type but varying proximity/spacing

panel #6: present instructions using SAME weight of type but varied size

panel #7: present instructions using SAME size of type but varied weight

slice of life... him.

2010-02-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

this weekend:

1. we watched dear john instead of the super bowl

2. i dared him to walk through and out of olive garden holding my purse... and he DID

3. he told me i look like a grandma when i wear this knitted headband...? (yes janae, audrey, & sophie if you're reading this.... he DID!) but do you think thats gonna stop me from wearing it?

4. i asked him who his celebrity crush is and before i could even finish the question he blurted out "taylor swift!"

i love him.

anneliese & marc... married!

2010-02-06T23:10:00.000-08:00

it was an all around beautiful day as anneliese & marc's families and friends joined together to celebrate their marriage. ive been looking forward to this day since i met up with anneliese & marc back in september for their engagement session. if you havent heard their story, or forgot from the engagement post, make sure you go back and read it. they met in such a perfect way that was clearly orchestrated by the hand of God. and their wedding day was a true testament to this. anneliese & marc strive to put God first above all else in their lives and their love so easily reflects that. it was such a blessing to be a part of documenting anneliese & marc's love. its such a sweet and tender love. i was catching it in the small things all day. a glance that lasts a little extra long, a subtle word whispered behind the ear, holding tightly to one another. i found myself trying to catch them being so in love... and it was easy.

let me just start this post off right by telling you that anneliese such a great bride. everything from her hair to her getup to the way she carried herself all day just screamed "its my wedding day!!" and i loved it.

wondering about that bouquet? i thought so. and you guessed it! amy's floral design did another fabulous job creating all of anneliese's floral arrangements for the wedding. that lace fabric holding it together is a piece from anneliese's mothers wedding dress. LOVE little details like that. see more of amy's great work at the link above or from her session this past september.

anneliese & marc decided to have a special first look before the ceremony. this gave us plenty of time to take photos before the craziness of the wedding began. plus they got to have a moment like this without 180+ people watching

we packed up the bridal party and headed to another location for some photos

these girls knew how to work it

if you remember from a&m's e-session, anneliese brought along this darling green fan that she got while traveling in spain this summer with marc. when all the girls whipped their own fans out i about died. cuuuutteee props!

marc & his buddies also did well in front of the camera.

bridal parties that agree to do a jumping shot = awesome.

like i said, i loved watching anneliese & marc enjoy their own sweet moments throughout the whole day.

maid of honor chelsea & marc got into a fight over who could have anneliese... and i dont know marc, chelsea looks verrryy determined. love it!

then we snuck in some time with just the bride & groom : )

then it was back to the church for some down time and more prep

it is obvious that anneliese is surrounded by such a strong and supportive family who loves the Lord. this was such a sweet moment between she & her grandmother before the ceremony

their ceremony was such a beautiful thing to listen to as Christ remained the center of the words no matter if they were in english or spanish. here they are after being pronounced husband & wife!

at their reception they shared such a sweet first dance to one of my favorite jon foreman songs, in my arms.

i loved spending the day with two people who love each other so much and just emanate joy when they're with each other. im so happy for them and the exciting, adventurous, and romantic future they have together. they're off to a puerto rican honeymoon and lets be honest, we're all jealous. anneliese & marc, thanks for letting me play this part in your BIG day! im glad i know people like you whose hearts spur mine on towards Christ. enjoy!

-sb.

alysse is graduating!

2010-02-05T21:43:00.000-08:00

i just love this girl. alysse is graduating high school this may and she asked if id meet up with her some time to take her senior photos and duuhhhhh i was on board! alysse is such a beautiful girl inside and out. she's got such a sweet heart and is all smiles all the time. im so glad to have had a couple of years with her in the church youth group before i moved on to college and i know the girls younger than her feel lucky to have had her there. she's a great leader and i know she's got such a bright future ahead of her. she worked it out in front of the camera today:

i could NOT get enough close ups of her!

alysse, so fun hanging with you today! you're simply the best. cant wait to watch you grow and pursue your passions!

have i mentioned how much i love senior sessions...? k good.

-sb.

slice of life/true confession

2010-02-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

im obsessed with other people's junk.

one of the locations in jerome where we shot at during katie & mike's engagement session was this super old and completely run down convenient store type place. it was one of the first spots we saw on the way into the town and i knew we'd be coming back there to shoot. i looked inside the window and saw the most beautiful sight... junk!

ok seriously there are at least 5 things within this shot that i want. (i'll give you a sweet prize if you can name 3 of them). it just kills me knowing that all of this neat stuff with stories to tell and houses to decorate (like mine) is just sitting in this little shack waiting to get out! one of my favorite things to do is to take the old and make it new, especially when i know that the old has lived a good life with it's previous owner. and something tells me that all this stuff has lived a good life and its sitting in there beckoning for a new home, to be made new.

im going back to jerome soon and i have every intention of knocking on the door of the house next to the shack and asking if i can be let in to take what i want. and if they say no, i see a nice little point of entry in the back there ; )

katie & mike... engaged!

2010-01-31T21:45:00.000-08:00

its a fun type of love, katie & mike. i met katie last year in a bible study i was a part of. i remember being so blown away by her huge heart and the way she would just listen to me and be so relatable to what i was talking about. her fun and free spirited personality made it so easy to connect with her and we shared so many laughs in that bible study. also in the bible study with us were THREE engaged gals, katie would always joke with us about how she'd never get be the one getting married and she'd just keep adding to her bridesmaid dress collection. and of course, later that year mike moved up to flagstaff where the two met and hit it off from the start. katie & mike are absolutely 100% perfect for eachother. it is obvious that they have such a fun friendship where their love stems from. they are both so fun and crazy and up for anything! i remember katie voicing a few times last year that she could never imagine what her husband would be like because he'd have to be able to handle her crazy self. and i can honestly say that katie has found someone just as crazy as her in all the right ways. i like the way she put it in a recent email... "i have truly found the 'male me' and there is no doubt about that!" its been SO fun for me watching miss "not getting married anytime soon" katie meet and fall madly in love with the fun loving and genuine man that God has called her to since before she was born.

the three of us made a day out of our photo session and decided to head down to jerome, az for a change of scenery. i'd never been to jerome and i can now say that IM OBSESSED with this town. reason #4756 why i am obsessed with arizona: jerome. everything was SO colorful and run down and genuinely old. and as mike said on the way home, it looks like people just randomly decide to paint their property all sorts of colors. and its completely awesome. the whole town is on this HUGE hill that just gets steeper and steeper and all of the buildings are stacked. its like arizona's san francisco. i couldn't have chosen a better location for katie & mike's engagement photos!

before we left town for jerome, we took a few photos at the very spot where mike proposed to katie. remember that huge snow storm we had a week ago? well katie & mike went out like two crazies to cross country ski and thats when mike popped the question! right here!! that view, the snow, the beauty... yes this is a true story.

i thought the skis would be a fun prop : )

they love these wisconsin and indiana sweatshirts they found at thrift stores and these last two photos just crack me up. and look at that view from jerome!

i had such a good time road tripping to jerome with these guys! they made the whole day so much fun and it never felt like i was working to get these shots. i loved watching katie & mike interact and have SO much fun together and the cool thing is, they get to have this much fun for the rest of their lives! they are just the best and im so glad i got to photograph that! they're getting married in may and who's excited?! ME.

-sb.

oceans!

2010-01-31T10:26:00.000-08:00

i cry every time i watch this trailer. seriously, i do. in order to enjoy this experience to its maximum potential, do me a favor and...

1. turn off the music at the bottom of the blog

2. make this video full screen

3. prepare to love your life a little bit more

81 days left until im at the midnight showing.

juice in a glass... slice of life.

2010-01-27T15:32:00.000-08:00

this post is about two things, and two things only.

1. grape juice
2. $1 green glass from goodwill

1. ive recently rediscovered grape juice and the complete deliciousness that it has to offer. seriously welch's, how do you do it? i remember when i was a kid... wait, who am i kidding? i still do this. so like i was saying, when i was a kid/last week and it was time to take the Lord's supper in church i would always try to sneak extra samples of the grape juice because it was just SO GOOD. last week, when we were snowed in, grape juice was a lifesaver. i'd pour myself a nice tall glass (specifically that green glass up there) of juice and curl up with a blanket and watch a movie. nothing better.

2. now for that fabulous glass. its green, and bulky, and it was $1. wanna make a girls dreams come true? give me 3 more of these for my tablescape and call it a day. its either that or im going to start collecting other beautiful green glasses. for some reason drinking out of cool glasses and cups like this just makes whatever you're drinking taste that much better. not that grape juice needs any help tasting better.

signed,

icantbelieveihavethatmuchtosayaboutjuiceinaglass

a wedding reception

2010-01-25T16:51:00.000-08:00

cindy & john got married!

their good friends are throwing a reception in their honor and asked if i'd design the invitations. the gathering is on valentines day so we decided to go with that for the theme. aren't cindy & john a beautiful couple? from what i hear they had a lovely, intimate, and simple wedding ceremony in the home of their friends.

d&l press came through again with a fabulous print job on these!

dont forget about design!

2010-01-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

one thing i'd like to focus on in the 2010 year is more custom graphic design for clients. both photography and design are HUGE passions of mine and i have been so blessed to have opportunities to do both and even work with clients who allow me to integrate the two. i love nothing more than going from behind the lens to in front of the computer with my photography and design to offer something unique and totally customizable for my clients. i am learning and growing so much within the visual communications program at nau that i decided its time to start offering more design services. for a while now, custom designs have been something that clients and people have just randomly approached me about after hearing im in school to be a graphic designer. it hasn't been anything ive really pursued. so in the new year, im making it my goal to change that. i want to put my designs out there. in an effort to do so, ive been working hard creating a sample design package that includes some random designs for various occasions. this is just a plethora (yes, i just said plethora) of invitations, announcements, save the dates, stationary, etc. that ive developed to show you what i can do. i hope you see something you like and email me at stephbdesign@aol.com to talk more with me about what we can make together!

this first piece is a sample bridal shower invitation. the more i look at it, i think it could also function well as a baby shower invitation. so we'll say it counts as both : )

i made up a fake couple, "amanda & david??" to create some wedding pieces for. the following are two sample invitations for their big day. the second is a bit more formal than the first.

and now for some save the dates! i decided to use an image from anneliese & marc's e-session last year for this first sample. this save the date is an example of using the image itself as the background:

i decided to create 2 sample wedding suites. each includes a save the date card, the formal wedding invitation, an RSVP card, and a program for the ceremony. suites may also include table numbers, table assignment cards, reception invitations, dinner menus, etc.

for this first suite, i also decided to use anneliese & marc as the couple. the first part of their engagement session had such a modern feel to it so i decided to create a modern suite for brides & grooms choosing to shake things up a bit with their printed wedding materials. here is the wedding invitation:

RSVP card:

ceremony program:

and a save the date:

and for the more traditional couple, i came up with a sample suite that includes simple but formal touches. oh, and for this i just used our fake "amanda & david" couple. formal invite:

RSVP:

program:

save the date:

so now that "amanda and david" are married, a few years have past and they're having a baby! and here is a fake invite for that fake baby shower:

and now its jack's birthday! ya know, amanda & david's baby boy. obviously jack is turning 8 but this invitation can be done with any age number.

i hope that one of these sparked something in you like "hey, i need something like that." because i would absolutely LOVE to hear from you and work together to create exactly what you want. design pricing for 2010 is in the works and i hope to have it posted shortly. but in the mean time, shoot me an email and we can talk about how this process typically works.

and hey, tell your friends! looking forward to hearing from you.... and your friends : )

blizzard... slice of life.

2010-01-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

words cannot describe the amount of snow my little town of flagstaff has experienced this week. not even the numbers seem to accurately portray all of this snow. we've had two full days of school canceled. the I-17 is closed and flagstaff is pretty much shut down. buildings are collapsing left and right, including the nau ice rink where the nau vs. asu hockey game was to be held this weekend : ( those lucky devils, we would have smoked 'em anyway.

we're trapped. and my roommates and i are sick of looking at eachother.

SOS

but in the midst of all the boredom, coldness, and exhaustion that this much snow brings, i must say its been a blast. no school, constant laughing, surrounded by my favorite color, college stories we'll remember forever, community coming together, falling down/slipping more times than i ever have in my life. you guys really should see how amazing it all is.

signed,

cold, bored, but oh so happy

rooted logo

2010-01-19T16:33:00.000-08:00

i was asked to create a logo for our new semester theme at nau intervarsity. the theme is "rooted" and throughout the semester we will be looking at various parables where Jesus calls us as followers to be deeply rooted in things such as prayer, scripture, devotion, etc. in order to ensure growth in our lives. the logo i came up with is my interpretation of what that should look like, with the cross as the central element stemming up from the roots. im excited for this semester and the plans God has for our chapter and campus on a local and international level.

snow cool.

2010-01-18T19:45:00.000-08:00

my best friend jamie came up to visit flagstaff this weekend. she was lucky enough to catch the first of the 5 day storm that is expected to stay in town this week. we decided to take advantage of this and have a little mini photo session out in the snow this morning. the roomates, jamie, emilie, and i bundled up in our coats and went out to endure the freeeeezing cold weather. the snow was falling pretty hard so one of the girls held an umbrella over myself and canon at all times. poor guy, he must have been freeeezzziinnggg. but thanks to joel's sweet mom my hands kept warm in the mittens she got me for christmas!

and then i got in front of the camera for a few

now, this is very important. lets all pray there's a snow day tomorrow and school is cancelled! because instead of doing homework today, we all did this. my prayer is (literally) as follows:

God,

thanks for the beautiful snow you've blessed us with up here in flagstaff. in fact, i think its so beautiful and it shows just how creative and powerful You are that it should just keep snowing and snowing until the road guys cant plow the road anymore, and they give up to go spend time with their families at home. and SCHOOL WOULD BE CANCELED. of course i trust You completely with my life and want You to have Your way in it. so just disregard this if it doesn't fit in with Your plans and i will take it as a lesson You're teaching me to do my homework. but if it IS your will, snowwwww daaaaayyyyy!!

love you SO much,

-me

26 years ago...

2010-01-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

my parents were married.

and i couldnt be happier that that happened.

my parents are the greatest people, they have shown my sisters and i the true definition of love. not only to eachother, but for the Lord and to us as kids. i love them so very much and im so thankful for their example, guidance, and support in my life.

downtown phoenix... slice of life.

2010-01-11T11:26:00.000-08:00

in an effort to fulfill what my blog header has stated: "photography. design. & a little slice of life." i have decided to create a new "slice of life" weekly post. this post will be something completely unrelated to photography and design and it will literally be a little slice of my life that i want to share with you. because believe it or not, other things do happen in my life besides photo sessions and design projects. some weeks it may just be a photo, a story, my top chef review on something i eat... just a little bit of what may be going on in my life.

this week id like to go back a few weeks to the afternoon i had in downtown phoenix with joel. i planned a low key afternoon exploring different places we'd never been before in the area. we rode the lightrail downtown (total waste of time and money) and shopped around at a few stores, ate at the most delicious little cafe, and just walked around. if you're asking yourself why im taking the time to write about something that seems average and boring then im just gonna tell you its because IT WAS SO MUCH FUN. we loved having the opportunity to discover new and unique places, places that we've never taken the time to visit. restaurants, stores, coffee shops, parks, galleries... there are just way too many cool places to go see rather than the restaurants and stores we so conveniently go to all the time. please dont get me wrong, you KNOW im all about oreganos and target, but after spending one day downtown im convinced that ive been missing out.

first on our list was stinkweeds. cds, cassettes, vinyls, everything music. joel was obsessed.

next door is smeeks, a little toy/sweet shop. joel definitely picked up some treats there.

ever since our afternoon downtown we've made it a point to go back and find more cool places. the gal at stinkweeds gave us this really helpful guide to the the best of downtown phoenix and we're slowly making our way through the list. some other favorite places we've come across are lux coffee bar, maize's cafe, & an old family favorite of mine the old spaghetti factory, where the chairs dont match and the food is delicious!

so i hope this post finds you with some free time where you can head downtown and check out a few of these places for yourself. and i also hope that many more of my weekly "slice of life" posts have to do with something fun that happens down there.

frieda & rick... married!

2010-01-08T21:01:00.000-08:00

this past thursday i was given the wonderful opportunity to photograph the small and intimate wedding of frieda & rick. this couple came out for an az vacation and decided to get married during their visit! i got a call earlier this week and was notified that frieda & rick were planning on using a disposable camera to document their wedding at my church, and that my services might be wanted instead. after hearing that i was GLAD to be a part of their special day and provide some shots that might be better than a disposable camera. i showed up at the church not knowing what to expect from such a small wedding but i had such a great time getting to know frieda & rick and witness their love for each other being displayed in such a humble and personal manner. these two are such sweet and easy going people who are so very in love with each other. their ceremony was filled with references from the scriptures as well as their own relationship on the love of Christ for his faithful followers and the blessing of marriage that He wants to give them. frieda & rick made sure i knew that God's mighty hand had been placed over their relationship since day one and it was a blessing to hear how they've follwed Him through it all.

i stumbled upon this new editing formula i wanted to try out and some of these photos had such a perfect old timey feel to them, so i decided to use them here

like i said, it was a very small and intimate wedding. 6 people total were in attendance: the bride & groom, their 2 friends who served as witnesses, pastor, and me. this made for such a special and personal time where they could really focus on each other and the commitment they're making.

and just like that, they were married!

frieda mentioned that they drove by the church and saw the beautiful front lawn and this big sign and thats what made them stop by to inquire about getting married there. so we knew we had to take some shots out front:

one of my favorite parts of the afternoon was hearing about how frieda & rick met their two friends/witnesses. like i said earlier, the couple was just out here for a quick az visit therefore no friends or family were able to be at the wedding. when frieda & rick made the decision to be married out here, they knew they'd have to find two witnesses to stand up with them at the wedding. they told me the story of how they met these fine folks pictured below and believe it or not its all got to do with shoe tassels! while shopping in the macy's shoe department, frieda & rick overheard a nearby couple contemplating which shoes the man should buy. they heard the woman say "well i think you should buy this pair because they dont have tassels." frieda looked at rick and rick looked at frieda, and they knew this would be the couple. i guess rick also has a thing for shoes with tassels and only owns maybe 1 pair without tassels while bill (pictured below with rick) was just about to purchase his first non-tassel shoe. frieda told me "from the moment we heard 'tassels' we just knew we'd all be friends". isnt that great?!

it was so much fun watching the 4 of them react, you'd never guess they've only known each other for days. they're a fun crowd and i know they will only grow in their friendship.

it was an honor being a part of this special and unique day for frieda & rick. i certainly wish them so much happiness and joy as they start their new life together back in kentucky. az will miss their lively and kind hearts but im betting they'll be back out here very soon if miss frieda gets her way : )

first 2010 "session"

2010-01-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

if you even want to call it a session.

it was more like setting up the camera, posing, and running for dear life into the shot. a little different and alot harder than any other session ive done. i got a tripod for christmas and ive been dying to try it out. and i knew these models that would be perfect for the job : ) joel is way too good to me, i dont know any other guy that would have put up with this.

this is our dramatic shot and all i have to say is if i could crop myself out of this one i would. but can you even handle how handsome my boyfriend is?

so one of my favorite parts of this "session" was testing the lighting. normally this is a pretty standard procedure but for some reason it was so much more fun for me this time. i wonder whhyyyy ; ) anyway joel would get pretty bored with me running back and forth from the camera but little did he know i was snapping shots like THIS:

but occasionally he'd catch what i was doing and...

...then it was back to being bored.

id say this was my most challenging session yet, but definitely my personal favorite. it was alot harder than i thought and id say im pretty pleased with some of the shots we managed to get. joel and i both decided that a self timer remote would definitely be a good investment if this is something i decide to pursue (which i dont think it is).

candlestick holders.

2010-01-01T10:30:00.000-08:00

are you obsessed with this beaded table runner from target? me too.

ive had my eye on it all season but waited until christmas decorations were 50% off to purchase. it was well worth the wait considering how im now even more obsessed with it paired with my green candlestick holders from anthro, one of my favorite christmas presents. they're so fun and quirky and they were just begging for some fun around the house...

my mom scored these vintage candlestick pillars at a yard sale and gave them to me for christmas. of course my first question after i opened them was "do you mind if i paint them?!"

finished product:

and wa-la! christmas table scape = complete. too bad i have to wait another year to bust it out again.

but one thing i love about each of these pieces is that they function well on their own. i will use the green and red candlestick holders in separate displays and merge them together in december for some christmas magic. on the table, on a shelf? who knows. but i do know that one day i will have a mantle that they will comfortable sit on.

and i cant wait for that day.

the best of 2009

2009-12-30T23:23:00.000-08:00

well another year has come and gone and its time to say goodbye to 2009. if you remember last year i posted the best of 2008, a post highlighting my favorite shots from each of 2008's sessions. this year ive decided to keep it going by presenting the best of 2009. ive created a slideshow that cycles through one photo from each of the 42 sessions ive had this year. now if you think back to last year's slideshow when i was freaking out over 30 sessions then you can imagine how i feel about FORTY TWO this year! completely overwhelmed and blessed that ive been given another year of doing what i absolutely cant get enough of. what i love. i feel SO so so lucky to have been given the opportunity to meet and work with so many great people month after month after month this year. last december i probably couldnt have told you half the names of the people you're about to see in this slideshow and now not only do i know them, but ive gotten to hear their stories... how they met, what their plans are, what they like, why they're here. i never would have known these things about these people and i just think its so cool that i do now, all because i got to spend an hour or so behind my camera looking at them through the lens. im thankful and indebted to these people who allow me to do what i love and who give me a chance to use my passions that the Lord has graciously given me.

while 2009 has been unbelievably great, im looking ahead to 2010 for many reasons. first of all, because it has the number 10 in it and its been a while since thats happened. second, because its new. a real new year. time for new memories, new people, new photos, new designs, new ideas, new babies, even new movies like dear john (obsessed). new everything. its all just gonna be new in 2010, and nothing excites me more. i cant wait to share all of this "new" with you. but thanks for stickin with me through the old.

sincerely,

stephanie l. barber

just the girls

2009-12-27T16:34:00.000-08:00

i just posted on the whole mitchell family but now its time for just the girls. like i said in their family post, these people are our dear friends but i have always considered jamie, julie, & jenn to be sisters. i learn so much from each of them and it seems like all of us sisters can sit and talk for hours about everything and anything thats on our mind. i love them all SO much and cant wait to watch as our lives unfold so differently.

now, its very important that you understand these photos are a SURPRISE for their parents. so any of you out there reading this who know their parents, please keep it quiet! we sneakily met up to take some funky photos that will be given as a gift to their parents : )

this group of kids came up as we were taking these waiting to pass on the sidewalk behind where the girls were sitting. i said to them "hey you guys, come on through" while i said to the girls "ok keep smiling i have an idea"

and that was my idea. this boy was the only one running to create the blur.

if i were mom & dad, i'd frame a few of these. jamie, julie, & jenn: "theeenyouSOmuchrenow" and "iloveyouSOmuchrenow".

hey, the rest of you guys,

thanks for caring.

thanks for looking.

thanks for reading.

thanks for being.

------> here.

have a good one,

me.

our best friends

2009-12-27T13:49:00.000-08:00

the barber family has some best friends that we're blessed to hang out with. among those best friends is the mitchell family. we could hang out with these people all day every day, and sometimes we do! they've waited to take photos and send out cards until all 3 girls could be home over Christmas and i think they turned out wonderfully...

just the ladies

and mom & dad

stay tuned for more to come with this family... a new years card!

a christmas present

2009-12-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

a while ago kelcey asked me if id take some photos of she and her brother and sister for some christmas presents for their folks. my answer was obviously yes. so we met up and took a few photos that im sure made their families pretty happy : ) here is a favorite of mine from the session

christmas cards!

2009-12-26T01:30:00.000-08:00

i absolutely LOVE christmas cards. each year i look forward to getting cards, pictures, & letters from good friends and family seeing what they're up to and how everyone has grown and changed. and obviously i look forward to seeing the designs and photos that everyone chooses. so naturally each year i cant wait to design some myself!

if you remember this time last year i went all out promoting custom christmas cards i'd be designing. since this year, and specifically these past few months, have been a bit crazy for me i decided to keep it simple and hold off on the special christmas card promotion. but a few fine folks did contact me to design their cards this year and im very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with them!

here's the wonderful H family, using a photo from their photo session in october

next is chris, jordan, & jaggar. that cute little family from november's photo session

and here is lindsay & colin. lindsay's sister bethany went to school with me last year and lindsay is a good friend of joels sister. i was pumped when she emailed me asking if i'd design their christmas card! i hope to work with these two again with photos or other design needs ; )

i know you all remember this sweet face. who could forget this guy from their family photo session a week or so ago. his parents andrew & janae run D&L Press and actually printed the majority of the cards you see here. they made it super easy for me : ) i got to see them all printed out and they looked fabulous!

ok this one wins for most hilarious card. gotta love ben. he contacted me sometime back in march during "march mustache madness" and asked if i could get together for a mini photo session. the month was coming to end which mean, unfortunately, the mustache would be gone and he wanted to document it for a christmas card he'd be sending out later in the year. he threw out some ideas like sitting in front of a fireplace with a christmas sweater on saying "stay classy" with his eyes. after the shoot (in MARCH) i let the images sit on my computer for a while until earlier this month when we began designing the card. ben had a vision... a cheesy, 70's, retro, hideous, classy vision. after it was all finished i told ben "it was actually difficult to design something this gross." and im sure ben took it as a compliment.

and this is my own family's card. we decided to keep it simple and minimal this year, utilizing some photos from our thanksgiving in prescott.

so those are the cards for this year! i had even more fun putting them all together than last year and i already have a few ideas for christmas cards 2010... its gonna be the biggest and best year! oh and keep an eye out for one last card thats going over for new years that i have yet to post : )

merry christmas

2009-12-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

ty: senior portraits!

2009-12-23T13:48:00.001-08:00

this morning i met up with ty & his sister shea, one of my lovely roommates. ty is graduating in the spring and we set out to take some senior photos. we spent some time in downtown mesa shooting the photos and i must say ty was a pretty easy model. oh, and both shea and ty have the greatest pearly white smiles which automatically makes them photogenic.

and we threw shea in for a few to make mom happy : ) and i didnt even plan the red toms/red curb thing but i like it.

told ya... photogenic.

i just love shea and her family and it was fun to spend some time with she and ty this morning. hopefully one day we can add mom & dad in on all the photo fun!

ashley: senior portraits!

2009-12-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

i knew i had a great session to look forward to when ashley's mom contacted me about shooting some senior portraits. i had the pleasure of working with this family back in may at jennie & mike's wedding and i cant even begin to describe their kindness and warm spirits. it was such a joy being around their family so i knew shooting ashley's senior portraits would be alot of fun. ashley's parents have moved out here from ohio and she is finishing up school out there with possible plans to join her family here for college in the fall. they wanted to sneak her photos in some time while she is visiting az for Christmas and it worked out perfectly! i first met ashley's older sister jessica a couple years ago and i was just blown away by how stylish and creative she was. and when i met the other 4 sisters it all made sense they were related. they're all SO stinkin cute! ashley is so sweet and i had a good time getting to know her. i knew she'd bring along some funky outfits and props so i made sure to choose a location accordingly and i am THRILLED with the way it all turned out. we really were able to get a wide variety and i think i chose the perfect model to pair up with these spots ive had my eye on.

a white wall can do wonders for a portrait

oh and it also helps when you've got such a gorgeous model

i could photography ashley all day. she just made it too easy.

i about died when ashley brought out this umbrella..... yes please.

are you thinking anthropologie catalogue? me too.

they brought along some awesome oversized frames and you KNOW im a sucker for frames. and that hat? couldnt have been more perfect.

well ashley i sure hope you decide to come out to asu for school, then i know i always have a model i can count on : )

big thanks to ashley, her mom & sister for being so much fun to work with this morning!

the B family

2009-12-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

you may remember brea from my summer session with she and her boyfriend charlie. brea is so sweet and i was excited when she contacted me again about shooting some family photos for the christmas season. her parents jane and rich have their hands FULL with brea, her 3 brothers, and little 15 month old callie. its been about 5 years since their last family photo so they were way overdue for these:

of course we snapped a few of brea & charlie

and miss callie in her cute dress

cruz

2009-12-19T10:56:00.000-08:00

yesterday i met up with bonnie and her 3 year old son cruz. cruz is guatemalan and has the sweetest little face. but let me tell you this boy knows how to play. i could barely keep up with him as i chased him around with my camera. it took a while for him to warm up to the whole idea but eventually he must have figured out "ok this lady isn't going to leave me alone" because he gave me some shots like these:

cruz loooooovves his momma. and bonnie is such a fun mom. she plays right alongside her little guy and you can tell they have so much fun together. they make a good team.

they brought along some of cruz' favorite hats including this authentic guatemalan beanie... too cute!! i think i need one.

it sure was an exhausting but oh so fun time capturing this curious and adventurous 3 year old. i know cruz & bonnie have so many fun years ahead of them. its always so fun meeting new people and hearing their stories and being able to document that with my camera.

Andrew, Janae & Aiden

2009-12-16T16:00:00.000-08:00

the most perfect little family you'll ever meet. seriously.

when janae and i were going over some details about the upcoming session i reminded her that this time last year we were scheming and plotting the secret photo session we'd have to document the news that she and andrew were expecting their first baby sometime in summer of 2009. how quickly the time has passed! little did we know we'd be meeting up a year later to be taking their family photos. well actually, we probably did know it at the time. i wouldnt be surprised if we even penciled in a date for the session, thats just how exciting the thought of having mr. aiden around was. but i dont think anyone was prepared for how much joy and love he'd bring into everyone's lives. especially his mom & dad. andrew & janae are absolutely beaming with love over their new son and it is so so SO fun to watch. he's completely changed their world in all the right ways and you can just see it in their faces how much they LOVE being parents. this boy is completely adorable and i just cant get enough of those sweet little (big) cheeks.

do you LOVE janae's red hair flower? you know i do.

he just doesn't even know how cute he is

and a couple more of the big guy just because i KNOW you want to see them : )

oh my goodness, i just love them. stay tuned for their cute christmas card incorporating some of their photos : )

-sb.

im still here.

2009-12-12T12:40:00.000-08:00

i promise im alive!

my past week has consisted of:

-surviving a blizzard

-finishing up final projects/tests

-designing christmas cards/other cool things

-shooting & editing tons of photos

which all means... i've got tons of cool stuff to show you.

so scroll down & check it all out!

coming soon (once i catch my breath):

-christmas cards!

-2 great photo sessions

-"The Best of 2009" : Favorites from all of this years sessions!

an indoor family session

2009-12-11T23:15:00.000-08:00

the cold flagstaff weather sure does limit photo sessions. last weekend when i met up with this family for some christmas photos it was just absolutely frigid outside. with young girls and a new baby girl we figured it'd be best to stay indoors for the session. we met up in the campus union for some family photos for grandparents gifts and such and i just cant get over how well the lighting and this grey wall worked out for having such limited space to work with. and let me tell you... this beautiful baby girl stole.the.show.

and these 2 gals were as cute as could be in their christmas dresses. definitely giggly and fun sisters.

what a sweet family they were. so loving and caring towards eachother.

graduation announcements!

2009-12-11T23:07:00.000-08:00

for my sister!

she graduates next week and we used some of the photos we took from her flagstaff session to create a custom announcement set to send out. nothin like a little maroon & gold...

im proud of my sister and this huge accomplishment in here life. she's starts her job as a 4th grade teacher in january. my sister... like a real teacher, with real kids. so crazy.

theo & brian: prayer cards!

2009-12-11T22:37:00.001-08:00

im blessed to be a part of the nau chapter of intervarsity christian fellowship, a group of believers on my campus seeking to transform lives, renew the campus, and change the world for and through Jesus Christ. we've got some great staff leading our chapter and among this group would be brian & theo, two of the guys serving on staff. brian & theo came to me and asked if i'd be willing to design the prayer cards they send out each year to various donors and support teams who fund their campus ministry throughout the year. the answer was obviously yes and i was thrilled to be able to help them after all the work they put in for our chapter each year. below are the final cards that were printed. both cards contain a simple and direct prayer that is meant to serve as a daily reminder for their supporters of the Kingdom work they are doing on a daily basis and the need for prayer that comes along with this work.

if you'd like to read something a bit more personal about the work brian & theo are doing on the nau campus, you can visit brians own website here. theo and i also had a photo session so we could get a nice picture for his card and below are a couple others i liked...

brian & theo... what good guys. pray for them and the lives they are impacting at nau. after all, this post IS about prayer cards : )

--steph

he's 21!

2009-12-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

its true. today's is my boyfriends birthday. and he's 21. alot of you may know joel, but alot of you probably dont. so i decided that now would be a good time to introduce you to him.

ive only known him for a little over 3 years now but i sure can tell you alot about him. joel has a heart unlike anyone's ive ever known. its a selfless serving heart. he'd do anything for those he loves and is continuously giving of himself for the comfort of others. he's one of the hardest workers i know. and he's not just a student. he works at starbucks and has earned respect and loyalty from coworkers and customers, serves in various ways at his church, and runs sound with asu younglife. and the cool thing is that joel does these things not because has to or is forced to, but because he enjoys them. and if you've noticed, each of the things i just said all involve sacrifices and giving of your time and energy. and thats just it, joel enjoys serving. and what completely fascinates me and warms my heart every time i think about it is the fact that amidst all of that stuff, joel always finds time to serve me. ME?! over and over again im blown away by the thoughtfulness and care he treats me with. partly because im so undeserving of it, but mainly because it is just so wonderful to see how someone can have so much room in their heart for others. joel is such a perfect example of what i want my heart to look like, full of jesus and others. he strives to serve God in all areas of his life and he really has given Him his heart to shape and form like that of Christ. im so impressed by the man that he is and im proud when i get to walk into a room holding his hand.

on some lighter notes, he makes me laugh and he likes to enjoy life. he's always thinking of fun and unique ways we can spend our time. even though 98.3% of the time we end up going to oreganos or walking around target. but thats ok, because there's really no one else i'd rather walk around target with. and come on, is there really a better way to spend an evening? we paint, have picnics in the park, drive around aimlessly, play guess who, bake cakes... cool stuff like that. he lets me be the DJ in the car, even though he hates it when i have the ipod on shuffle and skip through songs until we've arrived at where we're going. (im sorry, i just cant commit to a song!) he dances and sings in the car, and if you're lucky you can occasionally catch it in public. he appreciates different forms of art, and even my art. you KNOW i love that. and when we're riding in the car, he flips his hat to the front so he can rest his head on the seat back. i can just count on him to be consistent with stuff like that. its because of these little things that i love every single minute with him.

so there he is. thats him. in a nutshell. i feel like i could post about him every day, but then i'd have to change my header to "photography. design. + joel." and i dont think it has as nice of a ring to it. im glad that some of you may have read this entire post. because i feel like if you want to really know me, then you have to know joel. and i so wish that you all could. but in conclusion... i'd like to say what i started out writing this post about...

happy 21st birthday!!!!!!!!!!!

joel.

sincerely,

me.

home cooked.

2009-12-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

you may have noticed i havent been posting as many design projects lately. this is simply because i havent really liked anything ive been making. to put it lightly haha but FINALLY, a project came around that i was stoked about. one i thought i'd be good at. a magazine layout!

we were each given a different subject and age group for a magazine. the subjects were either food, interior design, or gardening. i was so excited that i got food! and for the age group 40-55 year olds. i wanted to create a magazine that would be simple and easy to read but introduce some unique and modern design elements that would be fresh and new to this age group. we were given high res photographs to work with as well as the content (recipes, article text, etc.). and it was our job to create the layout and assemble our own mock up magazine. we needed to include a cover, table of contents, and two inside double spreads. i decided to name the magazine "home cooked" and use alot of warm and inviting tones for a november issue.

im actually very pleased with the way it all turned out. i think it looks like a real magazine!

table of contents

spread #1

spread #2

huge shout out to AEC Reprographics for being the best print shop in flagstaff and offering quality printing, great customer service, and affordable pricing! (and printing with bleeds, SO cool.) thanks to them this printed fabulously and on thick creamy white paper for a real magazine effect. kinkos, i may be done with you. (i told you im obsessed with print shops)

oh and ps. some of the recipes we were given to use actually seem quite yummy so holler if you want me to email them to you : )

this was my final project for my typography class so im officially done with type 1! bring on type 2!

-steph

its time.

2009-11-30T16:00:00.001-08:00

time for some good christmas music.

ive worked hard developing the christmas playlist for this year and i want you to enjoy it. starting..... now.

of course its got the classics... mariah, nsync, & aretha. ha.

but we've also got some new material goin on. things such as a beautiful and inspiring "have yourself a merry little christmas" by coldplay. and the acapella destiny's child "carol of the bells". love those girls.

so scroll on down to the bottom, pick your favorite, and let the christmas playlist work its magic. put it on while you're decorating the tree, shopping online, studying for finals, just put it on. i promise you won't be disappointed. and if you are, go make your own!

ps. its been snowing again! thats how i know its time.

amanda, nate, james, & maebelle

2009-11-30T08:19:00.000-08:00

amanda stepped out of the car with her jeans tucked into her grey boots and i knew right then and there... this family was cute. soon after amanda, i saw 2 year old james get out of the car in his plaid shirt and couldnt even handle his cute shaggy hair. and i was right, these people couldnt be any more adorable! amanda & nate are the coolest parents ever and i couldnt be happier that i got to spend the morning with them taking pictures for their sweet family. little miss maebelle is only 2 months old so i have a feeling she was just along for the ride but mr. james was goin all over the place and i loved it. minus the fact that this meant i was singing (LOUDLY) and playing peek a boo behind my camera for most of the session : ) yes, hiding behind my camera and pulling it away WHILE snapping photos of a smiling 2 year old. im that good. luckily nate & amanda understood this was how we were going to get james to cooperate so they withheld their judgement... or so im hoping.

you may think this photo is about james but its really just showing off amanda's cute boots : )

just look at maebelle's eyes, she's a real sweetheart.

and big brother james. see, i wasnt lying about that cute shaggy hair.

i love this photo. maybe its james being distracted by something over there or maebelle's obvious discomfort but i think its the perfect candid shot.

oh.my.WORD! is she not the cutest little girl?!

while james was off playing with some rocks, it was time to sneak in a few of mom & dad.

then they busted out this rather sharp look for james and i was obsessed.

not the happiest but definitely the cutest

you guys! they're so cute!

p family... it really is true. you're perfect. thanks for the fun morning!

-sb.

the z family

2009-11-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

i had so much fun hanging out with jen, her husband tim, and their 2 great kids josh & alexa. i was so excited when jen asked if id meet up with their family for some photos. of course its that time of year when everyone's looking for family pictures and we were not alone in our photo session at the railroad park in scottsdale. i must have spotted at least 3 other photographers during our hour and a half session. the kids were just mesmerized by everything the park had to offer. trains, the western style brick playground, the carousel... it was all so fun for them. but they had to pose for photos before playtime. this made my job a bit trickier but all the more fun. 5 year old josh is such a good older brother to little alexa. my favorite part of the session was watching these two little munchkins interact. josh is such a goofball and his favorite question all morning was "are you only going to take one more?" over and over again. and alexa has just the sweetest little face and carefully observes each and every detail about her world. jen & tim will certainly have their hands full with these two running around. but what many many fun and memorable years they have ahead of them. this family is so lucky they have eachother and it was a privilege to photograph them.

the guys

and the gals

see ya!

big thanks to the z's for the fun morning!

what am i thankful for?

2009-11-26T07:30:00.000-08:00

are you kidding? no blog post i will ever write will even come close to describing how truly thankful i am for everything the Lord has blessed me with. so is it even worth a shot? probably not. but ive compiled a list of some things im thankful for this year and i'd like to share it with you. these really arent in order even though its going to seem like they are. and like i said, this in no way comes close to listing EVERY thing and EVERY one im thankful for. but here it goes:

1. grace. something that Jesus made possible with His sacrifice on the cross. the possibility for selfish, messy, & broken people like myself to spend a lifetime with the risen KING.

(warning: these next 2 are going to seem way too general but read on)

2. family. we couldnt be any crazier, really. but i wouldnt change a thing. i am constantly learning, laughing, and simply enjoying when im around them and im in love with the character of each of them. they understand who i am and support that. my family cares, which is something not everyone can say. (by the way, super old picture)

3. friends. i've got THE greatest in the whole world. i dont care who wants to argue this, try me. maybe its because they just "get me" or because we never stop laughing when we're together...? but there is definitely something about each and every one of my friends that is something i dont think i could live without. they help, listen, care, love, need, laugh, speak in the most perfect ways and i question so often how one girl could be so blessed by friendship. (jamie, natalie, randi, shea, cass, catie)

4. joel douglas. i even more frequently ask how HE puts up with me. you guys wouldnt believe all of the things that this [handsome] young man has taught me in the 3 years ive known him. let alone all of the fun we've had together. he is thoughtful, kind, dedicated, hard working, and passionate and that doesnt even begin to describe his heart that i hold so close to mine. i wish you all could know him a little bit better, because i know you'd not only be impressed, but excited about who he is.

5. my church family. ive never experienced a tighter or more passionate community of people that love God and strive to do His will. everyone there is a part of my family and i know i can call on them to support and stand behind me. fellowship takes on a whole new meaning when im around these people. again, we're laughing about 92% of our time together. our pastor and staff has a heart to see a unified body of Christ serving and loving in the name of Jesus. i couldnt be more honored to be a part of this church family.

6. nau. i realize that education is a gift. im so grateful for the opportunity to seek a degree in a field of study that im absolutely obsessed with at a school that continues to captivate me. learning, mountains, community of people, intervarsity, snow, BEAUTY. its all found there and its all so so cool.

7. photography/graphic design. two things that inspire me to think creatively. two things that have given me the opportunity to meet and work with some of the greatest people. two things that show a little bit more of who i am and the way i see the world. two things that provide a source of income, cant complain. i just love these two things.

if you're a part of my life and not mentioned by name here, please know that i AM thankful for you. there are so many reasons i have to be thankful today and all of you contribute to one of those. because you see, even you being here and visiting my blog is an opportunity to be thankful. so thanks! i encourage you all to make your own list of a few things you're thankful for. but take the time to list out the reasons WHY and specifics, im telling you you'll be glad you did.

and here is one of my favorite thanksgiving pictures of all time. jamie and i a few years ago acting like crazy moms looking at the black friday advertisements in the papers.

happy thanksgiving to you!

home for a wedding...

2009-11-18T19:03:00.000-08:00

her wedding.

the fun begins tomorrow! & friday's the BIG day!

(stay tuned for more)

kb... the graduate.

2009-11-14T14:01:00.000-08:00

i cannot believe she's done. college. where did the time go?? werent we like just playing barbies on the floor? i thought so. but apparently not, because my sister kristin graduates from arizona state university on december 17th! how cool is that? i want to be done with school forever. except, the difference between she and i is that once i graduate, i never want to go back into the classroom. and once SHE graduates, she's gonna practically live in the classroom. kristin is graduating with a degree in bilingual elementary education... at least i think thats what its called. she's worked long and hard to graduate a semester early and its almost here! she took an overnight trip up to flagstaff so we could take some photos for her announcement and such. she certainly picked a great weekend to make the trip up north because it was cold, rainy, and snowy all day. but she braved the freeeeezing weather and we got some great shots. one thing i found out in the process was that i need some mittens. mittens with the finger holes so i can wear them while shooting. i cant even wait to get some, my fingers were just freezing today. anyway, here are the photos:

we figured a school bus would be fitting... ya know, the whole education thing.

reppin the maroon and gold... sick.

kristin LOVES reading. so we stopped by this awesome book store to get a little creative.

im so proud of my sister and excited for this exciting new part of her life. i love her a whole lot, and im glad she got to come up and spend some time with me. cant wait for graduation and its many festivities!

ps: i just thought of another thing i can do with finger hole mittens... TYPE! yes.

some self.

2009-11-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

good friend of mine ashley b took some sweet pics of me the other day. the following is what she came up with:

i wish i could say those leaves were naturally blown like that

i felt like dancing. and ashley had to remind me to be aware of what my facial expressions were. exhibit a:

ashley teaches a fun little photo course for some friends and they came along to "watch & learn". in other words, make me laugh and dance with me. i made them all dance with me so i didnt feel like an idiot. it didnt work, i still felt like an idiot.

im probably laughing at one of andrews disgusting knock knock jokes... more like saying "what the heck?"

im so glad ive met ashley up here in flag. she's such a strong and fun leader to me and i love hanging out with her. we're photographing another wedding together in february!

jordan, chris, & jaggar!

2009-11-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

this sweet little family of 3 joined me up in flagstaff for a photo session this weekend! i love when clients are willing to make the trek up here, i love flagstaff and all that it offers for photos. jordan and i have been chatting for a while now trying to figure out when and where we'd do their family session and when she suggested they drive up to flag, i just knew we'd get along. jordan and chris met each other in high school and have had their boy jaggar for almost 7 months now. i just love families of 3. i love watching such a unique and irreplaceable connection form between mom, dad, & baby that they will cherish for the rest of their lives. little jaggar was such a perfect model for the majority of the photos. but let me tell you, its tough trying to get the baby's attention, take the photo, and try to not look like a complete idiot in front of mom & dad. i have yet to master that last part, jordan & chris can testify to that. i enjoyed meeting them and getting to know a little bit more about them. they love their little guy so much and it was fun to watch them love on him. we decided to start off at the red door, seemed appropriate for some potential christmas card photos if you ask me : )

see what i mean? jaggar was workin it

yeah jordan, you're beautiful. look at your eyes!

and for a little change of scenery we decided to head on over to buffalo park. jaggar was pretty much done with the whole picture taking thing by this point but we did manage to get some good shots in. such as this next favorite of mine. look at him looking back at me, its like he knew what i was doing or something!

i think any of these would be a fine choice for the christmas card. and the fridge, and grandmas wallet, and the hall picture frame. ok im done. but seriously, what a beautiful family! jordan & chris (& lil j): thanks for making the drive up so we could get these great shots! you guys have so many happy years together!

on a small personal note, ashley b. took some photos of me today! i was dancing. stay tuned.

-sb.

10,000

2009-11-07T00:41:00.000-08:00

today the blog notified me that its had 10,000 hits. say whaaaaaaa? where do you people come from? i dont know but i like it.

i love the photo ive attached for many reasons. the sweet tree swing, my moccasins (r.i.p), the unflattering angle (not). but most of all i love the message that it seems to give. i think its a message of freedom. this past year ive learned so so much about who i want to be and what i want to offer for my present and future "clients". (ha, i still feel way weird about using that word) but the more that ive thought about it and the more opportunities ive had to meet and work with such amazing people, im finding that i have complete freedom in what i want to do. yes, of course when i work with people i want to give them exactly what they want and need, but at the same time, im finding such a release from the pressures and demands that a corporate business world seems to offer. everything you see on this blog is my art. its a part of who i am. whether its a picture of two people in love, a graduating senior, or a poster i design for class... its all how i see things, how i view the world around me. theres freedom there. freedom to see and create what truly moves me.

i recently told someone: "hey listen, im gonna create art forever. if no one looks at it or likes it, sweet. if someone looks at it and likes it, even better. and if someone looks at it, likes it, and even wants to pay me for it, then that is just too cool for words." to me that kinda wraps up my philosophy right now. truly the most important reason this blog exists is to provide an opportunity for me to document, observe, and create some life. like i said, if you like it, thats so great. if you dont, still great. but i do, and as long as i like it, i'll keep doing it. so the fact that there are some of you out there who do like it and keep coming back here just lights up my heart. if you want to hear more about why this blog exists, check out the about me section, featured on the nav bar at the top. (bet you didnt even know there was an 'about me' section, huh?)

alright im gonna stop being all deep and emotional, sometimes you just need it though ya know? its saturday and there are a few fun things to come this weekend so stay tuned!

amy & anthony: wedding prep

2009-11-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

ive been looking forward to the wedding of amy & anthony for a long long time. i was thrilled to have the opportunity to take their engagement photos back in june but even more excited to be a part of their special day in this unique way. its such a lovely thing to be able to attend a wedding as a guest, i really do cherish it. of course photographing weddings is something i equally cherish, its just nice to simply attend and not have to worry about anything. amy & anthony wanted to make sure that i did just that, enjoy the wedding of a lifelong friend and the man of her dreams. but this time around i got a pretty SWEET deal. amy asked if i would come a bit early to casually capture the "behind the scenes" stuff. of course i jumped at the opportunity. watching a bride prepare for one of the biggest days of her life is such a treat, and i couldnt wait to capture this time for amy. i loved capturing all of the emotion that this time right before the wedding brings. i couldnt be happier for amy & anthony and this new adventure they are beginning together. have fun in kauai guys!

glowing mother of the bride

im not sure if this photo was an accident or not but i love it...

once again, the handiwork of the lovely mrs. erica strange.... from jeff & erica

cakes & cupcakes...

and dont think that just because i was in the crowd this time that i didnt sneak in some photos of my own : )

congrats to the new mr. and mrs. B! love you both!

more of amy's floral!

2009-11-02T08:26:00.000-08:00

if you're wondering if im obsessed with amy's floral design, the answer is yes. i am. i think amy does such a fantastic job with creating unique and beautiful floral arrangements that add such life to weddings and events. not to mention amy is just an awesome gal. i worked with her to capture some of her creations back at our september photo shoot so she could have some new fresh images for advertisement purposes. below is the ad that she and the fabulous designer kelly ashworth worked together to create using the images from our photo shoot. this ad will be running in the Arizona Bride Magazine sometime early next year and im honored to have had a part of this project.

that same great family

2009-10-31T10:40:00.000-07:00

remember last summer when i shot this crew? well good news... they're back! but this time they've added one more onto the group. mr. aiden brought this awesome family of 7 to 8 this past august and they figured it was time for his first official family photo session. its like he's inducted into the family now. but as you all probably remember, this kids already a pro ---> check out his newborn session from august. the family was workin it this morning in their black and white and i couldnt get enough of it. im so blessed to know this family and hang out with them, especially that stud in the black polo : ) what a cool thing it is to watch their family grow. i love when i leave a photo session feeling like my subjects give me more than what im giving them, and that is definitely the case with not only this session but every time im with them. enjoy the photos!

i loved this grey wall

i posted a set of two for each couple because i couldnt choose between the posed and candid shots. love when that happens.

LOVE.

i guess ill share one of us : )

look at these pros, legs all crossed. perfect.

cant shoot at the civic center without getting the statue. it fits though because i LOVE this family.

aiden, your parents are in love. get used to it.

piece of cake (pt. 2)

2009-10-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

so we went from this....

to this....

to this...

to finally making the website...

isnt it crazy how much the original design changes? BIG thanks to you all for your input. as you can see, i definitely took your feedback to heart. i changed elements such as the color and shape of the cake which are two of the most prominent suggestions i got. im learning that feedback/input/critique is EXTREMELY valuable in this field which is why i like to post my designs mid process and see what you all think from the outside. so really, you're all too great and im so glad you keep coming back! what do you guys think about the final decisions for logos & layouts and such?

by the way... this is my front yard right now:

winter, i welcome you.

-sb.

my dad

2009-10-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

is cooler than yours.

he owns this truck.

he bought it in 1996.

and this month it hit 200,000 miles.

and its still goin strong. (duh, its a chevy)

and the best part is...

he wanted this photo for his "personal records". whatever that means : )

love you dad!

miniatures!

2009-10-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

how cute are these 'lil guys?!

love 'em.

its the little things in life, ya know?

aleecia & jeff in the mountains

2009-10-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

(read it all!)

im not even sure where to begin with this post because i have so many neat things to tell you about this wonderful couple. i will start with their story, and TRUST ME, you want to read it. aleecia and jeff met up here in flagstaff. the two attended church together, which is where jeff first caught aleecia's attention. it was her sophomore year and she'd seen jeff around a few times and noticed something special about him. their pastor was speaking on leap of faith prayers and having the strong expectancy of our God to answer them. at this point aleecia & jeff had never met, they didnt even know eachothers names. the pastors sermon urged aleecia to pray a prayer that would change her life forever. "God i don't even know his name but im gonna pray that that cute boy across the room would one day be my husband." she even has this prayer written down in a prayer journal from that day. it took a while for God to answer that pure and BIG prayer aleecia prayed that one sunday afternoon. but as we all know, God does faithfully hear and answer prayer. aleecia and jeff were introduced not long after that sunday, but nothing more than a distant friendship came about. for about 3 years aleecia continued to find a deep and captivated interest in jeff, praying and hoping that one day things would change and something more than a friendship would develop. she finally reached a point where she gave up, completely surrendering her desires to God. she knew that God had a perfect plan for her life, and whether or not jeff fit into it wasnt up to her or how much she loved him. just about the time aleecia asked God to take away her feelings and interests in jeff, all of the sudden jeff found himself more and more interested IN HER. it was almost as if God said "ok NOW i can give you what you want". FINALLY aleecia and jeff began to date and im SO so happy to say that they were married this past march. what a perfect example of Gods faithfulness and provision in our lives. talk about giving us the desires of our hearts, right?!

aleecia and jeff have got the sweetest spirit about them and you immediately feel welcomed and valued when talking to them. we spent the car ride up and down the mountain talking, laughing, and getting to know eachother more and i can honestly say they've got to be in my top 5 nicest, coolest, most awesome people category. yes, that does exist. seriously though, i just so enjoyed my time with them hearing a little bit about their life together and learning from their faith. its obvious to me, and im sure everyone who hangs around with them, that they have a deep love for eachother that God clearly ordained way before they even met (literally).

im so grateful for the chance to hang out with them this afternoon and be blessed by their company. we spent our time up towards the az snowbowl in the beautiful trees and leaves that are quickly changing colors, the perfect setting for these two.

i know i say this after almost every session, but i was reminded again today how cool it is that i always get to hang out with such awesome people during my sessions. im overwhelmed with how much of a blessing people are to me. not only do i get to spend quality time with people i probably wouldnt otherwise, but i also get to give them something that makes them happy. i was blessed by the time i spent with you aleecia & jeff. and thanks for the laughs, stories, and being such great examples to me in the faith.

thats all for now.

-sb.

jeff & erica slideshow

2009-10-18T15:33:00.000-07:00

love love LOVE this song.

tgif

2009-10-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

sending out the last of jeff & erica's wedding photos. had to share this little slice to start your weekend off right. i normally dont edit in black and white but i loved this shot of the veil.

i hope you all have a fabulous weekend. let me know how it goes.

just a little somethin...

2009-10-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

phil wickham. my favorite male music artist. he's got these genuine simple words that just seem to say it all. anyone that knows me knows my obsession for a certain song of his but this post is about another one ive recently become obsessed with. i've added it to the bottom playlist because i want you to listen to it everyday, seriously every day, reminding yourself of Gods great unfathomable power and control of these lives we tend to think are our own. i need to ask God for this reminder each day, and i've found this song has helped me to do so.

I want to hear the thunder of who You are

To be captured inside the wonder of who You are

I want to live I want to breathe

To search out Your heart and all of Your mysteries

here is a youtube link of phil playing the song live. i could watch this video 34 times a day, and i think i do. he's got this passion when he sings the words that is so transparent and REAL. oh, but please ignore his ridiculous hair.

and here's a little treat for you all, simple because... its thursday. and thursday IS the new friday around here. this is me and mel the other day... just playin some dress up. im in the green, but im diggin those red pumps mel is workin.

piece of cake?

2009-10-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

i need your help!

our next project in my web design class is to redesign a website for a local flagstaff business. we needed to make sure that the business we chose needed some obvious work done on their site. (in other words, their website is terrible) i chose to work with a local bakery here in town called Caked. its the sweetest little bakery over on the east side of town with a website that gives off the OPPOSITE vibe. makes me so mad. so im redoing it! first things first... logo redesign! im working with these two options below. im kind of going for a hand drawn element mixed with sophisticated type.

ya'll know how this goes : ) if you could post a comment saying which one you feel is more successful and WHY i would so so sooo appreciate it.

option #1

option #2

(to consider when making your decision) the bakery exterior is pink and white so im thinking i'd like to play off of that for the background of the site. possibly something like this:

other things to consider:

-a logo for a bakery will not only appear on signage and business cards, but also on boxes/bags for their delicious treats

-a website logo appears somewhere on every page of the site. (typically smaller in the center, left, or right corner)

also give me any and all suggestions you may have! im open to hearing what you think would work best for the bakery.

thanks for helpin a sister out!

-sb.

raina & matt

2009-10-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

this is one fun loving couple. raina and matt. i knew from my first email conversation with raina that this would be a fun and easy going session because she said one thing that just spoke to me: "we have a strong love for longboarding together". perrrrfect is what i said to that. perfect. we scheduled a date and finally october rolled around and i got to meet these fine people. matt will be leaving for the hillsong college in australia in january while raina stays here and attends southwestern college. so i thought it was a great idea they had to take some snapshots before they part ways for a bit. i so enjoyed my time with raina & matt, getting to know a little bit about them and watching them enjoy eachothers company. i can tell that matt will be greatly missed while he's away, i mean who is raina gonna longboard with?! but hopefully she'll be able to make it out to australia, ya know just a fun little "getaway". but until then, they'll have these photos to look over from time to time!

raina, thanks for being extra fab.

and of course they brought their longboards along for some fun...

once again im lucky to meet some great people. good luck to matt in australia, but i know your homecoming will be greatly anticipated. enjoy these next few months together!

oh! really quick, did you guys know there are so many verses in the bible that relate the weather to Gods power? im lovin that lately. here's one i heard today:

"He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm.
The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet."

-Nahum 1:3

pretty cool, yeah?

have a good one!

-stephb.