Desert Elopement

03.28.12

I love the idea of eloping. Don’t get me wrong, I love big weddings that allow an entire community to celebrate love, but there is just something so intimate and romantic about the idea of whisking away and eloping. Since eloping couples are a little hard to find, Whitney Mittmann of Whit Mitt Design and Events and I decided to put together our own styled elopement! We set our elopement in the desert because we thought that added to the isolated atmosphere created by an elopement. Our beautiful friends, newlyweds Mark and Beca, agreed to model for us and we were so blessed to have other amazing vendors participate with us. This photo shoot led to the creation of some of my favorite photos that I’ve ever taken and I hope you love them as much as I do!

The amazing vendors whose work is featured below:

Photography: Megan Hartley Photography
Stylist: Whit Mitt Design and Events
Desserts: Sweet and Saucy
Florals: Art with Nature Floral Design
Make Up: Flawless Faces
Rentals: Found Vintage Rentals
Boutonnieres: Rosie as a Button
Cake Stands/Plates: Sweet and Saucy Supply

Now, the beautiful Mark and Beca! Their real life love for one another made the photos authentic and so special.

Whitney and her sweet husband, Mark, created this gorgeous background to serve as the ceremony site! How amazing are they?!

Kim of Art with Nature Floral Design put together all of the florals and I was absolutely blown away by her creativity and beautiful work! She also made the gorgeous floral crowns for the bride and flower girl! Thank you so much, Kim!

Even though it was an elopement, we still wanted to have a flower girl and ring bearer because … well, they are cute! They added such great energy to the shoot and are such sweet kids!

{Found} Vintage Rentals provided the perfect chairs  for our sweetheart table and they also provided the yarn spools which gave the shoot just the vintage feel we were going for.

Beca looked absolutely gorgeous thanks to makeup by the amazing Flawless Faces! For all of my 2012 brides – book them! Seriously … they are the best!
This awesome cake from Sweet and Saucy Shop incorporated so many of the elements from the shoot – the desert color palette, the yarn details … I am pretty much in love with everything Melody from Sweet and Saucy Shop dreams up!
A million thanks to all of the incredible people who made these photos possible! It was such a great day spent exploring creativity with a wonderful group of people! Thank you!!!

 

Posted in Elopements, Models, Portraits, Romance, Uncategorized, WeddingsTags: , , , , ,

2 comments

add a comment
Britty - July 17, 2012 - 8:21 pm

These are gorgeous!! Love the whole vibe of this. Great job :)

Toni Fizdale - March 29, 2012 - 3:52 pm

This photo shoot is amazing. So calming and peaceful. Great job!

Rachel and Jeff – Married!

03.12.12

The funny thing about wedding photography is that even though your wedding pictures capture some of the most important hours of your life, they often take place in less than ideal conditions. Ceremonies are sometimes in dark churches and the day’s schedule may not permit much time for pictures of the bride and groom. An easy solution to this is to take more photos of just the bride and groom on another day! A new location, the best light of the day, and the luxury of time can really make these “day after” sessions spectacular! I did not shoot Rachel and Jeff’s wedding, but I had the pleasure of shooting this “day after” session with them and I really love the concept!

Rachel and Jeff, thank you for choosing me for your photos! I had such a great time with you both and I am so glad we were able to celebrate your 1 month anniversary with a fun and beautiful session. I wish you many, many more months of happiness and joy together!

Another bonus of “day after” sessions is that you can change things up a bit and have more than one look! Rachel added a beautiful flower in her hair and red lips to give these photos a more elegant, romantic vibe.

 

Posted in Photography, Portraits, Romance, WeddingsTags: , , , , ,

1 comment

add a comment
Taylor Seitz - March 31, 2012 - 10:21 am

Hi there!!

I was wondering what your wedding package prices look like!? Also, if you are available on October 7th! Love your work…SO MUCH!

Thanks,

Taylor

Josh and Ashley- Married!

03.08.12

I’ve never seen a more organized or relaxed bride. Perhaps the relaxation was a result of the organization, but whatever it was that made Ashley so calm and open to enjoying her wedding day, I wish I could bottle it and sell it to brides! Each wedding day goes by so incredibly quickly and being able to really be present and take everything in is so important. Ashley and Josh made the most of every minute of their day at Tivoli Too in Laguna Beach. They laughed, they danced, they cried happy tears, and, above all, they basked in the glow of true love.

Josh and Ashley, I can’t thank you enough for choosing me to document your day. I treasure your friendship and I am over the moon happy that you two have found deep and abiding love in your relationship with one another. It was an incredible honor to experience the day with you and I wish you a blessed and fun-filled marriage!

Also, endless thanks to my wonderful second shooter for Josh and Ashley’s wedding, Stacy DeGroot!

A lady bug landing on a bride on her wedding day? It doesn’t get much luckier than that!
To see a slideshow of Josh and Ashley’s wedding images, click here!

 

Posted in Portraits, Romance, WeddingsTags: , , ,

2 comments

add a comment
Zach and Lauren – Married! » Megan Hartley Photography - April 24, 2012 - 4:51 pm

[...] special thanks to Shauna Miller for second shooting with me and Ashley for recommending [...]

yan palmer - March 8, 2012 - 10:24 am

holy CRAP girl. seriously. i am amazed. the future is brrrrrrrrrrrrright! ;)

Daniel, Rita, and David

03.04.12

One of the things I love best about being a photographer is getting glimpses into the lives of my clients. People watching is one of my favorite activities and when I’m actually invited to do it behind the lens of a camera rather than trying to sneakily do it at a restaurant behind sunglasses, well, that’s even better. And a whole lot less creepy. And since trying to be less creepy is always a good goal, finding clients who’ll let me take pictures of them being themselves is the direction I feel my photography is headed.

My favorite thing about people watching and photographing people is watching how they interact with one another. The way a Mom gently brushes her child’s hair off of her face. The way a husband reaches out to grab his wife’s hand as she steps off a high curb. The way a baby lights up at the sight of his sibling. These are the moments that make up real life and these are the moments I love capturing in photos.

The following photos are perfect examples of my favorite kinds of photos to take – 3 people just being a family. No props, no gimmicks, just pretty light and lots of love. Daniel, Rita, and David … thank you so very much for choosing me to capture photos of your precious little family. Our time together was short but so enjoyable for me. My goal was simply to capture you three being yourselves and I hope that was accomplished. Thank you, thank you, thank you for inviting me into your lives and I hope you enjoy your photos!

Meet this sweet family …

Posted in Babies, Children, Families, PortraitsTags: , , , , , , , , ,

1 comment

add a comment
Ellen Gaskill - March 19, 2012 - 3:22 am

Thank you for capturing the beauty and love of my family…Ellen

She Hearts Haiti

02.02.12

Sheila is the girl I wanted to be in high school. She was kind, brilliant, gorgeous, thoughtful, and truly had a heart for God. My husband once joked “well, why didn’t you just marry Sheila if you think she’s so perfect?” :)  While she’d be the first to tell you that she’s not perfect (yes, she’s humble too … add that to her list of attributes) she was and is a totally awesome person. I am so blessed by her friendship and I am thankful to be able to support her in her latest admirable activity – spending a year working as a registered nurse at the Children of the Promise children’s home in Haiti. She has already been there for three months and, in a few short days, she’ll be returning to Haiti for the next year. You can follow her adventure on her blog and I promise, you’ll fall in love with her and her beautiful heart too.

Sheila, thank you for being you. Your honesty, your compassion, your sense of humor … I simply adore it all. I will continue praying for your time in Haiti and I know that you will bless all those you come into contact with, just as you have blessed me with your friendship.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

Posted in Models, PortraitsTags: , , ,

no comments

add a comment