An old motel, vintage dresses, and lots of make up

Life is full of busyness, deadlines, and schedules. Which is why Nate and I both feel it is so important to carve out time to be creative in our own personal projects. I have been failing at this goal! I have actually been quite jealous of how much fun Nate is having with his vintage film projects (check out his Instagram @melodysdad). So when Nicole invited me to collaborate on a photo shoot with her I jumped at the chance.

Nicole is a photographer and one of my 2015 brides. You can check out her fabulous work on her website. Seriously though, go take a look, her concepts and creativity are thriving. Nicole thought up the concept and arranged all the clothing with her local contact, Miss Ruth's Time Bomb vintage shop.

Nicole recruited Abbey, co-owner of the art gallery, Art Obscura to be our model. Abbey, who is also a sustainable farmer (Brazito Farms) never having modeled or had professional hair and makeup done, hesitantly said yes, not really knowing what she was getting into. My kind of adventurous woman! 

Once Nicole and I had decided on the concept and location of a seedy motel, I knew Brenda Tarango was the perfect addition to the creative crew. And she absolutely nailed the 1960's look we were going for with the hair and makeup. I am a firm believer in putting the best people on your team and then getting out of their way to let them work their magic, and everyone agreed that's exactly what Brenda it. 

So here are a few of my favorite photographs I created at the shoot!

Creative Team:

Photographer: Elise Taylor, Taylor'd Photography

Collaborating photographer: Nicole Dube, SheSoPhoto

Model: Abbey Carver, Art Obscura, Brazito Farms

Hair and Makeup: Brenda Tarango, Makeup by Brenda

Dresses: Miss Ruth's Time Bomb

Location: Century 21 Motel, Las Cruces NM

October 2015 Image Round Up

Here are some of my favorite images from October!

It rained the entire day of Efren's senior session. All except for the actual hour of his session. Luckily, the heavy rains stayed away and we were able to carry on. As we were driving to our next location it started to sprinkle. I pulled over to the side of the road and signaled for Efren to jump out of his car and join me. I love how the rain drops are lit up from the sun in this image. I am super happy I was able to create a photograph for Efren's senior year that cannot be easily repeated. In that way it is just like all the memories he will make this year.

Every family has its own spunk and charm. Which is why I tend to love a less traditional family portrait. Is anyone looking at the camera? Nope. Would I hang this photograph as a 30x40 canvas in my living room? In a second. I love how this image illustrates what this stage of life is like for the Hamm family: on the move.

Brides tend to get all the attention on the wedding day (I mean look at Nicole's killing me softly expression!) but I think it is important to not neglect the groom. I love how Matt is totally owning this photo.

Weddings are by far my favorite to photograph. Within all the chaos and madness my heart sings when I can capture a couple at their happiest moments. This photo of Justine and Adrian is making my heart sing. Just look at those two big old grins. I am also enjoying how the movement in this photo reminds me of the genre of street photography.  

Jorge was gracious enough to play for me at sunset. I wanted to emphasize the shape of his posture as he was playing so I chose to turn those lines into a silhouette. The big New Mexico sky is a pretty good partner. 

Receptions challenge me to come up with more creative celebrating photos. I noticed Patrick and Lenisa literally kicking up their heels so I jumped in front the dancing pack, got low to the ground and was able to create this image. 

This photo of Eylin pretty much sums up most of my childhood dreams: to be pretty and to have a horse. I used a wide angle lens so that I could include the action (Eylin leading her horse towards the camera) and the scene (the gorgeous desert and Organ mountains) into one frame. 

It seems movement was a theme for October. And weddings! Besides the movement and expressions, I am also liking the play between highlight and shadow in this image. Ben is just stepping out of the shadow and into that bright highlight which creates some dynamic tension.

September 2015 Image Round Up

Here is a few of my favorite images from this month's sessions!

This photo from Neriah's newborn session is my favorite because of the way she fills up the frame. Her little squishy features demanded a closer more intimate place in the photograph's composition.

I am really enjoying my new wide angle lens, can you tell? I used the wide lens to emphasize the angle of the trees. By placing Brianna within the trees' lines, her body and precious baby bump repeat the pattern.  

The sky was slightly overcast during Haley's senior session which gave us soft diffused light to work with. I love how the softness of this kind of light lays on a subject's features. The sharp lines and texture of the corn could have given this photograph a dramatic and tough feel if the sun had been shining its brightest. Instead the diffused light softens the texture of the corn and the overall image has a very quiet and peaceful vibe.

Melissa and Ryan got married this month!! I am really drawn to the negative space in this image and how the shapes of the shadow and stucco wall play off each other. I chose a Black and White edit for this photo to accenutate the relationship between negative and positive space in this image.

June 2015 Image Round Up

Here's a few of my favorite photos from this month's sessions!

Patrick and Lenisa blew me away during their engagement session. I love the backlighting in this image and the way the field is illuminated by sunset.

And just like that a mom and daddy are created. Hospital or "Fresh 48" sessions compliment maternity and newborn photographs perfectly. 

Austin's parents are big time Texas Longhorn fans. They made sure we incorporated a few Longhorn props into the newborn session. Austin seems to be already be cheering on mom and dad's team.

Only 81 days until Ryan and Melissa tie the knot! Posing these two was very organic. They seem to fit into each other's arms just right.