A funny thing happened on the way to the forum (a little bit of humor for any theater buffs out there) ...

You see, this wedding story began with Kristel and Logan, who don't reside in CA, making a list of the top places they would like to have a destination wedding.  Ultimately, the Giant Sequoias of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range in CA won out.  Next step - use the internet (a wonderful tool by the way) for all your planning needs.  After nailing down the venue Kristel began her search for a photographer.  She typed in something along the lines of "Wedding Photographers Sierra Nevada" and presto, there we were, Sierra Blanco Photography.  Kristel then emailed us saying that she visited our site, went through the entire thing, fell in love with us, and then realized we were based in AZ, not CA.  She asked if we would travel and with a hearty "HECK YEAH we'll travel" we were soon on our way to photograph a wedding amongst the Giant Sequoias :-)!!

This wedding was held on June 10th and was right up our alley with all the magnificent scenery and dramatic weather!  We were also happy with all the photojournalistic images we got out of this one.  It also rates as our longest one-day event ever ... 15 hours!  Factor all that into the equation and you get a rather long posting.  In fact it was hard narrow it down to what we did.  The whole day and all the details were just so amazing!

The day began with Kristel and Logan enjoying an early morning picnic at Shaver Lake.  Kristel and her friend (who came all the way from Alaska to participate in her good friend's day) then headed down to Fresno to have her hair done.

Side note: I rode in the back seat of the convertible so I could get photos on the winding mountain roads that led down to the city.  After getting what I needed I laid down in a fetal position and did not move.  Once we arrived, Kristel aked me if I had a nice nap to which I exclaimed, "no ... I didn't take a nap, I wanted to die."  I had gotten so car sick that if I had moved or spoken at all during the remainder of the trip, well it would not have been a pretty scene, let's just put it that way.  I got the photos though.  That's dedication :-)!

Meanwhile Logan stayed behind to help get the Elliott House B&B, their reception venue, ready for that evening.  At this point it was slightly overcast but the weather was holding.  After their first meeting, which they did before the ceremony in order to do couple formals, we headed away from the town and into stunning, nearly untouched wilderness.  This is where the weather became it's most dramatic!  Under warm, sunny skies, we stood on a granite outcropping and looked into the distance to witness an advancing wall of seething black clouds.  As the wind picked up, whipping Kristel's cathedral length veil around, we knew we weren't gonna get much more drama than this!!  Kristel and Logan handled the whole thing like pro models and the outcome was stunning!

By the time we made it up to McKinley Grove in the Sierra National Forest for the ceremony, the weather had turned cold under a light mist of rain.  Fortunately, spirits were not dampened and the ceremony went on as planned, under the sheltering canopy of three stately Giant Sequoia trees.  After the ceremony we headed to one last shooting location before the reception.  Kristel had hoped to get some photos at a waterfall and in our scouting the day before we had found the perfect one.  With the rain now intensifying and the temperature yet falling, we all dealt with the discomfort in the name of once-in-a-lifetime photo opps.

It was still very cold at the reception site, but at least the rain hadn't made it that far.  We have to throw in two points ... Kristel's dress and accessories were beautiful and their wedding cake was jaw-dropping!!  Kristel and Logan we cannot express enough how blessed we feel to have been chosen as your wedding photographers.  We loved you both, along with your family and friends and could not have enjoyed the day more.  Thanks for trusting in all our ideas and photo locations and we hope you love these images as much as we do!!

Final side note:  Kristel is quite the photographer herself, so the photography was very important to her.  This makes us feel especially grateful that she chose us and we sincerely hope we exceeded her expectations :-)!

Kristel LOVES detail shots and even helped to set some of these up :-)!

Thanks again guys, it was beautiful!!! 

A couple of weeks ago we headed out to the Sierra Nevada range of California where we had a destination wedding to photograph.  Kevin used to live in these mountains and has a real passion for them ... especially Yosemite National Park, so this was a real treat for him to go back home, if even for a very short time.

I personally have never been to this part of the world so I was like a kid in a candy store!  Every turn revealed something new and wonderful.  We started our trip near Sequoia National Park where the wedding was to be held.  We spent the first day scouting the area and grabbing some nice nature shots along the way.  The day after the wedding we headed north to Yosemite National Park.  We were on a tight timeline as this was already Thursday and we had to be in the White Mountains of Arizona for another wedding by Saturday.  Hence, we weren't there during the best time of the day, but it was specatcular none-the-less!!  As we passed through, we stopped frequently to take travel shots (I used to do a lot of trvel photography and really enjoy it), landscape shots (duh...), and of course those must have, silly tourist shots.  We stopped for lunch at the famed Ahwahnee Hotel and then headed on through the park over the Tioga Pass to the eastern side of the Sierras. A big highlight along the way was sighting a black bear in a field feeding ... a really awesome sight!!!

We made our way to Mono Lake, a world-famous lake amongst landscape photographers, for sunset.  I have always wanted to take landscapes of Mono Lake and was quite happy with what we got given the tight time frame.  We had dinner in Mammoth Lakes (Kevin lived there and it is one of his favorite places) and stayed in Bishop.  Before heading home the next day we stopped in at Mountian Light Gallery which was founded by the late Galen Rowell.  He was an amazingly talented photographer.  I once attended one of his seminars when I was in college in Florida and he was nothing short of inspirational.  It was a treat to walk though his gallery!

An impressive view of Yosemite Valley.

Kevin and I love animals and we have a real soft spot for anything that has had the misfortune so early in life to be orphaned.  On Tuesday evening we came across a poor baby striped skunk that had obviously lost its family.  With little coordination and no sight, it had wandered into the middle of the road.  We are so glad we came across this little guy because had we not, it's outcome looked to be very bleak.

We brought it home, did some research on the internet, went to the pet store, bought some formula and made a home for him, complete with a heating pad to stay warm and stuffed animals to keep him company when we aren't holding him.  Based on our research, we estimate his age to be about 2 weeks ... he is soooo tiny.  We are already attached and are praying for a good outcome.  We will keep you posted on his status :-).

His first night ... he was very tired :-).

 Kristy and Paul were married on June 6th at Tlaquepaque in Sedona.  Their ceremony was held at the chapel and the reception took place at the Secret Garden Cafe, both in Tlaquepaque.  Maria Grace, www.twoheartsonelifeweddings.com , was the officiant and we always love working with her!

Paul is an F-16 pilot and his job will soon take the newlyweds away from Arizona to new horizons in the Sunshine State of Florida.  With them will be their new addition ... that's right, they are expecting their first baby - though you would never know it from the way Kristy looked in her beautiful sheath gown - amazing :-)!!!

Kristy and Paul, thank you both so much!  You were a pleasure to work with and your families and friends were wonderful as well!  Can't wait for the next shoot ... either a maternity shoot or a baby shoot :-).  Enjoy and congratulations!

Molly and Joel were married in an intimate ceremony among close family and friends on May 30th at the lovely L'Auberge de Sedona.  They chose the creekside venue which is always so quaint and beautiful in the springtime.  Their ceremony took place under a canopy of emerald green trees by a babbling stream as baby ducks swam close to their mothers ... can't get much more idyllic than that :-)!!

The couple followed their morning ceremony with a lovely lunch.  By the way, the kids in this wedding were the cuttest ever, as you will soon see.  Molly is a photographer herself, so we had much to talk about ... she even did a wedding once, but thought it was too much work. That is so true but it can be very rewarding, especially when you get clients like these two :-).  Molly and Joel, thank you for having us as your wedding photographers.  You made us feel right at home and it was so wonderful working with you both!!