meet marty | utah wedding photography, boise wedding photographer

when we were dating he won my heart with clever notes signed mysteriously as "uncle marty." and although i was aware of the how strange it was for the person i was dating to also refer to himself as (somebody's) uncle, i was also charmed by his understated quirkiness. well, that, and the man can sing. never underestimate the power of the sensitive, guitar playing, genuinely talented type over the female undergrad. he stole my heart, and 5.5 years, plus two and a half babies later, i like to brag about how in love we STILL are...

now, it is with pride, and and wee bit of nervousness that I am giving all of you the chance to fall in love with uncle marty too (from afar, very, very, very afar, wink). of course, he's always been part of the yan photography team; behind the scenes he's offered endless encouragement and advice, wrote the song for my website and has even assisted me at quite a few of my sessions. But it wasn't until eight or so months ago that we decided to begin the gradual merge into a husband and wife photography team.

and it hasn't been until now, after a lot of blood, sweat and learning tears (slight exaggeration), as well as finalizing the plans to move into our studio, that we've felt it appropriate to announce to all of you.

so ladies and gentelmen, what this means is that yan photography is still yan photography. but there's a new kid on the team. yes, he shoots. yes, he WILL blog. yes, he sings. and yes, he's secretly more creative than i am though he's happy to let me me the attention glutton in the relationship.

for now mr. marty will be second shooting for me at our weddings, and also at sessions, as well as taking on A LOT, of the grunt work that goes on behind the scenes of running a business. so don't be afraid to say hello to the handsome, dark fellow, every once in awhile.

MARTY ANNA SHOOT_0163

new years eve in summer | utah photographer, boise photographer

okay guys. i am in my house ALONE, watching 500 Days of Summer. i knew there would come a time for me and this movie - an odd, but perfect time. and it happens to me the same time that my husband went out with his family and our two girls and encouraged me to stay home so i can finish the two lovely weddings i'm working on, and  that way we could both move on with our merry lives together. well.

maybe if it wasn't such a visually stimulating movie, THAT would happen. hahahahahhahaha, oh honey, i'm sorry. but seriously, Zoe Deschenel outfits are wayyyy too cute for me not to take note of and covet. and its almost impossile to keep my promise to myself of, "no i will not cut bangs again," while watching her!

so anyway, there's this thing circulating around the twitter world (oh, what's that, you missed my post about how i'm all like, YES i'm on twitter, and YES you should follow me @yanphoto),  so its this  "10 years ago I was..."

and i have to be honest. i don't really like thinking about where i was 10 years ago. or what i was. or who i was, really. no, its not that i was THAT terrible, or even that i've come THAT far....its just, i'm different, at least a little. and i would even venture to say, a little better. Because 10 years ago i had not met the love of my life. 10 years ago i had absolutely no ambition to do the thing that's brought me more happiness that i could have ever imagined if i had indeed even been trying to imagine it. 10 years ago i didn't own red cowboy boots. And 10 years ago none of my dreams were coming true because i didn't have a plan to make them.

at least now i have a plan. =)

happy new year. i myself am a little giddy.

Yan is offering Mini Love Shoots! | utah wedding photography, utah engagement photography

i may have finally learned my lesson this year. no, its not a good idea to make your first shopping trip of the season the week before Christmas. no, its not a good idea to hurriedly buy your husband's Christmas gift online on christmas eve. and no, no, no, it is especially not a good idea to have to walk two miles in the cold snow (also on Christmas Eve) to buy butterscotch chips before the store closes, leaving you  unable to make your favorite Christmas treat. Yan, Yan, Yan, don't put off what needs to get done because EVERYTHING HAPPENS SOONER THAN YOU THINK IT WILL. i'm trying to internalize this little piece of wisdom and that is why I am  NOT waiting to talk about the thing that makes me most excited for February this year.

MINI LOVE SHOOTS WITH YAN PHOTOGRAPHY!!!!  Doesn't that sound great?

Sometimes I like to insist to new people I meet how NOT girly I am. I wear minimum make up. I don't cry very often. my nails are always short and bare. but you know what betrays my tough facade? the fact that i love LOVE. i force my sweet martin to sit with me to watch countless romantic comedies, and during the way romantic parts, i repeat (this is totally true) the sappiest lines out loud to my husband, and make him smooch me.  Okay, and then we laugh, but STILL, if that's not girly, I don't know what is.

I LOVE, LOVE GOSH DARN IT, AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!!!!

As my gift to myself this Valentines day, I'd like to fill up my month photographing my favorite subject: L O V  E. And that means I want to know your love story. I want to hear it, and then I want to photograph it. And I promise to not make my husband or myelf repeat any part of it aloud and then kiss.

But wait, you want the details unpolluted by random thoughts and embarrassing personal anecdotes? okay, okay.  =)

*what my love?

30 minute mini love shoots with Yan Photography. Be you engaged, married, old, young, casual, in wedding clothes, as long as you're in love, you qualify.

*when my love?

The entire month of February. That's right, I'm offering an incredible, discounted shoot not just for a day or two, but for an ENTIRE MONTH. Here's the catch: ALL LOVE SHOOTS MUST BE BOOKED AND PAID FOR BY JAN 20TH. The shoots themselves will be scheduled for the month of Feb.

*where my love? utah, people. Provo, UT. Heaven knows I'm surrounded by people in love.

*how much my love? I offered my family mini sessions for $250. But theses mini sessions are only $200!!!! What the what?! its true. Its my love gift to you.

*what do we get my love? A 30 minute super rad session with yours truly.....okay, and a CD with your pictures. A high resolution CD at that! you are guaranteed 10 pictures in color and black and white (20 total!).

so,  i'm asking you, begging, pleading really, help me make my dreams come true of filling up my february with some sweet romance! email me at photography.yan@gmail.com to book your february love session!

casting call at Yan Photography! | Utah photographer, Boise photographer

i really feel like the first thing i should say in this post is thank you, thank you, thank you. i am feeling so overwhelmed with gratitude to all of my clients/blog readers/friends of 2009, that i'm lying here in a metaphorical straightjacket.  yes, it is awkward. yes, it is uncomfortable. when it comes to saying thank you for your support, i feel like no action or move is good enough and i'm just sort of humbled into paralysis. right now i especially want to say to my blog readers, whether you comment or not, whether you stop by daily, or just every once in a while, you are everything to myself and my business (sniff, sniff). and though i know i've been a little quiet during this holiday season (i place full blame on the first trimester of my pregnancy), i hope some of you have stuck around and are reading this because I NEED YOU. I need your faces. I need your style. I need your creativity. I need your your energy. i even need all the goodness in your soul.

which is to say i need MODELS. you may remember my announcement awhile back that i will be offering mentoring sessions this winter at Yan Photography. Well I got an amazing response and I want to give my mentorees the darn best experience they could hope for with Yan Photography. Each full day session includes a shoot with me, and I want to set up shoots that are unique, different, capture essences and reflect Yan Photography's contemporary style.

so here is what I need in Provo UT:

*At least 4 young families, with 2-3 children. Children should be 8 and under.

*At least one brave and fun married couple not worried about soiling their wedding gear a tad for a "day after" session.

*At least one couple (married or engaged) willing to bring the love and creative ideas to an engagement type session.

here is what I need in Boise, ID

*At least 2 young families, with 2-3 children. Children should be 8 and under. Possibly willing to shoot in your home.

Here at Yan Photography, we feel that model material isn't so much about  looks, but about PERSONALITY and STYLE. In other words, you don't have to be pretty. But I am looking for families and couples who are willing to bring a little bit of visual flair and attitude to make your session standout and fun for all. Is that too much to ask? hmmm, maybe....but i hope not!

so please, please, please, send me an email at photography.yan@gmail.com with a picture or two, and a little bit about you (and your family). I can't wait to meet you!

And let me post a perfect example of a former client, who was so full of personality and life. she is the daughter of the amazingly talented Kirsten of simplygrove.com.

ED DREAMING blog