BECCA AND JOSH AND A BMW

well, a first is about to happen here on the blog. i am going to blog becca and josh's engagement session and their wedding back to back---and speaking of backs, for said feat, i'm going to have to pat myself on mine. just kidding.

--the truth is i really need to confess to being the queen of blog sucktitude and accept my crown already. so many lovely couples have gone unblogged, and though i keep thinking i'm going to catch up, i'm going to catch up, i still constantly find myself behind. wah wah, complain, complain...

but back to becca and josh. the fun thing about them is that they came to ME with an idea (overachievers). and their idea even made SENSE. because they have a thing for BMW's. particularly josh. which, by the way did you know they have clubs for people who have things for BMW's? also, their wedding had an awesome travel theme--which i think means becca and josh will do a fair amount of it in their lives, so look forward to that in the upcoming wedding blog post.

lastly, remember that time i rented a tilt shift lens? tricky, tricky...

melanie and brett get married on new years day

1.1.11. seattle.

melanie.

brett.

love.

ohhhhhhh.

yeah.

the most awesome wedding, for the most awesome couple on the most awesome day in many many many many moons. when i first talked to melanie on the phone, we clicked right away. i fell in love with her laid back approach. when she described her vision for her wedding as a grand party for all the people she and brett loved most, i knew she was the kind of bride i just had to work with. i feel so grateful that melanie and brett had marty and i out to seattle for their amazing new years day wedding. the power of their connection was moving. the kindess, and yes, all around awesomeness of their family and friends made for an incredible and memorable trip. also, a big special thanks to my super talented  friend kj for second shooting for me that day. see her images here:

courtney and ryan in love in provo

i have to be honest, i've been putting off blogging all week. because you see, down, a post or two  below? i really felt famous there for a day---and all of your super kind, supportive comments (thank you x one million = grateful me)? well i didn't want it to end. but i think i've found the perfect couple to help me move on. i want to hang out with ryan and courtney. and play board games. and feel really funny because courtney laughs easily, and watch the way ryan looks at courtney because i'm creepy like that and i've alwasy been a people watcher, not to mention a sucker for love (obviously).

courtney and ryan drove down from rexburg, id for the occasion, and we all had a grand time.

YAN'S STUDIO SPACE FOR RENT

so, with so much studio work floating around lately, i've gotten a lot of emails wondering if i rent out the studio. the answer is... sometimes.

.kind of.

no, i don't know.

maybe?

here's the thing, the studio? is my BABY. my fourth baby. we put our hearts into creating the space-- our whole hearts. and every time i walk into the space, no matter what kind of day i'm having, i feel like---me. at peace. the whole thing is a dream realized. and though my mother tells me i was excellent at sharing as a child, i've felt more than a little protective of sharing this.

here's the other thing.

i'm a mom. i have real babies, ones not so clean and pristine. i have a husband. i have a busy business inside and outside of the studio. what i don't have is a lot of extra time to use the studio in all the ways i've dreamed up. it just doesn't make sense to keep the space all to myself anymore.

so while i am still shouting from the rooftops:"the studio is mine mine mine! all mine! and won't be giving it up any time soon, i am opening it up to others to rent on select days.

NAMELY:

Tuesdays and Thursdays - the studio will

now be available to rent.

What is it?

Located in downtown Provo, UT, the studio is pretty much  a big white box of shooting space with tall windows for ample natural light. furnished with a bed, two couches, various chairs, tables, lamps, and pillows--all movable if you like.

Groundrules:

1. All work taking place in the studio must be family friendly. No shoots or projects involving nudity or implied nudity.

2.The studio can only be rented to one party at a time, unless special permission is obtained from Yan.

How Much?

The hourly rate is $35 (minimum of two hour rental), the day rate is $175

Contact:

email me at photography.yan@gmail.com if you are interested.

and well, that's about it. To see shoots that have taken place in the studio have a look at these:

ballet shoot

(this is a video inside of the actual studio)

simple session in studio

BALLET WEDDING SHOOT FEATURED ON SNIPPET AND INK

darcie (you probably know her from pink peach cakes, which i haven't blogged about, which is a very severe crime because darcie's cakes are incredible) and i are pretty good pals. i'm married to her brother, our kids get to play and yank toys away from each other, and we have time to talk. and scheme. and plan. it was one such day last fall when we were discussing ideas for a themed wedding shoot. as soon as the word, "ballet," was spoken, both of our eyes lit up, "oooohs," escaped our lips, and we knew we had something good. so we rounded up a crew of all stars, some you may have heard of, some you may not have, but you definitely should change that  (see vendor list at bottom of post), and here is what everyone came up with.

i have to confess that i am not at all responsible for most of the creativity featured here. darcie created our lovely inspiration board that we worked from, among other things (ahem, the cake and chandelier shown in this post). Sarah J Winward of Ea, aka the angel responsible for the flowers, was also heavily involved in the planning stages and styling -  and everyone else, of course worked their incredible magic in their various roles. i was just the lucky one who got to photograph it all.

Some of the images you see below here are digital and some are film. some of the film images, have what are known in the film world as "light leaks," which basically means light touched the film before it was developed, but i don't mind if you don't.

the shoot took place in december in the studio, yes before christmas, but we've all kept quiet about the whole thing as we waited excitedly for it to go up one of the loveliest wedding blogs on the entire world wide web, Snippet and Ink. Today is the day! Please head over and see Kathryn's top picks of the images that she felt told the story best, and leave a comment if you're so inlcined, because you know, its the nice thing to do. =)

Here is the list of the local Utah vendors involved:

photography: Yan Photography

cake: Pink Peach Cakes

dress: Alta Moda Bridal

invitations: Rowley Press

hair and makeup: Versa Artistry

floral arrangements: Ea

location: yan photography studio, provo, ut.

styling: myself, Darcie Sanders of Pink Peach Cakes, and Sarah J. Winward of Ea.

and our gorgeous models shay and randy - it would criminal to leave them unacknowledged.

thank you, thank you, thank you.