Adorable Baby--Photos of the Heart Dana Stone -Beauty and Child Photographer-Bisbee Arizona

I had a call last week from a dear friend who asked me to take newborn shots of her granddaughter…..Trust me, I didn't hesitate for a moment! In fact, I was just bemoaning the fact that I am waiting for several new ones to arrive!

So to sneak another baby in before we leave for San Angelo Texas just thrilled me to no end! This wiggly little girl was only asleep for 8 minutes during the entire shoot! But I couldn't complain….after all, she is adorable!

Retro Love--Photos of the Heart Dana Stone -Beauty and Child Photographer-Bisbee Arizona

So as I shot this mother and daughter, I just kept thinking about how much I LOVED their outfits…attitude… and love for each other. Being a mom is a tough job, I should know! I have 2 awesome kids …that I love with all of my heart. So I love shooting mothers and kids!  It's a special moment that passes much too quickly!

As I processed the images, I found more and more that just fit a vintage feel. Most of the time, I have a very clean style, colors and textures take center stage…but this time, I couldn't stop playing with a retro feel.

 I hope Christy loves them as much as I do, but if she really likes my typical style ….I have the rest done with more of a "Dana" feel.

Oh my goodness! --Photos of the Heart Dana Stone -Child Photographer-Bisbee Arizona

I haven't even finished looking at all the images from this shoot, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE her! She is adorable when she smiles, but gosh, the moody black and whites are making me happy!

The Noble Family - Photos of the Heart Family Photographer

I have loved knowing Monette…she is an AMAZING grandma. Every time one of her kids comes to visit, we take family pictures! This is the 4th family portrait that I have been blessed to take with her and her kids…and grandkids. I've even been able to capture a great grandchild for her! There is no greater work that we will accomplish that that which is done in our own homes...

Michelle and Rob - Photos of the Heart Family Photographer

Michelle and Rob asked me to do a mini shoot for their family. They run a photography business together but needed to have someone take pictures of their extended family….and brand new baby girl! Of course I was thrilled to help out a family with such cute kids (and a cute mom too!) Here are a few of the pictures from our shoot!

The Bassingthwaite Clan - Photos of the Heart Family Photographer

I confess that one of the reasons that I love being a photographer is my poor memory. I routinely forget stuff….not just what I ate for breakfast or where the car keys are, but BIG stuff. Turns out that I have a disorder that makes it hard for me to create long term memories. But when I have a photo, I remember how I felt when I created it, what was going on that day, and all the happy memories too!

So when Crystal wrote a note about working with me, I had to laugh. I couldn't have told you where or when we met originally, but I know that I love her family! I do remember our first shoot together; it was a rainy day and could not be rescheduled. I was TERRIFIED that the shoot would be a disaster....but we played and even braved the wet weather to get an amazing shoot. They were so amazing that I still have her family pictures on my marketing files and business cards! I have since met up with her family for more pictures and have been impressed with what a great job she has done with her children.  They are loving and kind to each other and love being a family....I'll shoot her family any day of the week.

So here is what she said….
I met Dana from Photos of the Heart back in 2007 when I was at the park trying to get a picture of my kids with my point and shoot. She offered to take a picture of myself and my kids and said she was a photographer. 

I had never used a professional photographer before or had pictures taken because my youngest son has autism and can be VERY tough to photograph. I decided to give her a shot and had family pictures taken with her while my husband was home on R & R. They were way beyond my expectations. 

Dana not only got great shots of my kids but made having their pictures taken FUN! Dana gets down on the kids level and makes them laugh, smile and just enjoy themselves. And if she can make my son Carter laugh and smile for a picture than she can get a great shot of any kid. 

I highly recommend her as a photographer as she's just a great person who not only knows photography but "gets" kids.

Picking up his pictures

This family came by to purchase pictures. I couldn't believe how much this little boy had grown! When they are that small, just a few weeks can make all the difference. He was holding up his head and smiling so much more! I don't normally take pictures while clients are ordering…but he was so intent and so sweet that I had to snap one in the afternoon light.

The Other Woman...... {Bridal Photography-Dana Stone}

At weddings, the bride is The Star of the Show.   Even if she isn't a bridezilla, it really is all about her, isn't it?
The Dress.
The Shoes.
The Man.
The Perfect Location.
and on and and on and on.....

There are shows dedicated to planning weddings, picking the dress and yes, mocking the bridezillas.  This is not one of those situations though.

In this case, the Bride was definetely not freaking out about her dress....or her shoes....or the cake....and she knew that her dreamboat would be standing with her and saying yes, kissing her and sweeping her off into the sunset....

But she was freaking out a little bit.

She HATES having her picture taken.   As a bridal photographer, that is NEVER a good sign.   I knew I would have at most 10 minutes with her at any given moment before she freaked out and walked away.  (It was closer to 5 most of the time!)  But since she is beautiful, I wasn't too worried about that part.

Unfortunately, the weather for this outdoor wedding was not cooperating.   The Mother of the Groom consoled her.   The sister of the bride reassured her.  The fiancee' promised it would be fine.   The Grandmother of the Groom lovingly stressed out away from the bride-to-be and just said it would be fine when she was anywhere near the bride. The photographer (That would be me) tried not to panic about the alternative indoor location and the lighting situation and did I bring enough flash units.....until...suddenly...

The Bride was putting on her dress.  The mother of the bride was watching her daughter and granddaughter get ready. The sky grew even darker and then the best man walked in and announced that the tornado sirens had started to go off.    The hail started pelting the beautiful flowers lining the isle and the DJ finished packing up all of his equipment.

NOW was time to freak out.   The hyperventilating was not making lacing the dress up any easier.   I'm imagining the entire wedding in a dimly lit basement, pool table and bar in the background....but there we were, underground,  just in case.   All of the immediate family and wedding party are filing into the basement and the Bride was panicked because Mr Right couldn't see her yet, but she really didn't want him to die in a tornado outside either! And she wasn't looking forward to finding out if  200 guests could fit in the basement for a wedding.  (Although I must admit that it looked like a really fun place to hang out and relax....at a less formal occasion!)

I confess....I was REALLY stressed at this point and started to silently pray.  "Please let the rain stop.   Don't let everything end up in Oz.  Don't let all my camera rental gear that is still upstairs blow away because I can't afford to replace it.  Let the guests arrive safely...and don't let anyone have a nervous breakdown!"

Everyone tried to be calm so we didn't spook the Bride any more than she already was.   And then the Star of the Moment ....the wonderful, amazing Maid of Honor started cracking jokes.   She opened the champagne.  She distracted the bride (with the help of the awesome, fantastic Mother of the Groom-but she deserves her own blog post!) till the worst was over.

And wouldn't you know it?    The chairs didn't blow away.   The groomsmen dried everything off with pool towels and the DJ reset and the sun peeked out and the guests watched two people in love say "I Do." And they lived happily ever after!

Most of the guests had no idea just how much the Maid of Honor did to save the day...and then it rained, but not one person even cared! Dancing in the rain is okay....just not saying your vows!

So this post is for all of the Maids of Honor out there. Those are the girls that run around, making last minute saves, reassuring the bride, rescuing the day, and doing all the things to help the day run smoothly...but THIS ONE couldn't keep a straight face for 10 seconds!

(Don't you love the bride's amused smirk? I was counting on that face, but I didn't realize Erin would collapse in laughter quite that fast!)


I really enjoyed watching Erin laugh in Julia's face when she stressed out about pictures, dance to Sinatra, and just make everyone be happy just because she was there!   Thanks for the fun!  (and yes, the bride is in here too......isn't she georg?)

And just so you know, THIS Maid of Honor was thanked, loved and appreciated....a lot!

Twins! {Dana Stone- Sierra Vista Newborn Photographer}

I have wanted to play with some twins for a while now and I finally met these two sweet little girls!   My heart melted.   How could I possibly decide which one to snuggle with first?  

We had a very wiggly set of girls and only got a few pictures, but I got a call later that beautiful Ms. H was STILL asleep 5 hours later.  I guess I wore her out!   So we will have another playdate soon....after they have played and exhausted themselves!

But my favorite picture from the morning was this one...taken with my iphone....but only because I got to hug both of them at the same time!

True Love Army Style-Photos of the Heart {Military photographer}

This couple was so sweet.  She came across the country to see him graduate from XXXXXXX Army School.   (Yeah, you didn't really think I was going to share that, did you?)

Anyway, due to the crazy forest fires here, we had to nix some of my favorite spots for couples.  But they rocked it anyway!     

It was fun to see them relax and enjoy a moment together....with no kids!  :)  

Seriously, don't you just love them?