JOSH + EMILY

So antsy to share this little highlight of the Vannette/Vanderbyl wedding tonight!! I have fallen in love with these winter weddings; cold and gloomy add so much more drama to the pictures and I can't get enough of them. Plus,  Josh and Emily are SUCH a stunning couple. So radiant and so snuggly with one another. I'm pretty sure the smiles did not go away AT ALL the entire day. Even with El Nino stopping by for a visit, Emily happily walked out of her parent's home to find her groom. With her umbrella in her hand, she truly could not hide her excitement. Her exact words were, "It's part of the story, right?" :)And it poured buckets of rain on this day. Somehow it paused in the exact hour we had scheduled to take all of the formal photos though! And it definitely goes down as one of my favorite weddings yet!Huge thanks to Theresa Wooner for second shooting this day with me! and Kayla Carlisle for some awesome reception images!!how gorgeous is that gown!?

BRENT + JAMIE

So the first wedding for 2016 happened on the second day of the year! And I could not be more thrilled with the turnout! I anticipated gorgeousness after meeting this couple at the engagement session, but this day was beyond my imagination. Here is just a little highlight of the day.. their entire wedding gallery will be a little more private.The day started out at Jamie's parents home where the girls got pretty for the day (Make-up by Kailee Akin)Best decision of married life so far: The First Look. And Jamie requested a longer session for these.. so naturally, theres quite a bit! Theresa Wooner stood along side me to capture all of this & she deserves a major shoutout for so many of these images!  I'm pretty sure Jamie designed these bridesmaids dresses.. velvet swooped down their backs.. so dreamy!And now the fun stuff! Reception at the lovely Koetsier Ranch in VisaliaGorgeous, right?

Jen + Adam

A beautiful March wedding at The Bakersfield Country Club in Bakersfield, Ca. The day was timeless, fun, and pure perfection. I could not have asked for a more perfect day! Congratulations to Jen + Adam Papasergia! (I love saying that name) ;)

Amber

Just added a new "Meet the Photographer" link to my site and blog. It might be a bit too much, but I like it. In case the link doesn't work, I've pretty much copied & pasted the eeeennntttiiiiirrrrreeeee post here too ;Pwww.simplysmithphotography.com/meet-the-photogHow do I begin describing myself without including my family?! These boys are my life. We are together 7 days a week and the only hours away from the little guys are when they are in school until 3pm (that is of course if Grama hasn't stolen them for a sleepover, which happens more often than not).First off, there's my husband, Chad.We have been in a relationship for over 11 years now. We have been blessed with a marriage that begins with our friendship and the love just manifests from there. I would have to say, the number one thing that attracted me to Chad was his face, most definitely his big smile and then his ambition. He was a confident 17 year-old boy who knew he would somehow be successful and able to take care of himself and I absolutely *adored* that about him. It is being around him that I have developed the desire to work hard and chase dreams. You cannot help but be motivated when you are around him. Now on top of that, he enjoys a good margarita on any occasion and I could definitely live with that!This handsome young man is our first born, Landon.When we found out we would become parents we were 20 years young! I was a student at Porterville College chasing a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Studies while Chad was going through the final steps of entering the Academy of California Corrections. We were living in a two bedroom condo. During our pregnancy we found a larger home in Tulare, Ca so Chad would be closer to work (Corcoran State Prison). We brought Landon home from the hospital there and boy was I overwhelmed with love. I specifically remember an exact moment when I walked by him as he was laying in his swing at just two days old and having to stop and take deep breaths to compose myself of this feeling that I had never felt before. I still have not been able to describe that feeling, but I remember it all the time. This little boy has been the most agile, quick, competitive, athletic, flexible, and fun little boy I could have ever imagined. He takes life very seriously and is not quick to trust others.. if he considers you a friend, it is a huge compliment.When Landon was just a few weeks old we were able to buy our first home. *yay* It was something that we did not think would be possible for another few years, but thankfully we were given an opportunity that we just couldn't refuse. Chad was working full time at the prison while I stayed home taking care of our little Landon and was about half way finished with school. Landon and I would play during the day and I would do homework late at night. Life was simple, but my goal was to hurry up and get an education so I could work too! lol. It was during this time when Chad had surprised me with my first real camera! It was the Canon Rebel t2i I believe.. the perfect starter camera for any Mom who wanted to capture every single moment of her little ones. I began posting all of my pictures that I would take of Landon on Myspace. Remember Myspace?? LOL It was nothing great, just candids of him at the park, or playing baseball, or swinging on a swing. After a few weeks I remember getting messages from old friends and followers of my Myspace account asking if I would take some photos of their little ones. I was shocked. Never did I ever think that was thrilling. I wanted to be a teacher, not a photographer. But I tried it out anyway.. and I. absolutely. loved. it.Landon was just a year and a half when the surprise happened. We found out we would be expecting a second child. I cried. I felt like everything was happening so fast and I did not think I was capable of finishing school while raising while raising two children... all while starting my own little photography business! Mind you.. I was only 21 and Landon was not a quiet or slow child. He wanted to play catch, chase the cat, do summersaults off the couch, yell at birds from the window.. he was everything a boy could be. I was scared for two.But then came Bryson..Boy was I wrong.. Bryson came and lit up our lives. He was all smiles from the day he was born. Bryson lives for hugs and cuddles.. not backflips or baseball. He enjoys a good puzzle or craft. He gets along with everyone and lets you know when his feelings are hurt. God knew what he was doing when he put these boys in our lives. I was able to finish school with a BA in Liberal Studies from Brandman University and the photography venture has been one I would have never been able to dream of. All the tears and anxiety led to a ton of love and laughter.Before Bryson's first birthday in 2010 we were fortunate enough to upgrade to a bigger home in Visalia, CaMy husband is now a real estate investor while I run this business full-time. I have since upgraded the Canon Rebel, obviously! So much has happened in nine years, lots of growth, a ton of learning, great experiences, and leaps of faith.“What if I fall? Oh,but my darling,what if you fly?”- Erin Hanson

2014 Recap

Well, it's January. January is by far the slowest month for me, I like to go-go-go so sometimes January is a tough month for me. It FORCES me to slow down and I don't like that. But today I am finding myself reflecting back on 2014 and all the new adventures I was able to explore. 2014 was a pivotal year for Simply Smith Photography.. it was a year where I veered away from family portraits and dove deep into weddings. I seriously cannot be more thankful for that choice. I feel like it lead me to my purpose in this business. I feel like I found where I belong. Now the real question is.. do I really want to do every single wedding I am offered? And that was a hard one to answer at first because I can seriously live inside of someones wedding day.. I can get lost on a full Saturday enjoying the bride and her maids getting pretty and anxious.. I can stand back and witness the vows all day long, not to mention "her" Dad walking his daughter down the isle.. I can stare at the bouquet and centerpieces.. I love seeing the unique guestbooks and what song the bride and groom will dance to for their first dance as husband and wife. Now here's the kicker.. I have a husband myself! Not to mention a 5 year-old who is growing into his big boy body and realizing how good he really is at swimming and building legos and writing his name.. I also have a seven year-old who is learning new tricks on his trampoline every single day.. who likes to snuggle with me before bedtime. I know that these moments will not last forever, in fact, I know they will fly by. I'm assuming the joys of photographing a wedding won't ever dwindle away and I'll also bet money that for the rest of my lifetime people will always get married ;)Now if I've led you to believe that I won't be photographing weddings anymore, I'm sorry.. I blame that on my lack of writing skills mixed with womanly emotion. I will most definitely photograph weddings every year from here on out, but I have decided to limit the amount of weddings I will sign my name to. 2015 has booked up. I meet with my last client this Friday and she will, without a doubt, be the last woman who signs her name to a 2015 wedding contract with Simply Smith Photography. My family and my life miss me. I spent lots and lots of Saturdays away from backyard play time, BBQs, nieces and nephew birthday parties, evening dinners, swimming with the boys in summer, football games, etc. I think I did a pretty good job planning my weekends accordingly for this upcoming year. I actually stuck to my guns and have left June 2015 (you know, summer vacation? I didn't get that last year..) open this year for my family and friends. My sisters are going to love me this summer.Okay, I pretty much rambled and got off subject. The point of this post is to reflect on how busy and amazing 2014 was and how much fun I had photographing so many special days that year! and 2015 will be just as great!I shared as many images as I could find in my time machine from the gorgeous couples and their beautiful weddings. I'll try to recap on where they took place as I go along. :)**If you are reading this and you are planning your wedding for 2016, I want to let you know that new packages and pricing will be announced in June this year and like I said up there^, space will be extremely limited. So please check back JUNE 1ST!! :DFirst wedding that comes up is Annie and Jon Rosa out of Porterville, Ca. They were married at River Island Country Club. It was a beautiful day with tons and tons of family and friends! They know how to party.The next wedding that I want to share is Brittany and Caleb's rustic wedding. Drop-dead gorgeous bride and the cutest rustic details!Courtney and Will.. This wedding was so cute. It was super small and took place at the White Horse Inn in Three Rivers. (the famous rock picture)Oo.. this wedding was gorgeous. Summer at Wolf Lakes in Sanger with Jennie and Quintin..I also got to travel to Los Osos for the first and shoot a cute little couple for their engagement session.More summer time with Holly and Kelly :)This wedding might take the cake as the most beautiful and memorable. Only because it rained the entire time and we all had to work our butts off and improvise.. what a treat it was for me thought, because the rain made for some gorgeous images.Ending summer was not too bad when you have all these wedding to cull through.August came quickly and I got to photograph another Wolf Lakes event (Nat+Jorge) and then Karen and Paul Suhovy's in Visalia!Oops.. a little out of order here.. This wedding was one of my first weddings in 2014.. The Scheenstra wedding! I could have shared every single image (she had a chevron dance floor!!!)Okay, I'm getting tired of writing.. lol.. I'm going to jumble all of the gorgeous fall highlight into one group! (sorry.. fingers are tired) Fall did not disappoint. It was absolute perfection.November was just as wonderfulAnd there was Winter :)