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  • I Put the Lizzie in the Bee!

    I'm so glad you stopped by! : ) Hanging out around here is one of the best ways to spend some time, so kick off your boots and sit a spell! You should probably go 'head and bookmark it, too, 'cause I know wild horses couldn't keep you away. I'm Beth, and I'm a storyteller. No, not the kind of storyteller (nicknamed Lizzie) that gets her mouth washed out when she's 9 years old for making up a WHOPPER of a tale about her little brother's "accident", but the kind that uses images! Remember before you could read, your mama would show you picture books and you could tell the whole story without knowing a single word? That's what I aim to do with my camera. Ten years, twenty years...100 years from now, when your hair is blue and you can't even remember what your name is, your great-grandbabies will be able to gaze at portraits of your life and know your story. That's where I come in. I reckon that since I can't draw, or paint, or sing, or dance, God knew that I would need a way to artistically express the beauty and FUN I see around me...and he gave me the gift of perception with a camera lens. I hope you'll give me a holler so that we can shoot the breeze ; ) about the gorgeous portraits you've been dreaming of. I've got an "easy" button - it's that "drop me a line" one right underneath here. In the meantime, you should peek around some. I already love you like beans & cornbread. xoxo

02.14.12

Happy Valentine’s Day! | The { C } Family and Faithful Friends | Arizona Horse Photographer

Hi guys! My blogging has been behind lately, but I’m determined to catch up – starting today : ). Yay me, right? Happy Valentine’s Day! Before you head out to buy me a dozen pink roses (really, that’s so sweet!!) I wanted to share this session with you. I was actually all weepy when I edited some of these images. I always connect as deeply as I can with my clients (without them thinking I’m creepy…I hope!) and I do tend to get emotionally involved in their stories, but this particular one is so close to my heart, and all-to-real…even down to the fact that the beloved pony in my life (Roxy) is also a buckskin!  Please meet the beautiful Tequila : )

 

These images weren’t captured by me (most of them belong to this young rider and her parents, but if you would like credit for your image please email me!).  Tequila’s girl is the gorgeous Alex. You might remember Alex’s senior pictures last spring ~ they featured her newest horse (I affectionately refer to her as a dinosaur) ~ Gwen : ).  Tequila, however, is Alex’s first horse. These pictures are several years old – it’s so fun to see Alex in her much younger years as she was jumping these small jumps…because this is what she and Gwen do *now*!

Alex is all grown up now! She is actually getting ready to take Gwen and move to California to continue her training at a 3-Day Eventing facility (road to the Olympics? Yes!).  Tequila is truly a winner – she and Alex have raced barrels, jumped fences and cross country courses, and participated in several parades.  Alex and Tequila are just as close as ever.  It’s not that Alex wants to leave Tequila behind, but her very sweet buckskin horse is now blind.  Take a second and process that ~ because what I’m about to explain is truly the best example of a horse and human bond that I’ve witnessed with my own eyes.  Tequila is stabled with another horse to help her “see” now, but she allowed Alex to put her in a trailer, haul her 30 minutes away, and unload her in an entirely unfamiliar area.  Then she stood completely quiet (and calm, which is a small miracle for a sighted horse…let alone a blind one!) while traffic sped by repeatedly along the road we were on.  She and Alex walked through open desert together for our shoot…Alex became her eyes.  Not once did Tequila spook, protest, complain, whinny, or express any other form of discomfort.  She let the family’s dogs sniff her and play near her feet.   She allowed Alex to sit at her feet and Alex wasn’t the least bit concerned about being stepped on.  Tequila smelled me, dealt with my camera shutter clicking repeatedly, and then made me speechless (another miracle!) when Alex hopped up on her bareback.  She didn’t rear, didn’t buck, didn’t fight…just allowed the girl that she loves and trusts most in this world to lead her around, pose her, and put her into a pretty frame.

I don’t know how else to express in words to you how deep the bond runs between Alex and Tequila, but it’s got to be the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in a very long time.  If you have ever doubted that horses “know” their humans, I hope that these images leave no doubt in your mind, and that your heart can see what mine saw when I took them.

Now, since Alex is getting ready to start a new chapter in her life, her family wanted to have some portraits made to capture this new season together. The best part for me? They brought along their two furry cuties, Max and Elvis (their new standard poodle puppy!). Elvis kind of stole the show, and I was happy to let him : ).  Here are some of my favorites from our time together…how beautiful is this family?? Thank you, {C} family, for allowing me to spend time with you all. This will be marked as one of my top 5 sessions ever ~ I am honored that you trusted me with this special time! xoxo

 

 

 

 

Posted in Families, Horse

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01.31.12

{ Jump on Board the Valentine Train ! } | The {S} Brothers | Kissing Booth Photographer Phoenix AZ

To say that I adore these little men is such a huge understatement ~ they are squishy goodness all over the place! : )  I met them about a year ago for their first Valentine’s session and we’ve been pals ever since.  Watching them grow this year has been so much fun for me – they are some of my favorite guys to spoil!  I think by now I am synonymous with chocolate, ice cream, lollipops, and balloons ; )  We met up @ a park in Scottsdale to play with the kissing booth – you should’ve seen the girls lined up! Here are a few of my favorites as their sneak peek – every day should be kissing booth day with these two!

Posted in Babies, Children, Valentine's Day

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01.30.12

{ Angela } | Savvy Styled Sessions | Nothing to wear? Help is here!

We’ve all been there – staring at a closet full of clothes in every color and style imaginable, and moaned those depressing words: “I have NOTHING to wear!!”  Never fear, y’all – I have a super hero for you!  This is my sweet friend, Angela, who owns Savvy Styled Sessions.  She is the fashion BFF that you’ve always wished for – the magical woman who can walk into any department store and have you looking like a superstar in about 4.2 minutes.  Seriously! She has styled several of my clients and their photo shoots have been GORGEOUS…but she offers a lot more than just styling for photos!  She’ll (gasp!!) help clean out your closet and throw your mom jeans in the Goodwill pile and then help you do some damage control with the last decade’s melon & lime colored wool turtleneck : ).  She’s the BEST!  Here is a little peek at some of her new promo shots – she has some BIG things on the horizon and I was so honored that she asked me to capture her pretty-ness : ).  So excited for you, Ang! xoxo

 

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01.25.12

Little Miss {M} is 3! | Scottsdale, AZ Child Photographer

Miss {M}’s sweet family was one of my very first sessions a couple of years ago (Miss M was toddling around and holding onto her big brother’s hand during that session!).  Hard to believe that this big girl is the same little muffin! I’m super attached to her whole family now and can’t wait to shoot her auntie’s senior pictures soon…beauty runs deep in this family.  Ok, so down to the nitty gritty – Miss {M} enjoys her Sunday afternoon naps and would rather that they not be interrupted by annoying photographers who have no sense of embarrassment on public streets. That being said, she was a trooper even though she was pretty sleepy and wanted me to disappear ; ).  I brought along the fun purple guitar thinking that she might want to bust out a tune, but it just about made her cry…nothing could convince her to get near it!  I even offered to give her a concert featuring the Itsy Bitsy Spider with me on lead vocals, but she was totally unimpressed.  Miss {M}’s fave? Strawberry gum…it’s a great snack. Swallowed. Because if you swallow it, the chances of getting a fresh piece are pretty good when your mama is trying her best to keep you from having a meltdown on the sidewalk during your 3-year-old photo session : ).  I thought that maybe some pink ice cream might help her break out of the sleepies, but note to self: no topping the sugar with more sugar (whipped cream!) or your great idea turns into a stinky one.  After dragging my favorite preschooler in pink around for an hour, we strolled past the horses – and the party started!  Miss {M}’s auntie is an eventer with a dinosaur-sized horse, so she is absolutely comfortable with ponies…and this pair LOVED her!  They craned their necks around to watch her and {M} played hide & seek with them – seriously!  She giggled and even TALKED!  It was a Sunday post-nap miracle. : )  Enjoy your peek, {M}!  Next time we play together I’ll bring you a 5-hour Energy! Just don’t tell your mama. : ) xoxo

Posted in Children, Horse, Urban

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01.23.12

The {B} Family | Gonna be a Texan! | Phoenix Urban Family Photographer

How many pretty people can you fit into one family? Apparently a lot! Meet my sweet, SO talented friend, Jen…and her pretty peeps!  ; ) I met Jen through a mutual friend and traveled to Tehachapi, CA to photograph them in 2010.  We quickly realized that we had a TON in common and became instant pals – especially since this girl has got some major photography talent of her own!  Don’t be surprised if we’re reading blog posts from her soon : ).  So anyways, fast forward to this weekend and we had a little reunion in downtown Phoenix because her family gets to become a bunch of Texans and eat gravy on everything and say “y’all” in every sentence and wear big hats and big hair and….yeah, live my dream!  Her hubby has a new job there, so she made him pull off I-10 and include a family photo shoot on their road trip – ha!  I don’t know about you guys, but when my family moved across the country my mom was lucky if we all had clean clothes for the day…let alone did we have clothes that coordinated for a photo shoot!  Jen is a super mom (and super wife!) though, so she whipped out her sewing machine in the hotel and just made all of them clothes the night before with the dog and cat looking on (yeah, they’re along for the move, too, even though I tried to talk her into LEAVING the cat in CA, because who really needs the dang cat anyways, right?)  . Ok, maybe she didn’t make all of their clothes. But she DID make her youngest daughter’s dress – I know, I told you she is talented!  Enjoy your sneak peek, Jen the Texan!! I can’t wait til we meet up on I-10 again! xoxoxo

Posted in Children, Couples, Families, Urban

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VOL25 - January 23, 2012 - 8:02 pm

LOVE this!! :) SO cute, and I love how you added in shapes from the overlay set! :)

Alicia -- Beba Photography - January 24, 2012 - 12:41 am

Love these! These are great, Beth! I love that last family picture so much–super cute! : ) Keep up the great work!

beth - January 24, 2012 - 1:42 am

Thanks!! I LOVE your stuff! : )

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