Crush on Slice of Life {i heart faces}

slice of life.
our marz in her box clubhouse. dreaming of being a princess. our little kingdom. my royalty. 

i heart faces

slice of life

Crush on Moving Pictures { joe + shannon }

Five years ago, Skye Snyder Photography added "& Videography" to our name. Joshua and I realized that videography was a missing service and one that works best as a team. Integrating photographic stills with moving film brought the love stories to life. I assisted Joshua as second videographer on his weddings and quickly learned that this was no easy transition from photography. Video plays by a different set of rules. 
I bought myself a palm-held HD camcorder and immediately felt more at home with the mobility of it. Joshua's pro video gear felt invasive and intimidating, a conflict with my comfort and style of photography. 
I made a promise to myself and included improving this craft to help reinvent my photography on my 2011 MUST DO LIST. After many frustrating hours with technical issues, I was determined to figure out these issues for myself or I would never really learn how it worked. I could have acquired a pilot's license for the amount of time spent but I am many steps closer to bringing an even better product to my clients. 
The Two Tublets was my first attempt at making a slideshow web-friendly and accessible using the free service by animoto. 
Today's feature is a little "stills film" made on imovie and made accessible through the free service, Vimeo. Gumball Rings was filmed on my JVC GZ-HD40, edited in imovie (despite my husband's, "Why aren't you using Final Cut?" protests from the background). It stars my upcoming summer bride and groom, shannon + joe, during their engagement session. 
enjoy.

Gumball Rings by skye of skosh films from skye snyder on Vimeo.

Crush on Spring Has Sprung Photography Challenge

Since our beginnings,  Skye Snyder Photography has celebrated spring with it's annual Spring Has Sprung Sale. It's wildly popular. This year we decided to combine all the things our clients and supporters love; photo contests, mini-sessions, and winning, into one big ball of bloomin' photography goodness. 

I was going to use a pretty, pretty flower photo but remembered this one of my little ones springing around the bed. Like I said, Spring is the theme...make it your own! Have fun!

Spring Has Sprung Photography Challenge

- DEADLINE: All images must be received by April 8th. All the images will be posted in a Facebook album on our page on April 9th for all to view and enjoy. I will choose the finalists from my favorites as well as fan favorites. The winner will be announced April 17th (the last day of spring break).

- Photograph anything that reminds you of the excitement, renewal, fun, joy, beauty of spring. Interpret SPRING any way you like.

- Send one or two (no more please) jpeg images to yuyuskye@aol.com. Images must be appropriate for Facebook and all ages. 

- Any and all photographers, pro or amateur are encouraged to participate in our game. Let's all celebrate art and a new season. Try winning this one for Mom...I'm sure she'd love some professional portraiture for Mother's Day this year! 

WINNER(S)

- Winner will receive a complimentary mini-session during the only mini-session offered this season. Session will be on a weekend in the beginning of June. Exact dates have not been established. If the winner cannot participate on that date, the winner is free to donate their session to another family who may not otherwise afford professional portraiture. I have many families who would love this opportunity. If you can't be there, let me surprise someone with the gift of family portraiture. 

- Challenge Participants will have first dibs at the open time slots.  Our mini-sessions are unbelievably popular, so participating gets you on the list before it sells out. ($200 includes session and (4) 5x7 museum quality prints. Additional prints and products are also discounted for the mini-sessions!)

SPONSOR(S)

- If you are a business and would like to be a sponsor in our spring challenge, simply donate an item and we will let everyone on our page know about you. It's a great way for us small businesses to connect and support one another. 

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE and THANK YOU for participating in our games. You make Skye Snyder Photography bloomin' happy! :)

Crush on Sun Flare & I Heart Faces

This week's challenge on i heart faces is Sun Flare. With light being at the core of what we photographers do, I would suspect most of us get a little weak at the knees when it lights up our subjects so beautifully.  I chose this photo because the light is what brings out Jessi's femininity and softness. On any other given moment, you'd catch her jumpin' sand dunes on her quad.

Crush on Destinating | Part IV

Welcome to Part IV of our Destination Wedding series for the traveling bride. Missed a post?
Part I : To Destinate or Not to Destinate?
Part II :  Disadvantages of a Destination Wedding
Part III:  Where to Start?
The first wedding we are showcasing in our destination wedding series is one that makes me pine to remarry Big Daddy Joshua all over again. With each trip to Mexico, our shopping bags are lined with Day of the Dead la catrina figurines. We love them.  We even commissioned an artist to make our very own catrina for the back yard. What is a catrina? She is a skeleton figure representing Aztec goddess Mictecacihuatl and a symbol of the Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, celebration. 
Many who choose to have a destination wedding want the finesse and style of the culture of the country they are getting married in. 
In this post, you will be enjoying the works of photographer, Jillian Mitchell and the wedding planning and design of Yazmin Ramirez of Sea of Dreams. 
Sayulita, Mexico
Sayulita is on the western coast of Mexico, forty five minutes north of the Puerto Vallarta airport. The picturesque village of Sayulita is a surfers' paradise peppered with boutique hotels that are perfect for intimate wedding celebrations.

16 seconds of ads and then Sayulita on the Today Show.

This is what happens when you combine flair, culture, chichi, and romance into a Day of the Dead inspired wedding in Sayulita, Mexico.
Look at those two on the bicycle {SQUEAL----i LOVE them}. 

a mexican serenade {swooooooon } i love the romance and sound of live mexican song

made to order churros for wedding "cake"

Have you noticed the Lotería theme? Lotería is a game similar to Bingo but played with these wonderful artisan cards with images and names; la luna, la campana, el violoncello instead of letters and numbers. The table placemats are the Lotería game boards. The game cards were also used for lining the vials of Mexican tea (in a photo featured above).

All images have been used by permission by the photographer, Jillian Mitchell of Jillian Mitchell Photography. 
Thank you Jillian and Yazmin for letting us share your beautiful work!

What are the laws? As US citizens will we be legally married if we get married in Mexico?
Yes, but you do need to proper paperwork. A planner would have this arranged for you but be sure to have and ask about the following items and call the appropriate government office (embassy) for up-to-date information.
Here is the US Embassy in Mexico's URL http://mexico.usembassy.gov/eng/main.html
1) Passports (make several copies for paperwork filing)
2) Marriage application
3) Birth certificatess
4) Blood tests
5) Four passport holding witnesses who are 18 years old or older 
6) If remarrying, a divorce decree that is at least one year old, notarized or apostilled* and translated into Spanish. You cannot be remarried in Mexico unless you have been divorced for one year. 
7) If widowed, a death certificate translated into Spanish and notarized.
8) You need a civil ceremony to make it legal in the USA. The marriage certificate will be apostilled and your own embassy can translate the document into English
9) Arrive 3 days before your wedding date to finalize the paperwork and testing
*An apostilled document is a document attached to your foreign document to make it legal in the other  country.


For more on the laws read "How to Get Married in Mexico" from ehow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4443160_married-mexico.html

Crush on Fix-It-Fridays #89

Good morning and happy friday. It's Fix-It-Friday over on I Heart Faces -- a weekly opportunity to play with your editing skills, share technique, and learn a few things. This week's photo was taken by Dana of Dana Suggs Photography. It doesn't need fixin' as it has wonderful components; color, texture, a simple at-ease pose, and an expression that is natural and confident. But it sure is going to be fun to play with :)
Here is Dana's SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera)

My first edit using the basic tools; crop, levels, and blur. I really like the horizontal format of this shot and I cannot bear to crop out those fabulous turquoise and orange chairs. They happen to be my favorite colors.  

For fun, I threw on the Soho action from Wish Photography's World of Wow Set. This action pulls out the cyan colors in the chair, his eyes, and the back wall. 

And to finish up, I had to try a black and white. I returned to my original edit. Stuck to the basic editing tools and added a touch of sepia filter. Texture becomes foremost in this shot; both walls, the slick of the chairs, his shirt and jeans are lined and rippled. I definitely did not want to over edit his skin. I like the shadows--not too bright. 

I still think this is a great shot that doesn't need a lot of editing and fancy tricks. Earlier in the week, I played with and over edited an image. I asked for help on my FB page and my sister-in-law reminded me that sometimes we have to, "Edit yourself, not the photo."

Crush on Denim & Spring 2011

The PFA of Roy Gomm Elementary in Reno, Nevada is incredibly dedicated to its school. The parents and volunteers of the PFA organize one of the best school fundraisers in town. PFA member, Lainie Reuter, contacted me to donate an auction item. This year, a 16x20 framed art print from our Nevada Skies Photography Art Collection will be included in the Denim & Spring Fundraiser. Thank you for supporting our business and including us in the auction.

This is the second print in a series of landscapes that capture the vastness and beauty of Nevada. The first print, "Nevada Ranch"  was donated to the American Cancer Society's silent auction in Fallon, Nevada. This signed, framed (16x20) print (11x14), Skye Snyder Photography Artist Collection Photograph has been donated to the event and can be bid on during the auction. Tickets to the event to support Roy Gomm Elementary and its students can be made through this link.

AUCTION ITEM DOES NOT HAVE THE SKYE SNYDER PHOTOGRAPHY WATERMARK

DO NOT COPY, PRINT, OR SCAN. PROTECTED BY US COPYRIGHT LAWS

LEGAL PROPERTY OF SKYE SNYDER PHOTOGRAPHY

A little backstory. Most of the images in my Nevada Skies series have been taken en route to or from a session. This particular photograph was taken at the Nevada/ California border on my way to Portola. I was headed to the Chalet View Lodge to participate in a wedding faire. The snow fell for two days leaving the desert mountains draped in a white velvet blanket. White and blue. I had to pull over and photograph it. I called my husband to tell him the roads were fine, the view was stunning, and it was a perfect drive through the desert. Ten seconds later, the car hit ice and crashed into the cement barricade over Long Valley U.C. Bridge. The car was totaled but I was able to walk toward the comforting embrace of a stranger, Brian. White, blue, and us. 

This photograph reminds me to soak a little longer in the who's and the what's that make life beautiful.

I plan to return in spring to photograph another image for the Nevada Skies Series. 

If you know Brian, send him my {thanks}.