Crush on Throttlegirl

Back in November we photographed KQ,soon to be known across the land as, Throttlegirl. KQ is a biker babe on a mission--to share her passion for life and positive living with the world. In 2012, she will be taking off across America on her burnt orange Harley Davidson spreading her motivational spirit along the way. A documentary crew will be filming her participation in the Hoka Hey Challenge--a 14-day motorcycle endurance race that covers 10,000 miles of American and Canadian soil. If you would like to follow Throttlegirl's adventures, visit her on Facebook. 


The first photograph of the Throttlegirl campaign on the desert flats of Dayton, Nevada.

Beautiful Verdi, Nevada

Verdi, Nevada and Sierra Nevadas, California

As always, we'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment or come join us on our Facebook page. 

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

I love camera phone images and  I love my Hipstamatic App for the iphone. I'm always entering images into their groovy contests. Never won, but it's the taking of them that is rewarding and addictive. I've yet to convince one of my brides to let me shoot the whole thing on my iphone (dreaming) ;) Any takers?
 I think most of us have an amazing story told in the albums on our phones. We whip out the camera phone when a moment strikes us...something we think is worthy of remembering and probably of the people you care about the most. The people you share your life with. An app I would love--print all my phone images into a nicely bound book. I would buy it and cherish the little bound book it created. The unpredictability and lack of control of the Hipstamatic is an experience or experiment that I highly recommend getting involved with. This shot was with the john smith lens and the kodot film.

Our Ruby 

Crush on Winter Wonderlands

This week's photo challenge over at i heart faces is "Winter Wonderland". I chose this photo of our Ruby in the front yard. There was so much snowfall that all the very close houses and cars have been hidden in whiteness.  The tree is blossoming. The day before this snowfall, we were wearing t-shirts, basking like lizards on the driveway and trying to make our own tie-dye creations. Very typical weather shift when you live at the base of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

thanks for visiting. I always appreciate your comments and thoughts :)

Crush on Senior Portraits { Reno Nevada High School Seniors }

The end of the year is filled with filing and sorting and running into photographs that were completed for the client but I never got to share with you here on the blog. Yesterday, I shared why I love photographing high school seniors and thought I would give you some unseen shots. 

richelle

You may remember her from a past post. This particular shot was to be used in a photography challenge, but time got away with me. I missed the deadline and here it still sits on my desktop waiting its turn. The challenge was "smirk". I think Richelle nailed it!

amy

I had a blast photographing Amy at her amazing family home. Thanks for letting me in on the inside jokes. And Sam, it was so { convenient ;) } for you to have been there! Thank you both for such a great day!

The black and white shot of Amy at the piano is one of all time favorite portraits.

I can't wait to meet the new Skye Snyder Photography 2011 Reps. If interested, check out this old blog post to get an idea. 

Crush on i heart faces ::: Self-portrait :::

Good Morning.  i heart faces has me mulling over the idea of a self-portrait. It's this week's challenge. And a challenge it is! I used to take self-portraits when inspiration hit. Now, I photograph Ruby, my 6 year old muse. I struggled with this challenge and then remembered this self-portrait.

We had just returned from a boat ride to Land's End, the farthest tip south in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and one of my favorite spots on earth. We stopped for a sweet treat. This little metallic ball held its own sweets; sugars of all types. When I shoot, my focusing hand always looks like the queen drinking tea. My Ruby is primping and fixing her hat in the ball reflection. This portrait seemed fitting this week.

Thanks to all the other entries for sharing. I have added "Self-Portrait" to the MUST DO list.

Crush on Thanks

Our Super Thanks Sale is almost here. For 3-days only, Nov 26th thru Nov 28th, we will offer screaming photo deals for the 2011 new year. Watch this space for details.....

Crush on Our Moo Minis

OOOOO. Our Moo Mini-Cards arrived today. Our Senior Reps are armed with some of the coolest littlest cards to pass along to you. Each card is a coupon for 10% off a senior session. Get one from the girls and book your session today! Want some mini-cards to promote your business and Skye Snyder Photography? We'll be happy to make you some! Call Skye at 775.250.5177 or email at skye@skyesnyder.com for more details.

Crush on Portraits

GrassRoots Portraiture Part I...


Our{MUSE}Photography Contest has been underway for three weeks and ends July 31st, 2010. We asked people to photograph their muse, their inspiration and post in a Facebook Gallery. The photograph with the most votes wins a $200 Skye Snyder Photography Gift Card. While artists were submitting images, we escaped to San Francisco for our own stirring of the muses. And in every trip, a visit to the SF MOMA is required. The current exhibit was "75 Years of Looking Forward" and "Calder to Warhol: Introducing the Fisher Collection". The Fisher's are the founders of the GAP Corporation and possess one of the most extensive contemporary art collections in the world. Word has it, they are considering opening a museum in the Presidio, Contemporary Art Museum of the Presidio or CAMP. 


This particular show tugged deeply at my soul strings as the pieces were portraits. The artists and their pieces were selected based on the impact they have had in shaping the conventions of portraiture and our understanding of portraits as art. There couldn't have been a more perfect show for me to witness at this time. 


I have been in the portrait business for two decades. I have never called myself an artist. I have never showed a single photograph. I even checked the "professional services" box on my Facebook page instead of "artist". I tried to change that today but it seems to be an un-doable transition. Can one go from providing a service to being an artist? For years, I have taken nice photographs of people in just the way they have wanted. Perhaps, their friends had one just like it over the fireplace. This is how they expected a portrait to be, so I photographed it. I provided the service. In the last few years, things have been changing. 


Some people call me to perform a service. Others call for an artist. I have learned that the latter are more trusting and true.   You can see it in the photographs. We have a relationship and they have given me permission to trust my eye, my instinct. I like working as an artist. 


As all these stars align, my muses have been stirred into rethinking what a portrait looks like. What does it mean? Why do we do it? 


What do you expect a portrait to be? How should it look?


Each of the following images heard, "You can't use that for a baby picture." All three for the same reason. A reason that is now challenging my ideas of what a portrait should or should not be.

GrassRoots Portraiture Part II to be continued...

Crush on Mama Lisa

I've always loved this photo. Mama Lisa is one of my favorite subjects. Her photographs stir something in me. Something feminine and timeless wrapped in the grace of a Pre-Raphaelite muse. I miss my friend.

Crush on Newborns II

Wanting to share and add a few shots as we begin to photograph the newborns from our {NEWBORN} special. Remember, any baby from one day to one year qualifies. There is no session fee and a $25 print credit but you must reserve your spot before the last day of June!

Look at Mr. M's eyes! They are so crystal clear you can see our reflections in them. In the close-up you can see his own feet, my arm, the blanket, the grass....his innocent orbs are mesmerizing.

{Little Miss Moore} ~ adorable ~

Crush on Washoe Valley Owls

Mama and Papa Owl have made their nest for the second year in my parents' back yard. They proudly hatched four owlets. These photos were taken the day after their maiden flight into the yard that became many firsts for me too.

and the watchful, proud Mama

all images and written text are protected under US Copyright Law

and are the legal property of Skye Snyder.

Please be mindful to not copy and use without permission.

Crush on Reno

15 years ago, I landed back on US soil after intending to stay away forever. As I collected my bags, disappointment and relief collided.  My head was empty as I travelled home again. It was in that emptiness that I was introduced to a new view. The desert Virginia Range Mountains.

I had grown up with a majestic view of the Sierra Nevadas. A stark contrast to the ugly, dry, barren mountains to the east. But that day, my view had changed.  Ethereal clouds cast themselves onto the rolling dirt. What once seemed dead blossomed with subtleties.  And the sky. The sky was endless. The universe was blue. The eastern view offered an ocean of thought, possibility, inspiration, a muse.  It was the first time I loved anything Reno.

I change my name to Skye. It represented where I was from and where I was going.

Perhaps these photographs will help to complete the story:

all images and written text are protected under US Copyright Law

and are the legal property of Skye Snyder.

Please be mindful to not copy and use without permission.

Above text excerpt from GrassRoots by Skye Snyder.

There is a moment during our getaways when Joshua and I vow to live like tourists in our own town. See the streets and attractions from a fresh perspective.  Adventure on new trails, find new food delights and fall in love with Reno, again. 

How do you fall in love with your town?
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