Yay!  One of my photographs from the Alice in Wonderland photo shoot–styled by The TomKat Studio and featuring the talent of SO many fabulous artists–was a featured photo on the Martha Stewart Dreamers into Doers webpage!  SO fun and exciting that they loved it, too!  We had SUCH a blast at the shoot…don’t forget to check out my original blog post to see more of the shoot or visit The TomKat Studio blog!

xoxo,

laura

“Two souls with but a single thought,

Two hearts that beat as one.”

~Friedrich Halm

This wedding rocked.  I just loved every little detail!  These two beautiful souls were wed on a beautiful June day in Thousand Oaks, California, surrounded by their loving family and friends.  It was a day filled with smiles, joy and much laughter, and it was just so perfect.

There are still so many sneak peeks to come–bed jumping, groomsmen, In N Out + photobooth fun!!  I just wanted to put these few out there before we left town.  Enjoy!!  More will be up next week! 

xoxo,

laura

Be sure to check out Laura Winslow Photography on Facebook for more images!

“Love is a symbol of eternity.  It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end. ”

~Author Unknown

Such a beautiful wedding and a gorgeous couple.  I cannot wait to post a full sneak peek (today or tomorrow!).  There are just so many special and gorgeous moments to this weekend’s wedding.  A sampling: bed-jumping, giggling with BFFs, tears of joy, sunflare as vows are being said, In N Out, a vintage red bike + crazy well-wishers striking poses for the photo booth!  Can’t wait…can you?    Stay tuned…

xoxo,

laura

“Life is uncertain.  Eat dessert first.”

~Ernestine Ulmer

I recently had the pleasure of photographing a commercial shoot for Cake Hole Project.  Um, who doesn’t loooove cupcakes?!  We had gorgeous models, fab suspended cupcake holders and CUPCAKES!  Yay!

Cake Hole Project designs custom cupcake towers + holders for brides and parties, and has been featured on Hostess with the Mostess and Brides.com.  CHP will be a part of the upcoming Phoenix Bridal Fashion Debut and will be blowing these up BIG for their booth banners.  If you are getting married soon, swing by and check out CHP in person! 

“Friends are like cupcakes in my pantry of memories.”

~Anonymous

Okay, so I just NEED to find an excuse to have one of these babies designed.  Amazing!  Are you a fun bride-to-be looking for something that will cause your guests to talk about your reception for years to come?  Hosting a baby shower and want a wow-za centerpiece?  Planning your child’s birthday party?

Read on and drool.

My dear friends Vicki and Ray worked together to design this unique cupcake holder–it is suspended from the ceiling!  I had to share it with you because they design each holder custom to YOU!  That means no one will be exactly the same and you can work with them to create exactly what you want.  They make quite a team–Vicki is an architect and designs the holders and Ray builds them.  Seriously, I could never do that.  They have some serious talent, don’t you think?

If you are interested in discussing how you can have your own designed, just call Vicki at 602.909.6118 or email her at andersvl@hotmail.com.

I want you to just TRY not to think of cupcakes all.day.long. after checking out these gorgeous photographs from a recent wedding they designed this holder for.

A very special thanks to the wonderful Ali of Ali Broach Photography for generously providing her beautiful images.  All photographs in this post © Ali Broach Photography.  Thanks, Ali!

What is your fave type of cupcake?  All chocolate?  Red velvet?  Yummy!

I love this shot and how you can see it suspended from the ceiling…floating cupcakes!

Mmmmm….:)

So, so beautiful and unique, right?  Give Vicki a call to chat with her, pass this on to someone you know, or simply drool over the cool design and delectable cupcakes.  Anyone making a trip to Sprinkles now? 

xoxo,

laura

“Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life.”

~Albert Einstein

I just love this family.  We had such a wonderful time walking around and chatting for our shoot.  It was a photographer’s paradise!  We came upon fabulous nooks and crannies filled with incredible textures, colors and objects.  Big bro rocked out for me–I love these photos of him jamming on the air guitar!    And, wow!  Don’t mom and dad make the most stunning couple?!  Gorgeous!!  Our session ended with a trip to the ice cream shop.   Little L had dreams of pink ice cream and colored sprinkles the entire day.  She got just that.  Sweet little thing. 

Thanks for a fun day!  xoxo

xoxo,

laura

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”

~Maya Angelou

I am super excited to be part of a worldwide photographic event called Giving is Awesome!  I have always believed in the importance of giving back, and I am so happy to be able to through the gift of photography.  Something that will make someone having a difficult time smile through it.  What is Giving is Awesome?

You know someone.

You know someone who’s experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can’t afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family’s spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography — $1200 worth, to be exact.  The winner will receive a complimentary, custom session with me, a high resolution digital negative CD with print release, a DVD slideshow and $100 worth of prints.  Tell me their story because it deserves to be recognized.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a complimentary session fee ($125) and $100 print credit. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make the annual trip to Disney World does not qualify as sincere financial need.) 

* The nominee must reside in the East Valley, within 30 miles of 85295 (or the session must take place at a location that is). Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself.

*If you don’t know someone that could use this, pass the link on! Post it on your blog, facebook, myspace, email it to your friends and family because I’m sure they could spread the love to someone they might know.

* You must e-mail me the full story : laura@laurawinslowphotography.com by Monday, December 21^st at 2:00 pm.

*The winning sessions will take place between January and May 2010.  Happy New Year!

You have from today until Monday, December 21st at 2:00 pm to submit your nomination. I must be able to notify the winner with a surprise phone call on Christmas Eve. I will also announce it on my blog that same day–so get nominating! I can’t wait to read all of your entries!

The premise is simple: think of someone you know who deserves custom photography but can no way possibly afford it. Nominate them to win it. Enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling you brought to the world.

Open your heart to someone this holiday season — and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

With love,

laura

Learn more about Giving is Awesome project by checking out the website.  Want to nominate someone outside of this region? Check out the map for other participating photographers.

“Life, love, and laughter – what priceless gifts to give our children…”

~Phylis Campbell Dryden

Wow.  This family rocked it.  What a fun, close knit family.  The twins are just precious and so full of energy.  They have such separate and unique personalities, it was fun to observe.  Their older sis was a natural in front of the camera–can you say model anyone?!  According to mom, one of the twins is the “mommy” while the other would be happy to jet off on one of her brother’s bikes!  It wouldn’t be so far fetched.  See, big bro is motocross champ Tanner Amarillas and has been riding since he was two!  What really threw me for a loop is that the older two are what six and eight years old look like these days.  I mean, I know babies.  I know two and three year olds.  From teaching high school, I know what teens look like.  But this is what 6 and 8 look like now?!  Whew!  Maybe it is just me, but they look much older and wiser than I remember myself being at those ages.  What do you think?    Thanks for such a fun session!  It was awesome to meet you!  Enjoy your sneak peeks!

“The law of love could be best understood and learned through little children.”

~Mahatma Gandhi

I love this family.    This is the third time that I have had the opportunity to photograph them, and each time they arrive in the cutest coordinated outfits, right down to the socks, shoes and accessories.  I love the purple and gray combo–so fab!  I am loving watching their little sweetie grow up, too, and I look forward to photographing her again in the spring.  She is just so sweet,  handing me little flowers and leaves that she picked up throughout our session.  Thanks, sweetie–my kiddos loved checking them out! When I got home, I discovered that I had a ton of the leaves in all of my pockets.    This family is always up for anything and loves to try new locations.  Thanks for trusting me, and thanks for always making the drive.  You are awesome!

“Love is not about finding the right person, but creating a right relationship. It’s not about how much love you have in the beginning but how much love you build till the end.”

~Author unknown

These two cuties will be getting married next year and are obviously so in love.  They are so fun and easy-going.  Thanks so much for walking all over with me to find those great spots!  It was fun and you two are naturals in front of the camera.  Have a great trip up north–I sure hope it snows for you like you are hoping for!  Feel free to bring some cooler weather back down to Arizona…:)