I met Felicia for her senior portrait photography session in downtown Scottsdale, Arizona.  Within a few blocks, there is everything you need for a wide variety of portraits.  Felicia is a fun, down to earth girl.  I had a great time with her and her sister.  Here are a few of my favorite images from the session.

Jillian has the gravity assisted iCrack app on he iPhone.  But was still using it to snap some cool shots of the photo session.  This is what I think an iPhone war correspondent’s iPhone would look like.

Both of the following shots were fantastic.  What a fantastic smile on the first one and then a drop dead gorgeous look on the second.  I loved the bright and airy feel to the entire set.

There are some seriously cramped alleyways in Scottsdale.  I was in there setting up a light and the girls were peaking in.

This is one of my absolute favorites from the day.  The movement, the shallow depth of field, a great look on her face and the hair!!!!  It all makes for a nice photo.

The light on this image is great.  It is simply side light from the street down the alleyway.

And here is our iPhone war correspondent in action documenting the whole thing.

Then a quick trip to the desert for some twilight photographs.

I love this time of day for portraits.  It’s only a few minute window, but there’s nothing better than twilight.

While we were in downtown Scottsdale, we went to the side of the Sugar Bowl ice-cream shop and shot some fun stuff which works really well in a photo booth style display.

Felicia, it was a joy shooting with you.  You are beautiful, smart and funny.  It was a pleasure.

Senior Portrait Photography by Jared Platt, Platt Photography

Location: Scottsdale, Arizona

Slideshow Music by Fisher, Courtesy of Triple Scoop Music.

McKay and I took a drive out to the desert  to take his senior portraits.  I loved his selection of clothing.  It wasn’t what I had expected, but after spending some time with him.  It all fits him.  Here are a few of my favorite images from McKay’s senior portrait session.

I loved the white cowboy hat.  But in the blazing Phoenix sun, keeping that hat from over-exposing requires a little extra lighting, which I solved with a Canon Speedlight and a set of Pocket Wizards.  Besides, anytime someone is wearing a cowboy hat, something has to be done to light the underside of the brim.

McKay brought a seriously tough lookin’ truck, so we employed it in a number of shots.  But when he threw the camo on, I couldn’t resist the tailgate shot.  If you follow me at all, you could expect the vacancy in this photo.  I had the choice of more truck, more desert or more sky.  I chose more sky; it puts some contrasting scale to McKay and his truck.

As we were moving around the desert, we ran into a little building, it looked like a saloon replica, but the door was open, so we went in and got some great portraits with indirect light from the doors and windows.

There’s nothing like a ling dirt road!  Sometimes I feel like there’s too much pavement.  Not to say I want to go back to the horse and buggy, but I do love the simplicity of a graded road, and even better the quaintness of a two track road.

Now that’s a truck!

McKay lives in the shadow of South Mountain.  So his back yard is perfect for desert photos in open shade for hours.

And once the sun went down, we did a few formal portraits inside.  I love the book shelf.

 Senior Portrait Photography by Jared Platt, Platt Photography

Slideshow Music by Roy Ashen, Courtesy of Triple Scoop Music

Location: Awatukee – Phoenix, Arizona

We had a blast on the shoot.  Stay tuned for some of my favorite images from the shoot.

Senior Portrait Photography by Jared Platt

Location: Scottsdale, Arizona.

Cracked iPhone still works.  Amazing.

Shayna and Beto were married at Troon Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.  It was a  beautiful day for a wedding.  Here are a few of my absolute favorite images from the wedding day.

Shayna did a great job with the dress hanger.  Rarely do I see a bride pay attention to the dress hanger.  It is usually an ugly plastic hanger.  I have never understood dress shops who sell these fantastic dresses for thousands and thousands of dollars, knowing they will be photographed and yet they deliver them on an ugly white plastic hanger.  Well, I have to hand it to Shayna for seeing that issue.  For those brides out there who are peeking in on this wedding and making notes about your own wedding.  Bring along a pretty hanger that says something about you.

So, we took the dress out of the closet and hung it up on this large painting in the bridal dressing room and I was composing the shot when one of the young ushers walked through the shot.  I have two shots that are essentially the same of this dress, one with and one without.  I can hardly look at the one without the boy in it.  He completes the picture.  I suppose it is because this boy took my controlled shot and added a bit of reality to it.  Sometimes I am tempted to stray from reality and control it all, but the chaos always pulls me back where I belong.

I think the florist was a bit nervous when she saw me with the flowers out in the sun before the wedding.  She even made a little comment about the flowers being prone to wilting in the heat.  But, I’ll bet she’ll love this image of her beautiful flower arrangements.  And I am happy to report the photo only took a few minutes and the flowers were perfect throughout the day.

This next series is one of my favorite getting ready sets I have taken.  A lot goes into the shot of putting on the dress.  Providing a nice backdrop for the effort is a major part of that.  But also, there is just a lot of fortune that goes into getting the shot as well.  I think all things conspired together for an opportune shot.  And then I have to say that the muted color treatment on the shot really finished it off well.

This moment made everyone laugh.  There is a whole series from this set, but these are the two crowning moments.  The littlest flower girl got cold feet and was not even going to go down the isle, much less, throw the flower petals.  So the older flower girl went back to get her and was trying to show her how to throw the petals, which upset her, I think she intended to keep them all for herself.  When the older flower girl realized this, she thoughtfully moved on with her duties and the little one stood in the isle and silently pouted over the loss of her flowers.  It was the cutest moment.

I was taken by the canopy of branches in the background, so I asked Shayna to pose for me as the guests and wedding party chatted.  Often times the un-planned portraits and scenes that catch my attention at the moment are the very best.

I simply love this image of the bride.  I love the contemplative look, I love the way the hair is blowing.  The veil being set against the dark on the left of the frame is wonderful.  I love this shot.

I looked at this image in color and thought it looked fine, but when I took it to black and white and started aging it, I felt as though it became what it was meant to be.

This shot was taken as the sun dropped over the horizon.  There is no better time of day.  I love the reflection on the water, the movement of the dress as she walks.  I am very pleased with this image.  As dress images go, it is a great description of the dress.

These two little girls were constantly providing opportunities for great photographs.  Here they are waiting to dance with the bride during a dollar dance.   Everyone was dancing with her, and they wanted their chance, but I don’t think they knew how to approach it.  Where to they get the money, how do they get her away from all those other people.  I think they were sufficiently mesmerized with the bride and equally unsure of how to proceed, so they stood on the sidelines for quite a long time, until the maid of honor saw them and gave them some money and explained how to get a dance with the bride.  Even now, thinking about it and about my little girl, I get a little emotional.  You can just see the wonder in their hearts.  The older is thinking thoughts of being a bride someday and the younger is simply awe struck by a princess.  There is an entire thesis in their expressions.

The joy of sparklers.  You can’t help but be happy.  It was a great wedding and party, people were having a lot of fun.  I was glad to have been there.  Thanks Shayna and Beto for trusting me with your wedding day.  Congratulations.

Wedding Photography by Jared Platt, Platt Photography

Slideshow Music by Justin Hewitt, courtesy of Triple Scoop Music

Wedding Location: Troon Golf Club, Scottsdale, Arizona

Megan and Caitlin are both wonderfully talented musicians, so when we were planning their senior portraits, I wanted to make sure that we included their musical talents in the photo shoot.  For Caitlin, this was as simple as bringing her cello along, but Megan just happens to play the piano.  I am used to carrying pianos into strange places from my portraits of Kevin Burdick, but it’s never fun.  Fortunately I had some help lifting that thing.  All pianos are heavy.

Here are a few of  my favorite images from Megan and Caitlin’s senior portrait photo shoot.

I love the line of telephone poles down the right side of the frame, and with all the dirt and such, it needed to be altered to feel much older.

Even though they are both smart and talented, Megan and Caitlin’s personalities are as different as their hair.  I love the differences in style and stance… even facial expression.  But still there is a solidarity that you expect from twins.

This was the absolute golf light of the evening.  Moments before the sun went down.  I love what is does to the sky, to the tracks and the way is traces the girls.

This is what I envisioned when I thought of bringing the piano to this location.  The Groves is a strange little group of trees.  I love it most in black and white.  I had no idea what Megan was bringing in the clothing department until we got to the location, but the hat was absolutely perfect.

How’s this for sun flair?  Megan has a fantastic smile and while it is very genuine, can be delivered perfectly on demand.  How many of you can say that about yourselves?

It was such a pleasure to spend the afternoon with Megan and Caitlin and their parents.  I love my job.

We stopped on our way from one location to another and did a few shots of Caitlin in her soccer gear.  This was my absolute favorite of those images.  She just looks proud and powerful.

And then to compare the above soccer pose to this next image which is as soft as can be.  There are two sides to every coin.

Senior Portraits by Jared Platt, Platt Photography

Slideshow Music by Fisher, Courtesy of Triple Scoop Music

Location: The Groves in Gilbert Arizona

High School: Hamilton High