Southwest Styles Photography

Annica's Bat Mitzvah in Scottsdale Arizona

2008-04-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

Annica found us on Flickr and decided to send us a note. At first I thought that maybe this communication was a scam as a couple of other photographers I know that use Flickr received the same message. So I proceeded with caution. Turns out that this was the real deal. Within a couple of days I was in contact with Annica's mother and we finally decided to schedule an appointment.

More to come...

Quinces y Novias Magazine Shoot for Issue 2

2008-04-01T23:41:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to shoot with Quinces y Novias Magazine. I had the honor of having one of my quinces (Jennifer) on the very first cover of issue 1 which was released last September. I wasn't able to get my pics in on time for the current issue but Fran asked me to shoot the cover anyway. It was a long day but in the end the results were awesome.

Andres and Manuela Wedding Photography in Phoenix Arizona

2008-03-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

On January 26, 2008 Andres and Manuela tied the knot @ St. Xavier Church in uptown Phoenix. It was a pleasure to work with these guys and we wish them a long life with lots of love and prosperity.

This is a test message...

2008-02-14T14:43:00.001-08:00

This is a test message to my blog, I am testing out jott.com . Jott.com has this great system for sending a voice mail to their system and it returns a text version of your voice mail, great to try out just checking things out to see how it goes, Daniel.

Bobby and Lisa Wedding Downtown Phoenix

2007-11-12T18:07:00.001-08:00

Bobby and Lisa Wedding Downtown Phoenix, originally uploaded by swstyles.

Click on the image

Carlos & Stephanie Wedding Flagstaff Arizona June 31, 2007

2007-08-08T16:49:00.001-07:00

Carlos Stephanie Wedding Flagstaff Arizona Southwest Styles Photography, originally uploaded by swstyles.

15 degrees cooler in Flagstaff on June 31st.

Carlos and Stephanie were a great couple to work with. I have worked with Carlos's family in the past and the whole gang was in attendance to celebrate their union.

Please click on the picture to see more photos from this day.

Brianna Senior Portrait Sitting Avondale Arizona Phoenix

2007-07-29T12:48:00.001-07:00

Brianna Senior Portrait Sitting Avondale Arizona Phoenix, originally uploaded by swstyles.

Brianna was the first subject we had in our new studio. Brianna works at the salon my wife frequents and thought she would make a great subject. I was floored.

Yesterday we were just playing around in our new shop as it is rather tight as far as space for shooting but is manageable. We had a 24x36 softbox camera right at about a 45 degree angle about 12 inches from her face. I had a kicker light about 45 degrees behind her camera left. I couldn't get the kicker to outline her the way I wanted. Next time I am going to use barn doors to create more directional light.

Brianna is entering her senior year of high school and as the weather cools down, we are planning another sitting which will take place outdoors.

We can't wait....

Danielle Quinceanera Phoenix AZ Arizona

2007-07-17T23:03:00.001-07:00

Danielle Quinceanera Phoenix AZ Arizona, originally uploaded by swstyles.

Here is another from Danielle's Quinceanera. I am finally getting around to doing a bit more post processing. Each event usually results in between 2500 and 3300 images. A fast post processing workflow is essential is getting a great product back to the client in a timely matter.

Since we shoot digital, the end product is expected much sooner but in reality, this type of photography requires a ton more time from the photographer or his/her staff. Digital didn't make things easier, it actually increased the number of hours most photographers have to work to get the end product to the client.

We shot this quinceanera in RAW format and ended up with about 3100 images. After all my post processing and editing, the end file storage size is around 34 gigs. I can't wait for blue ray burners and hopefully the recording media won't be too expensive.

Danielle's Quinceanera in Avondale Arizona

2007-06-17T23:09:00.001-07:00

Danielle's Quinceanera in Avondale Arizona, originally uploaded by swstyles.

I haven't posted in a while.....

I have been so busy... Multiple projects going on at once. Today being father's day, I took a little time off to enjoy with my wife and 2 year old baby girl. Today was very relaxing.

This photo was taken last night at Danielle's Quinceanera. I asked the girls to show me a little attitude. I think they came through...

I have a ton of images to post, please visit my flickr site by clicking on this image to see some of the recent stuff I haven't had time to blog about.

Mariah's Quinceanera pre Shoot 2 (with dress)

2007-04-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Something I started doing this year just for a trial run is adding an additional photo session with the bride/quince a couple of weeks or so before the big day. Mariah is the 2nd quince to take me up on my offering. This morning we headed out to Old Downtown Glendale and just found many great places to take pictures.

I am offering this 2nd sitting as a way to obtain more detailed pictures of the bride/quince as most weddding/quinceanera days don't usually allow for a enough time to take proper photos.

I was looking forward to shooting with Mariah as our last shoot went so well and she needs very little direction. She has a very natural approach to posing and it shows through in her pictures. Enjoy a few of the pics from our 2nd sitting.

Daniel

Mariah's Quinceanera Pre Shoot

2007-04-26T23:48:00.000-07:00

This post has been long overdue...

Mia on Easter

2007-04-17T16:25:00.001-07:00

Mia on Easter, originally uploaded by swstyles.

Easter Sunday, we just finished dying eggs. Mia wanted to keep on making a mess.

Tony and Theresa Wedding With My New Lights

2007-04-16T10:01:00.001-07:00

Tony and Theresa Wedding, originally uploaded by swstyles.

I finally bought some new lights. I didn't want to spend a fortune because I don't have it and my wife thinks that the money would be best spent elsewhere. LOL.... I bought a set of Flashpoints from Adorama. Flashpoints are Adorama's in house studio light set. For $549 for 300 WS, I just had to bite. Here is a shot using those strobes. Overall, I am very pleased with this light set and recommend them to anyone looking for an inexpensive mono light set. I also bought the generic radio transmitter and receiver on ebay for about 50 bucks. They usually sell them with one tran and one rec assuming you will use the slave to fire the secondary strobes. At a wedding, guest camera flashes are an issue with slave strobes so I bought an extra receiver. The whole set up worked like a charm.

I was able to dial each light up or down which what I couldn't do before with my old set. Color consistence was another isssue with my old set which is not a problem anymore. I give the Flashpoint system a best buy for the buck review.

Theresa and Tony Wedding

2007-04-15T12:56:00.001-07:00

Theresa and Tony Wedding, originally uploaded by swstyles.

My wife Connie tool this shot as I was posing her from the front. My shot is nice but Connie's is stunning. Theresa normally wears glasses and is very pretty. When the glasses came off, she was absolutely radiant. Will post more as I find time.

Danyel and Nick Engagement

2007-04-11T12:41:00.001-07:00

Danyel and Nick Engagement, originally uploaded by swstyles.

I have been so busy these days. Mainly I have been trying to catch up after a few personal issues that have occurred in my life. Yesterday, Danyel and Nick showed how much 2 people can love each other and show it without any inhibitions. They required no coaching and all interactions were of their own doing.

They can't wait for their big day and neither can we.

Jacinda Thank You Cards

2007-04-09T10:58:00.001-07:00

Jacinda Thank You Cards, originally uploaded by swstyles.

Shot Jacinda's Sweet 16 back in February. I have just been so busy, I let some of the favor jobs slip through the cracks. Here is her belated thank you cards.

We had a blast as AL3 mixed into the night.

Sorry Sondrah, LOL

Lisa Before Wedding Cermony

2007-04-08T17:56:00.001-07:00

Lisa Before Wedding Cermony, originally uploaded by swstyles.

Beautiful Lisa before her wedding ceremony with Daniel. This was one of the pre ceremony shots at Nardini Manor in Buckeye AZ. I thought I would share this image as I have not posted for almost 2 weeks. More from Daniel and Lisa's wedding as well as other coming soon!!!

Save the Date

2007-03-30T00:21:00.001-07:00

Save the Date, originally uploaded by swstyles.

I have done a couple of Save the Date cards in the past. This wedding isn't until October but Carmen wanted her cards out ASAP. I hope she likes them.

Daniel

Josh and April Engagement Sitting

2007-03-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

Josh and April's engagement sitting was the last of what I would call a crazy week and a half. Within the course of 10 days, I had 8 engagement sittings. Talk about love for the job, I shot half without an assistant and I became very skilled at quick light setups.

April is as stunning in person as Josh is handsome. They were a great couple to work with and I can't wait for their wedding day. Congratulations Josh and April!!!

Armando and Monique Engagement Sitting

2007-03-22T01:57:00.000-07:00

Here are a few from Armando and Monique's engagement sitting.
Enjoy!!

Kyrsten Senior Pictures

2007-03-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

Kyrsten and her parents came out a couple of Sundays ago to have some senior pictures taken. We ended up at Verrado in Buckeye which I have come to really, really love. Every time I take pictures there, I seem to find something that I have never seen before. Thanks to Kyrsten for being a super sport by trying new things.

Enjoy the pics!!!

Marcela's Pre Quinceanera Shoot

2007-03-06T21:49:00.000-08:00

I met Marcela and her family last year as they were searching the market for a Quinceanera photographer. At the time, I hadn't really done many Quinceaneras and wanted to book a few just to get some more experience with them. As it turns out, Quinceaneras can be and usually are more difficult than weddings. You are dealing sometimes with upwards of 15 kids ranging in age from 8 - 18. If you approach a Quinceanera with care, you will get out of it what you put into it. Marcela and her family were the right clients have been great through the whole process. The images below were taken this evening and this would be our second sitting. Our last sitting took place around the summer of last year. It was a bit of a test which went very well and Marcela came ready to pose tonight.

Enjoy the pics!!!

Saul and Patty

2007-03-04T20:46:00.000-08:00

Talk about quick weddings...
Saul and Patty put their wedding together in under a week. They weren't looking for engagement pictures but as always, I insisted that they get one. We ended up shooting at the Glendale Sports Complex near the AMC Theatres. Saul served in the armed forces in Iraq and just returned from his tour of duty. Congrats Guys!!!!\

Tony and Theresa Engagement Session

2007-03-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

Tony and Theresa were great to work with when we met to do their engagement photos. Here are a few from their sitting.

Memo and Perla

2007-02-24T06:11:00.000-08:00

Memo and Perla are the Ultimate Wedding Grand Prize winners of the WQ Magazine Bridal and Quinceanera Expo that took place last year. They are going to get most of their wedding services for free. I am the photographer. I am not sure how this is going to go and I hope it goes without a hitch. Wish us luck... Below are the engagement shots.