Avery is such a cute, sparkly person.  No, she doesn’t have glitter all over her face.  She’s one of those people that shines from within and exudes warm, lively energy.  She’s also very stylish.  Avery works at Anthropologie, one of my favorite stores and she carried that aesthetic throughout all her wedding details.  I just love that Avery wore a short dress and fantastic shoes (which you’ll see more of when I post her wedding to Matt).

We shot Avery’s bridal portraits around Salt Lake City and found the most beautiful sunflower field in the evening light at, of all places, McDonald’s.  Yes, you can make beautiful portraits in a parking lot next to the golden arches.  Oh, and the cool geometric backdrop in the first shot, is the outside of my veterinarian’s office.  Ordinary places make for extraordinary photographs.

Don’t know if I’ve told you, I have joined forces with another Utah photographer, Nick Sokoloff, for a portrait venture called Utah Portrait Arts.  Nick is kind of a big deal in the Utah photography world.  He does commercial work for the likes of Utah CEO, has a fine art venture called Equine Art, and does many beautiful Park City weddings for out of towners.

We formed Utah Portrait Arts back in September last year, and have been going strong since then.  We acquired a studio/office space in Holladay, where we meet clients and present their portraits to them on our large display screen.  We usually shoot on location to take advantage of Utah’s beautiful scenery, but when needed, we can set up the space for studio photography.  The grounds are lovely with lawns, trees, flowers, and ivy, and we plan to shoot portraits outside as well.

Don’t worry, I am still Melissa Kelsey Photography…bring on the weddings!  Partnering with Nick for Utah Portrait Arts has allowed us to pool our resources to really create a wonderful brand and experience for our clients.

That brings me to our Spring Portrait Special.  Please see below for this one day portrait offer to be held on Saturday, May 1st.  And, don’t forget to check out our website, www.utahportraitarts.com.  We’re kinda’ proud of it.

SPRING CHILDREN’S PORTRAIT DAY! Spring is in the air and before you know it,   the trees will be full of leaves and flowers   will be all around. Utah Portrait Arts has a new office and studio space, and in the spirit of the newness of spring, we want to celebrate with a fantastic portrait special. We are offering 20 minute mini portrait sessions outdoors on the beautiful park-like grounds of our studio. We have a big lawn, tall trees, a park bench, and ivy covered walls. We hope to see you there! Sincerely, Melissa and Nick | Utah Portrait Arts DETAILS Children’s Mini Portrait Sessions Utah Portrait Arts Studio in Holladay, Utah Saturday, May 1st, 2010 Only $49.00 per session (Additional siblings, $25.00 per child) SESSION TIMES 10:00 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. 10:30 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. 11:00 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. 11:30 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. 1:30 p.m. to 1:50 p.m. 2:00 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. 2:30 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. 3:00 pm. to 3:20 p.m. 3:30 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. 4:00 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. 4:30 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. 5:00 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. 5:30 p.m. to 5:50 p.m. Session slots will fill quickly, so call today for best availability. Call Melissa at (801) 493-5487 or email us at utahportraitarts@gmail.com. WHAT TO WEAR This is a perfect opportunity to dress your children in fun spring clothing. We suggest: Colorful, breezy dresses Striped tights Cardigans Tutu skirts Overalls Sweater vests Khaki pants or dark jeans Cute hats like newsboy caps for boys and crocheted caps for girls They grow fast, so don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to capture your child at this stage in their life. Please visit the Utah Portrait Arts website today!

Madison and Chris are pretty stylin’.  We had a great time running around downtown Salt Lake City doing their engagement photographs.   They’re a super-cool couple–down to earth, straightforward, and funny.  Thanks, you two!

Long before Holly’s bridal session, I daydreamed about it a lot.  Holly and Eric hired me about a year before their wedding, so I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do for Holly’s bridal portraits.  I made pinhole photographs at this location about 10 years ago for a college photography project and I can’t believe I hadn’t come back here for a photo session since.  It didn’t dawn on me until I was thinking about where to go for Holly’s bridals.  This is a cemetery in Salt Lake City.  I think Holly and the cemetery just fit and I knew that Holly would get it.  I wasn’t trying to make photos of a bride standing in front of a headstone for a sensational juxtaposition. I was simply drawn to the beautiful trees, lawns, light, and ethereal mood.  Where else can you get rows of conically shaped juniper trees in Salt Lake City?

For me, a cemetery is a beautiful place, full of life.  It’s a place where all of the memories and experiences of all the people buried there, culminate.  It’s a powerful thing, much bigger than each of us.  Bridal portraits are a celebration of a woman who will soon experience a rite of passage that is one of the most meaningful, powerful memories of her life.  Funerals and death are one one of life’s rites of passages like births and weddings.  I feel like these important things are interconnected.  Some people might think it’s total blasphemy to do a photo session in a cemetery.  When done in a thoughtful and respectful way, I think it’s a celebration of life.

Oh, and by the way, the super-cool bouquet with the peacock feather in it?  Yeah, I grabbed those flowers from the grocery store, 15 minutes before Holly’s session and pulled them together with gray satin ribbon and the feather.  I’m kinda’ proud of it and Holly loved it.

If you wear glasses in real life, wear them for photos!  I love the extra style and personality of Holly’s glasses.

Crazy story.  I grew up in a tiny town in Northern California and Chris lived in my town.  Our parents were friends and we played together when we were five.  In 7th grade, Chris moved away to Montana.  In 6th grade, Heather was a “new girl” at our school.  We became friends right away.  Right out of high school, I moved to Utah to go to college (and ski).  About 13 years later, Heather and I discovered that we both lived in Utah, and 5 minutes from each other to boot!  Then, we found out Chris lived here, too.  Chris and Heather started hanging out, and long story short, they fell in love and decided to get married.  Guess who shot their wedding–ME!

Anyway, Chris and Heather are passionate about their hobbies.  Chris races bikes and Heather rides and shows horses.  They wanted to include these passions in their engagement photographs.  We went to the ranch in Saratoga Springs where Heather keeps her horses, Rocket and Midas.  Rocket got in on the photo action and so did Chris’ bike.  Does your bike have a name, Chris?  I wouldn’t be surprised.

I can’t wait to blog their beautiful Sundance wedding!

Amanda is one of my favorite brides.  She’s just laid back, smart, fun, and easy to talk to.

Amanda was married in 2008.  Wait, you say, it’s 2010 and you’re just now posting these?  Amanda thought she didn’t want bridals in 2008, but her mom was so sad she didn’t do them.  Amanda told me that her mom mentioned it every time they talked.  So, Amanda pulled out her wedding dress this last fall, in order to give her mom a Christmas surprise.  We did several large prints and a beautiful bridal album in a pretty brocade silk.

When Amanda’s mom opened it on Christmas day, she cried.