Michael + Katherine | Soldier Meets the Museologist | University of Arizona Engagement Session |

They came in from the west coast to visit their alma matre and embrace the nostalgia of the love story that started amid the brick walls of Old Main and park benches along University. They were SO excited....so playful and yet so tender. Here are a few highlights! // LKM

The University of Arizona is where Michael and I met, flirted, danced, tailgated, studied, laughed, and fell in love. In front of Old Main is where we promised to stay by each others side if Michael should ever be deployed, not knowing if we would ever face the stresses and burden of that promise. As life would have it, we did, and just weeks after his return we were able to celebrate with LKM and commemorate his homecoming as well as our engagement in the place we hold so near to our hearts!

FROM THE BRIDE: What were key moments that stood out to you during your session / wedding day?: The University of Arizona is where Michael and I met, flirted, danced, tailgated, studied, laughed, and fell in love. In front of Old Main is where we promised to stay by each others side if Michael should ever be deployed, not knowing if we would ever face the stresses and burden of that promise. As life would have it, we did, and just weeks after his return we were able to celebrate with LKM and commemorate his homecoming as well as our engagement in the place we hold so near to our hearts. 

We always knew that campus would be the right place to take our engagement pictures, the difficulty was in finding the perfect photographer to capture the way we feel about one another, and about the place for which we care so deeply. Laura was so thoughtful in making sure that we captured moments in different areas of campus that meant something to us, and we are so appreciative of that!

What were your highlights about working with LKM?: Laura was incredibly flexible with her time, from scheduling to day-of shooting. Our situation was unique in that we booked LKM while Michael was deployed overseas so we weren't quite sure when we could all get together. Laura was encouraging and patient as we worked together to schedule a date. She is truly a ball of energy and made it easy to relax and have fun. Taking professional photographs can be awkward and forced, but her guidance and silly suggestions made the entire session fun!

What would you tell a future client interested in hiring LKM?: Don't hesitate to give her a call. Whether you are a seasoned pro, or someone who has never had their picture taken, Laura makes sure the session is about you. Your personality, your likes, and your comforts, are all paramount in the way she operates. Plus, her final products are to die for!

It was such a treat to meet you two! Thank you for trusting me with this super sweet session! // LKM

Valentines Promo for the Newly Engaged!

Happy Valentine’s Weekend! We hope it is full of joy, hugs and LOTS of WOO :D // Oh! And if you were to find your way to our little webpage and fall in love...we’d love to say, why thank you! All wedding inquiries* received till next friday the 19th will receive $325 credit to go towards an LKM Signature sweetheart / engagement session! (link in profile :D)

FEATURED WEDDING | John + Lauren Destination Wedding | Bisbee, Arizona

John + Lauren's small destination wedding in Bisbee, Arizona is being featured on INTIMATE WEDDINGS this week! IntimateWeddings.com is the #1 go-to wedding site for planning a small wedding! Go here to see the full feature! 

Go HERE to see the rest of the feature and HERE to see some of the behind the scenes story :)

Some sweet words from the bride: We hired Laura K. Moore of LKM Photography to capture the whole day, and we wanted to truly enjoy seeing our guests and enjoy our time with them, without seeing a bunch of cameras instead of their faces! It was great and I felt like our guests were really present with us, in every moment instead of being distracted by phones and cameras. And can I just give a shout out to my photographer Laura?! She is AMAZING! She caught moments that I don’t think anyone else even noticed. She is a true artist. Hands down the best wedding photographer out there! She blended herself right in and it didn’t feel like we were at a photo shoot. She made sure we kept the intimate vibe flowing throughout the entire day. // Thank you so much John + Lauren!! Congrats on the feature!

Nathan + Emily | Childhood Friends get Married | Navy Blue + Silver | Upland California Wedding Photographer

When I heard Nathan smiling through the phone I wanted to squeal. But I knew that'd probably embarasse him.....so I did. 

He was calling to tell me he talked to Emily's dad and that they were courting. My brother had watched and waited for this little lady for a million years --a good long enough time to have his eyes fixed and his heart hopeful. Who would have thought that back then on the tire swing and in the sandboxes and Awanas and clown parties, they'd have their future hearts align and fall in love. Gaining Emily as a sister is...just so crazy beautiful! :) Here are a few highlights from the Bugbee's winter wedding in Upland, Southern California :)

Guys started off getting ready at Foothill Bible Church. Super casual at a place the Bugbees call home... Nathan found these sweet 'wallet ninjas' as gifts for his men...

We were able to jot down the road a bit to the Claremont Hills Wilderness Trail where Emily snuck up to have their first moment together... by far, one of my most favorite moments of a wedding day is the First Look. The emotions are all just so raw. And there is no pressure, no weird audience oggling, just pure nervousness and crazy beautiful excitement for each other. 

Nathan's groomsmen....were on par. (note: the picture below with emily and her brothers...was NOT posed. Her brothers had never seen her kiss before and were legitimately shocked and flipped out a little.)

Mr. Nakamaura is a long-time friend and notorious for his tears...we joked about what he would be like throughout the day. We were surprised and tickeld to see both he and mother of the bride so so joyful....it was the aisle, however, that broke him. When he saw Nathan's face perhaps. Or realized he was giving away his only daughter... it was a sweet, sweet thing to see. Giving her to this man that waited for her. And would strive to lead her...the whole ceremony was full of celebration and worship!

At some point during the ceremony it rained hard. And before preparing for the couple's reception grand entrance, we grabbed a few sweetheart spins together in the puddles outside of the church.

And then it was time to dine...speeches were raw and the theme was deep deep gratitude. It was casual and large and hugs and 'yehaws' resounded in the church gym topped off with a surprise groomsmen dance for Emily.

Congrats you two!! It was such a treasure to be part of your wedding day! I hope these moments and this full full day is such a treasure-trove of memories for years to come! Welcome to the family Emily! | LKM 

P.S And also....super important to name a few key partners for this particular wedding... Emily Rickard & Elyse Defoe came to join the LKM team and capture this story! They took the reigns whenever I (Laura) could be IN family pictures and also be part of the story too! So so thankful for their precious spirits and creative eyeballs! 

A Winter Garden Wedding | PJ & Mariah | Old Love New Life | Lifestyle Storytelling

It was a cold January morning. Christmas decor was still up and twinkling but the carols had been replaced with something crooning in the background, makeup spread out over the kitchen table while mom ironed the bride’s youngest sister’s recent vintage find. Old childhood friends and sisters swapped stories while the flower girls chirped with excitemnet and girlyness EVERYWHERE. 

The bride was all nerves. Phone calls were flooding in. Last details were were being listed. Mariah finally handed over her phone and said, "i'm giving this over now." 

The flurry subsided and the dress was put on. When she arrived at at Stlllwell House, she could barely see straight. We went and found the groom-calm but concerned most about his bride. Was she calm? was she ok? what else needed to be done? (always the servant. such a "do-er") We told him, "PJ. The only thing you need to do right now is slow down and help her breathe. Love her. Affirm her. And get yo'self married today."

The first look was precious. There were nervous giggles and an embrace that broke Mariah's resolve to not cry. And in that sweetness, the spirit of the wedding was welcomed. Celebratory--full of story and past and future and present. 

Mariah & PJ met Jesus in 2014. Their love story is woven for years past --spanning decades already. When Mariah chose the song "Future Past" for a worship song during the ceremony, there was a potency about what they sung about--what they recognized to be at the middle. And they sang that song together. Amid their friends and family that also closed their eyes and belted out the joy of Jesus and a Maker who was, is and is to come. 

The day increasingly warmed up while sunbeams created glowy light during an emotional ceremony. Portraits afterwards were calm and deeply romantic. They were quiet and content and both LKM second shooter, Sarah, and I felt the sense of breathing and "finally" happening. It was so necessary.

And as the sun dipped behind downtown Tucson's skyscrapers, we made our way back join in for dinner and a fun after-party that danced the night away.

FROM THE NEWLYWEDS:

Mariah & PJ, what were key moments that stood out to you during your session / wedding day?: The fact that LKM were so personal and easy to be around. I knew that when I was walking down the isle and when we were saying our vows they would catch the emotional feel of those moments.Then there was the fact that they caught things that I hadn't seen. When I saw the pictures I was blown away by how amazing they turned out. Looking at them is like opening a present full of touching surprises. I came across one of my mom ironing my veil. It had been hers when she married my dad over 40 years ago. Also seeing pictures of my girls watching me put on my dress and getting ready. I didn't even know they were looking at me at the time the pictures were being taking. We set up a special memorial area for my father-in-law and LKM got beautiful pictures of that as well. So many beautiful and touching pictures to remember our day!

What were your highlights about working with LKM?: Laura knows our story and has watched us grow in our relationship. She made sure that certain details throughout our day were recorded. She made sure that things that were important to us were included for our memories. They work from the sidelines never in the way, awesome at blending in and having fun with my family and all of our guests.

What would you tell a future client interested in hiring LKM?: Do not hesitate to book. LKM books up fast and so worth EVERY single penny! Our pictures are absolutely stunning. All of the feelings from the day were captured perfectly. I knew from the moment we became engaged that LKM would do our photography.

PJ & Mariah, thank you so much for trusting LKM STUDIOS with your wedding and this whole season of stinkin' wonderful love :) 

COMMENT PROMPT: It's amazing to us which images resonate with people differently! Which image do you love the most and why? We love hearing from you! Comment below! :)

Woodsy meets Urban // Engagement Session on Mt. Lemon | Tucson Wedding Photographer

When woodsy meets urban you get PJ & Mariah's sweet and spicy engagement session on Tucon's Mt. Lemmon. We met a very cold winter morning and navigated sunbeam-glazed pine trees and long green reeds and goosebumps and butterflies in the stomach. And we laughed and played and showed off their ink and the way he dipped her and they was she liked it... so much love. :) enjoy some highlights AND check in tomorrow to see their WEDDING STORY highlights! 

LKM - who we are and why | Meet LKM | personal

It's a new year and we are continuing to build, develop, and refine the voice, message and trajectory of LKM STUDIOS.  We rewrote our "about page", broke it into two parts--"Meet Laura" and "LKM Philosophy." We are excited about the sweet stories we have yet to share from last year and are particularly stoked about what this year has in store! 

Click on the links above to read about who LKM is and the approach we have towards photography, our clients, the culture of our studio and the life we aim to pursue holistically! Thanks for stopping by! | LKM

My Grandma Turned 90 so I Flew to Florida to Celebrate! | Personal

My grandma, Gloria Williams, turned 90 over the weekend. I  flew in for a short visit to just hug that woman and be with family. I'm so glad it worked out. My highlight all weekend was our leisure afternoon, Friday before the party. She started talking and sharing memories with us and I stopped what i was doing and got out my laptop and started transcribing. My fingers could barely keep up and she was giving me these details that I had never heard. Now that I was writing them down I was seeing them and remembering them and realizing ... oh my gosh, THIS is such a precious treasure. She is alive to tell these little details that otherwise will fade! She kept pausing and apologizing for talking to much and i just glowed and stumbled over encouragements to keep talking! It was so so fun. 

So i thought i would share a few of her memories from when she was a little girl and on into her time as a nurse and meeting her husband, my late grandaddy. I hope you enjoy these little windows into her childhood set min-century as much as I did. :) | LKM

CHILDHOOD MEMORY

The great depression was in the 29s and the 30s were spent recuperating. everybody seemed to be on the move. settling. finding settlement. hobos would be on the road, traveling. so they would come to your house and knock and you’d take them to the back door. we had to figure out safety factors. as a child that safety measure impressed me. we’d take them to the back door. they would eat outside. there was an understanding.

CHILDHOOD MEMORY

I was 5 when we were in Gainsville. there was this thing called the Honeywagon--a wagon would come along and make sure they took care of our sewage. they’d come by and pick up our waste every day. we’d bring it out and they’d take it away. and we’d chase after the wagon like it was a grandest thing.

DUNNELLON MEMORY

my father decided farming was really for him. he raised 3 pigs and he was done. so he bought the grocery store in Dunnellon. I would go and visit them. Dunnellon , on first impressions was a typical little grubby country town with old houses,old sidewalks, brick streets.  One water tower,one bank, one hotel-boarding house, and another hotel. The favorite place to eat was Miz McDilda’s café.  She was also well known for advice to teen agers.  “If it can’t be done by 10 0’clock you shouldn’t be doing it”

MEETING ROBERT

On my days off I would take the bus to Dunnellon. They traveled thru Williston to Dunnellon, so it was a long .  But usually my friend Willie came with me.  On one of those times Dunnellon we were hanging out clothes, and a young man hoeing corn on a lot on Walnut Street came over for a drink of water. Later I learned he lived across the street from the corn patch!

I thought to myself, now there is a nice young man. A man who would hoe. (laughing) I don’t think Robert touched a hoe once after that day.

NURSING MEMORY

In 1947 I was employed  by Marion County Hospital. Actually, from that time on I could fill out an application and go to work the next day. In 1967  I applied for a transfer to the VA Hospital In  Sepulveda California, and had to wait a whole week before they put me on schedule..That was my first realization of the feelings of rejection when you are not successful on a job application.

HIGHSCHOOL MEMORY

then the war started. and we all started making scarves to go to the british. i made 1. only time i knitted. to send a scarf to a brit.  that was the time i saw a b17 on display . the biggest bomber to bomb in world war 22. in those years there were fleets of planes flying over all the time. the trains going by would be hauling tanks and motorized vehicles for the soldiers. if you stopped at a train crossing. you would see all boys in the unit pass by with their trucks. It was always safe to be friendly on the train or bus, because Uncle Sam was chaperone.

SCHOOL MEMORY

my father wanted me to be a secretary and sent me to Jacksonville to learn. i lived with my aunt who worked at a perfume factory and lived right next door. Massey’s Business School and i got a job as a secretary. After a few months I was bored out of my skull. there was so little. A lot of people love office work but that was not for me. I learned how to short hand my own way and learned to use a dictaphone. But i got out of that business school as fast as possible. When they started putting me on machines I fled. I hated machines. So then i got a different job and used a dictaphone. I decided I wanted to go into the navy. There were recruiters looking for woman to fill as nurses and I jumped on that.

I couldn’t go into the US nurses cadet corp until I was 18. I got out when I was 21 and got a job in Ocala. The hospitals had nursing quarters. My friend Willy and I stayed in one of the rooms and the other girls were in the other rooms. I met willy in training. there were 5 of us who were protestant and we kind of stuck together through the programs. Got a job and lived together in the nursing colleges. We lived at and were paid on the property.

SCHOOL MEMORY

so we worked 8 hours a day and went to school the rest of the time. that lasted 3 years and by that time the war was over. the last 6 months of school i could do whatever specialty i wanted and i wanted to go to Jacksonville college and took my 101 courses. i took state board for nursing -- or waited to take them and Ocala hired me before i even passed the state board.

NURSING MEMORY

i was a red cross polio nurse, about 3 of us. and the reason that’s important is because that’s why i have all this immunity. most people who worked with polio at the time would get the beginning of the virus -- low grade temperature and mild symptoms. i think we were all just building up an immunity to it.

ROBERT MEMORY

1948 Robert and I were going together and he didn’t get a job and I went on my life in Tallahasee. He couldn’t stay away. He was burning rubber going up there all the time. so that’s when he decided what he would do about this degree. I was in tallahassee and he was down here and we agreed to go to Alabama and their was no option to do it unmarried. So we got married. He never asked. It was just the thing to do. We got married on christmas day, December 1949 and then left for Alabama.

ROBERT MEMORY

When we decided to go to Alabama for Robert’s second degree, He already had the basics as far as his degree goes but he got a job right out of college to make gun barrels and Lockhead head hunters found him there in Birmingham and he was a no-brainer. He had an auro-nautic engineer degree. They moved us to Murrieta, California to work on the C130. They would test the engine at night. It had propellers and turbines--a very durable machine. I have heard airplanes my whole life that when I would hear that rumble it was like music to my ears. I always felt so safe as long as i could hear airplanes in the air.

Here are a couple highlights from the modest party we threw for her and a few friends. She was glowing several days after! Such a treasure! | LKM :)

Corey + Jessi | Urban Fun Wedding // Sherbert & Succulents {Featured Wedding}

Tucson's recent opening of PARK AVE, an urban downtown refurbished warehouse-turned-event-space was initiated with this rock-solid fun-loving wedding entourage! Corey + Jessi's colors were fun, they themselves were light-hearted but sincere and wanted the nuances and entire story of their day to be the same. Both having super fun creative inspirations, they did some really cool DIY stuff for their wedding. So neat in fact, that...

WE ARE BEING FEATURED THIS WEEK on Something Turquoise wedding blog! Hop on over to see all the DIY details and hear the super cute backstory and behind-the-scenes highlights from bride & groom themselves! For starters though, here are my top favorites:

- their super emotion first look (corey KILLED me. he JUST held that woman when he saw her. gosh it was precious)

-  their wedding party was on FIRE--so much fun, because we did so many special picture moments BEFORE the wedding, we were able to get some really raw and special images of the wedding party and family -- both the fun kind and the really special intimate kind. Such a breadth and depth of storytelling happened!

- also because of the amazing timeline we had created that day, we were able to breath and take some stellar fine art portraits at the old historical courthouse with the bride while waiting for guests to arrive

- their reception was off the hook! We're talking lazers, kazoos, signature cocktails, fantastic music playlist, avid dancers, glow sticks, laughing--so much laughing!

CREDITS:

Photographer: LMK Studios // Ceremony: Old Pima County Courthouse // Officiant: Andy Tracy // Reception: Park Avenue // Flowers: Flowers by Occasions (Kimberly Neal) // Catering:Rincon Market // Cake: Cakes by Genevieve // Invitations: Designed by the Groom // DJ: Che' Wilson DJ & Entertainment // Dress: Almond Tree // Shoes: Dillard's // Bridesmaid's Dresses:David's Bridal // Hangers: Hangers By Melanie // Men's Attire: J.Crew // Favors: Wine made by the Grooms Dad // Wine labels: Applewhite Accessories // Bridesmaid Gifts: Lola Lane Gifts

LKM is an Affiliate of Kelly Moore Bag!

We are now a proud affiliate of Kelly Moore Bag!

Short story--these are the best camera bags in the whole world. They have been one of the most important investments in our photography arsenal and they continue to crank out new materials and design options and brand development as the years go by.

I, Laura, vouch for these bad boys. They are a pretty penny. They are an investment. It will also be the best camera bag you'll ever purchase! 

To celebrate our new position as pom-pom shakers for KMB they just announced a 2 day FALL SALE on their camera bags!

GO HERE AND USE COUPON CODE: FALL (expires oct 31)

And just in case you are on the fence or need a nudge or are trying to figure out what the hoopla is about, here's my fanaticism boiled down to its beginning. :)

I started off with an awkward borrowed camera bag that was nearly 20 years old and didn't hold my equipment and hung awkwardly on my shoulder or around my chest as a sling. It'd nearly dump out all of my stuff every time i tried to open it on the fly. I'm a mom so it was just another thing to drape around my body next to a baby, a baby bag, maybe a purse, maybe my computer bag... I know i carry too much most of the time anyways. And it didn't help. 

When i saw Kelly Moore, one of my top favorite photographers who inspired me at the very beginning of my own journey, launch her line of camera bags, my jaw dropped. Really? It was possible? Functional and classy? Variety and personality? Well-built and intuitive design? WHAT?! 

I won my first bag--the Classic Kelly Moore. It was her first and only design for a couple years. It turned heads and I felt so put together. No more masculine clunky things or velcro sounds or spilt equipment. Couple years later they released the LIBBY and i knew it was what i needed. It was my additional limb. It went with me everywhere! I can prove it. From 2012-2015 nearly all our family vacation pictures plus my behind the scenes on-location work pictures have that baby by my side. I'm emotionally attached. 

I've, in the last year, branched out and experimented with a few other designs from the Kelly Moore Bag line. Trying to alleviate the weight on my shoulders but still have a bag that would be optimum for my style of shooting, I've got my eye on a few and saving up!

So go check them out! Get yo'self some eyecandy! Then come back and tell me what you think! I've got my eye on the ESTHER or the SONGBIRD. :D

Which one has your name etched all over it??