Photography Counts

Betty & Tony... soon to be married!

2010-03-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

Betty & Tony... Getting married on April 3rd, 2010 at Tuscany Falls Country Club Pebble Creek.

My Friend and her Family!

2010-03-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

Thank you Jamie for letting me photograph your beautiful family. Absolutely gorgeous!

Seniors...

2010-03-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

Attention all Seniors......

Salazar Wedding

2010-03-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

Erika & Alex have a wonderful family that I have had the privilege to work with often. They got married at Estrella Vista Reception Center. A very nice location with a well organized staff!

Resch Wedding

2010-02-18T10:39:00.000-08:00

Erika & Michael... married on March 31st, 2009 at the

Carefree Resort and Villas in Carefree, AZ. Hands down one of my favorite place to go and photograph. Here are some of my favorite images from their wedding day! Looks like their 1 year anniversary is coming up.

I'm Back!

2010-02-18T10:27:00.000-08:00

Well, it's 2010! And... yes it's been a long time and I missed blogging. It's been a crazy, fun, and unforgettable 2009. Starting today I will be posting my favorite images and moment from this past year. Hopefully we can catch up..... Ana:)

A little behind on my BLOG

2009-07-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a long and hot summer so far. I've come to realize that I'm not much of a blogger. It's really hard to blog with all the other responsibilities I have. BUT... I'm gonna give it a try in the next two weeks and see if I can get caught up. I hope everyone is having a nice summer!

Steven "Mets" Pictures

2009-05-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

I took pictures of my son Steven yesterday in his Mets uniform. I was trying to get him to smile for me? Finally after saying to him a million times, smile Steven he said to me "Mom there's no smiling in baseball pictures". He makes me laugh and SMILE!

Camacho Wedding

2009-04-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

The Camacho Wedding! Two very sweet and genuine people. Elsa & Wence had a beautiful wedding in February at Sun City Grade in Surprise, AZ. They have a very loving family who I have gotten to know threw out the years. I feel so privileged to be the family photographer.

Baseball Time!

2009-04-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

OK it's been a while since I updated my BLOG. Spring is my busy time of year. Both in Business and in both my boys sports. We have Baseball of course and then Football training right after for both my boys... Let the fun times begin.

Steven and Allen's Baseball! I love Baseball (Go Dimonbacks) and getting to watch both my boys play Baseball is even more so enjoyable to watch. Steven is in Little League and his team is the "Major Mets". Allen is on his high school baseball team, (freshman) "Kellis Cougars". Yes... I'm a proud Mom!

Michael & Erika

2009-03-04T15:04:00.000-08:00

_______________Erika & Michael________________

This past weekend I went to the Carefree Resort & Villas out in Carefree, AZ to photograph Michael & Erika's engagement portraits. I love going out to the Cavecreek/Carefree area. It has such beautiful landscapes and that small town feeling I love. My oldest son came alone with me for the drive. We stoped at a few shops and had some fun just walking around. It was so nice.

Erika and Michael are great people and I'm so excited to photograph their wedding day.

Me and my Husband!

2009-02-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

I love this picture of me and my husband. It's very rare he wants to take pictures! He's just a shy guy? But I love him dearly. Funny... he's married to a photographer? Ha!

My Nephew's Wedding Day!

2009-01-30T13:18:00.000-08:00

Wai Wai getting ready...

Steven doing his job... Ushering. Steven and I getting ready...

Anthony & Wai Wai

Wai Wai and her bridesmaid walking away...

The Valle Family with a few missing...

Mom & Dad (His Nana & Tata)... Steve & I & Aunt Julie & Uncle Gilbert... Allen & Steven... Generation Shot, My Dad, Anthony, My Brother... MY husband & Kids & Me... Anthony and I...

My brothers family, Gus Sr (his Dad), Janice (his Mom), Gus Jr (Brother), Rachelle (Sister)

Steve and Wai Wai, Rachelle and Steven dancing, Emmy (my niece) & Allen

My brothers and I, Mom & Dad dancing, Rachelle and I, Anthony and I.

Anthony & Wai Wai dancing the night away...

What a wonderful experience I had recently. My nephew got married on Jan 9th, 2009. I was a guest and the proud Auntie, but I was very much involved in the whole process. My nephew Anthony and I are very close. Anthony and his sister Rachelle and his older brother Gus Jr were pretty much my first kids. They grew up with me being in the front row in every stage of their life. For me this was a very special event. His wife Wai Wai and I grew close and I just love her so much. This really has shed a new light on photographing weddings. My good friend Chrys Poes photographed the wedding for me. That was a treat because I knew my nephew's memories were in good hands and I was going to be able to relax knowing she was going take care of it. As always she delivered and the pictures are beautiful. Looking back on the images were so much fun and brought back all the emotions of that special day. Chrys captured moments I don't remember seeing or perhaps it was because I was to busy at the time to notice. How wonderful it is to have such wonderful memories to continue to look back on. I've always known how valuable preserving these type of memories were, but more so now than ever. The little things and the little details matter so much. I love every single image Chrys took.

Special Thanks to..............

Chrys Poes at http://www.poesforthecamera.com/ Your an awesome friend!

Make up by Christy Fantastic! Christy is a friend and a talented makeup artist who I got to know and work with through out the years. Thanks for coming all that way to do this for me Christy. You did a wonderful job on both my niece's makeup.

"Bride Wars"

2009-01-15T13:35:00.000-08:00

Well today I got a chance to relax and catch a movie with my two BBF's Mary and Tracy. We went to go see Bride Wars. It was a funny girl movie for sure! I enjoyed this comedy. It made me laugh a lot and had a few touching moments. What a perfect combination. I loved it! I defiantly recommend this movie to everyone. Go see it!

On a personal note... It was so nice to see this movie with my two girlfriends. I recommend you do the same. Catching a movie with a friend now and then is good for the soul. ;)

Strode Wedding

2009-01-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

The Carr/Strode wedding... what can I say? One word comes to mind FUN!! This wedding party was excited and willing to get their dancing shoes on and have fun and relax... which made for a ton of great images full of laughter and smiles. The dancing shots above were photographed by my 15 year old son. He seems to have some interest in photography and sometimes I like to bring him along so he can get some practice in. As you can see, he's got an eye for it. Great shots!

Allen's Wrestling

2008-12-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

Well Winter is here and along with that comes a new adventure in Allen's high school sports. Allen has done wrestling before when he was in 7th grade. He was with a wrestling club called Peoria Scramblers. Tried it for a while but baseball was his main focus at the time. Now in high school he really wants to try it again, and seems to have picked up where he left off. He did amazing in his first tournament. He wrestled three times. First time he won off points, second one he got pinned, third one he won by pinning. So proud! He's 2 in 1 not bad.

2008-11-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

The Gappinger wedding was a true delight. They got married at Scottsdale Cottonwoods Resort. This place has my five star rating. The staff was very professional, and accommodating. Stacey Turner made sure everything went off without a hitch. Fantastic! And as you can tell Mr. & Mrs. Gappinger looked absolutely wonderful. And both had such kind friends and family. My good friend Tracy Kreck came with me to shoot for fun. It was nice having a buddy come along to talk to and get ideas from.

Halloween

2008-11-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween. Steven dressed up as a MOBSTER... Mafia guy! He looked so good! He kept saying the whole night "You talkin to me" as he scratched his chin. ha! And got a ton of candy.... ugh!

Stephen & Miriam

2008-10-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Stephen and Miriam will be getting married at the Scottsdale Renaissance Resort. They are such a great couple and I truly look forward to photographing them on their wedding day.

Vangie...

2008-10-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

Everyday when I wake up I get my cup of coffee and kiss my kids good bye as they head off to school. I move along with my day, and before I know it the day is gone. I take for granted that everyone and everything is good. Then someone or something comes along and reminds you of what’s important. For me that someone was Vangie. I am so honored in meeting her recently. Vanige is a strong woman who is fighting for her life. I was asked to photograph her and her daughter and grand daughter. I didn’t even need to think about it, I just wanted to do it. Because I know what it means to have that one photo with your loved one. That one photo that you can look at with a smile. That one photo means everything.

Thank you Vangie and to her amazing family for this opportunity.

Ana

Michelle & Lawrence

2008-10-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

Michelle & Lawrence are a sweet couple who has been referred to me by a past bride of mine. I look forward to their big day. They plan to be married at Community Church of Joy. A fantastic church with a wonderful staff.

Crystal & Vicente

2008-10-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be photographing a wedding in Tucson, AZ this weekend. Crystal & Vicente are getting married at The Oasis at Wild Horse Ranch. It's such a beautiful location, and a perfect time of year. They are such a sweet and kind couple with an adorable little boy who is always smiling. It's gonna be a wonderful day!

Baby Jacob

2008-09-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

Our new addition to the family. I had so much fun photographing my new little cousin. He already has a very distinct personality. Absolutely adorable! hehe... ;)

Steven's Game 1

2008-09-09T18:41:00.000-07:00

OK Steven #30 (his dad's number) just had his first game also about two weeks ago. I know, I know... I'm a little busy right now and I have been slow at posting. But I take allot of picture of everything! So keeping up gets a bit hard sometimes. Steven plays for ACYFL PANTHERS. He played awesome in his first game! He tries so hard and hangs in there with all these big kids. I'm so proud of his courage. They lost... bummer. It was a great game and the Panthers played hard. Go PeeWee Panthers!!

Allen's RSK Game 1

2008-09-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

Allen #21 just had his first high school football game last week on Wednesday. Allen plays for Raymond S. Kellis High School. He played amazing! He scored a 45 yard touch down. And had five tackles and four asst. The thing I'm proud of most was he pointed at me as said this is for you mom! Made me tear up! ha! RSK won 14-12. GO RSK!

Barack Obama

2008-09-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

Yes We Can!

2008-09-05T21:30:00.001-07:00

Allen's RSK Football Pictures

2008-08-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

Well I just got my son's football pictures in on Friday. They came out so good! The company who did the team pictures did a great job! Varsity Studios. Of course I love the subject they photographed but as a fellow photographer I appreciate the quality also of what I received. I can't believe my Allen is playing high school football now. His first game is next week on Wednesday. Stay tuned for his actions shots!

Sheri & Joey

2008-08-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

Sheri and Joey just got married this past weekend in Anthem AZ. They had a beautiful ceremony over looking the mountains. I loved having the opportunity to have worked with them, they are such a fun couple. The wedding was filled with allot of laughter and everyone had such a good time. Congratulations to them both! Stay tuned for the wedding pictures...

Ana ;)

Chrys Poes!

2008-08-18T15:29:00.001-07:00

I would like to introduce you to another one of my good friends. Her Name is Chrys Poes with Poese For The Camera. She is an amazing friend!! Has always been loyal and helpful, and just a blessing to have in my life. Chrys and I have known each other for about 10 years and to this day our friendship has remained strong. Her photography is outstanding, very artistic. I just love her. She mite hate this picture I posted... (I know her well! ha!) but I love this shot of us. We took in a photo booth one year at her son's birthday party. Classic!

Baby Jayce

2008-08-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

My cousin just recently had a baby boy in July. She lives in Raton, NM and sent me this picture via cell phone. She needed some announcements done so I fixed up the picture she gave me and made this card for her. He is so cute! Absolutely a beautiful baby boy! And not bad for a cell phone image don't you think?

My Day Trip!

2008-08-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we took a day trip to Payson, AZ. I wanted to take some time to spend with my parents so we decided to take a short road trip. Payson, AZ is only about 1 hour and 40minutes from my home. Me and my husband love to get away up in the Rim Country right outside of Payson. A big difference from the desert landscape we live in. I love living in Arizona! I had the best time with my Mom and Dad. Even though we live 20min away from each other. Sometimes we get to busy and I don't want to do that anymore, life is to short. They mean the world to me!

Steven (Tuffy)

2008-08-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

My amazing Steven started football practice last week. Steven played flag football for a few years and then we decided he was ready to play tackle this year. Well he already has grown to love it! He gets really into the rough and rumble part of it. As you can tell from his pictures. As I was sitting watching him play an amazing sunset came around. It was breath taking! I love the Arizona sunsets!

A Fight For Cancer!

2008-08-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

My cousin Jacque Martinez is doing this 3 day walk for cancer. I'm so proud of her! We (in our family) have lost loved ones to cancer. So I know this is a very personal quest for her. Please come out and support this cause! It's one worth fighting for!

Please go to http://www.lasbombas3day.com/

Ana :)

In Memory of Uncle Donald

2008-08-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

My Uncle Donald just recently passed away last week. He's next to my dad in this picture on the right side. (Wearing glasses) He was an honorable man who served our country well. He was in the Army and was a paratrooper. When he got out of the Army he worked for and retired from the United States Post Office. You are a wonderful man Uncle! I found this poem and I thought it was fitting.

Light A Candle © J
light a candle, see it glow, watch it dance, when you feel low, think of me, think of light, I'll always be here, day or night, a candle flickers, out of sight, but in your heart, I still burn bright, think not of sadness, that I'm not near, think of gladness, and joyous cheer, I have not left, I am not gone, I'm here to stay my little one, so when you light a candle and you see it glow and you watch it dance in your heart you'll know that I would never leave you even when you feel so blue I'm sitting up here with the Lord and now watching over you Light A Candle ©J

Danielle & Shane

2008-07-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

Danielle and Shane are a sweet couple who will be married in Spring of 2009 at Christ Church Of The Valley. One of my favorite places to photograph! We did their engagement shoot this past week at her mothers house in Peoria. Thank you Gina for being so thoughtful and kind! I look forward to their wedding day!

Ana :)

Save The Date: Etiquette

2008-07-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

I just recently have had a few brides ask me about SAVE THE DATE cards and etiquette. It seems to be a popular trend, and a really cute idea. One of my future brides asked me if I knew when it was to late to send out a save the date card. I truly had no idea so I decided to look it up and find out for my self. The Knot is one of my favorite places to go for valuable information and ideas concerning weddings. This is what they suggested...

Save-the-Dates: Etiquette Q&A

"Q. When do you send them? As a general rule, it's best to start spreading the news at around six months prior to the ceremony (eight months for a faraway destination). This gives guests plenty of time to book their travel, save a bit of cash, and ask for days off from work. Any earlier, and they may toss the notice aside. Any later, and it might as well be an invitation."

I hope this helps!!

Ana ;)

Lyding Family

2008-07-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

The Lyding family are truly one of my favorite family's to work with. Faithful, kind and just all around good people. Vanessa was a past bride of mine. She is the one with the pretty green eyes. Vanessa is an aspiring photographer. I have a feeling she is going to be wonderful at it because she has such a great personality and an eye for detail. I wish her all the luck in the world.

Ana

Mary Sandy

2008-07-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

A shout out to Mary Sandy!

Mary Sandy is another one of my good friends! She has made such a difference in my life both in photography and personal. Mary has helped me out so much when my system was down recently. She is an inspiration to me. Her work is beautiful and is full of romance. Check out her BLOG http://msandyphotographer.blogspot.com/ ! Thank you Mary Sandy for being my (BFF) ;) and for all your support.

Ana

Heather & Lyle

2008-07-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Heather and Lyle, are as sweet as they come. I say this with prejudice because Lyle's mother is a friend of mine. They got married at The Antique Wedding House in Mesa, AZ. A beautiful location with a charming old- fashion quality to it. They had a few issues with the venue but Lyle and Heather handled it with grace. Thanks Aimee for trusting me to capturing your sons special moment. I'm so honored to have done this for you and I really enjoyed being apart of this special occasion.

Ana

Kristin & David

2008-07-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

Kristin and David had such a beautiful wedding. They got married at CCV (Christ Church of the Valley). I really enjoy photographing at this church because everyone is always so kind and helpful. The staff is so accomidating that it really helps in captureing a wedding from all angles. Kristin and David are such a great couple. They wanted to take the time for their picture so I managed to take over 800 images of their wedding. HA! That's what happens when I get the freedome to shoot! Thank you Kristin and David for chooseing me to photograph your wedding day it was a true delight. And such pleasure to have met you both and your wonderful family's!

Ana

Karina's 15th Birthday

2008-07-16T21:57:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of photographing Karina's 15Th Birthday! She is such a sweet and beautiful young lady. Karina attends

St. Mary's high school and is a talented softball player for

St. Mary's. Thanks Karina for allowing me to photograph your big day. You are such a delight to work with, always ready with a smile. I wish you all the luck in your future plans in high school and in collage. And keep up the good work.

Ana :)

Tracy Kreck

2008-07-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

I have been lucky in life to have been blessed with many good friends. All witch have been wonderful people to know, and who are very kind and giving friends. One is Tracy Kreck (My buddy!) She is an AMAZING photographer...! She has been such a wonderful mentor and has helped me go from film to digital witch has not been easy to say the least. She has been my savor in so many ways. Just recently my computer had some major issues and Tracy being the great friend she is, she came to my rescue. Not only by helping me to find a new computer but by helping me edit my weddings witch is such a time consuming job. I shoot anywhere from 500-850 images easily. And she is always willing to help me out and answer all of my millions of questions. I would like to voice out loud what a wonderful friend she is! I'm so lucky to have a friend like Tracy Kreck!

Ana ;)

Red Sox Slide Show!

2008-07-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Check out the slide show I created for my son's baseball team. Tournament Champions!!

You can click on the link below, then click on the RED SOX thumbnails.

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewalbum.html?bm=165133

Please fill free to view all my other slide shows!

Allen Counts

2008-07-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

My darling son Allen graduated from 8Th grade. I know for some it's not a big deal but for me every accomplishment both my boys have are a big deal in my eyes. I'm so proud of him! I just can't believe he is moving on to high school now. Oh my? ;)

His slide show! http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewalbum.html?bm=165133

Just click on Allen's 8th...

Ana

Tricia & Chris

2008-07-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

Tricia and Chris are truly kind and wonderful people. Tricia on her wedding day glowed! She has such a natural beauty about her. Chris looked handsome and couldn't keep his eyes off Tricia. It was such an honor to photograph such sweet people.

I'm so thankful to have met them!
Ana (Photographer)

2008-04-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

Today I will be photographing Chris and Tricia's big day!
Stay tuned to see some pictures of their wedding! I should
have some samples up by Wednesday of this week. Yay!!

Mr. & Mrs. Scheckel

2008-04-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

Alisha and Dane… One of the sweetest couples I know. Their wedding was a true delight to photograph. Alisha was gorgeous and all a glow! Dane was relaxed but anxious. Both of them complement each other, a perfect match. I had such a great time photographing them and their entire bridal party. Everyone was full of energy and it filled the air with excitement. Alisha and Dane, thank you so much for allowing me to document this wonderful day for you. It was truly my pleasure!!

Jesse... Houston Texas

2008-03-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

This week has been a very busy week, but a ton of fun. I had a long time friend of mine come into town from Huston Texas to visit. I took him down the street from my home to do a quick photo shoot of him. It turned out to be one of my best and favorite photo shoots. Not just because he’s my friend but because he was so open to anything and looked amazing. Images look so much better when you’re relaxed as you can tell from his pictures… Very GQ don’t you think?

2008-03-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

Just a few of my favorite images.

2008-03-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

My family! The loves of my life...

Welcome!!

2007-10-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm really new at this BLOG business so bare with me OK. I would like to thank you all for stopping by my new BLOG. I hope to share my latest work along with my couples stories and a little bit of what's new in my life. I'm mother of two wonderful boys, a wife of a great man, and I'm one of the lucky ones who gets to work in a job she loves. PHOTOGRAPHY!!