Today I am announcing my celebrated acceptance into the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) & Artisitc Guild of the WPJA.  Two International, membership-based organization representing professional photographers skilled in the documentation of weddings and events in a candid, unobtrusive style. As a WPJA member, I join the ranks of some of the most talented wedding photojournalists in the world as judged by their technical, creative and visual aptitude.

I will be held to strict membership standards regarding image quality and content, technical and creative technique, website and marketing professionalism, business ethics and communication. In turn, I gains prestigious affiliation with one of the industry’s top professional organizations. I can further gain admittance into quarterly competitions, where my work will be judged by some of the world’s most respected and accomplished award-winning photojournalists.

I am truly excited for this honor and I know that membership in this esteemed organization further shows my clients that I adore capturing what is most precious to them: those unforgettable moments on their wedding day.  This organization truly is about anticipating it and creating photographs that tell a story.  Here are a few recent images from weddings that I feel capture the wedding photojournalist in me!

Tami Winn Events & Le Fleur Couture are two of my favorite companies to work with and they are both owned and operated by the fabulous Tami Winn.  Tami is just a doll to hang out with and an excellent designer to boot.  I got her and some of her staff together for a shoot and these girls had me laughing the entire time.  I had to ask Tami how she got any work done with such a fun crew and she said that she had a firm hand but they all knew how to laugh and get the job done.  I can attest to that as every event I have done with them both the clients and I loved her and each one of her team.  I asked Tami to share some wedding planning tips and she was sweet to oblige.

Catching the perfect Frame

Your dress will be put in storage, the cake will be eaten, and no one will remember what songs were played at your wedding.  But you will always have the pictures.  And in order to make sure you have the ones you want, you need to make sure you communicate with your photographer in advance.  Have a plan for what photos you want taken, and in what order.  Trust the advice that your photographer gives you- they are in this business for a reason.

A common occurrence that many brides find is that their pictures are rushed or they don’t get all of the ones taken that they want.  Planning ahead for this will ensure that you have a permanent memory with everyone that you want.  It’s always a good idea to take at least some photos before the wedding.  If you are a traditional couple and do not want to see each other before the ceremony, then take separate photos with your wedding parties and respective families- then you can quickly do group shots afterwards.

However, if you are not traditional, taking all your photos before hand is a huge time saver, and sometimes even gives you more opportunities for some really amazing shots.  You will not be rushing to get out of the church or to the reception.

Let it Go

You know those brides who over react and turn into a bridezilla- and you know how you felt watching them have a meltdown.  Make sure that you do not have a repeat performance.  It’s important to remember that on your wedding day, everything is planned for and thought of.  And if some mishap happens, or something goes wrong, there is normally not one thing you can do about it.

Relaxing and letting go of the small things will actually lead to a more enjoyable day.  You will not be caught up in the negatives and will able to focus on the positives.  Like the fact that you are marrying the love of your life….

Sometimes it’s easier to laugh when you’re feeling stressed, so make sure you surround yourself with those that love you and make you feel good.  If anything becomes more than you can handle- you can lean on them to take your mind off things.

The Right Time

We’ve talked about planning ahead and relaxing on your wedding day- one small thing that will accomplish both of these is to pay attention to your schedule throughout the day.  There is nothing worse than being rushed and not being able to enjoy your special day.  And it’s even worse if you are late!

Make sure you give you and your ladies plenty of time for hair and make-up.  Tell your stylist to be generous when setting the appointments.  If you get ready at a salon, many of them have packages where you can order lunch directly through the salon.  If not, just have a small sandwich or wrap tray brought in.  This saves you from having to go get something and makes sure that you eat something during the day.

Definitive Details

Sure you have your dress, the food and the music, but have you done further thought into the details of your wedding?  Most brides don’t realize what a major impact the small details can make.  All these little details add up to create a more personal wedding atmosphere.  There are a lot of small things that you can do to help create this effect.

Having your shoes one of your wedding colors gives you a bit of drama and flair- and makes you a more unique bride.

Lighting is also another detail that most brides do not think about.  Lighting dramatically affects the mood of your guests.  It can create a calming atmosphere during dinner and transition into a younger, more hip feel when it is time for dancing.  Talk to a lighting company to hear their suggestions on where the areas of impact would be throughout your room.

Your lighting company can also create a custom monogram for you.  This can be carried throughout your wedding as a common theme on your invitations, your programs, etc.  A lighting company can create a GOBO for you to have displayed on the dance floor or on a neutral wall during your reception.  Such a personal touch is the perfect way to begin your new life as a married couple.

Tasteful Trends

You see it all the time in magazines and on television.  Trends are a bride’s worst nightmare.  Yes, having current trends are important, but when too much emphasis is placed on them, your wedding loses its primary focus- you and your fiancé.

Carefully examine what social media is telling you is in-style for weddings.  If it doesn’t fit the two of you as a couple, don’t do it.  It will seem awkward and out of place on your wedding day if it is not personal to you as a couple.

Thanks Tami for sharing some tips on planning and prepping for the wedding day.  We definitely agree with those tips, especially the photography ones!  Here are some of my favorite photos from their session where we fused a very Sex in the City vibe with their naturally outgoing personalities.

Happy Earth Day!  As the world celebrates ways to be cleaner and kinder to the Earth this week I thought I would take the opportunity to share with our clients how we are GREEN.

This year Lightly & Tracy Autem Photography made the decision to go paperless.  Ok, so we are digital photographers and obviously clients still want prints (on paper) so we are not talking about cutting that out.  We have been phasing in an online studio management system that allows all of our correspondence, contracts and invoicing to be completely paperless.  We are happy to announce that as of 2011 booking year all of our clients will be fully integrated to this system and producing no paper with us!

We love things that make life easier for our clients by having all their account information available anywhere they go on their phone or at home and better yet we can leave one less thing behind on this Earth.  How are you GREEN?

Love this shot I snagged at the end of the night before Callie changed into her party dress.

We met Callie last year at City Club’s Best in Bridal event and from the moment I met her I just loved her.  Jason & Callie are a super sweet couple with very loving families that we so enjoyed getting to know through their planning process.  I was excited last Saturday to finally photograph their wedding at Marty Leonard Chapel in Fort Worth.  Marty Leonard has awesome window light making it super easy and fun to photograph there.  I felt SO bad for Jason though as he was feeling under the weather and sick.  Despite that though he put a smile on and enjoyed his day with Callie and their precious son, Brady.  After the wedding we boarded the transportation and headed to the Ashton Hotel where we danced the night away!

For best viewing watch in High Resolution

I love shoes almost as much as I love taking pictures of them.

Callie and her Mom look so much alike, love this shot of Mom lacing up the dress.

Mommy & Brady, such a cute little man.

Had to get one with Daddy too.

Brady rode in on a wagon and I was so happy to get this shot of Jason just beaming at his son.

Thanks Sarah H. for capturing this great moment at the altar before Callie's Dad gave her to Jason.

Such a cool church! We love Marty Leonard.

Sarah H. was able to be right at the front and capture some sweet moments between this couple.

Man & Wife

The bridal party

I think the energy in this one is just darling.

I made Jason dip her because one of my *favorite* images from thier engagment session came out of a dip.

Enjoying friends on the ride to the reception

First Dance

These are not just your nomal wedding guests, this is one hot couple I will be photographing this December. Working with my couples friends is the best and thier dance moves had me excited about thier wedding reception.

Off to Mexico for what I hope was a relaxing honeymoon.

Time flew by when I was hanging out with these two for their engagement shoot.  I loved their goofy personalities and best of all how much Robert kisses on Veronica.  When ever I start a session I give my couples a little info on how the shoot will go.  For the most part my couples interact but I give little cues on when to kiss or where to look to make the photos magic happen but not with this couple.  They just fell into it and played and every time I found myself about to say “give her a kiss” there he was planting one on her.   Talk about chemistry!  One of my favorite things to request of my couples is that they be dangerously close and they mastered it.

Engagement shoots have to be the best part of this job because it gets me SO excited about my couples wedding.  By the end of this session I knew that this wedding will be an amazing one!  It was so great getting to know you two this week and I can’t wait for your wedding in June.  I also photographed Veronica’s bridals this week but can’t share so we can keep her dress secret.  She designed it herself and had it made so it is super special.

Ah, the moment a kiss ends makes me smile

Veronica is just gorgeous

Love this one!

Too cool to look at the camera.

Always love getting a good solo shot of my bride and groom. (for the Moms!)

Adore. Great lines and depth with the tree limbs in the foreground.

Something Blue: Veronica is wearing these shoes on her wedding day so it was appropriate to break them in during the engagement session.