David and Shannon's Wedding

David and Shannon chose to hold their wedding in Frisco at the Frisco Heritage Center. The wedding had charming and quaint atmosphere - a very welcoming feeling I can always appreciate.

Shannon's wedding and exit dresses hang next to each other in the fitting room:


Angie Williams laid out make-up palettes in preparation of Shannon and her bridesmaids:


One of the bridesmaids checks the back of her hairdo with the aid of two mirrors:


Shannon has a heart bracelet with a locket, which has been used in past generations for weddings, put on in the fitting room:


Lisa, Shannon's mother, smiles while helping Shannon get ready for her wedding day:


We brought David over from the church next door for a side by side shot. I smile when I get the opportunity of taking this type of image since they can't see each other until the wedding:


Shannon takes a peek outside the house while guests arrive:


Finally, it's show time! Everyone is at the church, music is playing, and Shannon enters. All rise, and David is all smiles:




Soon, as fast as time flies, the ceremony nears the end - without a hiccup. David and Shannon pour salt during the salt covenant ceremony:


As they make their way down the aisle, with their backs kissed by the sun, they catch smiles and cameras:


The two make a re-entrance to the church for post-ceremony formal portraits:




The Frisco Railroad Depot reception setup was very elegant, and definitely inviting:


The newly wed meet and greet at each guest table in the depot:


When it came to speeches, they were short, sweet, and sincere (how's that for alliteration?):


Their wedding cake, dropped off by Cake Kreations, was sliced and served:


One of the guests works her penmanship by signing a framed easel they had in the front:


After photographing numerous bouquet and garter tosses, I tend to predict that couples toss them in nearly the same spot. Whether it's a secret collaboration between the two or just pure coincidence, I at least have photographic evidence to substantiate my claims:




A detailed image of all the detailed imagery:


A before we all knew it, their special day has come to an end! The guests sent them off with seeds, shouts, and applause:


Rasy Ran Photography

Shannon's Bridals

After having shot David and Shannon's wedding yesterday, I wanted to show some of Shannon's favorites from her bridal session - now that I can! We spent the day located on her wedding site, the Frisco Heritage Center. The center was a beautiful location, and we started at the Crozier-Covington-Sickles House. Shannon and her mother, Lisa, kept joking about how the house is haunted, and nothing has happened to my equipment or photos so far (knock on wood).

We shot upstairs and did some mild arranging to focus on just Shannon and the couch:




Then we moved to the nearby windows for some radiating light. She ended up choosing this photo as the canvas to display during the ceremony:

The hallway provided some nice distance and details, too:




Shannon had went back to the dressing room to try on her veil:


We located to the Lebanon Baptist Church next door, where the ceremony was held, and these are some of the ones Shannon picked out:








This last shot was outside the Log Cabin:


Shannon did an awesome job on her bridals, and I cannot wait until I post her wedding photos!

Rasy Ran Photography

Enter New Mexico (again)

I went to New Mexico to visit Rochelle's grandmother twice the past couple of years, and this year was just as welcoming. The high-elevation town of Taos sits nearly 7,000 feet above sea level, much higher than my hometown of Dallas, which is only about 400 feet.

The thinner oxygen levels got to me, as expected for any Texan flat-lander, but I grew accustomed over the week we stayed there. Rochelle and I went with my brother Sothea and his girlfriend, Helena, and provided a nice getaway for them as well.

Fully aware of spotty cell-phone service, Rochelle referenced the Rand McNally:


Traveling west-bound, there wasn't much to see, and then I remembered the long trains:


When we reached Taos, we were presented with virga, rain that looks suspended in the air and fails to touch the ground:


At the Fourth of July parade, there was plenty for Sothea and I to document:






We also made the 3-mile hike to Williams Lake, which was a good workout on the legs sitting on 11,000 feet above sea level. Here, trees are marked with a blue circle to indicate the path of the trail:


A trip to the hot springs on the bottom of the Rio Grande Gorge allowed for some relaxation time:


The Taos Pueblo had stray dogs all around the tourist hotspot. This was photographed on the
on the side of the St. Jerome Chapel, which Ansel Adams photographed in 1942:




Vendors at the Pueblo were selling fried bread, an item that should be a staple here in Dallas:


Rochelle poses for a photograph as Helena becomes her arms:


At Tsankawi, there are cave dwellings where some of the natives used to live. It's mesmerizing how you can't hear any nearby traffic, people, or sometimes even wind when you go to places like these in New Mexico. Pure silence. Here, I took a photo of the two before I climbed a ladder:


And another when we were exchanging various rocks and arrowheads we found:


The Vietnam Veterans National Memorial in Angel Fire reminded me how many people came from New Mexico to fight in the conflict. They have expanded their memorial recently to include a library and eventually will build a garden:




The last night in New Mexico brought us back to the Taos Pueblo to watch the 25th Annual Pow Wow, which attracted viewers from all over the world. I spent a little time and got some portraits as well. A night of many festivities, was the proper way to end it:






Rasy Ran Photography