As a former newspaper journalist, I’ve grown to have real disgust at trite expressions. That being said, what a difference a year can make. This time last year was rough… This time last year I was unmarried, had just lost a huge account (which was 1/2 of my photography income) and wasn’t going to church.…

It’s that time of year again: time to vote on your favorite wedding images of the year for the Benny Awards! The winners in each category are real Benny couples, who win real prizes, like canvases, prints, and photo sessions! Not to mention bragging rights! I’ve set the voting for the Benny Awards to be…

Best Wedding Portrait nominees were nearly impossible to narrow down. Spending time on the wedding day–just me and the couple–getting portraits is my favorite part of the wedding day. Because every wedding day is different, you never know what will jump out and inspire that perfect portrait. I get inspired by light, and also location.…

The Best Wedding Designs category is probably my most favorite. I’m always in awe of how wedding visions come together, usually with the help of a really great wedding planner. For example, I love seeing a single vision carried throughout the wedding day. Likewise, I try to capture all these little details that mean so…

The Best Engagement Portrait category is probably my favorite. Actually, I get asked often what my favorite thing to photograph is, and my answer is always engagement pictures. I love being an engagement picture photographer because it gives me time to get to know my couples. By connecting with them during the engagement shoot, it…

I photographed my own lovely bride’s bridal portraits this year, but I didn’t want to be biased and add hers to the Best Bridal Portrait nominees. However, we have a lot of beautiful brides for this years Benny Awards. Having bridal portraits taken is fun because most brides get their hair and makeup done. It’s…

These Best Wedding Dress nominees this year are incredible. As it turns out, I happen to know a lot about wedding dresses. The things I’ve learned over the years about dresses allows me to have intelligent conversations about them. However, all I know is that sometimes I love a dress and don’t know how exactly…

Florists created art when they mad these Best Bridal Bouquet nominees. I don’t have the talent of arranging flowers. Furthermore, I am often amazed how floral designers can create such masterpieces with their raw ingredients. For example, the complimentary color palettes seem to fit together so flawlessly. We have a lot of great talent here…

There is so much artistry in these Best Wedding Cake nominees. In addition looking good, they always smell up the room with a lovingly fragrant smell. Oh, and did I mention they happen to taste amazing? It’s no wonder cakes are essential to the perfect wedding reception. These cakes are all stunning. They were easy…

These Best Wedding Dance nominees are everything I wish I could be. I’m only kind of kidding. If you’ve been to a wedding I photographed, you’ll know that I love to dance. You’ve seen me on the dance floor, albeit with a camera in hand. I like to think I can dance, but I know…

I think the reason I like the Best Wedding Getaway category is that I love the idea of leaving in style. Finishing the ceremony or reception on top and having all your friends and family there cheering you on to the next life adventure is really cool. Because not every wedding has a formal leave,…

By promoting the Best Groom’s Cake ideas below, I’m on a mission to get groom’s cakes at every single wedding I shoot. However, I don’t eat cake. Because I’m vegan, I haven’t eaten cake at a wedding in years. That being said, I think it’s important to have a groom’s cake at every wedding. Why…

The Best Wedding Kiss perfects the start of a marriage. Sexy kisses or sweet kisses both show the love a couple shares. As such, I know capturing the perfect kiss is the single most important shot from the wedding. However, the Best Wedding Kiss might not be the moment they are pronounced as married. In…

Starting my photo career as a photojournalist, Best Wedding Moments are what it’s all about for me. I’ve always loved capturing moments in my life; it’s the main reason I got into photography as a career. Likewise, with wedding photography, I love the look on a groom’s face when he first sees his bride. Or,…

Before we talk about the Best Family Portrait nominees, I have an important question: What is family? To me, family can be so many things. For example, a mom and her fur-baby is totally a family. Likewise, a couple who has each other is a family. Of course, there is always the traditional couple with…

The Best Graduation Portraits and Style Portraits of the year are here! This category is new to the Benny Awards, and I’m excited to share. Because so many of my clients are non-wedding, I felt I needed to add this category. What do you think? Being a graduating senior is an important milestone in any…

Shoes are seemingly a small part of the wedding budget, but these Best Wedding Shoes nominees make quite an impact. I happen to LOVE shoes, even though I don’t know the difference between a pump and a high heel (are they they same thing?). Regardless, I know immediately when I love a pair of shoes.…

Hey everybody! We’ve been rockin and rollin over here at the Benfield household getting the gender neutral nursery ready for “Dilly.” If you are wondering if “Dilly” is the baby’s name, it’s not. We don’t have a name! Actually, we don’t even know the gender. We just started calling our baby Dilly after the first…

Hi everyone, this is Tyler! I’ve taken over Dale’s blog today to talk about … myself. Or rather, my last maternity shoot. A boudoir maternity shoot. First, though, let’s talk about boudoir in general. If you would have told me two years ago that I’d do a boudoir shoot at all, let alone a boudoir…

When we were planning her Christmas Card Photo Shoot, Cameron and I KNEW we had to include her two puppies! Even though Cameron and I are friends, I had never met Cubby and Donut in person! Tyler and I were super excited to finally meet (and photograph) Cameron and Beau’s fur babies. How to plan…