Jess Barfield Photography

I had a wonderful time yesterday shooting Courtney and Chad's engagement pictures around Turtle Creek and at the Stoneleigh, where Chad proposed to Courtney back in June!  It's always fun to incorporate a couple's unique story into photo shoots. Chad and Courtney are getting married next April and I am so ready for spring 2011 to get here! I am working with so many wonderful couples (like Chad and Courtney!) that are getting married next spring -- it's going to be a good one.

That's right: the concrete jungle where dreams are made. Blake and I took a quick little trip this past weekend to New York City to see friends, play and get away in general. The trip consisted of eating, seeing friends and eating some more and it could not have been better!  We love New York City.  I mean... really... for real... we LOVE New York City.  I lived there for a month when I was 16 and Blake lived there last year for about six months -- it's our favorite place.  Since we didn't want to carry all my camera gear around NYC, here is a post of our trip from the lens of my iPhone... : ) [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1500" caption="Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. First place we went. Yes, please."][/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2289" caption="Our wonderful friend, Jillian, taking us around the Lower East Side. No idea where we went..."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1500" caption="Dean and Deluca, you make my heart happy."][/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1500" caption="Awesome rollerblading lyrical dancer in CP. "][/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1500" caption="Kristen Chenoweth was ridiculously good. I wasn't as impressed with Magnolia's Bakery cupcakes though. I'm still a firm believer that Olive Branch in Waco has the best cupcakes in the world."][/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1500" caption="The Frick: one of my favorite museums"][/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1500" caption="The end of my pilgrimage. "][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500" caption="I really am nuts for nuts... I am obsessed with them."][/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1500" caption="Blake at his old apartment!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2682" align="aligncenter" width="1024" caption="A really scary building in the Upper East Side. Don't let the flowers fool you. "][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2685" align="aligncenter" width="1024" caption="Sure, why not have a giant chess tournament in CP?"][/caption]

Jordan and I have been talking about this shoot for a LONG time and I am so excited we finally got to have these taken!  Jordan and Taylor were so kind to have me drive down to Waco this morning for a fun portrait shoot-- they were married about three years ago and need some new pictures around their adorable house.  With one Common Grounds cowboy before and one after, along with a quick trip to Olive Branch and Spice... it was a good day to say the least.  Unfortunately, I can't take any credit for the balloons - that was all Jordan.  Jordan is a graphic designer for Scribbles, a note and gift store in Waco and she created lots of the paper details at my wedding.  Her creative talent is superb and I am so thankful to have met her six years ago (while I was most likely wearing a gorilla outfit).  Enjoy : )   -- JGB

3 WEEK WEDDING BREAK Good morning blog readers! I hope you're enjoying the new blog design!  After I booked up summer 2010 with weddings, I decided to take a few weekends off from shooting weddings to give myself a chance to catch up, breathe, improve my business and catch up some more! So, that's where I am - in the midst of three weeks off from weddings! : )  I'm shooting bridals, but I can't show any of those to you till later!  This break has been a great reminder of why we need time be still, look at our lives and ask "Am I accomplishing my goals? "Am I glorifying the Lord in my work?" "Am I the wife/daughter/friend I need to be?" "Am I the photographer I want to be?"  The Lord (in a very unique way) called me to this profession and I hope and pray that I show His heart in all that I do. OFFICER SNOD Blake and I had the privilege of watching one of our most dear friends, "Officer Snod" graduate from the Arlington Police Academy. As he is now in field training, he and the other brave men and women that risk their lives to keep us safe are constantly in my prayers. Blake and I couldn't be prouder of Officer Snod, the class salutatorian! I am convinced that the streets are a little safer now. We love you, Snods!

Why First Look?? More than any other question, I get this one the most from brides and grooms: "Should we see each other before the ceremony?" and I always respond with a resounding "YES!"  As a bride myself not too long ago, I completely understand and acknowledge the special moment of your groom seeing you for the first time walking down the aisle, and we can make that happen. We make it a private, special moment with just the two of you (I will or will not take pictures-- depending on what the bride and groom would like). Below are a couple of reasons why we believe this is a good idea for your wedding day: 1.) This allows for the bride and groom to talk and have special time together before the ceremony and reception. It is a sacred, special time with just the bride and groom and many times ends up being one of their favorite parts of the day. 2.) This allows for more pictures to be taken. If we take pictures only after the ceremony, the bride and groom will have approximately 5-10 minutes of pictures of the two of them. If we take pictures before, the bride and groom will be photographed from 20-30 minutes. In the end, you will have a larger selection to choose from. 3.) The bride and groom, along with their wedding party and guests, can go straight to the reception following the ceremony. Everyone is hungry and ready to party, so why not let them?  Weddings can be physically and emotionally exhausting and the last thing most people want to do after the ceremony is to take pictures.  You will be able to enjoy your reception venue for a longer period of time and celebrate more! : ) 4.) If the wedding is during the winter when the sun is setting around 5:00-5:30, taking pictures before an evening ceremony will allow for the bride and groom to be photographed in the sunlight, which provides a wider range of images. I have heard people say they regret not seeing each other before, but I have never heard of anyone regretting seeing each other before. It's a practical way to minimize stress and maximize your investment on your big day! If you don't trust me, read these words from some 2010 summer brides that chose to do First Look: "Although I was a very traditional bride, there was no doubt I wanted to have a first look. First of all, my husband was very nervous and needed to be with me to calm his nerves before the ceremony. Because of it, he got through the vows without a sweat! Not only is it convenient to take all of your pictures before the ceremony, but the first look ended up being the most special moment of the whole day. Walking down the aisle to my future husband with just the two of us in the empty chapel, seeing the look on his face, and just having a moment to take it all in together is an unforgettable memory I will always cherish." - Elyse, married July 31, 2010 "We decided to do a "first look" mainly because we didn't want to have to do formal portraits after the ceremony! We knew we, along with our closest friends and family, would be very emotional and also ready to go eat, drink, and mingle right after the ceremony! If we had formal portraits afterwords, we would cut out time from the best part of the wedding! Also, as an afterthought, it was a really sweet moment to have a first look and I know Jess got some amazing shots - in our opinion, better pictures than if the first look was done while walking down the aisle!" - Claudia, married August 21, 2010 "Although I understand the idea behind seeing your husband as you're walking down the aisle, it calmed me down and allowed me to enjoy every second of the wedding since I had already seen him before.  Seeing Lee beforehand allowed me to focus on that special moment just with him so that when I walked down the aisle, I wasn't completely freaked out and nervous.  Lee said that even though he saw me before the wedding, his heart was pounding out of his chest as I walked down the aisle.  Seeing me before helped calm his nerves about being in front of so many people."  - Becky, married July 24, 2010