Dani Peek Photography

This is the deal...

2009-11-19T20:28:00.000-08:00

She had me laughing the entire time we were shooting. Love this girl.

I have been a bit overwhelmed lately - and clearly I haven't been updating my blog, even though I always have the best intentions. :)

The problem is time. Time is something I've had precious little of lately, and the near future promises to be busier still! For that reason, I am taking a bit of a step back from my photography. I will still be pursuing this passion of mine, but I will only be taking two sessions per month, and I will only be booking six weddings next year (so far I have three booked... so if you are considering booking, now is the time!). :)

I've had quite a few inquiries, so I wanted to post here that I am currently scheduling for February 2010. Thanks for your support!

It's a bird, it's a plane...

2009-11-08T23:43:00.001-08:00

Nope, it's not Superman - it's Tyler! I think this kid looks SO MUCH like Tom Welling (Smallville's Superman). I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm a big dork after being subjected to all of my super graceful antics to get some relaxed expressions out of him (I think he must have been worried about Lois or something), but it was worth it!

We also did some pics of his cute family the same day. His brother and sister are twins and they both had SO MUCH personality!

Please help if you can!

2009-10-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend Heidi, who is an AMAZING photographer, had all of her camera equipment stolen yesterday. A fundraiser has been started for her - you can read more and find out how to donate on Dustin Izatt's blog. Every little bit will help. Please do what you can, and spread the word so Heidi can replace her equipment! Love you Heidi, I am so sorry girl.

K & M

2009-10-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

These two were so laid back and comfortable together - probably helps that they've known each other for 10 years! They are SOOO cute and so obviously in love... it was serioulsy just fun hanging out with them. :) I think the first one is my favorite...but I love the last one, too.

Congrats you guys!!!

D + W

2009-10-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

Don't you just LOVE her beaded Indian shoes??? So unique.

The light was so yummy & golden during part of their reception... loved it.

These guys are waiting for their disk to come in the mail - thought I'd give them a little sample while they wait! Isn't Wendy GORGEOUS?! Dallas, you are one lucky boy. :)

COMING SOON... to a Christmas Card near you!

2009-10-14T11:02:00.001-07:00

Thanks Mom for you help with these!

You'll have to wait for the card to see more. :)

Finally a post!

2009-10-11T23:25:00.001-07:00

I have the smartest, most adorable two year old daughter ever. She is also extremely mischievous...

For example, several months ago she began to develop a serious interest in my computer. She wanted to sit on my lap and play with the mouse and push all kinds of buttons. She wanted to look for letters to type in on the keyboard, see what the buttons did on the tower, and put disks in the drive and take them out for me. I thought it was pretty impressive that, at not yet two, she was so techno savvy.

Then a couple of months ago she started coming in and pushing the power button while I was working. Annoying, but again - she is pretty smart. She knew exactly what that button would do, and she would make sure that I was fully engrossed in what I was doing before pulling her little stunt. After a few time outs for this behavior, she stopped doing it (for the most part).

Then a few weeks ago, she found her golden opportunity. I wasn't home, and the individual who was watching her (who will go unnamed) thought she was still down for a nap. Apparently the computer had been left on and was unlocked. She managed to change my security settings, open TONS of applications, and shove several items into my disk drive. Her crime-spree went unbeknownst to anyone until I sat down to work at the computer later that evening... and found the disk drive jutting out, unable to close. Needless to say she broke the drive and caused a whole list of problems with my computer. I didn't realize she'd messed with the security settings for awhile and ended up getting viruses on my computer, to boot.

So now I don't think it's so cute that she wants to be a techno-savvy two year old. I'm thinking she's going to have to wait until at least age 3 before becoming a programming prodigy.

Anyway, we got all of the random items out of the computer, and I'm pretty sure everything is finally fixed. Now that everything is (hopefully) sorted out, I will seriously try to post sneak peeks for all of my sessions from here on out! :)

Loved being a part of this wedding. Julie, you are beautiful! Congratulations!

the Mattson Family

2009-08-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Desi is an old friend, and it was so fun to spend some time with her and her adorable family. I just love her boys, they are HILARIOUS!!! Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys!

Taylor

2009-08-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

OMG, is this girl not GORGEOUS??? I was seriously doing the happy dance when I saw her - so happy I got to photograph her! She's one of those girls I guarantee all of the other girls WISH they could hate because she's so PERFECT, but she's also so incredibly sweet that you can't help but love her. I am only about halfway done with her photos, but there are SO MANY that I love! I just had to share a few. With all the locations and the fabulous clothes Taylor brought, plus my super chatty mood, this turned into quite the marathon session - thanks for sticking it out Taylor, you did awesome!

Julie & Trevor

2009-08-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

These guys were so cute and so clearly in love. Can't wait to shoot their wedding next weekend! Congratulations Julie & Trevor!

A few more of Dallas & Wendy...

2009-07-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

Love these!

Shaylee & Axle

2009-07-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

Here they are Cort - your kids are SO ADORABLE! They were so so good, too, loved taking their pictures!

Showtime Recital Orders

2009-07-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

I will continue accepting orders for the Showtime Dance Rectial photos through JULY 31, 2009. After that time the photos will no longer be available! You can find the links to the photo sets from the recital here. Thank you!

Sneak Peek for Kendra

2009-07-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

Kylee was SO happy when I first arrived to take pictures... in fact, she was all smiles up until we put her onto the backdrop. She hated it! It was so funny, every time she'd get off of the backdrop, she'd flash these HUGE smiles, giggle and just be SO cute... put her back onto the backdrop and she'd just BAWL. It took an awful lot of coaxing (and marshmallows and all kinds of crazy noises and antics), but she did give us a few sweet little smiles and some great expressions (even if some of them include big fat tears rolling down her cheeks!). Love her chubby cheeks and her cute pierced ears.

Sneak Peek for Miranda

2009-07-01T15:40:00.001-07:00

This little five month old was SUCH a great smiler! He pulled some of the funniest faces, too. Miranda, you seriously have some of the cutest little boys I have ever seen. Seriously.

Dallas & Wendy

2009-06-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

These guys are just too cute together... love their style, love their camera personalities and totally love both of their names. Wendy is definitely a girl after my own heart - check out her ADORABLE shoes! I feel a shopping trip coming on...

Jen

2009-06-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Jen's bridals came out SO awesome... I'm totally loving every single one of them! I'm not posting them here because certain eyes can't see yet... but here's her gorgeous bouquet!

Walker Family

2009-06-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

I remember hanging out at Sara's all the time back in the day. It was fun to hang out there again with her fam - which has definitely grown! - and take their pictures. Love you Sara!

Sara's cute parents

Her brother Ryan's gorgeous family

Cody with his cute wife... and with their cute puppy!

Sara's adorable kiddos... and look at Maddie giving Brooklyn kisses (she was having a hard time with the whole photo thing)!

The kids (Ryan, Cody, Josh & Sara)...

and the whole crew!

SESSION WINNERS!

2009-06-07T23:40:00.000-07:00

The winners of the session giveaways are Miranda Whitney & Lisa Villalobos! I will be e-mailing you girlies shortly to set up your sessions. Congrats!!!

*Thanks to everyone who entered. I will be doing some type of giveaway every month, so if you didn't win this time be sure to check back and enter in July!

Michelle & Whitney

2009-06-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

This shoot was so much fun - these girls are dolls. Michelle kept laughing every time I'd try to get her to make a serious face... so funny.

So fun to hang out with Whitney & Michelle & Michelle's boobs! Thanks girlies!

Meet the Names

2009-06-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

Eric and Valerie, along with their two sweet kiddos, Porter and Kendra, were sealed recently. I got to spend the afternoon with them. Aren't they cute?

We didn't have much time at the temple, but we got a couple of quick group and family photos, and a few cute couple shots. Love that they still seem like they're in the newlywed stage!

They had to hurry home to change and get ready for the open house their neighbors threw for them... which was the cutest thing EVER. They fed each other cake and everything! Love it!

The kids were wiped, so they stayed home and slept through most of the open house, but we were still able to get a few cute shots when they woke up. Kendra was so sweet, she didn't want to let go of Mommy.

Thanks for letting me come and hang out with you guys! Congrats!

Wheatley Family

2009-05-27T12:35:00.001-07:00

*The Recital Photo links can be found in the post below!

Thirty-nine people - by far the biggest family I've ever photographed! It was so much fun (and somewhat crazy) hanging out with my sister's in-laws... they are some of the nicest people ever. Love all the color in these - we got some fun ones!

Eaglettes/Showtime Recital

2009-05-18T13:09:00.001-07:00

The recital photos have all been uploaded! Click on any of the images below to be linked to the flickr set created for that class. Once you have been linked to flickr, the easiest way to view the images is to click on the set name above the photo stream to the right of the main image. All of the images will then populate as thumbnails, and you can click on any image to view it individually.

If anyone is having trouble viewing the images, please e-mail me and I will walk to you through it. *Since the images posted on flickr are low-res web images, I do not recommend viewing them as a flickr slideshow. If you do view them as a full-screen slideshow, be aware that many of the images will appear blurry!

Each image is named and numbered; when ordering, please list both the name and number along with the size you want for each image. If you would like any of the photos in black and white, please indicate that as well (the default print option will be full color).

Pricing is as follows:

1 4x6 photo: $5
3 4x6 photos: $10

1 5x7 photo: $7.50
3 5x7 photos: $15

More than three photos:

Each additional 4x6: $2.50
Each additional 5x7: $3.50

Orders will be accepted via e-mail at danidx@comcast.net, and can be paid via paypal or by mailing a check. Please indicate your payment preference in your e-mail, and don't forget to include your shipping address! Once I have received your order, I will send you a confirmation and an invoice including the shipping fees (either a paypal invoice or a general invoice to be printed and included with your mailed check).

After you have submitted payment, please allow two weeks for delivery of your photos. If you are mailing a check, it may take a bit longer! Thank you for your support.

The Sorensens

2009-05-11T23:18:00.000-07:00

Meet Damian. I was lucky enough to take his family's pictures the other day.

Don't let his adorable-ness deceive you. Cute as he is, he did NOT want his pictures taken on this particular day.

We pulled out all kinds of tricks to try and cheer hiim up so we could get a nice, traditional family photo.
He got to ride on Daddy's shoulders and be swung around...

he got to throw flowers and leaves at me,

He got to blow bubbles and blow on all kinds of weeds,

and he got to run around while we took some photos of his parents.

In the end, I think he had some fun - and I'm pretty sure he doesn't completely hate me, since he did throw up some peace signs for the final shot of the session!

Kevin & Jen

2009-05-04T23:00:00.001-07:00

I am so excited for these guys! They are such a cute couple, very natural together and so easy to work with. It started pouring on us as we were finishing up this session, but it was worth it. CONGRATULATIONS KEVIN & JEN!!!

Devin & Rita

2009-05-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

Congratulations guys!

A few samples for Kortnie

2009-04-30T01:05:00.000-07:00

Some girls have all the luck!

2009-04-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

I don't think this girl could possibly be any cuter or sweeter. And look at those eyes! She has some of the most amazing eyes I have ever seen. It really isn't fair. Going through these has been a bit ridiculous, because she just photographs too well! Congrats on the upcoming graduation Kortnie!

Worth getting pelted with poop?

2009-04-26T00:43:00.000-07:00

These kids are so funny - taking their pictures was quite the experience! Trying to get their attention by the end was ALMOST beyond me... until the youngest picked up what I initially thought was dirt and threw it. All three of the kids thought it was hilarious, so I decided to try to get their newfound glee directed at me.

"Hey guys! Throw it at me! I'll bet you can't get me!" I called out like an idiot (it's just dirt, right? no problem).

So the kids all start picking up little clods of "dirt" and throwing them my way. They had pretty good little arms, too. I was getting filthy, but I was keeping my camera out of the way of the bits of "dirt" that were beginning to cover me, and the kids were looking at me and smiling... success!

So after this had been going on for awhile, their Dad, Dave, called out, "Okay, enough throwing cow poop at Dani. Just stand there and smile already!" (or something to that effect).

So at this point I had two options. Gag and choke and run screaming to burn my clothes and take a shower (like I wanted to), or continue on like I totally knew it was cow dung the kids had been throwing at me the whole time.

Obviously, I chose the second option, but it took every ounce of my willpower to stand there covered in poop and keep shooting until we got the final shot you see above. All three kids, looking in my general direction, smiling...

So yeah, in hindsight, after many long, hot showers and multiple washings of the clothing I was wearing at the time, I guess I can say it was worth it. I was pelted with cow dung, and I lived to tell the tale.

On a side note, their Dad picked out all of their shirts himself (including his own and his wife's) just for their family pictures. Pretty impressive!

My Katherine

2009-04-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

Some recent faves of my baby sister. Yeah, this is pretty much just for you Jake. Can you tell she likes the right side of her face better???

Brian... oh, I bet the other boys just hate him!

2009-04-14T23:52:00.001-07:00

How can anyone else compete with this kid around? All the girls go ga-ga and nobody even notices all the other boys. He was lots of fun to photograph, but I about lost my mojo hanging out with a boy who is prettier than me!

And just to show that yes, the kid has a killer smile, too...

Poor Little Mia...

2009-04-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

This poor little one did NOT want her pictures taken. We busted out all kinds of tricks, but she just wasn't feeling it. Pretty sure she had a tummy ache, and there we were trying to torture her into posing and then expecting smiles...

She did like eating the fuzzies, the blankets, and her hands. At least we got some smiles while Mommy & Daddy were holding her! Allison, she is such a beautiful baby, congrats!

Future Heartbreakers...

2009-04-13T23:47:00.000-07:00

AJ and Brooklyn just get cuter every time I see them. Sunny had them perfectly dressed and styled, and the location was great. Brooklyn was so sweet and cooperative, and AJ was just so FUNNY! We got so many great shots!

Quite possibly the cutest family ever...

2009-04-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

Just look at these gorgeous people! These kids have SO much personality, and they were so cute and fun. I just loved taking their pictures!

Matt & Sara

2009-04-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

I took some pictures for my gorgeous friend Sara a few days ago - her family is just adorable, and her kids have SO much personality!

Georgia & Tom & Tom

2009-04-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

I was a little worried about doing these pictures because it was SO cold, but baby Tom did so well! He was such an easy smiler - it was hard to pick my favorites!

How to use a paper backdrop... or not.

2009-04-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

If you just want to see some cute photos, scroll down.

As we all know, the weather has been less than ideal for outdoor photos lately. Luckily for me, I have sliding glass doors that let in a great amount of soft window light, and I recently purchased a beautiful new backdrop stand along with multiple rolls of lovely seamless paper. Therefore, I was rather excited for the excuse to bust it all out.

So, after rounding up some subjects (my cute parents and my ADORABLE children), feeling almost gleeful, I open up the box in which my new backdrop stand was packaged. I pull out all the bubblewrap, and get the many shiny metal pieces out of the backdrop carrying case. I check the bag for the assembly instructions.

Nothing.

I check again.

Nothing.

Seriously? This thing doesn't have ANY instructions?!

I take a deep breath. It's all good - I'm a college grad, surely I can figure this thing out. I start sticking metal things into other metal things. I try it one way, then another. I start to sweat. The stupid backdrop stand is looking less and less beautiful all the time. My aforementioned ADORABLE children won't stop jumping on the "pop-pops" (bubble-wrap). To top it off, all that soft window light is quickly fading.

After an undisclosed amount of time (like I'm going to admit how long it took me!), the stand is all put together, the extention bars are extended, and my new Thunder Grey paper roll is mounted on the crossbar, ready to go. Though my earlier feeling of glee is long forgotten, I still feel a little self-satisfied as I look at my handiwork.

My first subjects, my parents, are ready to be photographed, so I pull the paper ever so gently downward. It comes slowly at first, and I'm trying to decide how long I need it... I climb off the chair I'd been standing on to attach the paper, so that I can get a better look at what I have to work with.

Suddenly the paper takes on a mind of its own. It starts unraveling, faster and faster, making lovely waves of grey that quickly build up across the family room floor. I let out a rather loud shriek, jump back onto the chair and frantically grab the paper. About half of it has unrolled.

My ADORABLE children are quite delighted with this development. They think the many folds of paper are their own personal playground, and proceed to jump right in. I stand on the chair feeling paralyzed, yelping at them to stop, begging them to leave the paper alone, unable to climb down because that would require me to let go of the paper roll and let the rest of it unravel.

Thankfully, my parents grab my kids before I have a nervous breakdown.

With some help, I roll the now quite wrinkled "seamless" paper back up until it's about the right length. Being a person who tends to stress out quite easily, I try not to freak out.

Now I need some way to make the paper stay on the roll. Unfortunately, I am still stuck on the chair, so my parents look around for some contraption that will secure the paper and prevent it from unrolling again. Meanwhile, the blood has drained from my arms so completely (from holding up the paper roll) that they look like something out of Night of the Living Dead.

The pantry yields some clips that I use to hold various bags shut... they seem like they might work. With the clips attached, I carefully let go of the paper. It holds. Thank goodness. I climb down from the chair. After a minute, the feeling begins to return to my arms.

After getting my ADORABLE children interested in some toys in Rylee's room, I arrange my parents to my liking and start shooting. The light has faded and is now less than even, but I am not about to try moving the backdrop closer at this point. I bump up my ISO and keep going. I'm getting some shots that I like. The wrinkles aren't showing up too much, and my parents are incredibly cooperative. I start to relax.

Shouting erupts from Rylee's room. My ADORABLE children have apparently sensed the tension draining from my body, and they immediately burst into the room to remedy the problem. They both crash right into the backdrop in their rush to attack me, and everything begins to move in slow motion.

The clips fly off the paper roll like little springs, floating through the air and crashing into the walls on either side of the room. The paper roll immediately begins to unravel again, dancing down onto the floor less gracefully than before thanks to the many wrinkles it acquired from my ADORABLE children pouncing on it earlier.

There is a collective scramble as my parents and I all try to grab the paper roll at once. I get there first. This time about 2/3 of the paper has unrolled. After several deep breaths, and a few silent reminders of the many reasons I love my ADORABLE children, I dutifully begin rolling it back up.

You would think this would be the end of the attempted photo shoot. Not so. Foolhardiness, or perseverance as I like to call it, is a trait that has been deeply ingrained in me through many failed attempts at various activities. So I kept going.

And you know what? Seamless paper - even incredibly wrinkled seamless paper - makes a great backdrop.

I have since obtained industrail strength clips to hold my paper in place no matter how hard my kids pull on it (you can find these at any hardware store), and now that it's assembled, my backdrop stand can be put up and taken down with relative ease. So the story has a happy ending. Everybody lived, and I even got some pretty decent shots of my cute parents... and my ADORABLE children.

Baby Benson

2009-03-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

I promised Desi I'd get some favorites posted today! This was my first "official" newborn session, and Benson was so good. He kept giving me "the Quarnberg scowl" as Desi calls it, but he slept almost the whole time, and he only soiled the backdrop once! :)

A busy week...

2009-03-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun doing all of these senior/individual sessions last week! Found some awesome spots that I'm sure will be future faves, too. If you know any seniors who still need their pictures done, I'm offering a $49 senior session (good for any individual session, too) through May 7th!

*If you want to view the slideshow full size, just click the box in the bottom righthand corner!

The Wheatleys

2009-03-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

We did these family photos last weekend, and I LOVE SO MANY OF THEM! Mel & Kyle are a little bit country, so Wheeler Farm was the perfect location. TFL!

2009-03-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here's the link to my current portfolio: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dani_dxp/sets/72157615139253401/show/. You can also view it at the bottom of this page! Just click on the little box with the four arrows to expand it to full screen (it's at the bottom right corner of the slideshow). Check back often, as I'll be updating it regularly.

*If you want to view it faster, you can click through the images using the arrows, or go into options and select "fast" to increase the speed.

COMING SOON!

2009-03-13T03:02:00.000-07:00