Stoker Photography

Tumbleweed Farm

2011-11-16T23:57:00.001-08:00

Do you want a great farm theme for your family pictures. A great place to get it is actually at Tumbleweed Rec Center. There is an entire farm set up in the back just for pictures. Trackers, a barn, and other equipement that is great for shoots. I have never seen anyone shoot there before but this time I had a few visitors. We had to wait our turn but the shots came out perfect especially with the sun coming down. Another tough aspect to deal with in AZ, the blazing sun in all your pictures.

Seevers Family

Stillman Family

McNutt Family

Pecan Groves = Rustic Wonderland

2011-11-16T23:42:00.000-08:00

Another great place to shoot in AZ is the Groves Church in Gilbert. Highly popular you may have to compete for a spot but trust me it is worth it. I love how the trees filter the sunlight and the rustic colors come out. Beautiful, woodsy and the perfect solitude for great pictures.

Patterson Family

Parke Family

Riccobono Familiy

Shooting LOVE

2011-11-16T23:36:00.000-08:00

The iconic LOVE statue in Scottsdale AZ is one of my favorite places to do family shoots. The color and boldness of the statue is amazing and it reflects exactly what a family should feel...LOVE for one another. Everyone looks great in front of it.

Thanks to these two families I got some really great shots. Even with all the other photographers gathering around watching and waiting for their turn.

Yellow and Gray

2011-10-06T00:56:00.000-07:00

I am not really big on props. Mainly because I haven't invested any money in buying any. However sometimes a small prop can bring a new look and some life to a picture. For instance a balloon gave this little girl something to laugh and smile at which when captured can be beautiful.

Ahoy Matey

2011-09-17T21:11:00.001-07:00

Everyone has a little pirate in them. Especially boys during Halloween.

Want to know how to make this Jake and the Neverland Pirates costume? Check out acoupleofcraftaddicts.blogspot.com Sept 26th.

Rainy Day

2011-08-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

New Mexico in the Park

2011-07-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

Smith Family at The Farm

2011-03-10T20:51:00.000-08:00

These boys are too cute for words and super photogenic. I love taking pictures of them because they love each other so much. Shannon is such a sweet person too and a great mom. It really shows by how much those boys love her.

This was however an adventure and I have to tell you all about it. We decided to take the pictures at The Farm at South Mountain. It is a yummy little restaurant with an amazing atmosphere very country meets chic. Anyways, so I am walking up to meet Shannon and I guy in a van tells me I have to get permission to take pictures there. I totally blew him off, lol, seriously how is he going to find me taking pictures of two little boys in the middle of a large space. However he tracked me down and let me tell you THEY WERE WATCHING US. He told us that we needed to get permission because photographers come and use the ground but don't even buy lunch. Shannon assured him that she was going to buy lunch after wards, which was her plan, and he allowed us to use the ground. Let me just say we smiled our ways into that one. Then we got out the balloons for Boston's 1 year pictures. BIG NO NO. Soon he was back over telling us no balloons allowed. But we talked him into letting us take a few pictures with the balloons as long as we put them back as soon as we were done. Well it never fails. Of course we let the 2 year old carry the balloons and of course he let them go and of course they got stuck in a tree. So here he comes to yell at us and we were thinking we are done. Fortunately he was super nice and we laid on the charm. He got the balloons down with an extremely high ladder (that I held for him) and a very long branch. After that he put a branch on the end of the balloons to keep them grounded. Then another worker came over and informed us that balloons are not allowed and we decided that was enough of the balloons. After all the hassle and all the screw ups the boys were very understanding and took some amazing pictures. They were so patient and I am really happy with the way they turned out.

Family Photo Shoot x2

2011-02-13T15:28:00.000-08:00

We definitely had better luck today. We shot at an old abandoned farm with tractors, great wood fences, and even a big red barn. It was the perfect day and the kids had a blast.

Lizzy's dress was another personal design.

Family Photo Shoot

2011-02-11T00:15:00.000-08:00

I take pictures of my kids all the time. The problem is they are mostly candid and in weird situations like when they have chocolate all over their faces or in the bathtub. Every once in awhile I get them ready and we do an actual photo shoot. This is easier said than done which is why I don't do it often. Jackson is almost 3 and resists smiling for the camera as much as possible. Elizabeth loves the camera but she also likes to run from the camera and from mom. In other words I need help with I shoot them. Thanks to my sister we actually managed to get some decent shots.

This was also a great opportunity for me to show off my fashion design skills as I made Elizabeth's dress myself.

Baby Brittan

2011-02-11T00:06:00.000-08:00

Today I shot a newborn. Actually this was my first newborn shoot other than my own kids. I was very nervous as I like to use natural light and don't really have the equipment for indoor shoots. But I think it went really well for my first time and we did a good job of using the light that we had. Thanks Melissa for letting me take some pictures of your beautiful little girl. The pictures don't do her justice.

Orange Explosion

2011-01-10T00:22:00.000-08:00

Sweet Payton

2010-12-13T23:04:00.000-08:00

I have watched Payton grow from a sweet little walking 9 month old to an almost 2 year old now. She is adventurous, sweet, smart, and a little bit defiant. Not your typical two year old. She was so good about me taking her picture and we had a blast playing on the farm. When I see her I actually see Lizzy in a year and that makes me excited and sad that my little girl is growing up. They grow up too fast. Enjoy it. Payton is adorable and she makes taking pictures easy. Thanks girl.

The McNutt Family

2010-12-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

I can totally see my family being similar to the McNutt family some day. Not only does Keely have 2 under 2 years old but she actually has 3 under 3! And she also has two older girls which makes the McNutt family of 7. What an amazing mom! You could feel the love they share and the love the girls had for each other. It was so much fun watching them interact and getting to know each of them better. Did I also mention the girls favorite subject is math? I need to take some parenting tips from this family, happiness and intelligence. They have it all. I have to admit though my favorite to shoot was their youngest daughter Emma. She was a crack up. Saying cheese and then ooohhh as if she was looking at how pretty she is in the camera. So funny. Thanks for letting me share a day with you.

The Hannum Family

2010-12-05T13:31:00.000-08:00

4 kids under 6, sounds like a nightmare to me but Danielle makes it look easy. Her wonderful family were so great and the girls loved smiling for the camera. We had to compete for a spot with 4 other photographers but it was worth it because the trees look beautiful. Thank you for being such good sports Hannum family and for allowing me to shoot your family pictures this year. I really enjoyed editing them and watching your family interact together. You can tell it is a home full of love.

New Friends

2010-11-29T15:21:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love about photography is that you can meet all types of people who love what you love. This week I met a new family and they were amazing to photograph. Jamie, her husband Scott and their two adorable, smiley children were wonderful. Even though we had to work around the large family that was also shooting at the same location they didn't worry. This is every family photographers dream, shooting people that make you look good.

The Riccobono Family

2010-11-29T00:17:00.000-08:00

I just love her face in this one.

I had the pleasure of taking pictures of one of my favorite families on Sat. Heather had become such a good friend of mine and her daughter Gabriella is best buds with Jackson and Elizabeth. It was nice to spend time with their family and not have to worry about watching my kids. They are a sweet little family that just built a new house in Gilbert. Heather had this great idea to take pictures at a park in their neighborhood. The park is AMAZING for pictures. There is a pond, and this really cool stone castle and amphitheater. The only problem was a larger family (about 30!) decided it was a great place to take pictures as well. We worked around them but I was really disappointed because they were there for like 2 hours taking up all the good spots. (Don't people have a little awareness that maybe they shouldn't hog the whole place? Especially during the holidays) Anyways, we still got some really cute shots and Gabriella even had a red sucker to match their outfits. No toddler is complete without a sucker in their hand.

The Flannery Family

2010-11-28T23:39:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I had a busy day full of picture taking. I ended the day with a wonderful family at Schnepf farms. They were so great, willing to do anything including taking some "illegal" pictures by the Schnepf buildings :). Kristi has triplets and a 2 year old which would usually make for some difficult circumstances but let me tell you, those kids were made to have their pictures taken. They were smiling and posing the whole time. I had a blast and the pictures turned out really great.

Girl Time

2010-11-25T23:56:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of taking pictures of my friend Michella and her family. The best part was it was JUST THE GIRLS! I thought it was so fun that Michella's mom wanted some pictures of herself with her two daughters and two granddaughters. And let me tell you, those girls know how to have fun. They were smiling and laughing the whole time. At one point Mckenzie grabbed her sister Maddison so tight and gave her a big smacker on the lips I almost fell over from laughing. It was a blast!

The Gaiffe Family

2010-11-18T22:26:00.000-08:00

Last week was so beautiful outside and I took full advantage by booking lots of photo shoots. One family I shot was the Gaiffe family. They are such a cute little family with one little girl Lexie who has the BEST ponytail I have ever seen on a two year old. They were very smiley and happy together which made my job really easy. Here are a few of the shots I love.

The Lewis Family

2010-11-15T18:08:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Melissa is expecting a little girl and she wanted some fun family pictures for Christmas cards as well as some pictures of her daughter Katrina who just turned 2. We actually shot these at Fulton Ranch and I was surprised at how many great areas there were around that housing development. It was a beautiful day (a bit too sunny for my taste in regards to picture taking) and Katrina was the perfect model. Love you Melissa, thanks for letting me take some pictures of your wonderful growing family.

The Abbott Family

2010-11-14T20:46:00.001-08:00

This week I had the pleasure of taking pictures of my dear friends. One family was the Abbott family. I have known Kim for about 2 years now and she is one of my best friends here. She recently had a little boy Caden so it was really fun to take some pictures of their family all together. We had some struggles with Chloe (she is 2, need I say more?) but she warmed up and we got some great shots. Two year olds never want to stay in one place so most of the pictures are on the move. :)

Beautiful Brunetts

2010-11-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today I had a shoot with the Hanger family. Susan is one of the sweetest mothers I know and she has two beautiful little girls, as well as a wonderful and patient husband. I had a great time shooting them and I even love the fact that I made the girls outfits so it was a double exposure experience for me.

Stillman Family

2010-11-01T01:55:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth's First Birthday

2010-10-02T14:29:00.001-07:00

Yellow Duckling

2010-04-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Grace

2010-01-29T15:30:00.001-08:00

Schlappi Family Pictures

2010-01-09T22:01:00.000-08:00

This family has a special place in my heart. Their love for eachother is so strong, and knowing that they will be together forever is comforting to me. They care so much about my family as well that I feel we have a special bond. Thank you Bishop and Becky for giving me the opportunity to spend time shooting your family.

Jessica and Leila

2009-12-16T23:02:00.000-08:00

This is a new family from the Pacific Northwest (it is nice to know people from home). They have a little girl Leila would is so cute and curious. They were so nice and genuine which I feel is hard to come by these days. I loved photographing them and getting to know them better.

Esther and Family

2009-11-23T14:51:00.000-08:00

Snyder Family

2009-11-23T14:46:00.001-08:00

Tiffany and Aubrey

2009-11-23T14:42:00.000-08:00

Wilson Family

2009-11-23T14:37:00.001-08:00

Riccobono Family

2009-11-23T14:30:00.001-08:00

Carilli Family

2009-11-23T14:24:00.001-08:00

Ciccarelli Family

2009-11-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

Taylor Family

2009-11-23T14:14:00.000-08:00

Coger Family

2009-11-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth 1 month

2009-10-11T22:44:00.001-07:00

Jackson 18 months

2009-10-09T16:50:00.001-07:00

Danielle Wilson and Family

2009-07-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

Lora Wilson and Family

2009-07-08T15:23:00.001-07:00

Extras

2009-03-11T20:03:00.001-07:00

Photoshop Enhanced

2008-08-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

The following enhancements may be applied by request to almost any photograph:
Sepia
Double exposures
Black & White
Color fill
Minor touch ups
Glossy blur
Softening
***Other adjustments may be done by request

Baby Pictures

2008-08-02T22:39:00.001-07:00

Announcements & Thank You Cards

2008-07-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

Wedding Announcements:
Party Invitations:

Baby Announcements

Thank You Cards

Picture Collages
Holiday Cards:

Also available: Family Calendars

Weddings

2008-07-21T21:37:00.001-07:00

Family Pictures

2008-07-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

Engagement Photographs

2008-07-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

Candids

2008-07-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

2008-06-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a little about me. I first gained interest in photography in high school and I have been doing it ever since. I love portraits and taking pictures of people because there are certain moments in life that should be captured and remembered forever. I have experience working with other photographers in both the freelance and portrait studio settings. I also taught high school photography. I feel that I have a special gift of capturing expressions that no other photographer can and love the opportunity to portray the magic of life in a photograph.