Mark & Jen









Hi all!

Last month I had the amazing privilege of being able to shoot the wedding of an old friend in Rochester, NY. Jen and I shared the same dorm hall in college. I remember her always being so kind and always smiling. She always had so much joy.

She has such a heart for the Lord, and after visiting Egypt with some of our closest friends, God also gave her a heart for that country.

I had such an amazing time getting to know her family and Mark, and seeing their amazing house, it was all such a blessing to be a part of!

Thanks you guys!







Well well well,

Long time no see little blog. How I missed you! Man, I am REALLY slacking with this whole "blogging" thing. I almost forgot what it was. Someone asked me last week if I blogged and I thought they were asking me if I knew how to do some swedish dance. Just kidding. Lame joke.

On Memorial day weekend, I had the privilege of traveling back to my home state of New Mexico to shoot one of the most beautiful destination weddings I've ever seen.

Madeline and Jay are both live in Texas. They met in college after Jay saw Madeline in a crowd and yelled something really romantic out like, "Hey YOU! I know you!" That little story made me laugh.

These two are SO creative! Madeline MADE her own wedding dress, and it was absolutely amazing. This wedding had a very Victorian feel to it, and it was even a little Steampunk inspired, which I LOVE! Jay had on a really timeless vest, while both of their mothers were decked out in Victorian garb. It was amazing.

The wedding was set at the beautiful Pecos National Monument, and let me say folks, after living in New Mexico for over 20 years, I'd never visited this place and it was absolutely stunning. I could have spent all afternoon there just hanging out and taking pics.

For the short time that I got to spend getting to know Jay and Madeline and their family, I really loved it all. What a great and creative couple, and I was seriously honored to be able to be a part of their wedding day.

Congrats you guys, and happy 4th. I hope you like the pics. :)

Gary & Coburn!!!







Let me set the scene for you.

Nashville, TN

The Historic Cedarwood. Towering trees, a huge mansion, rolling hills and a huge red barn. This was the amazing wedding I had the privilege of shooting for Gary and Coburn!

I met Gary when he came down to Santa Fe to help serve Youth With a Mission. He's a very handy guy who loves horses and he's a generally outdoorsy type of guy.

Gary met Coburn while he was working at a barn where Coburn rode for the Auburn Equestrian Team. Apparently they really hit it off because they're married now... ;)

They went on their first date on August 18th, 2007, which is awesome that they know the exact date of their first date. It had to have been really special!

These two are great. Very fun loving, and totally in love. I don't think I've had a bride and groom who loved looking into each other's eyes as much as these two. My favorite part of the day was watching their faces light up each time they saw each other. So fun.

On to the slideshow! Have fun getting to know Gary and Coburn, and enjoy reliving their special day with them!

Vegas 3.0



“A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” - George Moore

Well, this blog entry is really just to share something kind of old, but very dear to my heart. I could gush about how much I love Las Vegas and the people there, but I think I've done that enough.

Instead, I wanted to share my all time favorite video that I've ever made, because it reminds me of friends, fun, travel, adventure, and a certain romance I have with the fall and visiting places. I really do feel like Las Vegas is my second home, and sometime soon it may be my primary home. :)

This video illustrates everything I love. I feel it brings an adventurous and an artistic romance with it. Every time I watch it, I fall in love again with the song, the time of year, the people, and I'm reminded of all the feelings I had the week we shot it. I loved this trip, and I can't believe I haven't shared it on here before!

Vegas 3.0 from Danette Chappell on Vimeo.



After you watch the video, you'll know why I called this "Life In Reverse"! Well folks, one of my favorite people visited last week, and it was her birthday! Dominique Elise (Please visit http://www.dominiqueelisephotography.com), my best friend and second shooter turned 25 on January 23rd. It was a great week and we had a blast taking pics, and bowling, and watching lots and lots of Lost.

Lets just make this entire post about Dominique. She's one of the most passionate people I know. She helped found an organization called Never Silence Life, which was a prolife movement headed up by my other best friend's band BarlowGirl (http://www.barlowgirl.com). She is also an amazing drummer....like AMAZING, seriously one of the best drummers I've heard, she's been in a ton of bands, (Listen to "Write Love On Her Arms" from her band From The Ashes HERE), oh and have I mentioned she's a great photographer?! Well, she is. I don't know how I'd get through my big weddings without her.

Born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, she's also an expert with anything Apple. Currently she works in Las Vegas as a Family Room Specialist at an Apple store, soooo of course she gets me the hook up on anything I need. iPad anyone?! ;) Just kidding Cheekee.

Anyways, all that to say, she's one amazing person.

Check out all the media below, and don't miss out on the Birthday Vid! Its one of my favs.

Life In Reverse from Danette Chappell on Vimeo.