It's hard to believe it's been a year since I started working for Glitter Lens Photography. 

I remember those first few photo booth gigs, and how I had to constantly refer to the notes on my iPhone to get everything working right, but now I can set-up our booths in no time at all and take them down even faster. Without being too biased, I'd have to say my favorite photo booth event was last summer at a wedding in Lake Tahoe. I'd never been to that neck of the woods before, and I totally fell in love with the place. The event was held on the shores of the lake, and the weather was beautiful.

Within a few months of being hired, all my photography gear was updated with some of the best accessories available. You see, I've always been a photographer, but hadn't pursued it professionally ever since moving to Las Vegas. It's kinda strange to say, but looking back, I'm just a tiny bit thankful for the poor economy over the past few years, as it spurred me to find a new job... and I can tell you that working for Glitter Lens Photography is a much more enjoyable and rewarding job than working for the hotel industry.

Weddings, engagement shoots, bachelor and bachelorette parties, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, sporting events, corporate expos and mixers. These are just a few of the things I've covered over the past year, and the biggest joy is knowing I've barely scratched the surface of things yet to come. Las Vegas is such a diverse and happening place, I can't think of a better environment to be a photographer... well... there is Lake Tahoe, but I'm not a fan of the snow!

Without getting too sentimental, I wish my dad was still around to see how I finally did follow in his footsteps as a professional photographer, and how I managed to retain all the things he taught me about photography while I was growing up.

I think he'd be proud.

And finally, I'd be remiss without thanking the cool-cats I work for, Caitlin Shupp and Mike Hewitt. Here's looking forward to many more years of hearing the click and the flash of our cameras. ~Tyge

Mike and I recently covered a corporate event for The Hartford insurance company at the posh Haze Nightclub, located inside the gorgeous Aria Hotel & Casino. In the past we've covered plenty of events for Haze and it's parent company, Light Group, and they've always been a joy to work with. One can always plan on a fun-filled night at any Light Group event, and the 80's-themed Hartford shindig was no exception. I mean, how can you NOT have fun when "David Bowie," "Mr. T," and "Cyndi Lauper" are mingling with the crowd?In addition to our usual coverage, The Hartford folks requested that the photographs with the 80's icons be printed on site, and available for their clients to pick-up on the way out the door.

"No problemo!" was our reply.

So we brought out our on-site printer station, and voila, by the end of the night nearly 300 guests had a souvenir to take home with them!

The event at Haze had everything: great atmosphere, awesome food and entertainment, and a little something-something printed on site to remember the night with.

I can't wait for the next Light Group event! ~Tyge

I love surprises! Who doesn’t, really? Diana & Guillermo’s wedding was full of them. It was like Christmas morning and my birthday all rolled into one. From the first moment I arrived, I was welcomed by surprises. As soon as I walked through the door I realized that the minister for the ceremony was one of my all time favorite people, Angie Kelly from Peachy Keen Unions. She is not only a pleasure to work with, but she always blows my mind at how amazing she is at her job. She puts so much into every wedding ceremony. You will laugh, you will cry and you will definitely be in awe of the couple’s love story. Yes, I teared up!

If that wasn’t enough to make my day, the couple had a few surprises up their sleeves for me as well. While we were off doing their portrait shots, they pulled out some awesome neon colored sunglasses for props. I’m a sucker for props (and I may have to snag some of these for our photo booth)! It was perfect timing. We were shooting at sunset and the sunglasses added the perfect touch to the shoot. Next surprise came during the first dance. What started out as a slow dance broke out into a full 80’s dance montage, lasting well over 10 minutes. The crowd was loving every minute of it!

Speaking of the crowd, the DJ had a surprise in store for them too. He gave a bit of a revamp to the old tradition of the bride & groom kissing when everyone clinks their glasses. Now every time the room clinked, he called out a different couple to come up to the dance floor and kiss. But the bride & groom were not off the hook yet, they had to mimic whatever kiss the other couple just did.

Diana & Guillermo were such a fun couple and an absolute joy to work with. I wish them many many years of happiness together and maybe a few more surprises. ~ Mike H

As the end of the school year comes to a close, senior photos are starting to boom. These shoots are always my favorite because they push the boundaries of my creativity. Brides usually have a certain look and feel they are going for, not always, but usually. Seniors are open to anything, sky's the limit. Crazy lighting effects, grungy overlays, it doesn't matter they love it all!

My latest senior, Hannah, is an artist. I knew there was only one place to go, Downtown's Arts District! Her art has a dark yet vibrant feel to it so I wanted to try and match it the best I could. First stop I had in mind was the "Gateway to the Arts District", towering neon paintbrushes created by the late artist Dennis Oppenheim. Then we headed across the street to Bar & Bistro and Artifice for some cool background lighting. Our greatest find of the day was the staircase in front of the Coit cleaners building. Although it was a bit weathered, I had the idea to showcase her artwork in the panels of the railings. What an awesome shot! Downtown Vegas comes through once again for another amazing shoot. ~ Mike H

Our most recent couple was a double shoot, engagement shots and a full wedding. Kelly & Gary came all the way in from the UK and brought forty two of their friends and family members, yes, I said FORTY TWO! Since this was their first trip to Vegas, they left it up to us to pick the locations for the photo shoots. For the engagement shots, we went with Downtown Las Vegas at the Fremont St Experience and the East Fremont District. DTLV is always a favorite for us, but it turned out to be a very good choice. The couple was blown away by the neon. It was exactly what they envisioned 'Vegas' to be, but were not able to find on The Strip anymore. I was stoked that I was able to deliver exactly what they were looking for. I was even more excited by how amazing the photos turned out.

Their ceremony was held at the Juno Gardens of Caesars Palace (beautiful by the way). Immediately following, we did a quick shoot around the iconic fountains and Roman columns of Caesars. Since the entire group was along for the ride today, they rented the two largest limos in all of Las Vegas! NTS Limo provided a massive stretch hummer and a monster of a limo called the Big Blue. From there we made a quick stop at Bellagio to catch the fountains and then off to the Vegas Sign. This group loved hamming it up for pics down there. We finished at Mandalay Bay where the reception was being held in the Marquee Room inside Slice of Vegas (vegan options!). My favorite part of the reception? Kelly & Gary's choreographed dance routine! This got their group going and the dance floor was packed the rest of the night.

Kelly & Gary were so enamored by their Vegas experience I wouldn't be surprised to see them back here next year for their anniversary, probably minus the FORTY TWO man entourage! ~ Mike H

Las Vegas is a truly magical place to be married. This city is full of excitement, glitz & glamour. Wading through the tons & tons of Vegas wedding sites across the internet? Not always as enchanting. Especially so when planning from out of town. Kelly Zenkewich understands this perfectly. A destination bride herself, who planned her own 2010 wedding here at the beautiful Springs Preserves, Kelly created Little Vegas Wedding, an authentic & informative source for couples planning their Vegas nuptials. Be sure to go take a look around her Blog and don't miss my favorite section, The List, an awesome breakdown (with photos!) of Vegas wedding Venues. ~ Caitlin S

Yes, the rumors are true, Glitter Lens Photography has finally hit FIVE HUNDRED likes on facebook!!! I want to thank everyone I've ever met in my entire life! No, seriously though, everyday is an absolute joy because of my awesome clients and all of the amazing people I get to work with. Cheers to touching 500 lives and salute to the next 500 and the 500 after that! ~ Mike H

Wedding season has officially begun! Elizabeth & Randy's wedding last month set the bar very high. I got to spend a lot of time with them during their engagement photo shoot, so I knew this one was going to be a lot of fun. I will admit, I am extremely lucky to live in the wedding capital of the world. Not only does it keep me very busy, but the average bride that does choose to get married in Vegas is typically on the chill side. Not exactly dealing with Bridezillas here and Elizabeth couldn't be any further from that if she tried. I've actually gone looking for a term that is the complete opposite of Bridezilla for her, surprisingly there is not much out there. I guess not to many people are lucky enough to get such a cool bride. She has inspired me, I am now determined to think of a term for anti-Bridezilla now. All I have seen that come close is Briderella or uberBride, not bad, but not good enough. I think I am going to go with Bridetastic, yeah definitely BrideTASTIC! (If anyone can think of something better, please feel free to leave it in the comments.)

Now to move on to the actual wedding. It was held at the Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, on the second level balcony of their gorgeous Mystic Falls Park. Even though I annually visit the Mystic Falls for their amazing Winter Wonderland light and water show, I had yet to see a wedding held there. Boy was I impressed! The balcony had a perfect panoramic view of the entire atrium and completely set the mood for this intimate and romantic ceremony. Everything went off without a hitch, even the adorable twin flower girls made it down the isle with very minimal coaxing.

The reception was moved down the hall to the main ballroom. This place was a photographers dream, the lighting was perfect and instead of chandeliers they had rows of bulbs running in square patterns throughout the ceiling, giving all the photos a fabulous background glow. Once we finally got a chance to break away for a private shoot, the sun had gone down and the atrium of the Mystic Falls Park was pitch black. Thanks to my second shooter Tyge, we were able to play with a few lighting options and actually came away with some of my favorite bridal portraits to date. ~ Mike H