The Kimberly Jarman Photography Studio specializes in Portrait and Wedding Photography. We are located in the historic district of Downtown Mesa, but are willing to travel all over the world. We have been photographing Weddings and Portraits for over 13 years and have won numerous awards for our photography.
We love weddings, as well as we love working with High School Seniors, Families, Models for fashion photography, and fitness style shoots, as well as many other types of photography.
Winner of "Best Photographer" 2012 by Arizona Bride Magazine
Winner of "Best Photographer" 2011 by Arizona Bride Magazine
Winner of "Brides Choice Awards" by WeddingWire. 2009, 2010, 2011
Invited to join the Platinum List of "Wedding Style Magazine" by Grace Ormonde 2011
Featured on the Cover of Arizona Weddings Magazines 2011
Kimberly Jarman's images have been featured in Arizona Weddings Magazine, Arizona Bride Magazine, The Wedding Chronicle, Phoenix Bride and Groom, Destination I Do, Haute Living Magazine, June Bug Weddings, Elizabeth Anne Designs, and several industry blog sites.
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RECENT ACCOLADES
Voted Best Photographer, 2011
Recent Press
Arizona Weddings
Cover image of Arizona Weddings Magazine June/July 2011
Cover image of Arizona Weddings Magazine Oct/Nov 2011
I think that I am truly the luckiest photographer on the planet. I mean who else gets to photograph red headed beauties for a living?
Macy…. what to say about Macy. I love her. She’s awesome and phenomenal and truly an amazing girl. We had so much fun trouncing around finding new spots to do pictures and she was willing to do ANYTHING, including walk barefoot on some pretty sharp rocks. But the coolest thing we did, was drag a grand piano out into the desert. Yup, Macy and her mom were pretty excited when I came up with the idea and were right on it, including hiring movers to come and move the piano to the “perfect” location. You see, Macy is a PHENOMENAL Pianist. She played for me and my jaw dropped. Her music is passionate and breathtaking and gives real goosebumps!!!
I’m pretty much in love with this session and with high school seniors in general, so I thought I would share a few of my absolute favorites!!
A HUGE congrats to you Macy. You are going to have an amazing time up in Chicagoland!!
(Big Trumpet Sound inserted here)…. can you say soooo cool!!!
To finish the blog post, here is a very cool video of some of Macy’s Favorites.
Kimberly Jarman is a Phoenix Wedding Photographer & Arizona Portrait Photographer, located in Mesa, Arizona. We would love to work with you! Please contact us for more information about how to have us photograph your wedding or portrait.
Heather -Wow! You are beyond talented. Your never ending creativity astounds me! I can’t wait ’til I have important events of my own for you to capture!
July 12, 2010 - 1:54 pm
Erica-Love ’em! She is beautiful! You did a great job!
Eunice-She is STUNNING Kimberly! You are SO lucky to have gotten to do these portraits! And I love the piano in the desert. Awesome touch.
July 12, 2010 - 9:32 am
Jenny Bishop-PHENOMENAL!! These are beautiful!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the first and second ones with the piano!! They’re all amazing!! Fantastic job as always Miss Kim!
I thought I’d start a new series on here: What to Wear. Haven’t we all been invited to something, scheduled to attend some event, and just stood in front of the closet staring into the abyss and knowing full well we’ll soon be heading out to stare into the abyss of some department store, wanting to cry because there’s just NOTHING to wear? Yes. We all have. If you’re doing that right now, I’m so sorry, friend. Call the studio, I’ll talk you though it. It’s going to be OK.
So let’s jump into the first logical topic for this blog: What to wear to summer weddings! The simple answer here is a dress, but that’s like saying, “Wear clothes”, to me. My basic guidelines is get something simple, wearable again, and light (it’s hot out there ladies!). But who wants a basic guideline? Here are my favorite picks for summer wedding guest attire. To make this even easier, every single dress below is from Macy’s, my absolute go-to location for dresses.
A Maxi Dress
I love a maxi dress. It takes some trying on to find one that’s right for you (yes, shorter women can wear a maxi dress, I’ve seen my 5’1 baby sister in one looking quite long and regal!) but a maxi dress is awesome to wear to functions because: 1) it’s so comfortable and 2) it hides all manner of body sins. You aren’t showing a lot, but you’re looking hot and trendy. Maxi dresses are amazing for summer in general, but they can look really nice at a wedding as well. Skinny straps, empire waist, fitted, strapless-these dresses come in all styles. Just try one, it’s OK if you don’t like it, but you might be surprised!
Maxi=goddess
A Sundress
A sundress is kind of the no-brainer answer here. It’s super hot, you need to dress up– sundress. There are SO many cute styles out right now in this category, too! I am really digging the 50’s style with a fuller skirt, and sometimes pockets aproned into the skirt. Soooooo adorable! If the wedding is outdoor, casual, or in the daytime, a sundress is completely appropriate and completely pretty!
Wrap top and tie waist in bright yellow? Buy this dress immediately, it’s perfect.
A Sleeved Mini
A lot of women dread dressing up in summer because they don’t like their arms (which I am certain is all in your heads, your arms are lovely). There are some fun dresses out right now that have sleeves without looking dated or boring. Usually, though, you’re going to have to like your legs, because you’re not going to get sleeves and length, and you wouldn’t want to, unless the wedding you’re going to is set in the Victorian time period. In which case I’m jealous and want to come in a Pride and Prejudice getup! Invite me!
Even if you love your arms, this dress is rockin! I want!
A Party Dress
This wedding’s at night, you’re planning to dance it up, and there is a rumored open bar–party dress it is! How fun to get to wear a poufy, shorty, flashy, glammy-glam dress! Summertime means you aren’t buried under layers and coats, so if it fits the event, definitely bust out the fun party dress! I guarantee you won’t be alone.
Shimmy the night away in this, party girl!
A Simple Strapless
My go-to dress for most events is a simple, strapless dress in usually solid colors or benign print. You can re-wear this over and over, it won’t go out of style, and you will look nice at all times in it. To dress it up, go black with a high-caliber fabric (satin, silk, etc) or stick with casual lightness for a less-formal look. Love it, every time.
This is pretty much my uniform at events. Loving these stripes with the yellow belt!
An Empire Waist
An area of concern for a lot of women is their stomach (again, you’re so lovely, be kinder to yourself!) and in the heat the last thing you want is a dress clinging to those spots you feel self-conscious about! I understand this, and so do fashion designers, so the empire waist never really leaves the realm of dresses, and we’re grateful! A light, summer dress with an empire waist means you can breathe, dance, and eat the yummy reception food without feeling like you need to suck in and and dread pictures. Such a flattering shape, on all the gorgeous bodies we ladies occupy.
Flattering and pretty. Also, I will never say not to a black dress!
Of course if you absolutely refuse to wear a dress, you can work the light skirt and top look, and I saw a VERY chic woman at a summer wedding in white, wide-leg trousers and a gorgeous yellow tank top once that I wanted to BE, but if we’re going for simple and affordable, this is one thing you can buy to serve all purposes of function and fashion. Pick something you are comfortable in, can breathe in, and can shake it on a dance floor while wearing! And trust me, you look so lovely everyone is talking about you, in that good way.
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Kimberly Jarman is a Phoenix Wedding Photographer & Arizona Portrait Photographer, located in Mesa, Arizona. We would love to work with you! Please contact us for more information about how to have us photograph your wedding or portrait.
KB, Jenny, and I have been guest blogging every once in awhile for the amazing Scottsdale Moms Blog. It’s been a fun experience getting to know Stephanie and the girls over there!! We’ve been talking about photography and giving out some great tips! I loved my post and wanted to share it with all of you, so below is what I blogged a month ago. If you have a chance be sure to check out Scottsdale Moms Blog, it’s pretty sweet!
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Today I am going to actually talk about the importance of documenting your Childs life no matter what camera you have with you. We are going to continue to guest blog and give tips on what makes a great picture and how to make the pictures you are taking better, but I really wanted to make sure that before that you are at least taking pictures of your kids!!
The other day I was at my parents house and we pulled out the photo albums. We sat there for hours looking at our childhood and I was so thankful that my parents documented our lives. As I was looking through the pictures I realized it wasn’t because of the “amazing quality” that I LOVED these pictures, it was because of the memories and the ability to look back at my childhood. My parents weren’t GREAT photographers, but they were GREAT at photographing and documenting special times.
Chase Jarvis, an amazing photographer, has a saying that has stuck with me for a long time now, “the best camera is the one that’s with you.” I truly believe in this statement. I am notorious for not carrying around my beautiful SLR camera everywhere I go. I know that I will get the best pictures out of that camera, but its heavy and big and a pain to carry around. I need to be mobile, especially with a little one and I don’t have the time and patience to carry a professional camera around with me. I do have a point and shoot, but again, it’s not always with me. It’s in my purse or at home on the counter and I find myself not pulling it out much. So, the camera that is always with me, tends to be my phone. I do have an amazing phone, the IPhone, and it takes really great pictures – of course not professional looking ones that my SLR takes, but pretty decent pictures. I use it ALL the time. It’s become my camera of choice and I document my little girls like constantly with that phone!
Before we start talking “camera shop”, my challenge to you is to make sure that you are truly capturing your childrens’ life all the time with whatever camera you have with you! Pull it out and take pictures of whatever is happening at the time. Take at least one picture a day of your kids. It doesn’t have to be an extensive shoot, but just make sure that you do it!
On my phone you can actually see the progression of my baby girl and how much she has grown. I’ve caught some of my favorite pictures of her on my IPhone and I cherish those memories!
Now, this being said, I still believe that you should grow in your picture taking skills and learn how to take better pictures. We will give you some tips on here and we also have 101 classes at the studio that will help you grow as a photographer, you can find out more information on them at www.createbetterimages.com.
I also still highly value professional photography and believe that someone other than me should take pictures of my family at least once a year. In my household I still make sure that I get professional pictures taken of my family about twice a year. I cherish every time I get those pictures and put them on my walls because they really document our history as a family. For some reason, when someone other than me pulls out a camera and chases my daughter around they are able to get things that I am not able to and they are also able to capture pictures of me with my daughter, which is something that usually is lacking in our pile of images. Professional photography is important and I believe something that everyone should try to do at least once a year; however, if you take professional pictures once a year, you still have 364 days that you are missing images of your kids.
So, get out there and start capturing your children’s life whether it be a point and shoot, an SLR, or even something as simple as your camera phone. Don’t let life pass you by and document these cherished times!
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Kimberly Jarman is a Phoenix Wedding Photographer & Arizona Portrait Photographer, located in Mesa, Arizona. We would love to work with you! Please contact us for more information about how to have us photograph your wedding or portrait.
Laura, our favorite TV news reporter, and Rod, a Lawyer, met up with me a few weeks ago to take their engagement pictures. They are getting married out of the state and asked if I would do their engagement session. It had such a great time getting to know these two and I was so happy with the “secret” (well kind of) new location I found, and the amazing pictures that we got . They were troopers as we did this session in June – In Phoenix – In the afternoon; it was in the 100’s!!!
I wanted to show off some of my favs!!
I’m obsessed with video now and I thought I would show you a few more this way! There is something about pictures and music that just make everything perfect!
Thanks Laura and Rod for allowing me to photograph the two of you! I really did enjoy it!
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Kimberly Jarman is a Phoenix Wedding Photographer & Arizona Portrait Photographer, located in Mesa, Arizona. We would love to work with you! Please contact us for more information about how to have us photograph your wedding or portrait.
Sarah Sanmarco-Wow! Just stunning! You can’t even tell it was 150 degrees & humid! They really are one of the sweetest couples.
I wish you both the very best on your wedding day! :}
4th of July is one of my most favorite holidays. I love the patriotic music, I love the hot summer weather, I love everyone in cutoffs, I love the fireworks, and I love the pride associated with this great day in history. It’s so easy, though, to get sidetracked by all the barbecues and parties from the real thing we should be recognizing today: our country’s freedom. The Fourth of July signifies our independence and the people who gave us that freedom, so my post today is in recognition and support of the people who STILL give us that freedom and keep our country safe and proud, our amazing, brave, talented, courageous, and beloved US military!
As a granddaughter of US servicemen, one being a WWII veteran, daughter of a US Navy man, and the girlfriend of a Navy SEAL, you can say that the US military is very, very close to my heart! But let’s not lose focus of this blog column: I write about fashion, so let’s tie it all in together by talking about the wonderful ladies in our armed services and their history—and ways we can help our deployed sisters right now with gifts of beauty and fashion!
Women in Military History
Revolutionary War Women
A lot of people think that women in the military is something relatively new, or that it first began with war nursing, but you’re wrong! The first military pension given to a woman was actually during the Revolutionary War! Margaret Corbin fought with her husband at Fort Washington and in 1779 Congress voted her a pension of one-half a soldier’s pay and one suit of clothing. How cool must she have been??!! Pioneer women were no stranger to defending their homes, and these ladies were tough.
Such heroes! These women were amazing and had lives I cannot imagine. Salute to you, Revolutionary Girlies!
Deborah Samson is quite possibly the absolute coolest chick in military history. During the Revolutionary War, Deborah wanted to help and disguised herself as a man, joining the Army. Using the name Robert Shurtleff, she became a well-respected soldier working her way up to assistant to the general. She removed her own bullet from a leg wound, to keep her secret safe and keep fighting, but developed a fever and had to be treated. The doctor treating her discovered the truth, returned her to her family’s home to heal, and she was honorably discharged from the military. After this, Paul Revere himself wrote a letter to Congress requesting a military pension be given to Deborah for “services rendered during the war”. After this, she received a military pension of $4 a month until her death at 66 years old. Can you imagine receiving a recommendation from Paul Revere??!! Deborah, you were AMAZING.
Deborah Sampson drawing and statue that stands in Massachusetts. Salute to you, amazing woman!
Enlisted Women
The first enlisted woman was Loretta Walsh, in 1917, enlisted as a Yeoman in the Navy. Twin sisters Genevieve and Lucille Baker followed suit, and enlisted in the Coast Guard later that same year. In 1918, the Marines received their first female servicewoman. Sgt Esther Blake was enlisted “the first minute of the first hour of the first day” the regular Air Force was formed, on July 8, 1948. She became the first WAF- Women in the Air Force.
In 1942, WAC was formed, standing for Women Army Corps, and sister group WAAC (Women in Auxiliary Corps) formed amidst the chaos of WWII. About 150,000 women served in the WAAC and WAC during WWII. There was a shortage of men to fight this devastating war, and these women stepped up. Many people don’t know that these women landed in Normandy, just like the men did, just days after the initial invasion. General Douglas MacArthur called the WACs “my best soldiers”, adding that they worked harder, complained less, and were better disciplined than his male soldiers. During this period, other branches followed the trend and formed female branches of military personnel- Navy WAVES, Coast Guard SPARS, and Air Force WAFs.
Don’t these look like the most fun, awesome, coolest chicks ever??? I want to be their friend! Gonna go hug my Grandma after making this collage! Salute to you, trailblazing enlisted women!
Modern Servicewomen
Today, women in the US military make up about 20% of our total armed forces population, filling every job, branch, location, and skill. We have fought in every war our country has seen, and currently many of our women are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are no different than the women that came before them, bravely and selflessly serving our country. What an amazing group of ladies!
My goodness these women give me goosebumps! How wonderful they are to serve their country and all of us?! Salute to you, US servicewomen!
Say Thank You!
Women in the military have done so much for this country (as have our amazing, lovely, fearless, wonderful men!) and so I called around to see how best to help support these amazing ladies that I am so thankful for, in a girly fashionista way (it’s what I know best!) and I was told that soldier care packages designed for women are amazing treats to these ladies. This makes total sense to me! In the middle of Afghanistan or in my bedroom in Phoenix, I am going to want my beauty products! So here’s how we can say thank you to our brave sisters far from home keeping us safe:
This site has packages all set to be shipped to a lucky servicewoman! Click on “Care Packages” and see their options such as “Female Entertainment” package or “Female Hygiene” package. Awesome company!!
Find a female soldier to donate to:
Ask friends and family first—one you know by name is always amazing!
Create a “girly” care package including the following sought after items:
Chapstick
Face masks
Lotions
Nail polish
Girl mags- Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Marie Claire, etc.
Face wash
Moisturizer
Oil free sunscreen
Hair treatments
Makeup
Anything you think you might want if you were in a desert feeling as un-girly and un-pretty as possible!
No, we don’t want a war fought with a focus on makeup, but these girls get nights off, they have social events on their bases, and they have time alone in their rooms where a face mask and copy of Cosmo would make them feel a little less far from home, and a little less far from their femininity. It’s small to us, but I bet to a girl in a barracks room in Iraq, it would make all the difference in the world to get a package like that!
The gift of beauty, what a lovely way to say thank you!
And just so no one is confused, I think our men need JUST as much support and encouragement and gifts of love—but I write a fashion column so the ladies come first here! A huge thank you to ALL our servicemen and women. There is no way to express our gratitude enough for what you do, and here is to hoping that what we can send your way makes your day at least a little brighter, and a little closer to your home. This country and this girl love you! Happy Fourth of July USA!
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Kimberly Jarman is a Phoenix Wedding Photographer & Arizona Portrait Photographer, located in Mesa, Arizona. We would love to work with you! Please contact us for more information about how to have us photograph your wedding or portrait.
by kimberlyjarman
kimberlyjarman - AHHH Thank you Heather!!!!
kimberlyjarman - Thank you Erica.
kimberlyjarman - Thank you Eunice!!
kimberlyjarman - Thanks Jenny!
kimberlyjarman - Heidi… seriously. Her hair is GORGEOUS!
Heather - Wow! You are beyond talented. Your never ending creativity astounds me! I can’t wait ’til I have important events of my own for you to capture!
Erica - Love ’em! She is beautiful! You did a great job!
Heidi @ idieh | design - Love the casual pics! And can I please have her hair?!?!?
Eunice - She is STUNNING Kimberly! You are SO lucky to have gotten to do these portraits! And I love the piano in the desert. Awesome touch.
Jenny Bishop - PHENOMENAL!! These are beautiful!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the first and second ones with the piano!! They’re all amazing!! Fantastic job as always Miss Kim!