Mahalia Waite Photography

if you’re new around here, this is me!

the names mahalia (say it like this muh- hay- lee- uh), and photography’s my game 😎

some random facts that i’m thinking of on the fly here:

1. now that i’ve graduated, i’m trying to spend more time reading + coincidentally still learning.
2. i just binge watched ozark and it’s such a good show. i don’t get to spend a lot of time watching tv so that was a really nice thing to do for myself
3. i make espresso every single day and it’s saving me so much money haha. pro tip: if you *love* starbucks or dutch…. buy an espresso machine

now that you know a little more about me, tell me one fact about you that doesn’t seem true in the comments

as always, much love.
mahalia 😌

running a business is like the third hardest thing i’ve ever done. right behind becoming a mom and a wife. but i’m glad that i chose a business that gives me the opportunity to create and do something that i love.

it brings me so much joy to take beautiful pictures that will be a lasting memory for others. i love hearing heartfelt love stories, getting to meet so many people, and experience a wide variety of cultures.

so when business gets hard, i try to look back at what i’ve done and who i’ve served as a reminder to think positively about why i’m doing this.

soon, i’ll be posting a blog post reflecting on a wedding i had a few months ago that really helped me solidify my “why”. be on the lookout for that!! i’ll post here for sure.

when things get hard, how do you hype yourself up and turn things around?

i just created an outfit planning guide freebie version for anyone who is planning a couple session or thinking about booking one soon. you can find it via the link in my bio!

i’d love to create a feee guide for wedding couples that visit my website too! what would be most helpful to you?? what is the #1 wedding planning thing that you are googling today head to my stories and i’ll put a poll box or you can comment your idea here!

if you didn’t catch it, i posted some sneak peaks of the free outfit planning guide, along with the guides that i send all my booked couples. i’ll post that again if you want to take a peek 👀

i always get asked by brides some variation of why should i do a first look, what’s the point, what will you get out of it, etc! and boyyy do i have some answers for you!

why even bother with a first look?
first looks are a fantastic opportunity to have a private, intimate moment with just the two of you before you are constantly surrounded by friends and family wanting a chance to congratulate and hug you (which there is nothing wrong with!) they give you space in your timeline for other activities that are important to you.

what should i do during a first look?
besides the initial turning around and capturing the grooms reaction, nothing is set in stone! this is completely up to you! if you don’t want to do anything but see each other, have a few moments, and then move on to the wedding then that’s great! some other options are to read private vows, give each other little gifts, or read each other letters that you wrote beforehand. all of these make for beautiful, intimate moments for you to look back on!

how does a first look help my timeline?
first looks are an awesome opportunity to get some of the more formal portraits out of the way. you can do bride + groom portraits, bridal party portraits, and even family portraits during this time before the ceremony. this leaves you with more time later to enjoy cocktail hour with your guests, less time taking pictures after the ceremony, and more time to take sunset portraits. i shot a wedding last month where we took alllll of their portraits before the ceremony with time to spare!! it was awesome and they had so much more time to spend enjoying their wedding and their loved ones.

it’s YOUR day to make it memorable for you. you should always choose to do things that are worth it for you and will make your day as laid back, stress free, and fun as possible! once you book your wedding with me, i send you an exclusive wedding planning guide with allllll the tips and tricks i’ve learned from photographing weddings. my past/current brides has told me how helpful it is to have a guide that is so jam packed with useful info that they could actually use when planning their wedding.

i miss this beautiful wedding moments from last year 🥲 but i am so excited for all the heartfelt ones coming up this year!!

if you’re waiting to hear back from me, all emails have been responded to, so please check your spam + junk folders. i do have double ear infections 😳 (like whattt???? i didn’t know you could get ear infections as an adult) so i’m trying to rest as much as possible and take it easy this weekend. ps, please use the link in my bio to send inquires! dm’s just get lost and confusing. plus the first email i send you has lots of information in it that i wouldn’t want you to miss out on!

it’s been so nice to have a few weeks to just reset after such a busy wedding season last year. i’ve spent the last few weeks with family, friends, and just taking it slow. i have also been working on galleries in between, but not being too hard on myself.

in the last few weeks i also (secretly) revamped my website. there still a few things i’m needing to add (like a free downloadable outfit tips guide) and i will probably find a way to embed my new pricing guide eventually. but right now, it’s just beautiful and i’m in love! so if you have a second to check it out, head to the link in my bio!! you can meet me, learn my why, hear more about what makes my experience unique, and check out my portfolio!!!! this is a HUGE project for me to have completed. truly, it’s actually not finished but DANG im proud.

as a reminder, i have raised all of my prices for weddings, couples, families, and portraits. email me through my website if you wanna see the updated guide!!!

happy new year!!!!! i wish you the best year yet! what is your number one resolution?

as i reflect on this past year, i am just so grateful for all of the opportunities that this job has brought me. this year was super busy for wedding vendors as they had 2021 weddings PLUS rescheduled weddings from 2020. ⁠
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needless to say, i stayed pretty busy on top of momming, schooling, and wifeing. but i attended so many celebrations of love this year. i had the opportunity to travel to places i had never been before. i saw so many beautiful places. i booked new adventures for next year and they are still coming in. ⁠
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believe me when i say, this was impossible without you being here. i never take this for granted. truly, i am so so so grateful for your support and love and trusting me with telling your stories in a beautiful and artful way.

simple shots of beautiful wedding details will always make my heart so happy. shots like these are sooo important to telling the story of your wedding day. you hand picked every detail, making it so special and unique to your story. i always make sure to ask about which details are special to you and capture them throughout the day in a way that is artfully tells your love story. ⁠
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what are some unique details you have planed for your wedding?

mt lemmon might be one of my favorite spots for pictures! i wish i lived closer to it so i could shoot there all the time 🥺😍

i’m in the process of making a free guide that will be available for download on my website. what would be more helpful for you: my top tops for choosing outfits for your session or my top locations for you session? comment here or vote on my story!

happy thanksgiving!!! 🍁🦃

today i am thankful for soooo many things. it’s weird because i don’t always feel super thankful. mostly i feel stressed 😂 but i woke up today just thinking about the things i am thankful for.

today, i am so thankful for my ability to be a photographer. this is not something i ever thought i could do! i literally have so much fun exploring, celebrating, and laughing in this job. all while capturing memories in a unique and beautiful way! if you’ve ever shot with me, i’m thankful that you trust me, my vision, and my ridiculous requests 🤪😂 iykyk

i’m thankful for my photographer friends who have shared their knowledge with me and mentored me in one way or another! i think it would’ve taken me a lot longer to get where i am today without you 🥰

so even today, where i woke up before 5 am to shoot a wedding on thanksgiving, i am GRATEFUL that i get to do it. (if you know me, i am not a morning person 😬🤥) fun fact: i shot one sunrise session at the beginning of this year and told my boss (aka me) that i’m never doing that again 😂😂 so now i don’t offer them

anyway, thank you for being here and supporting me. pleaseeeee share with me what you’re thankful for! i love to hear what’s going good in your life 🥰

let me start by saying that this past weekends wedding was absolutely freaking amazing. like 🥰😍❤️🥺. i feel alllll of the feelings looking at these pictures.

SO YEAH, it was freaking hard to pick a photo to post. 🥴🥴 most likely will put a bunch on my stories after i post this hahaha.

shooting this wedding gave me a much needed confidence boost that i can do this and that i AM doing this! i love this job. i love these couples. i love love 🥲🥲🥲

tell me, what’s your favorite part of weddings?

do you feel like this year flew by or is it just me??? i can hardly comprehend that it’s practically thanksgiving. and then CHRISTMAS , LIKE WHATT! that’s literally my favorite holiday. i am sooooooo excited to share christmas with my baby and hubby this season. last year he was stuck at fort jackson waiting to come home from the army!! so this year we get to spend some time together and bask in that holiday magic i’ve been sooo eager to share with my baby girl. and now that she’s getting older, holidays are becoming more and more fun! what’s your favorite thing about the upcoming holidays?

(side note: is anyone feeling christmas themed photos?? i know a great studio that has the cutest christmas set up 🥺🥺🥺 let’s rent it and deck the freaking halls)

can’t decide what to wear to your pictures??? pro tip: BRING OPTIONS!!!

bring a few different pairs of clothes that you can mix and match as needed. we will go through them together at the start of your session & decide what will look best based on the landscape, the weather, and your partner.

soooo, tell me. are you the type that is gonna bring your whole closet or buy a few new outfits at target?

hiiiiii!!! it’s me, mahalia. the girl who has been slackin’ HARDCORE on this instagram page.

i used to be so good about it and even post my face often enough that people would stop me in public when the recognized me. i felt so famous 😍😂 but i’m smack in the middle of wrapping up this bachelors degree + being a mom + being a wife + being in busy season that this fell through the cracks (like my laundry).

i want you to know that i’m still here and i still love you. and i’m going to try and get back on track here. in the meantime, enjoy this pic of my face + 3 facts about me:

1. i drank way too many iced apple macchiatos with blonde espresso, *stirred* (bc i’m a boujee bitch) in the past month.
2. i’m a almost a college graduate, but still won’t be capitalizing my sentences
3. dancing the night away at your wedding while simultaneously snapping pictures of you is my favorite pastime

share some fun facts about you in da comments ⬇️⬇️⬇️

happy one week anniversary, love birds!!!

imagine being the caterer who had to drive this beautiful cake to the middle of the mountains without destroying it 🥴🥴 COULD NOT BE ME!!! i literally fell on my ass, scratched my hand, and scuffed my camera hood 5 minutes into shooting this wedding 😂😂 thankfully it was only during capturing their incredible details!!!

there are ppl in there if you look hard enough.

i love close ups that show emotion and true love soooo much that i often forget to share things like this. i love to take wife shots to show off where we are and what is going on in the moment. part of that storytelling mentality. but they aren’t always the prettiest or most artsy shots i can get so i feel self conscious sharing them! i do love this one tho 🥺❤️

just a couple more weeks until these two say i do 🥺❤️ am i emotional?? yes. am i going to dance?? probably. am i excited??? HECK YES

reason #1637489 to marry your best friend 😍😍

domonique + kyles wedding was literally magical! i had so much fun traveling out of town to the forest to celebrate their love. it was a great change of scenery.

swipe to see details of their ceremony site! i think it was a site of our dreams 😍😍i can’t wait to share more from their wedding day!!!

ahhhhh!!! the day is finally here 🥺❤️ happy wedding day domonique + kyle!!!

i can’t wait to see how beautiful you two look today as you start this new adventure as a family! just counting down the minutes until we get to boogie on the dance floor 😍😍😍😍

blake + kenzie

still thinking about this couples fun, energetic love that i got to help celebrate last month. 🥰

are you and your significant other more playful or more serious?? neither one is right or wrong!!!

my husband and i are pretty playful, but have some serious moments ☺️

see the full photos in my story!! (since the insta crop is an artists nightmare)

these cuties get married in just a few weeks! it will be one of the first weddings of a very, very busy wedding season!

i can’t wait to see what this season has in store 🥰

let’s talk detail shots!

“details” doesn’t always mean decor! it can be shots like this that are up close, but tell the overall story of what’s going on.

to anyone looking on, this shot may seem like just another picture. but to this bride, it reminds of her of the moment her mom helped her into the dress, buttoned, and zipped each.

my goal for your day is to capture every moment, big or small, exciting or mundane, and everything in-between.

💛💛💛

life has been busy around here, but nothing like the next few months are going to be 😳

i should’ve taken a lot more time to work on blogs and my website during this off season, but honestly, being a mom takes all of me! this summer has gone by so quick, and soon i’m going to be in school full time, momming full time, wife-info full time, and shooting weddings/sessions every.single.weekend 🤩😱 it’s terrifying and awesome all at the same time. ❤️❤️ thanks for all your support!

ahhhh! i’m just so excited for the upcoming wedding season!!! this fall is jam packed full of weddings. if you’re getting married in the next couple months, are you freaking pumped???!?!! it’s going to be the best night ever 🥺❤️ i can’t wait to watch you commit to spend the rest of your life with your soul mate!!!

in other news!! an interview i did with just went live on their website!!! i’m so excited to share it with you. i’ll put the link in my bio or if you comment here i can send it directly to you!

i never thought of myself as creative.

that has changed since starting my business and pushing myself to be creative at every single shoot i do. i always go in with a the mindset of creating something new and exciting for each of you.

it can be really easy to get into a rut of the same prompts, same pictures, same locations. especially in arizona where everything is desert 🥴🥴

but going into a session with this mindset helps me to stay away from getting stuck into the rut.

do you find time to release your creativity?

location, location, location!

where you choose to have your session, whatever kind that may be, can really add to or take away from your overall photos.

when choosing a location, really consider the look you want to achieve for your pictures. consider the colors of the environment, and what you might wear to compliment the environment without getting lost in the scenery.

in every session, you are the focus of the pictures, but in order to tell your story, i try to be sure to incorporate the scenery of the location into the pictures. after all, you chose that spot for a reason!

some particularly beautiful spots that i have loved photographing at are sedona (as pictured), horseshoe bend, literally anywhere in utah hahaha. but if you’re not wanting to go super far from the local phx area, there are hidden gems here like the salt river or downtown gilbert!!

what location is on your bucket list for your next session? ❤️

soooo instagram is going to kill me for this... but i tried to start posting everyday but i quickly became defeated and gave up.

i have alllllll these pictures saved up on my hard drives but it’s a lot of work to find them, upload them to my phone, arrange them in a way that i *think* will be beautiful, and then think of captions for allllll of those to post on instagram eventually 🥴🥴🥴

the worst part?? i’m on summer break and it’s just me & my girl all day, so once i start school next month i’m REALLY going to be drowning. 😬

maybe it’s time to stick to a more realistic goal of a couple times a week but i feel liked insta wants me to post every day 🤥😭

what do you think the best solution is here!?