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Beaver Creek Wedding: Ali & Mike Tie the Knot at Allie’s Cabin

July 10, 2012 By 1 Comment

I was thanking my lucky stars I was headed to the mountains where it was at least 10 degrees cooler on Ali and Mike’s wedding day than it had been in Denver the week leading up to it.  And lucky I was, because it was a gorgeous day in the mountains for an outdoor wedding on the deck of Allie’s cabin, one of my favorite mountain venues of all time!  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky… literally!  I had been looking forward to this wedding day for months & I will preface any further details by saying I was not disappointed!  Alison was an absolutely gorgeous bride, Mike was adorable and as sweet as could be, and both the bride and the grooms families were the cream of the crop kind of folks.  It felts good to be surrounded by such obviously great people and close families.  The toasts from Alison’s dad, and from both the bride’s brother and the groom’s sister, really gave insight into the kind of people that Alison and Mike are, and both of their amazing characters.  It’s neat for me to get to know my clients through the eyes of their families members like that.  I thought it very touching that Alison choose Mike’s sister and Mike choose Alison’s brother to the their respective maid of honor and best man.

I had a wonderful second shooter, Sarah Fischer, for the day, and we had a blast together.  Our combined energy really brought out the best in each other.  JoAnn Moore and her lovely assistant, Mindy, were there from Mountains and Meadows to coordinate everything flawlessly. The Beaver Creek staff and catering service was top notch as usual, and besides being a little too hot, it was a perfect day and the photos can speak for themselves.  Alison and Mike needed very little direction because they naturally just looked at each other with so much love and compassion, it was obvious to all that they are a team, now and forever.  I love seeing that so clearly & these two just have “it.”  So to Alison, Mike, and both of their families, to JoAnn, & Mindy, to everyone at Allie’s, and to Sarah, thank you for making my job such a pleasure.  I must be doing something right to keep getting such wonderful clients & to keep getting to work with such fantastic wedding industry professions all the time.

And for anyone interested, I created a slideshow set to Alison and Mike’s two current favorite songs, showcasing their beautiful wedding day from beginning to end.  :-)   Enjoy!

Venue/Catering: Allie’s Cabin, Beaver Creek, CO
Coordination: Mountains and Meadows
Florist: Rose Petals
Cake: Mountain Flour
Baton Rouge Paperie

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Tracy & Justin’s Spruce Mountain Ranch Wedding

June 28, 2012 By 1 Comment

What a way to kick off wedding season!!  I was so fortunate to have my favorite second shooter (and production manager), Julia Timmer, a gorgeous venue I’ve been dying to shoot at (Spruce Mountain Ranch), a blue sky summer day, a reception room to die for all done up by some of my favorite wedding industry pros (Table 6 Productions, The Perfect Petal, & LMD Productions) and last but certainly not least, a couple I adore!  Tracy and Justin’s day went off without a hitch and Julie and I had plenty of time to capture all of the special details and all the beautiful moments that made this wedding one of a kind.  From the moment I stepped onto the grounds of the ranch and saw everyone hustling and bustling and buzzing around building the room from the bare bones up,  I knew we were about to have a busy day.  Not only did we have our bride and groom, both of their respective families, the wedding party of 12, and all of their guests to photograph, but there were details galore!   And that room…wow!  From the ranch side ceremony to the crystal chandeliers to the giant centerpieces, to the gondola photo-booth, to the band, to the outdoor dancing pavilion, to the s’more station, there was something to photograph at nearly every moment and from nearly every angle all day long every time I turned around.  It was a wonderfully visually and artistically stimulating day for both Julie and I and we worked our buns off!  At the end of the night, I remember thinking to myself “my hand is totally aching…this is gonna be good.” ;-)   If I do say so myself, I think I was right.

Thank you to Tracy and Justin and to ALL of the amazing people that made this wedding day one for the record books.  We love you!

If you are curious, here are ALL my favorites from the day, slideshow style, from beginning to end.  You will need 13.5 minutes.  Enjoy!

Venue: Spruce Mountain Ranch, Larkspur, CO
Wedding Planner: Table 6 Productions
Floral: The Perfect Petal
Lighting: LMD Productions
Hair Stylist: Erin Ferris

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Two Little Love Birds: Boulder Engagement Photography

May 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I am SO excited about Brittany and Joey’s July wedding this summer!  It’s going to be at the Manor House with about 200 guests and 1000 paper cranes.  Brittany told me that in Japan, 1000 paper cranes symbolizes 1000 years of a loving happy marriage.  Since their engagement, Brittany has been hand-making 1000 origami birds will hang from the trees and center pieces to set the tone for the rest of their happy life together.  I absolutely love the message and the idea that the paper cranes represent.  I can’t wait to photograph these special love birds (all 1002 of them ;-) ) on what is sure to be an amazing wedding day!

For the engagement session we decided to meet in Boulder on the Pearl Street mall and then wander down near the Ebin G park, where Joey proposed to Brittany, and also where they first met, tubing down the Boulder Creek.  Part of what is fun about my job is being creative on the fly.  I never really know what exactly to expect regardless if I have met the couple, or been to the location before.  Nothing is ever the same in terms of the people, the light, the time of day, or even the other people around.  Shooting on Pearl Street is interesting mainly because it is such a busy, happening spot in Boulder, no matter what time of day, but especially on a beautiful afternoon.  It’s difficult keeping other random people out of the background, which is generally my goal when photographing an engagement session- unless of course, I am going for a busy “urban” image with a lot going on in the image.  Otherwise, I tend to focus on the couple alone, and their energy together.

I admit, I enjoy the challenge of finding good locations with nice light by just walking around and using all of my senses.  I know it makes a lot of photographers nervous not to have a “plan,” but I guess my personality thrives on the rush I get from not knowing what I am going to do. I think it give me more creative freedom because I don’t necessarily have any major expectations about what is going to happen.  Except, of course, that I am going to take great photos.  That is always my expectation of myself.  With Brittany and Joey, I photographed them in lots of new spots that I hadn’t used before, and I have been to the Pearl St. Mall in Boulder a countless number of times.  We had such an easy time together and I think the photos turned out beautifully!  Of course it helps to have such stunning models to work with, but just working with what “is, in the ” now,”  including the environment, the light, the energy of the couple, everything really, is a very artistically rewarding experience for me.  I also love shooting in the late afternoon when the sun is at an extreme angle.  It makes working with flare and creating dreamy, romantic images, much easier to accomplish.  Brittany and Joey, thank you for being so wonderful to work with and for.  Your wedding day is right around the corner and I can’t wait.

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Colorado Springs Engagement Photography: Alison and Mike

April 16, 2012 By 1 Comment

When I was going to college at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, my friends and I spent a lot of time hiking and climbing around in the Garden of the Gods area, but it’s been years since I’ve been back.  When it was suggested as the location for an engagement session with one of my adorable couples for this year, I was ecstatic!  Perhaps my memory isn’t as sharp as I would like to think it is, or perhaps I’ve been in Colorado for so long that I take our state’s amazing landscapes for granted, but as I circled around the Garden of the Gods looking for ideal spots to shoot, I was flooded with a deep appreciation for this extraordinarily beautiful state that I live.  It was almost like seeing it all for the first time again.  After a quick loop in my car, I was feeling pretty confident that it wouldn’t matter where we went, because there didn’t appear to be an angle in any direction that wouldn’t work.  Once I met up with Alison and Mike and their adorable puppies, Sadie and Guy, I couldn’t wait to get started.  They were wearing their love for each other on their sleeves and needed very little to no direction from me!  :-)   We had a gorgeous day to work with and despite it being a popular tourist spot, I was able to crop and frame them to make it look like we were there all by ourselves.  Alison and Mike had their first date at the Garden of the Gods, so it was a perfect place to photograph them before their wedding this summer in Beaver Creek.

I always love photographing in new locations because it forces me to consider everything all at once- the light, the angle of the sun, the backgrounds, the lenses, etc. etc.  There is a lot to think about when I’m doing an engagement session and sometimes I default to locations I know well so that I can focus all of my attention on the couple.  But, there is something to be said about stretching myself to consider all of the photographic technicalities AND engage with my clients.   Talk about practicing my multitasking! Ha!  Alison and Mike, I can’t WAIT for your wedding!  Thank you for being so much fun to work with too.  We are going to have a blast together this summer…  2 months and counting!

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