My blog has been compromised.  Hacked.  Deleted.  DELETED!!!  Who does this? It’s cyberspace vandalism. I’m among 30 plus other flosites blogs who have been hacked.  If you have a flosites blog, or if you password protect your blog.  PICK A STRONG PASSWORD.  I have been spending the last 48 hours frantically trying to restore and collect any data that I can in order to somehow piece together 5 years of my heart and soul.  My portfolio and journal are gone.  Please be patient with me for future posts and keep your fingers crossed.  I may be starting from square one…

Work isn’t work when working with women like Tamara Hutchins and Cynthia Goodberry. We did this shoot on Sunday, all in good fun and company. Of course Tamara is a natural beauty, but really Cynthia (www.denvermakeupguru.co makes a lady glow with her mad makeup skills. Seriously… She’s a sought after makeup artist and you should call her. Jesse even told me that I should have Cynthia do my makeup everyday after he saw me all dolled up at a friend’s wedding. And Tamara—Wow! This smokin’ babe is in her 40′s! You’d never believe it. I didn’t until I visited her for facial rejuvenation (basically a natural, safe botox). Not only did I see immediate results, but my skin cleared up, my digestion was better, and I started sleeping better. Tamara is a miracle worker. Make an appointment with her and see for yourselves http://www.zenredheadacupuncture.com/

I feel so fortunate and grateful for having such an amazing network of women in my life that I’ve been able to call my close friends. I will certainly be blogging about them more often to spread the love….

Street photography is my passion of passions.  Who needs facebook when one can be a voyeur on the streets?  It’s the human condition that I love most about photography. The quirks, the styles, the emotions…  I love to observe and capture it all.  But what moves me more than anything is the fact that as humans we all share the same planet, breathe the same air and are all mortal.  I guess it’s a mix of empathy and curiosity that drives me to photograph the human condition.
I had the most amazing trip out to Dallas/Fort Worth to take some engagement photos of Libby and Brent whose wedding will be in August.  The icing on the cake, was that my mom came along with me and we visited my brother who, at the time was working out in Fort Worth.    I treasure our last day there together,  when we went to Granbury, Tx to visit my grandparents graves…

It’s a fact. Medical Marijuana is now legal in the state of Colorado with a valid State of Colorado medical marijuana registration, and there are literally hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries in Denver alone. The Releaf center contacted me to do some “branding” for them. They wanted some images that could portray who they are as people and as a business to counteract some of the negative cliches surrounding the industry. Many people out there have the perception that “growing” is a job for a bunch of hippies who can live the dream smoking pot all day, while making money off of high school students. Of course some serious pot connoisseurs can set up their own “hydroponic” system in their closet at home, but to grow thousands of plants and hundreds of strains as medicine is a completely different ball game. These guys are extremely professional, extremely organized, and are working many, many hours in this warehouse to produce some of the finest medicine in the state. I also want to add that the green thumbs over at the Releaf center are not smoking joints while trimming their plants….
I am a photographer who shoots primarily weddings and family portraits so I was a bit hesitant to post this, as my readers could be more conservative on the issue, but I honestly couldn’t think of a reason why this should be “taboo”. Whether we like it or not ( and I happen to like it), marijuana is now available as medicine, and dispensaries are popping up like coffee shops. However, not all dispensaries are created equal, and I wouldn’t blog about just any. Beyond the fact that the Releaf center is just down the street, and is friendly neighbor, I was surprised and impressed to hear about all that they are doing. In addition to selling medicine, both plant and edibles, the Releaf center offers a slew of services to their members including educational classes, housekeeping, free meals, day spa treatments, discounts at other local business and RTD transportation assistance. Believe it or not, the Releaf center is not just a hole in the wall, glorified drug dealer. It’s a healing center that sincerely cares for its patients. For more information and a video tour of the center, check out their website: www.thereleafcenter.com.

Not 10 minutes ago I was meandering my way down the East bank of the Gallatin River in Bozeman Montana. Camera in hand, two glasses of wine in my system, and fresh autumn air that permeated my senses like Halloween night or a Friday night High School football game, I was seduced into a total stage of nostalgia. Funny that I say nostalgia, though because there is something so virginal about my senses when I escape and explore. Everything comes to life–everything feels new and fresh. Why is it that I have to get away from home and work to feel like I do right now? Alive. Present. Peaceful. I’m without internet service here, although I should throw my phone in the river because I’m still checking my email every hour. I’m also without TV, (and believe me, when presented with a good movie or TV series, I will toss a nature walk to the wind and veg out.). But right now, at 5:45pm on Tuesday, September 21st Bozeman time, I’m completely present and tuned in. I’m clear for the first time in what feels like months. And these words that are flowing out of me, like the river in front of me, are streaming consciousness and I’m experiencing a little bit of heaven. I am with pen and paper in hand, ready to freeze time and write about the most amazing hour of photographing, meditating and reminiscing that I just experienced, my first day in Bozeman…
Two “practices” came to mind while I was out drinking in this zen state–Macro photography and Haiku. Random and perhaps esoteric, these two art forms have been significant exercises that have grounded me throughout the years–both artistically and personally. When I was a junior in high school, I was already sure I would be a photographer when I “grew up”. Maybe not a photographer of weddings, but a National Geographic staff photographer, perhaps. I remember taking my first photography class very seriously. When Russel Croup, my instructor told me to find images that inspired me, I think I spent two months allowance on magazines and journals at Tattered Cover and cut out 100 images and them into an inspiration journal. I still have those. I also wrote a 10 page paper on Eugene Smith and soaked every moment of research up (which at the time was certainly out of character). But there is one thing that Mr. Croup said that has changed my life forever: “Within every two square feet, there is an image to be found”. Ahhh Haaaa…! For somebody as ADD as I am, this simple idea of macro photography has given me a tool to slow down and breathe — to stop, look around and be present in every moment—In every step that I take, there is virtually something worth noticing–worth capturing, in fact! Is this not the most freeing way to photograph? I took that statement to heart the first time I heard it and when given my first assignment, I photographed and experienced things that I would have never noticed. There were colors I’d never seen in my backyard. I saw shapes and textures that didn’t exist to me before, and I felt for the first time in my life that I had the “eyes of an artist”. Life came to life in my first roll of Kodachrome. So now—15 years later when I am feeling overwhelmed and overworked, as I often do this time of year, going out and making photographs and experiences on a “macro level”, is like an oasis. And the beautiful thing about it, is that I don’t feel like I have to make beautiful images. What is that word anyhow? Beauty is subjective (although maybe not in the wedding photography industry, but don’t even get me started on that—another blog post) To me, beauty is experience—it’s something, that for some reason, makes me feel something. Beauty is a little piece of eternity that I didn’t know was there. It has always existed, but I have never touched it, never smelled it, never seen it or never experienced it. But it almost always makes me feel as though sometime, in a dream or in a past existence, I have experienced “it” before.
Fast forward from junior year in high school to Freshman year in college at CSU. I was taking a class called “Knowing This Place”. It was a class designed to help us become comfortable with our new surroundings. We had a weekly assignment of going off campus somewhere to sit for an hour–it could be anywhere. After that hour, we were to make a drawing and write a haiku about our experience with that particular place. What an incredible exercise this turned out to be for me. To simply get off campus and go to a park, or a field of pumpkins, or sit on a rock at Horse Tooth Reservoir— It was incredibly grounding. The haikus and drawings for me were usually less about the place, as they were about the experience that I had in the place. And that is what Haiku often is. It’s a Japanese poem that is 17 simple “sounds” in three phrases of 5,7,5. which should sum up an experience–however esoteric. In Japanese, Haiku means “playful verse”. It should contain two juxtaposing parts in three lines—and should avoid subjective commentary. Without going into a lecture on Japanese poetry, you might see how the study and practice of Haiku has influenced my work. Especially when I’m photographing on a macro or very personal level. Haiku—I’ve missed you.
Without further ado, and without further explanation, here are some images from my first day in Bozeman, Montana. Namaste.

Nope…. this is not a workshop led be me.  I’ll just be hosting it.   I don’t really have many brilliant things to say when it comes to being an organized photographer other than to call on Regina of The Organized Photographer to revolutionize your work-flow!  I just spent over 4 hours with this amazing lady while she schooled me on getting my act together so that my daily grind  is streamlined and savvy.   Her first question to me was, “What would your perfect day look like?“  I answered, impulsively saying that I would love to wake up, enjoy a cup of strong, steaming black coffee,  write in my journal, drive to Boulder, take a long hike up Sanitas, then head to the Boulder Cafe for Happy hour.  I’d then probably come home, watch an episode of Mad Men and go to bed early in freshly laundered sheets.  She said, “How often do you do this?”  Never was my answer, of course.   I never have time!  The only thing I do on this list on a regular basis is the strong black coffee!  It’s ironic actually, I’m a person who fully embraces freedom and “quality of life” and I preach it on a regular basis to others, but I’m never actually walking what I talk–albeit the travel of course, which if you ask my husband, I don’t have time for either.  Regina however preaches about literally making space and time in your life and in your work to do the things that you love, so that you are living your dream day–be it spending time with your children or hiking Sanitas with friends.  Sounds nice, eh?
I don’t want to spoil the workshop, but let me put it this way…  I didn’t even have a portrait contract before Regina met with me.  I didn’t have a filing system or database for my clients or future clientele.  I didn’t even have a trash can under my desk.  I simply accumulated a years worth of unnecessary junk and somehow stuffed it into every corner of my studio.  It looked nice to an outsider coming in of course.  I could present myself as an organized photographer but I dreaded the day I would have to go through every loose data DVD lying around, or send a mass email to my clients…   Today however, Regina did that for me, and with me.  And she’ll do it for you too!  I am so excited about Regina’s mad skills as an organized photographer, business coach, and artist (did I mention that she is an esteemed and incredible photographer of 10 years) that I am going to host a mini-clear the clutter workshop to get people started on the right foot!  Come learn new ways to create a work space that nourishes you, work more efficiently and align your values with your daily to-do list. Bring a notebook and a friend!  Whether you are just starting your photography business or simply want to gear up for the wedding season, this workshop is for you!
The mini-clear the clutter workshop will be held at 7pm on June 1st at my studio: 2405 West 32nd Ave Denver, CO 80211.
The cost is $35 which will include cocktails, food and a serious education!
Please contact Regina at regina@recherche-photography.com  by May 25th to RSVP. Hope to see you there!