The Goldbergs
I am pretty sure we all thought that Lindsey and Adam’s wedding six years ago was the biggest and best day of their lives–in fact it most likely was. Little did they know however, that their lives would unfold and bring forth many more “big” and “best” days ever. The birth of Ava… and then recently the birth of Millie. I’m not comparing of course, I just know from experience that there is no greater joy–not even a wedding day that compares to giving birth to two healthy little girls–and those moments when they are in your arms and you keep smelling them and kissing the tops of their heads and weeping out of a mixture of hormones and ecstasy is BIG and THE BEST. I’m so honored to know this little family and to be able to document all of these moments for them–it somehow just keeps getting better and better.
The Wunschs
This little 8-month-old, Claudia might be my biggest fan. I have never had a baby respond to me like she did. Not even my own babies–ha! It was amazing, actually–she was so aware of my presence and she loved showing off for me–she’s my new littlest friend.
Everything about my session with the Wunschs was so authentic. The smiles, the snuggles, the coffee in hands and the dinner simmering away in the kitchen. This shoot was exactly what I love to do. I love to walk into a home and photograph a little family giving kisses and having tantrums. It’s the new mom and dad sharing a quiet or hilarious moment; the “fleeting moment” that we so often miss because we are snapping our fingers, saying “smile”. It’s a slice of life. And I love being its spectator.
Crystal and Brian’s Denver Engagement session
Where do I even begin? It’s been so long since I’ve blogged that I couldn’t even remember my password. Life just has a funny way of getting away from me. Blogging is a habit that I once practiced that has taken back seat to other, probably less healthy habits (urgh-um, instagram). I’ve missed reflecting on my images as a series or story rather than pulling one image for facebook and or instagram. I’ve also missed these engagement sessions. Since I took last year off from weddings and am only doing a handful now, I’ve been inevitably doing less and less work with couples, but don’t get me wrong–I love the sessions and hope to be doing many more in the future. I love the drinks beforehand, the mindless meandering and light chasing and the spontaneity that these sessions offer. Family sessions and newborns are a different kind of “spontaneous” that I also love, but with these “romance” shoots, there is just such electricity in the air; Energy. Optimism. Fun. Crystal and Brian were great. I had such a fun couple of hours with them starting at Dazzle (where they had their first date, and later got engaged), then Union Station and then who knows… We just went with it. They are the real deal, Crystal and Brain. And they will be getting married on May 8th–Congratulations to these cool cats.
The Deutsche family in Boulder
“I believed in a good home, in sane and sound living, in good food, good times, work, faith and hope. I have always believed in these things. It was with some amazement that I realized I was one of the few people in the world who really believed in these things without going around making a dull middle class philosophy out of it. I was suddenly left with nothing in my hands but a handful of crazy stars.” Jack Kerouac
For you, Lauren. You and I walk the same line…
The Evans family in Granby
There are moments when I am overcome with gratitude for the life I get to live through my job. Most of the time I am running around trying to catch Sylvie from flinging herself head first down the stairs while I pack up all my camera equipment to get to a shoot on time–there are not enough hands. And certainly not enough time. I’m a busy mama and I am shooting and editing so much that I often forget to take a moment to really study and reflect on the images that I make. Photography is my full time job. I’m literally supporting my family making portraits, so most of the time I’m 100% focused on pleasing my clients. I forget that I get to make art. A couple of weeks ago however, I had the opportunity to photograph the Evans family at a 100-year-old homestead in Granby, CO. I’ve been working with Callie for 5 years and had photographed her extraordinary wedding to Wes in New Orleans back in 2012, so there was no question that photographing this little family would be nothing short of spectacular.
There had been a hailstorm that moved through right before I arrived, so the sky was moody, the air eerily quiet, the leaves were torn in bits all over the ground, and all the kiddos were wrapped up in warm colorful sweatshirts to stay warm on the riverbank. The landscape was breathtaking–like something out of a Laura Engles Wilder book, and I immediately forgot that I was “working” and started shooting magically, from pure intuition. This is when I know I’m doing what I’m supposed to do with my life–when making images is so natural that I don’t even know that I’m doing it. It’s a way of expression and quite literally my third eye’s way of seeing and experiencing the world around me. This Mississippi family let me spend an evening with them, capturing a small slice of their vacation in Colorado–and I was in heaven.
On the way home, I stopped to fill up at a gas station and didn’t want to be done. I felt so refreshed and wanted to just keep driving into the dusk with my windows down and a cigarette. This is how a good shoot makes me feel. Free. Alive. Like I’m traveling with no agenda. This shoot awoke something in me that made me stop for a moment and breathe. It made me feel abundant in gratitude. I remembered that I am beyond blessed to get to do what I do for a living.
This night, on a river in Granby with a fun-loving family, I was making art–no question about it. Thank you Callie and Wes. For all of it.
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