Click on the title of the blog post to view the entire entry.
I met Cyndi and Niko at a stables in Castle Rock to take some family pictures with their horse. It was so much fun to do something a little different and I can’t wait to photograph Cyndi’s horse show next weekend!
(Did you catch the horse sticking out his tongue at me?!)
One of my favorite brides-to-be hired me to shoot her grandparent’s 50th wedding anniversary party this weekend as her gift to them.
Talk about a thoughtful gift!
It became quickly apparent that Bernadette gets her infectious good humor and lovable personality from her family! They were a wonderful group to spend the afternoon with, and it makes me even more excited for the wedding–I already know the important players!
I want to begin the sneak peek with my favorite shot of the day (which was actually my last). I was all packed up to leave when they announced a special grandfather-granddaughter dance, and I unpacked my camera and ran to capture a few shots. I am so glad I did, because when I saw this photo this morning, I admit to choking up a little (which Bernadette will no doubt find fitting for her family)! 
I was very close to my grandpa and lost him as a teenager–first to a stroke, and then when he passed away a few years later. I would give anything to have a picture like this with my Poppa, and I know both Bernadette and Bob will treasure this one…that is, until September when it will no doubt be replaced with one where Bernadette is in her wedding dress! 
Bernadette and Haydn’s engagement shoot is coming up in a few weeks, but we had to get a little practice in:
Poor Haydn was incredibly sick, but managed to make it to the party anyway. I kept telling him that if they are this photogenic when he is ill, I can’t even imagine how awesome their engagement portrait shoot will go!
I adore expressive people, and as a photographer, I love them even more. Nothing is better than people that show their emotions so vividly–it makes it easy to capture the excitement and happiness of an event:
When the guests of honor Bernie and Bob heard music announcing their arrival, they started dancing in the foyer! (I was in heaven–that kind of impromptu photo op is a photographer’s dream!)
And then it was time to reveal that the beautiful singing was not a cd, but rather Colorado Springs’ own entertainer Randy Rodriguez.
See what I mean? Bernie and Bob make being a photographer easy!
The party was filled with a ton of emotion–from hysterical laughter to happy tears:
We did a few quick formal group shots:
The party was held at the beautiful house of a family friend. I used this flower arrangement to test my exposure before everyone arrived, and ended up loving the photo:
A huge thank you to Bernadette (the youngest) for asking me to photograph the party, to Haydn for doing his best not to look green in the pictures, to Bernadette (the second) for throwing such a fabulous party, to Sharon and Scott for hosting it at their beautiful home, and to Bernadette (the original) and Bob for sharing their wonderful family with me and shining with such fun and love in their photos. I can’t wait to see you all at the wedding!
I love Meg and Matt’s session images so much that I thought I’d share the entire slideshow here. They brought so much energy to the shoot that it was like magic! There are a ton of shots here, so sit back and get comfy.
(For my wedding clients looking to have a session like this, it was held in the rural Falcon/Peyton area east of Colorado Springs and Meg and Matt’s brightly colored clothing was part of the “pop” behind the images. They came up with the props themselves, so if you have ideas for props, bring them along! I’m sure they won’t mind if balloons pop up in a few more engagement sessions!)
A quick sneak peek for Julie and Marc. I’ll be shooting their wedding in less than two months–the big day is coming up fast!
I love it when we’re able to catch some appropriate phrase in a photo. This first one “life is good” is perfect for a couple on the brink of matrimony!
And this one for the irony. 
We kicked off our engagement portrait season (get ready for lots more sneak peeks in the coming weeks) with Meg and Matt’s engagement portrait session in rural Colorado Springs (otherwise known as Peyton and Falcon). Now, not every couple would get excited when their photographer asked if they would be up for a drive to the middle of nowhere, but Meg and Matt were! And they even brought props! Balloons and records and two dogs, of course!
You might remember them from our wedding contest, and they are just as fun as everyone said. They are a fantastic couple and we wish them the best!
I have lots more I want to share, but since they have been waiting so patiently and Carolyn and Jack already got their sneak peek, I thought I would post these:
It was windy and cold and the mountain shot that we had both hoped for was ruined by a giant hazy cloud (nothing really went as planned this weekend), but Meg and Matt followed me around as I came up with other ideas and we had a great time. Having balloons always helps (and they sweetly sent me home with the balloons for Will–which he loved–thanks guys)!
Cozying it up by the side of a barn. They got plenty of honks. (We were probably the most exciting thing that has happened to Peyton since the Walmart was built in Falcon.)
And this last one I love for the different look–a beautiful sunset feel. (In this version I’ve left the puncture wound on his hand from earlier in the shoot when Meg fell off a rock and somehow Matt ended up injured!)
Thanks for kicking off our engagement season, Meg and Matt (and for spoiling me with goodies–that lemon tea is heavenly)! I’ll most likely be posting more later this week!
