Ellie is as beautiful as she is awesome (which is a lot)!!  [And we also happen to be incredibly fond of her name!  ]

Nic and I had a little argument over who took this shot, because we both took pictures of everyone looking out the window at different times that day and this was the fave.  I was massively annoyed to check out the file data only to see that it was Nic’s.

These two are so in love!

Yep.  She’s gorgeous!

We loved this wedding party.  They were awesome and made portrait time so easy on us!

If Andrew and his grooms-people ever form a band, this can be their album cover.  (Andrew’s best “man” was his sister–how awesome is that?!  I went home and was like “Will, listen up–here’s how it’s gonna go…”)

This shot CRACKS ME UP.  The words “throw an arm around each other in a man hug sort of way” were not out of my mouth before these two posed in perfect bride+bridesmaid style. 

Loving this ring shot!  (Thanks, Nic!!)

Off to get married!!!

A my angle/Nic’s angle moment!  (I’ll let you guess who shot what.)

Right after the ceremony Andrew and Ellie stole away for a few private moments.  (Although I’m not sure you can really call it private if you’ve got a photographer stalker hiding behind a hedge.   )  They were both emotional and it was so sweet to see.  I love it when couples get to take a moment or two throughout the day to really savor the wedding!

The cakes were incredible…and shockingly they weren’t professional!  I couldn’t believe it, but they were all made by Andrew’s parents’ neighbor who just happens to be an avid baker!  (I wanna live next to such a Martha Stewart!!!)  I also thought it was really cool that they served Mexican for dinner (yummy burritos!!) and had a margarita machine that was a huge hit.  Definitely went in my “wedding tips/ideas” bank!

I’ll close with a first dance picture:

Thanks for everything Andrew and Ellie!  We loved shooting your wedding and wish you every happiness!!

***

It’s been a while since I’ve had a behind the scenes shot to share (or maybe it just feels like that)!  Here’s the behind the scenes view of the black and white close-up portrait from up top.  Gotta love cozey moments with your photographer 5 inches away from your face!

We’ve had a lot more rain than normal for the last few weeks, so our sessions lately have been wonderfully (and uncharacteristically) green!

We got a late start to the shoot, which made it a little fast paced, but a bonus of shooter later was catching the lights in Manitou!

A “Nic’s shot, my version” pair:

(It’s rare, but mine is actually the wider angle shot [above]!)

Here comes my fave:

And a behind the scenes shot of Nic (for the photogs out there, he’s using one of these rain sleeves):

Melissa and Dustin share my love of books, so I planned to take them to the adorable Black Cat Books in Manitou.  We had a great time inside–I love hanging out with people who love books as much as I do!

The bookstore is located in an old dairy (I KNOW!).  I shot this through a very old window:

This really is the book Dustin was reading to Melissa.  It had some excellent advice. 

Walking around town…

So cute!

(By the way, I *love* Melissa’s polka dots!!)

Melissa has the best, most joyful personality!!  I love her smile and laugh!

“Joy” has been on this wall for a month or two–I’ve been trying to figure out how to incorporate it into a shoot.  I really like this angle!

We had some BEAUTIFUL light at Garden of the Gods!

We almost killed Dustin with this one!

Melissa and Dustin, we absolutely love working with you!!  You are such great people and we’re thrilled that we get to photograph your wedding!  We know it will be chalk full of love and joy!

***

A behind the scenes shot of Nic working his magic:

We managed to catch more fall leaves!

Bringing on the romance…

I give massive credit to Jennifer and Jason for pulling off this shot!  They had a pretty big audience of on-lookers cheering them on!

I had to head back to that spot where Nic photographed my behind the scenes photo last week…

This one is my favorite!

I love this one in vertical and horizontal.  They are just so cute and in love!

Thanks for a wonderful shoot!  We hope you have a wonderful wedding!

I think I can safely say that this was our last shoot with fall leaves!  (Watch me be wrong, but we’ve had a fantastically wonderful autumn this year!)

We had some fun with the leaves…

Jesse and Veronica are such a fun couple to spend an afternoon with!

And they’re pretty darn cute!

No visit to Garden of the Gods can be complete without a few red rocks pictures…

Thanks for a wonderful afternoon, Jesse and Veronica!  We can’t wait for the wedding!

***

A little behind the scenes action.  Shots like this one were a big motivator in our desire to test out the D3.  Our Canons would really struggle with focus in a situation like this, but the Nikon nailed it in one try.

Looking fabulous in black and gold…   (And I am totally hitting up this spot for our shoot this weekend–that background looks so cool!)

Which brings me to today’s sneak peek for Kendra and Chris, whom we met in Manitou Springs this weekend for their engagement shoot.  They are a very fun and trusting couple…when I told them to lay down in the leaves not 30 seconds after they got out of the car, they didn’t blink an eye!  This fall I keep thinking “okay–THIS is the last shoot that we get to enjoy the fall colors” but then I keep getting surprised!  Here it is November, and we still had great leaves!

(Above version was my view.  Here’s Nic’s…)

You wouldn’t know it, but Kendra was totally nervous during this shot!  She said her cheek was shaking!

Kendra is so pretty!

We really lucked out with the leaves!

Time for a coffee break!

I never get tired of this cafe.  There are so many ways to use it!

Then it was over to Garden of the Gods for a few more shots.

This next one was inspired by one of Will’s favorite books of the moment: The Day the Babies Crawled Away. (Did you spot the moon?)

Kendra and Chris were amazingly patient and put up with our hope that we could wait about 20 minutes for the sunset.  Sunsets are tricky because you can never quite predict how colorful they will be!  (For the photographers out there: this one was shot using two flashes–the fill mounted on Nic’s camera, and the key held by me off to the left–to create some dramatic light.)

***

Behind the scenes…this was (most likely) my last blast with my trusty Canon 5d camera body.  My new Nikon camera arrives tomorrow, and Nic will inherit my 5d while we decide whether or not to totally jump off the Canon ship.

To commemorate the good times, here I am with my camera and my thinking face.  (I need to work on my thinking face.  It looks a lot like my “someone just ate the last cookie and it wasn’t me” scowl.)

How cute is this guy?!

And a sweet action shot of Nic rolling around in the leaves…

Amy had such a bright smile–she couldn’t stop smiling, actually!  It was so cute–when we wanted to do a few serious faced shots, her mom had to coach her through it!

I had to capture her completely coordinated shoes and pants!

Except that it rained on her first Saturday engagement shoot appointment.  So we rescheduled to Sunday…and it rained.

So we rescheduled for this weekend, and everything looked good.  10% chance of rain.  That’s nothin!  We set off from our house to gorgeous blue skies…but then as we approached Manitou, the skies opened up.  (I’m bringin’ cute umbrellas to Mindy’s wedding!!)

We stuck it out, shooting under trees and then ducked into a cafe to dry off…

We made our own sunlight light with a video light and our trusty reflector:

Aren’t they cute?!!

And then we were rewarded.  It took a good hour, but the sun finally popped out, and with it, we had a rainbow:

And backlit rain:

And if you are willing to wait out a storm, you are usually rewarded with some gorgeous light!

We drove to Garden of the Gods, where the light just got prettier…

This was Brett’s one request–a picture of them both in their CSU sweatshirts.  We were happy oblige!

Told ya we were rewarded!

And a little something different for us with this one…I’m excited to show off one of our polaroid transfer print options!

Mindy and Brett were amazing troopers!  Waiting out the rain (and trying new rainy poses/techniques) took some time, but they were fantastic and didn’t complain a bit!  Mindy’s sister, Andrea, came down from Denver with them to have her senior portraits done at the same time (her sneak peek will be up in the next couple of days).  Here’s the whole crew!

They drove down from northwest Colorado for their engagement shoot this weekend. It was great to finally meet them!

They braved the damp grass for the laying down shots I was loving this weekend:

Some mandatory cuddling:

We took them to a playground.

And since Jenny was also rocking the purple, a trip to the orange wall I’d just found was a must!

I have a thing for photographing on stairs.

I’m always inspired when our couples share food. It’s generally not a good idea to have me share food with Nic. I’m always tempted to kick him in the balls and run away with the food.

We dashed over to Garden of the Gods for a few shots in fields. Stairs and fields. I love them.

Nic thinks Jenny is a dead ringer for my baby sister. It wasn’t until I got home and started proofing that I realized she totally is! Right down to the glasses!

Jenny and Johnny, we had a blast getting to know you–thanks for being up for anything! We look forward to seeing you again in April!

***

Behind the scenes: I swear that Nic and I do have other clothes–Jenny and Johnny and Laura and Jack’s shoots were on the same day, so our outfits lack originality…

And me with my precious stairs, intruding on yet another cozy couple moment:

And risking my life and camera for the most awesome playground shot ever. (I swear it felt scarier up there with my camera than it looks.)

Laura and Jack brought their sweet dogs for some family pictures:

We only had a couple of minutes of sunlight, but they totally nailed it. Laura and Jack are so cute!!

Have I mentioned that I *loved* their outfits? They were rocking the super hip purple and lime green combo…and when I saw this orange wall I knew it would be a winner!

We often tell couples “look like you like each other.” I don’t think Laura was faking.

And last but not least, my favorite of the day:

Jack and Laura’s wedding is next year (one of our lucky June couples–those June Saturdays are popular!). They are so sweet and fun and we can’t wait to work with them again on their wedding day!

***

Behind the scenes: Proof that I really must love Nic. I share the 70-200 with him on occasion. (But I have a thing for guys with their shirtsleeves rolled up, so it might just be the sleeves.)

Nic must have been feelin’ the behind the scenes shots this weekend, because I have two of me to share.

Nothing says “quiet romantic moment” quite like having a photographer right over your shoulder.