Sometimes I’m so blessed with a client who just welcomes me right into their home and makes me feel comfortable.  This is exactly what Worth and Sam did when I came over to do their maternity photos.  They were laid back, down to earth, and totally trusting that I could do my job, while still able to completely be themselves.  I felt like I had know them for years.

Worth seemed to be a bit shy–but not shy about being shy.  I loved her quite nature… and when Sam came “into the picture” literally, I watched Worth come into herself even more.  They have a beautiful connection, the two of them and I have no doubt that a third member of the family will only make this couple even dreamier….

I love stories! I had to photograph Worth and Sam in front of this painting of the Flatirons because it has such a great story.  If you look really closely, you can see two figures walking down the path towards the mountains…. These figures are actually Worth and Sam.  One day a few years back, Sam planned to propose to Worth on the Mesa Trail.  While they were hiking up, they met the artist of this painting.  Little did the artist know that Sam was proposing to Worth that day, and little did Sam and Worth know that the artist would actually paint them into his painting.  Sam found this painting a few months later and bought it.  When Sam and Worth looked closely at the painting later, they realized that they were actually in the image.  Serendipity!!  And a great souvenir from probably one of the happiest days of their lives!

Is this not the coolest retro kitchen?  I love the green cabinetry–I had to get a journalistic shot or two with Worth “barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen”!

This may seem more like a beer and cigarette campaign…. but I swear to you, I’m simply doing my due dilligence as a photojournalist and covering the on and off stage happenings of the new, up and coming rock and roll group, The Raleigh Band.  Damn, I love my job!

The Raleigh Band premiered at 3 Kings on Friday night and all I can say is wow!  Just, wow!   All you indie-rock, xm listening hipsters out there, stay tuned!  The Raleigh Band is Modest Mouse meets The Clash meets The Last Shadow Puppets—but totally fresh and original.  I was more than pleasantly surprised….  So dig up those old My Space passwords and check out The Raleigh Band.  Oh, and if you get a chance, head down to the 3 Kings and grab yourself a 24oz PBR.

Although not really my scene, The 3 Kings with all its quirk and rockabilly charm proved to be a perfect place for a night of partying.  The place was packed with detail—here are just a few examples of the things that caught my attention….

I’m not a band photographer, but if I were I’d photograph bands in a more documentary way.  The rest of these images are doing just that….

The rest of the night was PBR and reveling back stage….  I really need to do this more often.

Meet Micah—Jesse’s little brother who used to rock with the guitarist of The Raleigh Band a few years back in a band called “Article”.

It was quite cold out—and snowing!

Go Micah, go!

That little cutie at the bottom of this image happens to be my best friend, Marie.  She abhors getting her photo taken, so I had to sneak in a candid.

Kimberly and Matt were married last Saturday at Keystone Ranch, and I couldn’t have dreamed that it would have turned out as beautifully as it did. There were certainly some concerns on my end, as the venue only holds 100 guests and Kimberly and Matt’s guest list ended up being 170. And then there was the lighting situation—a windowed, back lit ceremony and no other ambient light other than candles and some incandescent lamps. The ceremony took place at dusk, so the light was constantly changing–not always fun for metering! I actually went up to the ranch a week earlier to try out a few different lighting options. I brought in some studio lights and tried bouncing them off the ceiling from the balcony and off the walls from the back of the room, but with 170 people, no seating and dynamic light, I decided to go au naturale with the light and be a journalist. I also had two assistants with me—and we were all stationary. I was in the front, hiding behind the groomsmen, Preston was in the front hiding behind the bridesmaids, and Rachael was in the back to get the wide angles…. It was crazy! However it all turned out beautifully and the emotions and events of the ceremony were what made the images sing….

Kimberly and Matt went with a art-deco theme for their wedding, with feathers in their flowers, pearls on their cake, and rich purple and red for their colors. Emily Campbell of Bella Design did a fantastic job coordinating the event and everything ended up being a smash hit–from the gorgeous candle-lit ceremony to the raging celebration at the end of the day. It was a perfect wedding in every way and certainly didn’t lack the emotion and love that I always feed on! I was so blessed to be witness to it all!

Thanks Kimberly and Matt for sharing this day with me! Congratulations!

Kimberly’s father is a dear heart! I loved witnessing this moment between the two of them when he first caught a glimpse of his daughter.

Kimberly was a breathtaking bride!

The girls all wore cowboy boots while the guys wore Vans–I loved it! I thought this was a great image that depicted how fun this wedding party was!

The small ceremony site before 170 guests filed in…..

The reason Matt and Kimberly decided to hold there ceremony in front of the windows instead of in front of the fireplace, was so that Matt would be able to see Kimberly walk down the stairs. I loved how sentimental he was and wasn’t about to miss his expression when he first saw his bride. He barely held it together!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love blushers? It’s such a dramtaic and proud moment when the father lifts the veil….

Kimberly and Matt did a candle light ceremony where they passed the flame from person to person until everybody seated held a single candle. It was beautiful—and again, quite emotional!

Kimberly and Matt have the most adorable nephews which each danced with the bride individually. It was so sweet. However I was just as much moved by Kimberly’s sister and brother and law’s emotional response to the dances, as I was by the dancing itself.

…And then the real party began…. and it was a riot!

Check out the slideshow HERE!

I know it doesn’t fit my branding, but I must confess that I’m a sucker for Valentine’s Day.  I don’t remember the last time I didn’t celebrate it.  Even when I was single I would make Valentine cookies or watch a really sappy love flick with my girlfriends.  No need for the singles to pout, right?

Tonight was no exception.   Although Jesse and I didn’t do anything grand, we did go to the Boulder Cafe for a romantic dinner.  Then  we ended up at the food court at Flatirons crossing for some subway sandwiches (no joke–we really did!  Jesse apparently wasn’t satisfied with the fondue, crab and oysters that we had at dinner).  On the way home from the mall I was smiling and happy, and thinking to myself how great it is to simply celebrate love.  It doesn’t have to be fine dinning and a couples massage on the 14th of February, or chocolate and roses.  The food court with my hubby was perfect, plus I got the chance to pick up the latest sweethearts CD at the mall’s Starbucks.  In case you haven’t caught on to this fantastic annual tradition, Starbucks puts out a love song  cover compilation every February.  2004’s was the best yet, but this year’s wasn’t bad.  Anyhow, it prompted me think…. If I were a rock star and could  cover just one love song—what would it be?  I thought about this the entire way back from Broomfield and came up with a few, but it boiled down to either  “Alone” by Heart or  “Blossom” by James Taylor.  It also made me think about how good I would be at putting one of these compilations together (I’m stellar at a good mix CD), which then led me to this brilliant idea:  A love song blog contest!

If you could pick just one love song to cover— one song that you could sing with all your heart and perform even better than the original—what would it be?   Whoever (in my humble opinion) picks the best love song that they would hypothetically cover, will receive a  love song cover compilation put together by yours truly.  The contest will end in one week.  Leave your entry in my blog comments and if you win I’ll contact you for your address!  Yippeeee—I love this holiday!  Good luck, love birds!

P.s.   Please participate—or I’ll feel really lame.

I photographed Cindy and Brandyn’s wedding just two years ago….  and while I don’t want to minimize how in love they were on their wedding day ( they truly were smitten), I have to say that seeing them the other day, made me wonder if they haven’t fallen even more in love with each other since the pregnancy.  When Cindy and I had talked about doing this maternity shoot a few months back, we both thought that we would do something cute and sweet….  but when I saw the passion between Cindy and Brandyn, the shoot took a turn to something far more intimate and sensual….  I waited to blog these images for a few days because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make something so intimate, public—but then I thought about how beautiful pregnancy is, and about how Brandyn looks at Cindy’s pregnant body, and I couldn’t help but be moved by the connection and deep love that this expectancy has evoked….

I’m not always the best at articulating emotion—I’m better at photographing it, so I’ll let you hear it straight from Cindy: “I took some time this morning to go through your photographs and they brought tears to my eyes.  I am positive it will be even more emotional to look at them once baby Kate has arrived.  It’s hard for me to express my love for Brandyn or his for mine and his true excitement and love for the baby in words, but somehow you’ve nailed in it pictures.  Thank you so much.  And for some reason, I was thinking “cute” and sweet maternity pics.  Meanwhile the pregnancy has been a sweet, loving and sensual experience for Brandyn and me. I’ve been amazed at how beautiful and sexy he tells me I am – and without you even knowing that – you got it!”