~Year in Review~2011~

Wow. That pretty much sums up my 2011 year. It was a year of firsts and growth.


Looking through my photographs I can see so much change (for the better) throughout my shooting. I love finding new angles, making a few mistakes so I know how to fix them the next time. I started shooting in RAW this year and will NEVER go back! It took some getting used to, but is totally worth it.


I jumped right into wedding photography with both feet this year. Yes, it was totally crazy, but weddings soon became my favorite events to shoot! All of my brides and grooms were wonderful to work with and appreciated the fact that I will do anything for a laugh! Six weddings are now under my belt. No, not a huge number, but enough to know that I want to continue with them in the future!


Another first was newborn photography. Since I became a Mother I knew the importance of these precious moments. I loved meeting the little ones and parents! Learning poses, and then realizing that the interaction between the parents and the new little bundle of joy was what I wanted to capture. Yes, newborn photos can be oh so cute, but I find the most emotion in watching a Father and Mother cuddle their newborn, and the comfort they give them. A lot of the shots truly brought tears to my eyes.

I have two photos that are my absolute favorite this year. It was so hard to choose! I have favorites from every session (see my Facebook page for the best of 2011).


The first was from a wedding I shot in Breckenridge,CO in July. It was an odd situation from the start, the bride was out East and the groom was in Germany. In fact, his whole family is from there. Everything was booked via email and phone calls, paypal was a Godsend for this wedding! I didn't get a chance to meet the bride and groom before the day of the wedding due to unforeseen circumstances. Which was fine, I am good at winging it! The venue was a lookout down a hiking trail, and as my assistant and I made our way, it was breathtaking. Perfect day for a wedding. They had a string quartet in the trees and a lovely view for the ceremony. The bride and groom arrived a little late and I was able to quickly introduce myself before they started down the isle. The nice thing about this couple, was they were so laid back. I knew the whole day was for them, and was in no hurry. After the ceremony we took a lot of posed and candid shots. As we were leaving the venue I was relieved of my duties for the day, but I turned around and caught this amazing shot.

It is my favorite image of 2011.

The second image is a personal one. I took my Son outside on a nice day and shot is two year photos. Every year I try to get a photo of him and our dog, Maverick, as they are best buddies. This was a shot I was so excited to get, that it didn't matter to me that it wasn't perfect. This just speaks volumes of the relationship between my son and his dog. 

No, the whole year wasn't filled with great things. I had a few clients bail on me last minute, so I had to enforce a retainer fee. Sometimes the photos weren't what I expected them to be after I got them on my computer, and had to make the best of what I had. More often then not, the client was more then thrilled with what I was able to put together. I always prepare myself, however, for the bad reaction. That's all part of the job, not everyone will like your work, but those who do, love it.

2011 was a great year. My clients are the best I could ask for, and look forward to watching their children and families grow.

 We are ready for 2012! Some changes in prices, as I had mentioned before, but there will be specials EVERY month! And for the fun of it, there are THREE in the month of January! :-D I will also be doing "Photo Fridays" and sharing a photo from my week with all of you here on my blog. It may be from a session, or my everyday life. Something so I can look back over my year and relive it, and also for you to get to know me.

The biggest surprise of all?! We are moving! My family and I are headed to Northern Nebraska! I will be serving  most of the state of Nebraska and South/Western South Dakota. I am very excited for this next chapter in our lives. This will bring us within driving distance of both sides of the family. Which will be nice, since we are getting married!! EEEKKK!! Yes, let's add some MORE excitement into our lives! ;-) 7.5 years together and we decided to make it official. We are oh so very excited.

So, bring on 2012! 

~B&M~ Canyon Engagement Session

I had the pleasure of photographing a beautiful couple yesterday. ~M~ won my Facebook contest I held a few months ago, and was thrilled that she was able to get a free engagement session with me!

 We met in Poudre Canyon at one of my favorite locations. The river wasn't too high, so we had a lot of areas we could use.

I am all about the kissing photos! hehe

I am looking forward to working with them again after their big day. Probably in the canyon again! I can't get enough of that location!

Q&A in May :-)

Q & A wanted to do the second half of their engagement shoot without snow, so we opted to wait until May to get some Spring shots.

Now, granted technically it's Spring..it doesn't feel like it here in the Mountains! The day we were originally suppose to have the shoot it rain/snowed all day. The next day...beautiful...but windy. Eh, we're used to that here!

We again, had so much fun. Trying to "hop" the big mud spots in the pasture, climbing equipment, and generally just goofing off! A was up for anything I threw at her...even climbing the giant barrel! Needless to say, we got a few good laughs out of those shots.

          

The colors were AMAZING that day. The beautiful blue sky went so well with their pink shirts. The {J27} actions for elements came in handy, especially In Color! Man, did they POP!    

       

We are surrounded by water out here this Spring and we used that to our advantage! Stuck the "ugly" chair right out in a giant puddle, and went with it. I love how these turned out.

Looking forward to their July wedding! Hoping the weather turns around so we all don't have to wear BOGS!

Next Engagement session is June 4th in Poudre Canyon!

~M&K` Say I Do!!

Two years ago I was asked to photograph a small wedding for a coworker. I was petrified! However, it was small, no getting ready shots, intimate ceremony and a quiet supper. It was a good starting point.

I didn't really advertise for weddings since then, because they intimidated me. I was asked to shoot a wedding in July back in December, and it got me excited! That's when the bug bit me. I knew I wanted to do weddings. They are a lot, I mean A LOT, of work. But in the end you get to capture some of the most beautiful moments for the loving couple.

K contacted me a couple of months ago about their May wedding. I got even more excited for their wedding when I found out they are ranchers just like me! Cowboy boots and all! May couldn't come soon enough!

Their wedding was small and intimate and I loved every moment. Taking photos of K getting her hair done was like hanging out with my girlfriends. Lots of laughing, super relaxed atmosphere. M was chill as well. Taking photos of the guys, and you could see the excitement in his eyes!

Everyone in the wedding party wore cowboy boots (even the bride!) SO something I would do!

They were oh so cute! Sneaking kisses here and there. A lot of love between these two!

 I was so honored to be asked to be there and document their special day. I had lots of ideas and they were open anything I threw at them. This was a perfect wedding to start off the season!

Next wedding is June 10th! SO excited!!!

~L~ Expecting

Yeah! I can finally share some photos from the maternity session I had a few weeks ago. ~L~ was so much fun to work with! Her husband was a very big help as well! I offered him the job of my assistant ;-) They had ideas of their own and were open to the ideas I had as well. I loved being able to capture this special moment for them. Their youngest Son was so adorable and is so excited to be a big brother!

Can't wait to meet their little princess and take her photos!