Portrait of a donkey 01.24.2010
Oprah bites. I mean really, see that straw on her nose? I was not about to pick it off since I almost lost two fingers on my last visit. My Aunt Patty and Uncle Bill board four horses at this lovely little ranch, home to many stunning creatures and the beloved, if cranky, Oprah. Well, I think she is cute. Look at those darling short legs. Some days, having short legs is enough to make me snippy too.
Smiths (& J. Canlas) 01.21.2010
We saw an opportunity and grabbed it with eager hands. Jonathan Canlas, the very talented film photographer of the Film Is Not Dead workshop, was in town shooting a wedding and when we wrote him asking if we could schedule a one on one mentoring session, he extended his plans to include Steve and I! Yay! We LOVED him, his humility, his abundant and generous knowledge, his "open book" demeanor. It is rare to find someone that is gifted not only as an artist but as a teacher and business owner. He excells at all the above. Not only that but he is the father of five little ones so he relates well to our season of life. He came to our home, played with our kids, ate at our table and dug right in to our hopes and dreams. Later in the afternoon, we headed over to our friends, the Smiths, for a quick little practice shoot. Jon uses a hand held light meter at all times and this was my first experience with one (I have since ordered myself one!). The above images are all shot with my Contax 645 with fuji Pro 400H for color and fuji Neopan 400 for black&white. Many thanks to Jon for a wonderful day and to the Smiths for our impromptu session. You are the BEST!
Lucia & Bunny 01.18.2010
Bunny goes everywhere she goes. I just bought another in case, heaven forbid, something were to happen to it. Outside a friend's cabin, on a bright November morning, Lucia rolled around these long grasses with Bunny. I am liking the nice pastel tones and those rosy, kissable cheeks! Don't you?
Susannah & Ivan's Wedding (Part I) 12.02.2009
You may want to grab a cup of coffee and kick back! I couldn't help making this an unusually long post. If you were not there for this memorable day, my hope is that you will feel that you were. And if there, that you would relive and savor it again and again. What a privilege it was to tell Susannah and Ivan's story.
All the lovely flowers (except for bride's bouquet) were arranged by our mutual dear friend, Emily.
See the happy bee? :)
Ivan and Susannah opted to see each other before the ceremony. It was emotional and beautiful. I remained at a distance, documenting their lovely moment, then tiptoed away....
I grabbed the image on the left just in time. As Susi gathered family for posed shots, Ivan walked over to Mercedes who was busily looking over the fence. When Ivan asked her what she was doing, she chirped, "Looking for ladybugs". Apparently, he had joined her hunt when I turned around and "CLICK".
Right around the corner from the historic church where the wedding was held, was a barn, rolls of hay and a corn field! I felt like a kid in a candy shop! Steve and I, Ivan and Susannah drove around chasing the sun as it slipped away. It was a wonder-full afternoon. 
That evening, a very special six course dinner was served at the Black Cat in Boulder. It was, by far, one of the best meals I've ever had (and I LOVE good food). The evening was intimate, fun and basically perfect.
Susannah & Ivan's Wedding (Part II) 11.28.2009
Photographing Susi and Ivan's Colorado wedding day was lovely in every way. Ivan is from Spain and several of his family and friends flew out to join them for the occasion. Susi is a truly dear person and by the end of the next two posts you will want to be her friend too! I was touched by both their thoughtfulness, not only to Steve and I, but to all their friends and family. Their wedding was uniquely inspired and I highly recommend taking note, future brides! The small historic church was delightful. Golden light streamed through stained glass windows. There were homemade soaps for favors, vintage post cards for guests to sign, a simple cake and champagne reception in the church's quaint little kitchen. Susi wore a J.Crew wedding dress and had a fabulous coat made for later in the day. That night, an intimate six course dinner was served at the Black Cat restaurant in Boulder. Everyone in attendance is still talking about the amazing food, the atmosphere and most of all the warmth exuding from Susi and Ivan. Their love and joy is deeply contagious.
The following set of images were all captured with medium format FILM. I love the organic look that film brings (with NO post processing) and so am posting two separate entries. Digital (which I shot mostly) and a selection from my rolls of favorite film. Here are some of the film images.
Mercedes & Lydia 11.28.2009
Indulge me a moment, dear readers. One thing that delights me about being a wedding photographer is the opportunity to document all the little stories happening throughout the day. And I just love kids at weddings! It is a perfect set up for the hilarious! Well, anyway, during Susannah and Ivan's wedding reception, I mosied on to the back of the church where some of the kids played along side a dirt field. Mercedes and Lydia were heavy in discussion and since I enjoy a little eavesdropping on occasion too (teehee) I pretended to be hangin' out with no interest at all in their affairs. From left to right, here is what went down.
Mercedes (in white) to Lydia, "Come over here, we're going to play house". Moments later, Lydia seems slightly anxious that she hasn't seen her mom for a little while. So she says, "I'm going to go find my mommy now". "No," quibs Mercedes, "We are having fun! Stay here, see, this is FUN!" Lydia is not convinced and starts in with "I want my mommy." Mercedes, negotiating now, tells her that their mommies are busy and they need to stay and play house. Of course, Mercedes is being very sweet and matter of fact but she is not about to loose her playmate, so she goes on to tell her how they are going to set up house. Lydia listens for a few minutes, contemplates her options and declares, "I want my mommy," quite firmly. Unswayed, Mercedes decides a hug is in order, "No, you don't!". "Yes! I want my MOMMY!" Here's where I clicked the last photo before stepping in to help out, but not before Lydia's, "I WANT MY MOOOOOOMMY!"
Danielle 11.27.2009
Danielle called me for help with putting a modeling portfolio together and although I am not really a fashion photographer, I was game if she was. Boy, did she make it easy on me! She is BEAUTIFUL, has great style sense and she laughed at my crazy directing, which means she has a good sense of humor. :) I have no doubt she will go far!
Dan and Leigh Wedding 10.24.2009
Last Saturday I was privileged to photograph this beautiful wedding at Wrigley Mansion as a second shooter for Christine Kay Photography. It was a pleasure to work with Christine. To see her work, click here. Of the images I took, the following are some of my favorites.
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