Rachael

I love that some families just keep coming back for more. The Boyle family has blessed me with repeat business, and I photographed, last but not least, Rachael's Senior portraits. I feel really old, because I remember Danielle, Amanda and Rachael running around as little girls, and now the last of them is graduating from high school!

What a lovely young lady Rachael is. She has a simple beauty about her, and I love, love, love her serious look. It is flattering and she does it very well. I hope she thinks so, too!

Thanks so much, Rachael, for a great session. Enjoy your sneak peek!

Desiree

We had so much fun doing Desiree Vannice's Senior Session. What a sweet young lady. She was very natural in front of the camera, which makes our job so much easier! When she really smiles, she has the cutest little wrinkling of her nose that is adorable. And it makes her look so much like her Mama (who is beautiful!)! Thanks so much for a great session, you two. Enjoy your sneak peek!

Baby Fautsko

I feel that it is a great honor to be asked to photograph another photographer. I had that honor this week with my dear friend, Jenni Fautsko. Jenni and I have become closer over the last year or so since she photographed our home birth with Ethan. I guess it goes unsaid that you probably have to feel pretty comfortable with someone to have them photograph the birth of your baby. I get to return the favor here in a few weeks, and I am so excited. Jenni and Matt's first baby is due on September 29th (Gil's Birthday!).


Jenni and I headed up to Grizzly Creek to do some maternity shots on Tuesday. Gil had photographed me there when I was pregnant with Ethan, and Jenni liked the idea and wanted to do some shots with the creek. Jenni was up for anything (well, within reason with a prego belly!), and I love that. I asked her to lie an a rock, for pete's sake. Is that comfortable at 37 weeks? Definitely not!

Thanks so much Jenni, for allowing me to capture you and your unborn babe. You two are beautiful together!

This is my favorite image from the shoot. The colors, the grass, Jenni's pose - just love it!

Here's that nice comfortable rock that I was talking about. I'm so thankful that Jenni was such a trooper, because I think this is a beautiful image that couldn't have been done without a great model!

Lucas' First Soccer Game!

Our little man has jumped on the family bandwagon and is playing soccer. He has never played before (not unless you count the crazy soccer games we play in the back yard!), and he is doing great! He had his first game last week, and he scored a goal! Mommy was very proud! He really does get it - the concepts, the rules, a little bit of strategy. And he's having fun, that's the most important part.

He started the game playing Sweeper, so he wasn't allowed to cross the mid-field line. The coach asks the parents of the Sweeper to stand right on the sidelines to yell at the kids and help them remember not to cross the line. So two minutes into the game, I was on the sideline, taking photos of course, and Lucas runs over to me, crying. I was horrified that he was leaving his team without their beloved Sweeper, so I said "What are you doing? Get back out there!" and Lucas choked out "But Mommy, I need my sunglasses!!". Who plays soccer in sunglasses?? What four year old plays soccer in sunglasses?? So after a few more "You don't need them" and "We didn't bring them", he finally went back out onto the field and never mentioned it again the rest of the night! Whew!


Ok, ok. On to the fun part. Pictures!

Check out that follow through! What a natural! Ok, I'm his mommy and I might be a little biased.
This one was his goal! A breakaway, I guess you would say!

What a handsome goalie! The other team never got off any shots when Lucas was goalie, so he didn't have any magnificent saves. Maybe tonight!

I love the fact that he is looking up - I like to think he is scanning for open teammates and scoping out the best angle for a shot on goal. Maybe?

And his number one fan! I promised myself I wouldn't post any pictures of his scraped up face, but his scabs are all but gone, so I know he isn't going to be permanently scarred from me letting him fall off the porch.

Anna and Eddy

Anna Ingram became Mrs. Eddy Cotton on Saturday at the beautiful Redstone Inn. We were so excited for their wedding, and not one single part of it was disappointing. It was a typical Colorado day with beautiful blue skies and a handful of raindrops. As photographers, we love a few (ok, more than a few) clouds, and we had that as well.


And when Anna and Eddy do something, they do it full tilt! Everything about their wedding was modest yet beautiful, simple yet creative and very well thought out. Anna left no stone unturned. From the parasols they gave guests for the ceremony to the hand-carved aspen logs that the cakes were perched upon, everything had Anna's special touch.


They agreed to see each other before the ceremony, which we love, love, love for our brides and grooms to do. There is such a special chemistry that happens - the first sight of each other and the subtle tension and anticipation because they are still not quite married. We have photographed many brides and grooms after their ceremony, and there is a mental, emotional, and physical let-down that is so apparent in the photos - their body language, their smiles - lots of things. When they see each other before the wedding, they are completely focused on each other. Every little detail about each other. And that makes for some great moments.

I love this shot of them! I love their expressions, the lighting, and the tonality of the photo.

Their rings are amazing! They were custom made based on a sketch drawn by Eddy. These guys are huge Jeeping fans, so I thought they would appreciate this shot of the rings!

This is one of the amazing little details from this wedding. This section from an aspen tree is actually the base of one of the cake layers. You'll see the whole thing here in a minute. Renae carved the words!

Post note: Ok, I found out the scoop on the cake. Eddy's mom, Renae, designed the cake and supplied all the natural elements, and Melissa Miller made the cake and put it all together. Anna's parents, Alan and Janice, cut the logs, and Anna and Eddy supplied the Jeep and bicycle. A group effort that turned out spectacular!

The ceremony was one of the nicest that I have ever been a part of. Really. Their pastor, Tommy Schneider of Calvary Chapel Vail Valley Church, was so great - funny, serious, sincere, spontaneous - you name it. There were plenty of funny moments...

And there were a some tender moments, too. Eddy had a hard time saying his vows - a really hard time. He is trying really hard here to gain his composure to finish. He did, and there was not a dry eye in the courtyard. Including me. Thank God for auto focus, 'cause I couldn't see a thing.

I love this moment where Eddy's Mom and Dad are watching him get through his vows.

We have a bunch of sensitive men here in these two families. Anna's dad was touched, as were so many others.

And this moment for Renae is sweet as she watches her son and new daughter-in-law walk down the aisle as a married couple.

Beautiful, aren't they?!

We have a whole series of shots from this. The wind was blowing Anna's dress and it almost looked like a video when we viewed the photos on the back of the camera. They had been practicing the "dip", and they did it like pros!

Ok, here's the most AMAZING cake I have ever seen. It was truly beautiful, and the attention to detail is second to none. I love all the aspen leaves, the tree "cake plates", the carvings, the cotton (Eddy's last name is Cotton - now Anna's, too! :-) ), and of course, the Jeep and bicycle.

The Jeep even had a little "Just Married" license plate made out of a piece of Aspen bark. Incredible!

They also had a few games set up right next to the reception tent. This was a great idea and a big hit with the guests. So creative and a nice touch.

Anna and Eddy - thank you for allowing us to be a part of your special day. It was truly lovely. We wish you all of God's blessings on your new life together!