I’ve been busy working on a wedding and a senior session for you guys to see, but I have to take a break today…because it’s my son’s birthday!  Breckin (aka: Mr. Bean) is 1 today.  It seems silly to tell you how much I love him.  He’s my son!  Of course I love him.  But I really do.  I love that his favorite game is peek-a-boo.  I love that he has his dad’s eyes and his mom’s nose.  I love that his ears stick out the perfect amount from his head.  I love that his hair always stands straight up.  I could go on and on and on.  As a beginning teacher, it was no secret that I often struggled with boy students and discipline.  There might have been one or 2 girls who were a challenge, but really, it was always the boys in those first years.  I struggled to no end with the usual suspects, the class clowns…you know the type.  So, when I got the news that I was going to have a boy…I was worried.  I was worried that my son would be one of those boys…the kind that is popular, outgoing, a little bit of trouble, and tough to discipline.  I think it’s safe to say that this little guy probably is going to be all of those things, but I think it makes me love him more.

Happy birthday, Mr. Bean!  Your family loves you SO much.

If you’d like to tell Breckin happy birthday, leave a comment.  I’ll be sure to pass along the message!  :)

These last few weeks have been extremely busy for me, which has been such a blessing.  I feel so incredibly grateful that I get to take pictures and capture peoples’ memories for a living!  However, it was extremely rewarding to have the opportunity to photograph the newest member of my own family, Landry Jo.  She is absolutely adorable, and I’m absolutely thrilled for my brother Austin and his wife Jill.  They are great parents, and they’re so thrilled to have little Landry be a part of their family.  But, with how sweet she is, I’m not sure who wouldn’t be thrilled to have her around.  :)

Sweet Landry was only 6 days old at the time of our session.  I was so excited that I got to photograph her when she was still so new!  Those little babies change so quickly so it’s always very special to get to photograph them in the first 10 days after their birthday.

Austin and Jill…thank you so much for letting me come photograph your sweet little girl.  Love you guys!

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It’s so fun when a blast from your past comes back into your life.  Jane sent me a Facebook message a few months ago to let me know that she was going to have her wedding celebration at Ellis Ranch in Loveland, Colorado.  I have known Jane since I was in grade school, when we rode the bus together.  Hearing from her brought back all sorts of memories of being a little kid.  I was excited to learn that she now has a little one of her own.  She and her husband Bret had a small wedding about a year prior, but this year’s party was to be the big celebration of their nuptials with their family and friends.  She just wanted a few hours of coverage and I was so happy and excited to be able to provide that for her.  Bret and Jane are SO very in love, and completely natural together.  Their wedding party was spunky and such a blast to photograph.  Here’s a collage of a few of my favorites!

Thanks so much, Brett and Jane!  I had a great time at your wedding, and I hope you had a wonderful time in Belize!

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I’m so excited to show you these images of sweet baby Alaia!  I headed over to Sean and Shawnte’s house to photograph the 3 week old.  Wouldn’t you know it, she was sound asleep when I got there, but was wide awake as soon as I got the camera out!    She’s so cute though, that I didn’t mind too much.  She wasn’t too happy with us at first, but quickly warmed up to the idea of being photographed.  When Shawnte was feeding Alaia and trying to calm her down a little, I couldn’t help but fall in love with all the sweet little signs of a new baby around their house.  Shawnte was making these adorable little suckers for Alaia’s visitors when she went into labor.

Here are some of my favorites, but today I’ve saved my very favorite for last!  Congratulations, Sean and Shawnte.  You two are already such wonderful parents!

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Last weekend, Brittany and I headed to Red Rock Canyon Open Space and hiked around the beautiful area.  Brittany was a real trooper, and braved the bugs and other who knows what to adhere to my every request.  She’s the last of my Senior Reps for this year, and I had a great time with her.  Brittany will be attending Fort Lewis College in Durango in 2011.  This absolutely thrills me, as it’s my alma matter!  I know Brittany will LOVE Durango and Fort Lewis.  Talking with her about it made me itchy for a visit to my second home…  anyway, here’s another look at her pictures.

As soon as I saw Brittany get out of her car and saw this adorable dress she picked up from Gloss, I was having visions of vintage styled portraits with a hand-colored look to them, so I was thrilled with the way these came out.  :)

Brittany and her family were such a fun group to spend the evening with!  Thanks so much Brittany…I’m glad you love your pictures!

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At the beginning of June, I had the absolute honor and privilege of  photographing the wedding of Jarrad and Brittany.  Don’t let their looks fool you.  While this couple is a little young, these two have been in love and together for 5 and 1/2 years!  This wedding was a long time coming.  Brittany contacted me and asked me to photograph her wedding way back in 2008.  I’ve been looking forward to it for such a long time, and I absolutely love their pictures.  It was certainly worth the wait!  For their wedding location, Brittany and Jarrad selected The Pinery in Black Forrest.  I was very excited about this venue, because it is all inclusive.  As a photographer, most don’t get to shoot there because of the way The Pinery is all-inclusive, and has it’s own photographer.  Brittany and Jarrad wanted me to photograph their wedding, and I was so happy to do so!  Brittany and Jarred and their families have made me feel so welcome, and they have treated me like an honorary member of their family each time I’ve seen them.  I would like to give a big thanks to all of them.  The wedding was absolutely gorgeous.  On some level each photographer is only as good as the couples they photograph, and these two made my job that day easy!  Another person who made my job easy that day was my assistant, Nicole.  She is likely to become a regular assistant at weddings…she did a phenomenal job, and was great to have along.  Thanks Nicole!  All the detail pictures below are hers.

It is always exciting for me to watch the groom take in his bride for the first time.  It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s at the beginning of the ceremony or in a special place with just the bride and groom.  Brittany and Jarrad chose not to see each other before their wedding, but Melinda, Jarrad’s mom, had the idea to try to get a picture of the two of them holding hands with something between them, so that they couldn’t see each other, but could be next to one another.  I scoped out the Pinery, and thought the pretty curtain they have outside the ballroom would do nicely.  I was so proud of Jarrad and Brittany, because neither one of them peeked for the shots you see below.  Good job, guys!  :)

So, like I was saying…the groom’s reaction is always my favorite part.  When everyone else is looking at the bride, I watch for him.  I can always tell when she enters by the look on his face, but I was definitely not expecting Jarrad to cry.  She was breathtakingly beautiful, though.

One of my favorite things about Brittany and Jarrad’s wedding was that they released live butterflies after their ceremony.  Brittany was absolutely giddy with excitement, and the butterflies were a hit.

My other favorite thing about this wedding was that there were so few people sitting in their seats!  This group wasn’t afraid to have a good time on the dance floor.  This could also be attributed to the awesome DJ’s, DJs With A Pulse.  They had all the guests up and dancing at one point or another during the evening.

Thanks so much, Jarrad and Brittany, and to your families!  I had a wonderful time at your wedding.

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As promised, here is a look at Marisa’s senior portraits.  Marisa will be a senior at an area high school in the fall.  She is an impressive 3 sport athlete, and she plans to go to school to be a veterinarian.  She is the second of my senior reps, and I had a blast doing her pictures at Fox Run Park last week.

Marisa’s favorite color is green, so for an added touch I got her the green balloons you see here.

As you can see, Marisa tried a variety of outfits and make-up for her pictures.  I never limit the number of clothing changes during your shoot, as long as we can still have enough time to shoot within the time frame allotted (2-3 hours).   I do this because I like the way it really reflects the client and their style!  (This is just as true for engagement and other portrait sessions…so don’t be afraid to be yourself!)

Marisa, I had a lot of fun with you!  Thanks so much.

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