Epic engagement session at St Mary’s Glacier

Amy and Russ’ engagement session

“You guys, it is cold, we have a steep hike ahead of us, this is going to be a crazy adventure. Amy do you have hiking shoes? no? just ballerina shoes? that should work too”

St Mary’s glacier trail is a step and quick 20 minutes hike. I was carrying a heavy camera backpack, Amy sported her ballerina shoes, athlete hikers were glaring at her, torn between laughing and screaming in fear for her. You get the best conversation while trudging up an icy trail.  We laughed about the cold and we talked about life while I was sliding down a slope on my butt.  We had semi philosophical conversation while trying to keep ourselves from falling. It felt like we came straight out of a Calvin and Hobbes’ comic book (Amy is the bouncy tiger).

In the end, we saw the magic of light seeping through trees while the wind made the snow twirl. We discovered the breath-taking views of St Marys, the twisty trees and frozen lake. We saw the sky turn pink and drove down to share beer and pizza at Beau Jo’s in Idaho Springs. This was an adventure that taught me more about Amy and Russ than any hourlong conversations.

I  get to create the most beautiful connections while trudging on an icy trail with a bouncy ballerina and a future groom with the kindest eyes I have ever seen.

I can’t imagine how awesome this wedding is going to be at the Lakewood resort in Cable, WI!
Couple walking in Idaho Spring
Couple hugging in Idaho Springs, CO Couple at Fall River Road, CO Couple kissing in the Snow and forest Couple at St Mary's Glacier Couple at St Mary's Glacier, CO Couple at St Mary's Glacier, CO Couple at St Mary's Glacier, CO Couple at St Mary's Glacier, CO

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Brittany + Jacob : An urban wedding in Greenwood Village

Brittany and Jacob god married on a late summer day at the Curtis Ballroom. This very sweet couple crafted a colorful and warm atmosphere for their family and friends. I have known Brittany for a little while and love her laugh, sweet personality and artistry. Grateful for this beautiful wedding day <3

Special thanks to Hunter Odenthal who assisted Brian and I  on this wedding.

An urban Colorado Wedding
The dress, flowers and shoes in the yellow, white and black color scheme of the wedding
An urban Colorado Wedding
Brittany is getting ready at the Hyatt hotel 🙂
an urban Colorado Wedding
Brittany’s dress, hanging from the balcony. Do not try this at home!
Colorado urban wedding
Jacob is getting ready in his hotel room at the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech
Denver urband wedding
Brittany and her bridesmaids overlooking the impressing hotel lobby
An urband Colorado Wedding
Timeless black and white images of the groom and his groomsmen, hanging out at the hotel’s balconies
Denver urban wedding
Brittany is in front of the Curtis, she hold her custom made bouquet of sunflowers
An urban Colorado Wedding
Jacob and his groomsmen in front of the Curtis Ballroom
An Urban Colorado Wedding
Brittany and her Bridesmaids are standing in front of the Curtis Ballroom
An urban Colorado Wedding
Brittany and her bridesmaids are crossing the street of Greenwood Village, Beatles style
an urband Colorado wedding
In any urban setting I like to find a road for my wedding party to walk on.
An urban Colorado Wedding
The weeding party gathered in the venue’s entrance for a formal. Small spaces sometimes allows for creative posing that create timeless images
An urban Colorado Wedding
Brittany and her dad walk down the aisle!
Colorado urban wedding
Brittany and Jacob’s ceremony was at 6 pm, which allowed for soft golden tones on their pictures
Urban Colorado Wedding
Jacob’s nephew had the rings, his dad is helping him untie them from the pillow
Colorado Urban Wedding
Brittany and Jacob poured paint on a canvas to symbolize their union
An urban wedding in Colorado
The Curtis Ballroom us a lovely venue, its modern architecture blends well with the views of Greenwood Village
An urban Colorado wedding : candy table
The yellow and black decorations and candy table match this colorful and happy wedding!
An urban Colorado Wedding
Jacob and Brittany during their first dance

 

Vendors :

Venue : Comedy Works, the Curtis Ballroom

http://www.comedyworksevents.com/curtis-ballroom/

Hair : Do the bang things

https://dothebangthingsalon.com

Flowers : Cathy Larson

Dress : David’s Bridal

http://www.davidsbridal.com

Alteration : The wedding Seamstress

http://www.theweddingseamstress.com

DJ : DJ Jack Jack

Check out this short video of the wedding highlights!

Abby + Brett : A Gorgeous golf course wedding in Golden, CO

Abby and Brett got married on a beautiful summer day on a golf course. This young and happy couple arranged a really gorgeous wedding of pink, gold and cream.

A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Abby’s dress, shoes and ring . The bridesmaids necklaces were Abby’s gifts.
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Abby and her bridesmaids wear matching robes to hang out by the poolside
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Abby is getting ready with the help of her mom and bridesmaids
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Abby is getting ready in her hotel room in Lakewood Colorado
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Abby is posing in her hotel hallway
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Abby and her bridesmaids walk around downtown Golden
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Abby and her bridesmaids walk on the streets of downtown Golden
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Abby and her bridesmaids downtown Golden, on the main bridge
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Abby and her Bridesmaids on a shoot around Golden, Colorado
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Brett is getting ready
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Brett getting ready
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Images taken in high noon on the golf course, we used the sunglasses and cold drink to help the groom and his groomsmen to feel more comfortable in the sun
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
The flowers and table decoration (pink, white and gold) reflected the wedding colors.
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
A gorgeous little flower girls
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
The ring bearer, flower girl, bridesmaids and Abby’s brother and of course the bride and her dad
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
Abby and Brett’s ceremony at Fossil Trace
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
View of the ceremony area and the wedding details
A gorgeous golf course wedding in Colorado
A unique group picture of the wedding party
A Gorgeous gold course wedding in Colorado
Abby and Brett on the Golf Course
A gorgeous golf course wedding
Abby and Brett’s flowers reflect the wedding colors of light pink and gold
A gorgeous golf course wedding
The groom and bride’s kiss on Fossil Trace golf course
A gorgeous gold course wedding
Abby and Brett’s first dance

Venue : Fossil Trace golf club, Golden CO

http://www.fossiltrace.com

Catering : Three Tomatoes

http://www.threetomatoesgrille.com

Wedding planning : Feather and Twig

http://www.featherandtwig.com

Flowers : The garden path co.

http://www.thegardenpathflorist.com

 

See video of this wedding  :

Katie + David

The first time I met Katie was during a meeting for Art as Action’s show “Break Open” . The first thing she told me was, “I like to work with fire.  Can you photograph fire?”

I had no idea how, but went “Sure!”

Hey, why not…right?  So we did a fire session as practice for her engagement.

Engagement Fire Session
Engagement Fire Session

But on the day of the engagement session, it was so windy that we didn’t get to the fire.  Instead there was Katie and David, me, Brian (my trusty assistant), a bike, and a bed.

Katie (Mesmerie) is an aerialist, hula hooper, and fire breather artist.

David (aka The Fermentor) is a foodie who is completely fearless.  He rides his bike everywhere, loves passionate people and risky behaviors.  Katie loves to say that he is the dangerous one 🙂

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For this session I wanted to give them some classic, colorful, and timeless images.

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I also enjoy sneaking secret messages and dates in my images 🙂

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Because she is a performer and he is happily joining her on stage, I thought a bit of a cinematic feel was in order.

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Denver can be very windy, which can also be a very lucky thing.

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David’s bike is very important to him. They told me that we had to find a way to have it in our shoot 🙂

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I agreed to the bike and then thought: If we are going to have a couple, a photographer, an assistant, and a bike with a trailer, we might as well carry a bed!

So we did.

We walked two blocks with a headboard, footboard, side rails, bed slats, pieces of plywood, mattress, bedding and pillow. In the wind of course.

It was so worth it!

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The “bed” shoot was important to me as I wanted to add a fine art feel to the session, and after all, that is why they hired me!  (little did they know about carrying all that stuff,  but never mind..)

The bed was set by the Rialto.  We built it in 5 minutes, the shoot lasted 10. By that time, an uncomfortable amount of onlookers  started gathering on the side walk and it was time to move on.  We only had one homeless guy try to lie down.  Not too bad!

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After the bed episode, we were so tired that we stopped for a beer.  I convinced them to do one more shot (not of Tequila! ) and we settled down in the middle of Larimer street.

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This shoot was CRAZY.

I loved it because it was completely fearless.

I also loved it because Katie and David  understand that images  become art in the hands of passionate people. There is no way to create something awesome without a bit of hard work, but it was their priority to do whatever it took to turn this session into a series of unique, artistic images.   They also understood that this shoot was a collaborative work where every creative idea was welcome and tested. There was no right or wrong, no judgement, and the process was exactly the same as the one described in my fine art portraiture blog.

Needless to say,  I can’t wait for their wedding on August 9th!

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