Sunrise, Boulder and Brooks: Boulder Family Photography
Smiling upon the plains and bathing the mountain peaks in that golden glow, the morning light has a different feel. It's eager, radiant and envelops the entire world...just like a toddler in the wee hours of a new day. Yes sunrises are so much like a two-year-old. You aren't exactly sure what that first light will bring but you are certain it will be spectacular, unexpected and most certainly capture your attention. I absolutely LOVED getting to do a recent summer session not too long after sunrise with a fantastic family near the foothills of Boulder, Colorado.
Often with toddlers they bring their A-game first thing in the morning. They aren't exhausted from their great big job of constantly figuring out everything about the world. They are eager to explore but seem to appreciate the quieter time on the trails. As I met this beautiful family and their absolutely adorable little boy, Brooks, I knew immediately that our time together on the quiet trails and among the cottonwoods and cows would be special. How? It was apparent in all they did and how they were together as a family. I could see instantly how much they love their little boy. And the feeling was reciprocated tenfold. He was eager to say hi to the passing doggie hikers, investigate tiny bugs and marvel at the beautiful blooming chicory, knowing that his mom and dad were right there experiencing it all with him. His beautiful eyes beamed with happiness when he watched his parents and it was easy to understand why. Brooks knows that as far as parents go, he has two of the best! Thank you so much for walking among the wildflowers and grasses at the base of the foothills on a beautiful summer day made even brighter by your family being there.
Summer, Summer, Summertime: Boulder Family Photography
Summer, summer, summertime. A wise man once said these words...or was it a Fresh Prince? In any case, these words seem to pop into my head often as the days grow longer and the sunsets more spectacular. When the night starts later and the bats fly just above me I think about magic. Not the rainbow sunset kind but the kind that happens daily. If you think about it, it is pretty magical that bats are gulping up thousands of mosquitoes and it is magical when snowmelt becomes rushing creeks and rivers. It's also magical when a little girl turns two and the only thing she really cares about, is that Mama and her Daddy are close by. I've seen it, this sort of everyday magic that isn't as in your face as a spectacular Instagram post but is a million (or billion times) more enchanting if you truly see it for what it is.
Once upon a time oh let's say about two years ago, a little girl was born. Though like many first time Mama's she wasn't sure that her little babe would finally get here. And as I saw her waiting, I remembered the words my prenatal yoga teacher said to me, "I've yet to see someone stay pregnant forever." And so, like those wise words, this beautiful little gal was born. You can prepare for your impending arrival by reading books, taking classes, and visualizing but the magic that is your child is that it doesn't matter what you expect, they will be just as they are. Some things may be as you thought but often they aren't. After all they are their own little being with their own personalities even if they don't quite realize they have hands yet. And the hours and the days go by and you haven't blinked (or slept) in forever and then it happens, they are 2. And the magical thing is they just keep going up and down, and many days in circles and backward but magically they change. You see them every day and yet how did it all happen? They once couldn't hold up their own head and now they can't stop running. They once couldn't say a word and now they are learning to speak in one (or TWO) languages. How magical is that?
We often think of magic as something unexpected but seriously, how could you prepare for how much you could love someone that poops incessantly, sleeps (ha!) sometimes, and makes you feel more emotions at once than you ever thought possible? How could someone so tiny change your life forever? And yet they do without any trying. Now that is magic.
When I met this brilliant little girl up on the mesa the light was....yes you know what I'm going to say. And we noticed and appreciated the beauty of the light and the way the temperature changed a few degrees in a few minutes but I noticed so many other things during that beautiful summer sunset. I noticed how this little girl couldn't take her eyes off her Mama and her Daddy. She was transfixed by them both. Whether it was her daddy running around being silly and making her laugh or the safety of her Mama's arms, this little gal sees magic every time she looks at her parents. I saw it myself.
When the sun dips just behind the mountain peaks and it glows it's beautiful light, I'm thankful to get to experience the beauty. But whether we have storm clouds, sunshine, sunrises or sunsets I hope you always see the magic I try to capture within each and every single family in front of my lens.
Home on the Front Range: Grow & Gather Design
Beyond the flowing waters of the St. Vrain in the town of Lyons, Colorado lies a house. Yes a home on the range...the Front Range. Here, where bears and mountain lions play and laughter and music float down the river all summer long. A house whose front yard has undergone a metamorphosis. Once it was merely a patch to walk by but now, it is a setting to pause at. It has changed my perception as to what a front yard could be. This space has transformed into a natural playground where the entire family can play and garden. For a hobby that can often be wild and unwieldy, now the garden has order, space and beauty. Thanks to the expert landscape design of Becca Robinson with Grow & Gather Design, it is now a place for kiddos to grow and gather their own bounty, and a spot where chickens can roam freely (as long as the mountain lions and critters aren't too near).
Becca has a passion, the knowledge, and ability to help you transform your yard or public spaces of all sizes into a place filled with joy and life. By using science as well as artistic design, she creates an oasis of nature and beauty. Form AND function from concept to natural wonder. After seeing her transformation in person I was enchanted...and immediately began dreaming of a transformation for my own yard. Her landscape designs have captivated cities and private homeowners from Kitchener, Ontario (where Grow & Gather Design resides) to the foothills of Boulder County, Colorado.
As I wandered around the circular centerpiece, I noticed so much life around me. The flowers were abuzz with bees; the children were busy watering and searching for frogs and the vines climbed high towards the summer sunshine. As the breeze shook petals and chickens strolled, I thought of how beautiful it all was and what a stunning backdrop it made for photos of chickens... and a family growing and gathering out in their own spot of nature together.
The Sunshine State- Central Florida Travel Photography
Florida. Stepping onto the jetway I felt it immediately envelop me. It wasn't quite like a tackle from a four year-old when you are finishing that last sentence of an email and his patience has subsided. Specifically, it was my teenage nemesis. The one that thwarted every effort I put forth, hopelessly clinging to my dreams of slick, straight hair while living in Central Florida as an adolescent. Yes, humidity. But this humidity was different. It was almost imperceptible to anyone not coming from the dry air of Colorado but just enough to make me breathe deeper. I knew at that moment I had at most 48hrs before my hair realized where it was and I was determined to make the most of it. I was also thrilled for my dry, cracked hands that are a constant for me in Colorado as soon the air would surely give way to hands that would soak in the sun and any small amount of humidity with joy.
Everyone knows for thrills in Central Florida, the theme parks are where the magic happens. But if you slow down and step away from the crowds you can find a different type of treasure in Florida. The magic that is the flora and fauna of an ecosystem unlike any other in the US. Black bears hide under palmetto ferns and armadillos scurry across the dirt roads. If you are lucky enough a Florida panther just might leap past you silently late at night when you are out too late down by the dock shining for gators. To me, no time is Florida more charming than when "winter" fades and spring blooms. The love bug season has not begun and the palmetto bugs seem as though perhaps they are on holiday. The azaleas have begun to show off and the breeze turns warm. I LOVE this time of year in Florida and getting to experience it once again after a much too long hiatus made me giddy.
My time here would be brief but I would make the most of it. I attended the wedding of one of my best friends from high school and saw friends I hadn't seen in many, many moons (somehow none of them aged even a minute). And if I planned well, I would have a bit of extra time to spend out in nature, enjoying Florida in a way I just couldn't when I was a teen.
Taking one afternoon to visit Winter Park was like dipping my toe back into a pool of time. I'd lived nearby before and always loved the town with it's beautiful homes, cordial attitude, incredible museums and endless places to eat, drink, and explore. But I never paused before to take in the beauty of the lakes, the way the moss swayed in the springtime breeze, or listen to the egrets building rookeries among the thick branches of cypress trees. As I sat among the southern giants in grass that seemed impossibly green, sand filled the spaces between my toes and I walked along in sandals smiling at the sunshine and the Sunshine State.
Stella by Starlight: Boulder Fresh 48 Session
Stella was born by starlight in the early hours of what was to be a warm and bright, sun-drenched day. Being able to photograph this spectacular family getting to know one another a mere six hours from when she was welcomed into the world was a gift. It was a day that will always bring joy and warmth to my heart.
Walking up the very steps that I had taken four years ago (but in a very different way) was familiar. My son was born here and to be back seeing the newborn experience through a different lens was thrilling. Avista Adventist Hospital in Louisville, Colorado gives new mamas and their families such a supportive and welcoming space that it was hard not to tear up remembering my experience while thinking of the excitement for this new little one (okay...I definitely did tear up).
Stella's family isn't just any family. I honestly think of them as extended family (without the actual family connection). I've been honored to photograph this family for previous sessions, including their older daughter's adorable 1st birthday session. I was over the moon to be asked to photograph them all at the hospital on the day Baby Stella was born. There was so much love emanating from everyone that it was not surprising to see how calm and peaceful Stella was. She knew her family rocked from the moment they held her in their arms. Stella's mama was so strong, beautiful and welcoming that more than once the thought popped into my mind: How in the world did she literally JUST have a baby? And Stella's dad was just as full of love and admiration for his newest, littlest love. Stella has a good thing going on with her family and she seemed to know it.
Photographing a NEW newborn is literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That morning, Stella saw her parents for the first time, met her mama's mama and fell in love with her forever best friend and older sister Lilah. That newness and everything about it may fade but hopefully these photographs will keep those memories of the first few hours of her life warm in the family's hearts and minds. Thank you, THANK YOU for welcoming me and allowing me to capture Stella on the day she was born.
