Boulder Lilacs Bloom
I asked her to tell me her favorite. I ask this question often. I ask this because I am genuinely curious. Which one did they like...no LOVE? Is it the same one that struck me? Is it a completely different one for a reason I hadn't yet realized? The answer isn't what I'm looking for. I really want to know the why. Why did they pick this one? The answer is always different as each session and each client are unique but I never tire of hearing the answer and I always, ALWAYS love the why.
When I photograph a family or an individual, an event or the natural wonder of our world, I always feel a connection with the place, the moment, the client and the experience. I'll admit that to this day, when I deliver a completed gallery I have butterflies in my stomach. Part of me is so excited to share my work and their photographs and yet another little bit is the flutter feeling of melancholy. Throughout the process of creating, planning and bringing an idea to life, I build friendships and relationships with clients that to me is worth gold. I love the back and forth sharing of ideas, visions, locations, weather reports (always the weather) the actual session and then the countless hours of editing, perfecting and re-editing until I know in my heart and with my eyes that your gallery is ready. As I click send on that email to notify you that your gallery is complete, I often hear Boyz II Men singing It's So Hard to Say Goodbye...in the moonlight outside my window.
For a majority of us (over the age of 5) it is challenging to answer the question, "Which photograph of yourself do you love the most?" Many of us squirm at the thought of having that camera lens pointed at us, let alone choose one that we like...of ourselves. Gasp! So when Heather responded with multiple choices for different reasons, I was not only thrilled but in awe. She is one of the bravest, wisest, strongest, most honest, beautiful, talented and hilariously smart women I've ever known and getting to hear her speak her truth with grace and honesty is inspiring.
Heather is a jack of all trades and a master of ALL. Seriously. This is not a joke. There is no fake news on the Heather Network. She can and has done it all. The first time I met her I felt intimidated because she is one of those people that when you meet her you know she knows what she is talking about. And then when you see that she is there to help you and is nice about it, you are stunned. It's like when you get to the Grand Canyon and look over and are like OMG! The Grand Canyon! It's so...GRAND! She's not all pomp and circumstance. She is every woman. Beyoncé will step aside and let her by. It hasn't happened yet but I know if she sees her, Beyoncé will.
So when Heather asked me to help her with some new headshots and branding portraits I was eager but intimidated yet again. Could I live up to her standards? Could I help her see how much she shines? I tried my best. She brought out the best in me and I can only hope that she knows that whichever portraits are her favorites they are because of her and who she is. She shines. Shine on Heather keep shinin' on.
Tis the Season
Tis the season to be jolly, excited, and curious. And if you are a young child you might also be preparing for the holidays with anticipation and wee bit of eagerness. No matter what festivities your family celebrates, it is time for kiddos to ask the big important questions: Will this be the year we finally achieve world peace? Will I get the shiny new thing Target just made me realize I really want? How many cookies can I sneak before anyone notices? and Why does my tummy feel funky after only eating 10 cookies?
This autumn season I was gifted the joy of seeing not one but three INCREDIBLY intelligent, witty, and lovely little girls experience the glee of just being around each other on a crisp, chilly fall afternoon. I've photographed this family back when they were a family of three, and then four and it amazes me now that they are a family of five how their littlest love fits so incredibly perfect into their family. It feels like she has always been a part of it even though she's only gotten a few months of livin' life under her belt (well under her footed pajamas).
In Lyons, Colorado, we meandered down by the river, played games around the trees ablaze with color, explored their incredible garden, swayed in the breeze and played and played. For me, it was a chance to capture the beauty of this age and this season that their family is in and preserve it as these seasons and moments evolve. And we experienced the unexpected such as when the family learned upon my arrival that their brand new truck was a few inches (approximately 3) too long to fit in their garage. Did they turn me away and send me downriver? Nope. They realized that they had just received extra storage space. It's like an addition to their house just appeared...without all the construction. It's the magic of the season some may say.
As the wind blew the leaves that still clung vibrantly to the trees and the water flowed with that beautiful sound, the girls giggled, ran and played. I observed in awe (but remembered to keep shooting with my camera). THIS family is what families strive to be. Together with their varied energies, personalities, ages and stages. All intertwined and connected. They are each a fundamental and unique part that makes up one of the most fabulous families I've ever known.
Now some may be feeling uneasy or even queasy thinking about scheduling and experiencing a family photo session. Will ALL of us have to be there? What if it snows in October (totally happens). What if we wear our cozy winter outfits and it is 75 degrees that day (also completely possible). What if my child, spouse or I don't smile and prefer to look at the camera like Colin Firth the entire time? Well let me just tell you there are SO many things I love about full family photo sessions in and around Boulder, Colorado. But seeing as we are getting toward the end of the year, I'll name just a few highlights. After all, tis the season.
Lindsay's list (abbreviated) of her favorite things about family photography sessions in Colorado:
1. They are really, really fun! No seriously. They really are. Instead of feeling the pressure to get everyone to smile or some version of everyone looking directly at my camera and flashing their pearly whites because we only have 15min to "get that one perfect shot" you get to relax a bit. The smiles will come but sometimes not in the first few moments and it is okay because we have the time to explore and let your true selves shine.
2. It gives us the time to capture everyone's personality and capture the essence of your family. Your family is awesome and your family is its most awesome when you can enjoy yourselves and the experience. With an 1-1.5hrs of time reserved just for you, you get to breathe and do that. There's no ticking clock, no pressure to perform. It is your time to just be there together.
3. Variety. I don't know about you but I've yet to meet any human that has strictly one personality trait. Having a family photography session means that I get to capture your family together as well as your kiddos doing things they love to do which means you get more genuine memories to remember. When my oldest son was about 10 months, he started communicating by pointing and saying (okay close to screaming) da-dah!!!! at EVERYTHING. I mean that finger pointed at planes, motorcycles, and random people unknowingly walking by. He did this every day for a couple of months and I thought it would never end. Until of course he suddenly stopped doing it and never did it again. It's amazing now when I look back at photographs with his finger pointing to something lurking just outside the frame, how I'm instantly transformed back to that moment that I thought would last forever but was over in a matter of months. Those are the memories I want to capture. The ones that fade with time from memory but not from a photo.
So as we flow into the new year with new experiences to be had, think about that photography session that you've been wanting to do, meaning to do but haven't. Your family is perfect right now with all of your traits and quirks and personalities that make it yours. If you'd like to learn more send me a note at Lindsay Hiatt Photography
Sunshine on Our Shoulders
We hang onto the things which we know are fleeting. Sometimes we don't realize it until years have passed and when we do we cling to it like a barnacle to a ship, a two year-old to a parent's leg at bedtime or a tongue to a frozen flagpole. Autumn in Colorado is certainly one of those things. In August we are pining for it. The days that hover around 70, the aspen leaves becoming a brilliant gold and the sun shines down on us all as if to say, "Hey! I'm only going to do this for a day and then it will snow tomorrow so enjoy it. This is awesome!"
And you really can feel it. Everyone knows the magic of winter holidays but fall has a magic that is as unexpected as it is fleeting. Thankfully, Colorado families can feel it coming, "comin' down that railroad track". But it isn't an Orange Blossom Special. It's those golden aspen trees and bluebird skies. And when my incredible families decide to have a photography session during the autumn season it always brings surprises (possibly snow or 80 degrees or both in 24hrs) and a chance to not only capture the magic of the season but the magic that is in each and every family, every day.
Often, once our littles become not-quite-so-little family photos get put on the back burner. But this, my friends is one of my favorite seasons (figurative not literal...okay both) to capture you and your family. There is something magical about the time between toddlerhood and the realm of teenagers. It's a time where kids quite frankly are perfectly kids. They have this growing wisdom which they can begin to articulate alarmingly well at moments (Mom are yoga pants still yoga pants if you are going to the grocery store while wearing them?) But the magic of childhood is not lost on them. This family fits that stage, that age, THIS moment so well...magically.
Watching these sisters show me their found treasures whether a bug crawling down the path or new rocks they picked up to inspect before returning them to their rightful place back in nature, there were moments this family took my breath away. Okay...some of those moments happened when the girls skipped down the trail ahead of me (in boots no less) and I scampered after them with my lens but other times they instantly reminded me that the magic of nature and being outdoors is always there, no matter your age. One only needs to pause their watch, open your eyes and breath it all in. While our role as parents is to teach our children many things, I am astounded at how often it is I who learn from so many kiddos.
.
Skipping, strolling, pausing and running down the meandering trails on a stunningly beautiful afternoon at Roxborough State Park, was a perfect way to capture this marvelous family in their element: exploring, enjoying, and discovering the beauty of nature and their family...together. As we continued on, trying to capture those last rays of sun warming up the dirt, the rocks and our shoulders I was enchanted. This family is is pure magic by just being themselves, just as they are, on a beautifully ordinary fall afternoon.
Happy Trails and Tails
As the clouds rolled in and the wind picked up, you could feel it in the air. This was going to be different. Sure there was sunshine and wind and 5 minutes later it was completely cloudy. But if there's one thing I know about Colorado weather, it is that it keeps you humble and reminds you to have patience. The weather was changing every few minutes but this is nothing new. What I was looking forward to was the group meeting me at the trailhead. There was a spot I was hoping to get to, quite a bit further down the trail. Could we make it? Let's see, there would be 2 adults, a 5 year-old and a 1 year-old. Oh and they were bringing their two dogs both of whom have had major surgeries and a combined 24 years of experience walking the trails of Boulder on four legs. Obviously the answer was yes. Because this wasn't just a family I was photographing but one that takes adventure to a whole new level.
Down the trail we went (well actually mostly up the trail) and with each curve of the rocks and with the grasses swaying in the wind, we were one step closer, not just to a spot that is gorgeous but to having an experience. We spent that afternoon on the trails looking for critters big and small, finding treasures (and some poison ivy) and surprisingly no snakes this go-around. I loved it all!
Back to adventures. When I say I'm going on an adventure it typically means attempting to survive the grocery store with two young kids and my sanity still intact. When this beautiful family goes on an adventure, they are most likely backpacking (with their 5 year-old carrying his own pack) 5 miles into the wilderness for an extended camping trip, working hard to protect our natural resources and planet, or going for a run in the mountains that will last 100+ miles (no that is not a typo). You know... regular things.
As we worked our way further up the trail I hoped I could keep up with the kids and dogs and tried my best to not sound winded. I barely pulled this off and somehow managed to make it up and back without a stitch in my side or falling down (too much). Success!
After some photos up and around the foothills of Boulder we headed back toward the trailhead. It being fall and Colorado this meant there were many other photo sessions happening that day...especially senior portraits. Finley studied many of them as we passed and then spontaneously decided that he too wanted senior portraits. After all, kindergarten is the new senior year...before 1st grade. With rocks and water, trails and mountains, we came, we hiked and we prepped a 5 year-old for his senior portraits just a few years away.
Best Friends and Family: Boulder Photography
Often, especially in Boulder, your first love is furry. No not our loved ones who may forgo a razor for a few days of backcountry camping but the canine or feline type. There are more dogs than children in Boulder but there are also plenty of felines in families (not just the mountain lions at the edge of the foothills). It can feel like an obvious next step in life: college, become a pet guardian, find another human who enjoys/tolerates the fact that your life kind of/sort of revolves around your new four legged companion, etc. Unfortunately, when time seems to speed up so quickly that you blink and all of the sudden your family member is 16 you realize that getting a few photographs of everyone in the family is pretty darn important. I LOVE that when this family reached out to me to photograph their two little girls I was also able to capture a few frames of everyone: human, feline and canine.
Having found my "firstborn" at the amazing Boulder Humane Society years ago, I still remember seeing Buckley for the first time. As my husband and I took him out for a short walk around the grounds, I immediately knew two things: 1. He was a tad bit wild (he was 10mo old at the time) and 1. He was perfect. These words, coincidentally, can also describe our two boys. It was with these thoughts and all the memories and moments that I shared with Buckley that reminded me just how special and unique our animals are. I kept these recollections and emotions in mind as I attempted to find one elusive kitty and capture her for a moment with my camera. It may have involved coaxing, crawling and a fast shutter speed but it was 100% worth it.
The last time I saw this lovely family, Mama and Dad had just welcomed their second daughter earthside earlier that morning. Yes I was honored to photograph baby Stella on the day she was born and was thrilled to get to see the entire crew once more. Some days in our lives can seem monotonous but I swear I turned around to sneeze and boom: Stella was now one. This of course was super strange because I still remember seeing her big sister Lilah for the first time when she was still in her Mama's belly (okay uterus) and I'm pretty sure I was still in my 20's just a minute ago.
Getting to capture this family multiple times over the years has truly been a gift. Getting to catch up, see this young family grow and become even more incredible with each passing year is something I cherish. Each time they allow me to bring my camera along to capture where they are and exactly as they are I'm reminded why I love photographing families and cultivating relationships with clients. It's for moments like these. Ones that keep me up editing into the wee hours of the night because I just can't stop. I'm so excited and thankful and want to keep bringing these moments to life in photographic form for families just like this one. They are unequivocally magical, wonderful, real and lovely in every way.
