studio blast from the past

over thanksgiving break, i got to visit my old stomping grounds.  i am so happy that my old studio is now in the talented hands of justin hackworth. i would have died if it had gone to someone i hated or who's work i did not respect. i don't know what that says about me or my character, but there it is.

and look! he even painted the walls to give it a fresh new look and it really makes it his own.

i'm also pretty happy justin was nice enough to let me use it when i rolled back into town. otherwise i wouldn't have gotten to connect with this special family.

a few things worth noting: this mom is also a talented photographer and film shooter. this mom didn't want her picture taken. but she humored me. and i am so, so, so glad she did.  because she is honestly one of the most in tune and talented mothers i have ever met. and that deserves to be captured.

light and bright denver, colorado family photography

when kristen and her family came in, i was tired. i was in the middle of a three hour break from photographing this wedding. i ran into my studio, plenty hot, and definitely sweatier than i should be when greeting clients. when appearing in public at all really. who knew that i was in for such a treat. who knew i would finish the session feeling refreshed and excited about photography. excited about love. excited about family and the endless connections between members of the same unit. thanks guys, it was such a pleasure.

lucy, lucy, lucy

this is a story about two parents who love their daughter so so so so very much. the mama, lindsey is the  inspiring talent behind Green Apple Photography here in  utah and i would recommend her to anyone out there looking for a great family or wedding photographer ('specially since i'm skipping town here pretty quick). contax 645, fuji 400h, portra 800, ilford 3200

The Richardsons Simple Session

when these guys came to me, they made me feel like i was doing something right with my photography.  how did i know? because i never wanted our session to end. i wanted to invite ciara and brett over to my house and have dinner together while our kids went crazy in the back yard. i wanted to take them all home to uncle marty and say, "see honey, they're like us, we'll be able to have SO much FUN for the rest of our lives!!!!" sadly, we move to colorado in like, practically 5 minutes, and a family date night with the richardsons will have to wait for some other magical time. still,  i think, well, hope really, that when every client starts to feel like a long lost friend,  my photography voice is starting to speak the right language.

contax 645, canon eos 3 , fuji 400h, portra 800

blueberries

the nature of my job is simple and miraculous. in photographing families i get to witness them in a very real and intimate way. parts of the recipe for each session is the same. i see parents adoring their kids, followed by those same parents becoming frustrated with those same kids' energy. i see a child expressing his or her independence to this new stranger with a camera, and in the very next moment acting out his or her daily routines of dependence on mom and dad. its in the small gesture--the break away from mom's loving embrace, followed immediately by reaching a small hand up to cling to mom's pant leg. its beautiful, its aggravating, its hilarious, and all of it, all of it is good. still, every family brings something new to the table. they have their own way of loving, of being together, of doing something as simple as sharing a few blueberries. in the emails i passed back and forth with this family's mom, cassidy, i was touched  by how she expressed her absolute devotion and love to her kids and her husband. she simply said that they're everything. and they are.

contax 645. canon eos 3 fuji 400h.