They don't let you stand on the benches at Denver Union Station

want another little tidbit of info? peeing your pants at the beginning of a family photo session doesn't have to ruin it. no, not me, silly, one of these little boys who will not be named, but who was not phased even a tiny little bit, just so you know. Getting to shoot in new to me places in my now home state of Colorado keeps me feeling alive. Getting to meet other local photographers like Andrea and her family keep me feeling at home, even when everything feels big and unknown.

the dyk family, denver, colorado family session.

let's just be honest. i know other photogs kinda want to punch me due to the innate adorableness of my clients. but i just want to say that i can't help it when my clients show up to their sessions with mad style and killer personalities to match. its such a joy to me when the ver moment i am in someone's presence i have that strong feeling of, "hey, i like you." such was the case with the dyk family. lucky for me, we both live in the denver area, mrs. dyk and i are both photographers, and the odds are we are going to be hanging out again......possibly every other week if i play my cards right. i love the snuggable photos we got at our session--and we really used the strong winds in our favor. my only regret was not having more time with these lovelies.

the swanks. denver, colorado family photography

i'm the type that believes God places people in your lives for a reason. it has happened to me again and again and again. when i first announced on my blog or facebook, or i can't remember where exactly, that we were moving to denver, i got a very friendly, perky email from a stranger named haley. i won't copy it here, but the gist was, "hi, my name's haley, i live in denver, welcome to the area, please let me know if you need anything." how nice! what a friendly little lady ,i thought. maybe i'll meet her, maybe i won't, i didn't think too much more about it. but we did email back and forth a few times, and she was always so sweet, always the offer of help was there. as wide and natural as a morning stretch.

at the time, marty and i didn't know what part of the denver area we would be moving to. there were so many choices. littleton? stapleton? aurora? highland ranch? the quaint little town, where we ended up, parker, wasn't even on the list of possibilities at that stage.

time marched forward and before we knew it, it was time for uncle marty to move t to denver in order to start school and find us a place. it took awhile, a little too long. and after a few unexpected twists and turns, prayers and answers to prayers, we ended up settling on a home that seemed just perfect for our needs.

and then i got another haley email, with that same friendly tone as before. the subject line was, "NO WAY."

"my husband just came home and said he was helping a new family move into our church. i asked him what their names were, and he said he wasn't sure, he thought maybe martin palmer was the dad's name." did you follow? as luck or fate would have it, the home we decided on just happened to be within a few blocks of haley's home, and we just happened to go to the same church.

at this point, three words jumped into my mind:

meant

to

be.

and let me tell you that haley has more than made good on her offer of me ever needing anything. she found my 3 year old a preschool, she's babysat my kids more than a few times,  and she's become my running partner, to name a few of her good deeds. on the whole, she made our transition to parker completely easy, and i am grateful for the way she reached out to me every.single. day. haley is also a rad photographer who's work you can see here. plus, she's really nice to look at, which i happen to appreciate also on a daily basis. here she is with her four handsome boys.

Ellen and the rest

oh the nostalgia. this was one of my very last sessions before i left provo.  i've said it before and i'll say it again, its easy to fall in love with a family when they're in front of your lens. why? you're job is to look for the best in them - the soft parts. you have to find all the love passing back and forth, the beauty in the small gestures. and when you find it, you're gone. totally and completely.

its especially easy to fall in love when you get to shoot on one of those magical  summer evenings, when the warmth in the air is just right, and the sun is starting to fade.

we shot this session on some of the most charming streets in provo, ut, where ellen and her family used to live. you could tell they were well loved there too because we were stopped at least 3 times by old neighbors who wanted to say hello. i think it might be because ellen is a little famous. or maybe its because she and her family are just. so. great.

contax 645, fuji 400h, portra 400, ilford 3200.

canon eos 3, portra 800, fuji 400h