Floods, Fire Ants, and Friday the 13th

The fact that we were able to do this photo shoot is basically a miracle. It was scheduled during the week of what would become the worst flooding in Colorado history. Highways were destroyed, homes were washed away, lives were lost. And here in Colorado Springs, the rains came down and the floods came up, too! Leading up to the Friday of the photo shoot, I just kept my fingers crossed and hoped for the best because I'd been majorly looking forward to it! Thankfully, the weather did exactly what we needed it to.

Rebekah and Emily (the high school seniors who are the lovely subjects of this shoot) have become near and dear to me in a very short amount of time! They are identical twins. They grew up in Italy from age 3-17, so they are not only bilingual but they also have a super cute Italian accent to their English :) And they make me both laugh and think a LOT. They're pretty wonderful.

The first part of the shoot was in an open space right across the street from where I live; I've been wanting to photograph there for a while. But of course I couldn't just do a "normal" shoot up there; I had to suggest we haul a recliner to the top of the hill! (which is where the fire ants come in) I didn't realize how heavy a recliner becomes as one has to cross a street and climb a Colorado hill with it. Let's just say it took the place of my Jillian Michaels' workout that day. Then, we were so tired when we got to the top that we kinda set the chair down wherever, and that "wherever" just happened to be on top of a large fire ant hill. So my thighs were burning the remainder of the shoot until I fell asleep that night... and not from climbing the hill! I think I was bit at least 5 times. Did you know those little buggers have VENOM?!

 In other news, I recently discovered a photo technique called steel wool photography, and these 2 were the perfect candidates to do a test run with! This part of the shoot involved lots of things including, but not limited to a whisk, steel wool, a camelbak tube, 2 tripods, a headlamp, a 9 volt battery, and a cave! They were such great sports, even though being up on Gold Camp Road in a cave on Friday the 13th was a little spooky at first. When Emily took her turn on cave duty, she sang Brandi Carlile at the top of her lungs the entire time. I thought she was just being funny, but when we got back to the car she told us she sings when she's scared :) At any rate, it was a very eventful shoot and they are such beautiful girls (inside & out), so I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Sisterly Love ;)

Sisterhood of the Traveling Weddings

I pulled a twofer this weekend, a first time for me. Two weddings, one weekend. I stood in my best friend's wedding in Tennessee (well she let us sit, actually, which was awesome) on Saturday evening, and then photographed my cousin's wedding near Atlanta the very next day! Thank God for adrenaline and dancing :)

My best friend, Shea, has 2 sisters and my cousin, Tiffany, has 3. I couldn't help but notice how special the bond was between all of these beautiful women and how much more meaning their sisterhood seemed to bring to the BIG day. So many girls! So much emotion!   :)

These are some snapshots I loved: Shea, Sara, and Lindsey and their sister slumber party the night before. The 3 of them trotting around wedding morning in their matching monogrammed oxfords. Shea giving her sisters their wedding gift out on the porch swing and crying together (a ring with 3 small bands all connected). Then laughing at themselves crying.  All of us eavesdroppers copying them and doing the same!  The way they can be serious and look like super models and then turn around and be totally goofy and ridiculous together, whether it's acting out the Elephant Love Medley from Moulin Rouge or reading Shea's journal in their wedding toast to everyone...

And then there's Tiffany and her funky bunch of sisters. They have all been through so much together and it's so evident. When it comes to being there for each other, there is no question. No one's going anywhere and everyone has everyone else's back. And when they're upset with each other, it doesn't last ... even if it was one of your sisters that forgot to bring the wedding ring to the ceremony for you to put on your groom!

The specialness of the sisterhood was just something that lingered in my mind throughout the weekend and into the rest of this week. I've had the privilege of knowing all of these people for many years, and I know their bond hasn't always been like this. When you're younger, things like borrowed clothes and messy bathrooms can keep you from realizing how much you really enjoy and care about a person. Maybe that's why it was all so special to me – to see the growth and beauty that comes with age, to see how much we learn to care about things that matter as time goes on. I hope I will do the same. And I wish I'd grown up with sisters like that!

L: Farm of wedding festivities // Middle: Shea giving sister gifts // R: sisters giving toast {all taken with iPhone 4s}

Sisters and Monogramming... like Peanut Butter and Jelly. 

Tiffany + Sisters

Love this one of the funky bunch.

"Oops... Sorry about that ring thing..."

Nothing Says SENIOR PHOTOS like a Code 13

Senior photo shoots remain one of my favorite things to do, and this session with Sarah just reminded me why. First of all, high schoolers are just plain awesome. Especially the senior variety of high schooler, because they know it's near the end! They also are just full of life and fun to be around, which is exactly how I would describe this beauty here. Sarah was so natural in front of that camera; the girl does NOT take a bad picture. You would've guessed she'd done more modeling than she had diving at soccer balls, which is another thing I love about high schoolers: they're surprising!

Sarah also has this great sense of humor, which made for a good time when things got chaotic around us at Helen Hunt Falls. We're just minding our own business, trying to take pictures, change clothes (her), change lenses (me), and capture the moments... when all of a sudden, I see this kinda shady character of a man trying to pry open the windows that are nailed shut (always have been, as long as I've been going to the Falls) on the little hut there. Then he starts wandering our way... asking for a water bottle. I give him an almost empty one from my car. He thanks me repeatedly, then starts yelling "And I'm stuck here, and it's YOUR FAULT" while pointing at another shady character, his lady friend sitting a few feet away. He continues to yell, while we duck behind the hut into the nice greenery for some more shots. As she's sitting there, we continue to hear the shady characters continue on into a full blown domestic dispute, while on the other side of us a family (?) of about 12 people walk up and start rehearsing for a lesbian wedding. The officiant was probably my favorite, with his braided gray ponytail yelling about how he needed to stand in a certain spot cause it was his "good side." At this point, Sarah and I have lost it laughing, but I think her mom was genuinely ready to call the cops in for the disturbance from our shady friends. "They call this a Code 13 at my work," she said, "and if I had cell phone service I think I'd let someone know!"

But I shot on, cause that's what a good photographer does :)
And Sarah looks great, cause, well... like I mentioned before, she doesn't take bad photos. And when there's a great story to go with your great photos, well... you can't beat that with a stick!

(to see the entire shoot, just click away on this http://www.zenfolio.com/stellarpropeller/p339292756)  

Picture all the craziness right about here!

Have you ever been kicked out of church? (me neither)

I just wanted to tell this quick story of what happened for 5 minutes one day when I was in Italy, because it was one of the greatest 5 minutes of my trip! (and a lot can happen in 5 minutes in Europe)

I was in Verona with two Italian friends, and Fabiano loves to go in every church we pass by (keep in mind Italy has Catholic churches like Tennessee has Baptist ones, so this was quickly becoming a very involved pasttime). We went into this particular one, and my devout Catholic Italian friends did their genuflect routine as they entered the church (the whole bow down, cross themselves, throw in a kiss at some point thing). Normally, I just walk in like a normal person, since I'm not Catholic and don't feel the need to pretend about it.

But this time was different.

I watched my friends do their bit like usual as we walked in and was prepared to just do my "hey I'm a Protestant" thing, but I glanced to my left and saw that the priest was a foot in front of me! Now, I'm not scared of priests or anything, but for some reason I immediately started to have a mini panic, thinking "Oh no, he's right there and I'm with these people who just genuflected and I don't know how it works but he probably expects me to do it, too, and will think I'm a bad person if I don't and I'm not a bad person and I really do like Jesus, so I should try!" So, before I knew it, I was taking a stab at remembering the order of everything, crossing myself (I'm pretty great at this one, thanks to my dear Catholic roommate) and doing an unsure little half bow... the kissing part was totally lost on me. But, I think perhaps it's enough.

And then the priest comes over and starts speaking to me, in Italian of course, and making gestures towards the door. He wants me to leave, I think! I am a failure at genuflecting and he wants me to exit the premises. This is unfortunate! So, I get very flustered and summon for my other friend, trying to tell her what I think he said. "Oh no," she says, "He only wants to know if it's still raining outside."

Whoops :)  We spoke with him for a while after, too. Fabiano told him I was from Colorado, and he asked to give me a blessing, which I totally accepted and felt awesome about. Turns out he's 93 years old! What a stud! So we took pictures, chatted for a bit– well, they chatted for a bit–and then we left.

Moral of the story?  Priests are nice people. Chances are they don't want you to leave   :)

Exterior: the church entrance is on the right.

Pardon my awkward pose- not used to having photos made with priests. (but check out the shades!!)

Fabi getting the scoop.

Right outside the church. Same exact shot–2 different focal points.

Look out for the Goats!

I have seen a lot of B&B's the past few years, as I've been the staff photographer for Acorn Internet Services, and the more you see of something the less it excites you. But this was not the case with the Mountain Goat Lodge (dba CO Crossroads B&B)! From the moment I walked in, I felt at home! I also was really impressed with the way my fabulous hostess, Gina Marcell, decorated in a modern rustic fashion and was able to combine the woodsy, outdoor feel of a cabin with the more modern feel of Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel. It was wonderful!

My room had view that rivals the ending scene in The Sound of Music, and to top that – there were chickens and mountain goats! Gina is actually quite the MGL (mountain goat lady), and she raises them, milks them, and even uses the milk to make her own cheese and to put in lattes (that she's happy to make for all her guests!). I was pretty impressed. And I remained impressed throughout the shoot... until we got out to the pasture with the goats. Then I got scared :) You see, Samson, the "man of the house" (if you know what I mean), was kinda eager to rub his scent on me. And you may think "Why be scared of a goat?" But this was no ordinary goat. No. This was a small buffalo! But Gina was awesome, as is normal for her, and I got back out the gate without a trace of smelly goat scent. All in all, it was such a splendid time, a great photo shoot, a wonderful hostess. Point being, if you are ever the Salida/Buena Vista area, visit Gina at her Mountain Goat Lodge. You won't be sorry!

ps - The reason I photographed Gina's inn is because she's having her website redesigned, so just know that the one you see linked above is NOT her heart's desire :)

QUAD CAM!

I love new toys.
And no one knows this better than my best pal, Shea, who was like my Santa Claus this year! In addition to lots of other fun presents, she got me a quad cam! It takes 4 pictures at once (about a 2-second time span), so it can capture some motions in a single frame. Plus, it's just plain fun! I do love shooting with film. I love that mystery– the anticipation, the waiting, the curiousity of what will develop! Here are some fun shots I got on rolls #1 & 2:

Publicity is Weird. (but I kinda like it)

It's been a year of firsts so far - first shot on the cover of a newspaper, of a magazine, for a film festival guide and poster... it's exciting! I've been so honored to be a part of these projects. Various Magazine has the potential to unite our community and bring attention to some deserving folks and the Indie Spirit Film Festival is in a class all its own, bringing quality indie films from around the world to our small conservative world in Colorado Springs. It's such a treat to work alongside these people who are doing great things for our great city. Anyways, here's a sampling of my most "high(er) profile" work as of late: