Found Objects Make Great Props...

Making use of props in a shoot can really personalize a photograph. At the last minute
we grabbed the football out of my car and also my bride's wicker picnic basket. These items can give your hands something to do during the shoot rather than fidget or be distracting.

Sometimes I find props for me to use behind the camera, items that help me stir up some creativity and keep me from photographically fidgeting. Props can also be techniques or concepts. Over the last few shoots I have attempted panoramics with results that have pleased me. Dale and Bridgit last night were great to have in front of the camera. They are naturally relaxed and able to be loose and comfortable being photographed. So adding a prop or two, as well as some fun lighting right at dusk, made for quite an enjoyable shoot.

See their engagement session shoot photographs here.

Pedicabs, Flatirons enroute to Going to the Chapel...

Yesterday was one heck of a wedding celebration. A rumble nearly broke out at Chautauqua Park in Boulder at the base of the Flatirons between my bride and another bride departing the scene, each posse of bridesmaids decked out in nearly identical yellow dresses. But with tensions simmering under the 90 degree heat of the first day of summer, a cool breeze mercifully settled things down and the day became a fun and thrilling ride from start to finish. Nearly 11 hours later, the longest day of the year according to the sun was actually one of the more enjoyable I've had in a while, and I was working the entire time!

We saw it all--my second photographer fell out of his pedicab while we were trying to photograph the bridal party at breakneck speed--no injuries, to people or equipment, thankfully! There were wardrobe malfunctions.

Reception tables challenged one another to death-defying stunts to one-up the other, from unique toasts to breaking into a conga line and more! There was no lack of energy! Katie and Rich and their guests made my job so much easier and more exciting with all the emotion and fun we had!




Oh, and I was kidding about the near-rumble with the other bride up at Chautauqua Park. But you never know what can happen when someone

yells 'Fight!' as 2 brides and her girls dressed to the nines pass each other!

Panoramic Memory

Ellen and Dennis got married at the Loveland Sculpture Gardens at the beautiful, white marble work of art by artist Madeline Wiener entitled "The Conversation". We recreated the private ceremony they shared and I then shot several frames of them in a panoramic composition. Coming from a landscape photography background, I had not tried this technique with people in the composition. But I am very pleased with the resulting image, a flowing memory that honors both the private moment they shared, as well as faithfully keeping intact a sense of the setting where they chose to get married in their favorite place in "Loveland"!

Sharefest 2008

We had a great time yesterday as 30 local churches in the Boulder, Colorado area got together for the 5th annual Sharefest event. Approximately 3,000 volunteers fanned out to paint, landscape and perform maintenance on local schools, fire stations and other non-profit organizations. We photographed several of the venues, along with a handful of other shooters. Everyone came together this morning at Mackey Auditorium on the CU Boulder campus to worship our God who makes it all possible. Great music, praise and fellowship was had by all. Click here for some of the images of yesterday's fun!


Go here for Sharefest 2008 gallery

Max Littmann: War Hero

Got to talking with some relatives this past weekend as we gathered to celebrate our great aunt's 90th birthday in St. Louis, MO. Someone brought up Max Littmann, my great-great-grandfather. Max came to the US in 1854 and served in the Army, including the Wagon Box Fight. We took a trip out to visit the battlefield outside of Buffalo, Wyoming a few years back to learn more about this war hero we heard about growing up. It turns out Max and the soldiers from Company C of the 27th United States Infantry who were sent out from a nearby fort to retrieve firewood came under attack by some 3,000 of Red Cloud's Sioux warriors. With little more than a series of military box cars protecting them from certain death, Max stepped out from the relative safety and provided rifle fire so that the rest of the 28 men could return to the their position and ultimately to safety as reinforcements were sent late in the day. If memory serves, one of the key reasons they were able to hold off a far larger foe for the entire day was the recent arrival of an all-new type of gun, the repeating rifle.

See battlefield photographs slideshow here.

The Engagement Session

Clients sometimes ask if they can skip doing the complimentary engagement session so they can save some money on their wedding photography bill. I always politely say no, for a couple of key reasons. I find this shoot to be immensely valuable in building trust between myself and my clients, allowing us to get to know each other much better ahead of wedding day. In addition to learning more about each other, what makes us all laugh, common interests, I get to offer a few tips on posing and my shooting style. They learn that I don't expect nor want them to look at the camera every time and say 'cheese!' They'll see I want them to just be themselves and to get comfortable being in front of the lens. Hopefully they grow to ignore my camera and just be themselves, so at the wedding there isn't a period of uncomfortability that creates tension. I want everyone to be relaxed and having fun.

Katie and Rich and I got to spend about 4 hours shooting this Saturday afternoon in the foothills above Boulder. We jumped off giant rocks and explored a cave. On top of the tall boulders I sarcastically asked Katie if she had a fear of heights, but I think her day job as a commercial airline pilot gave her an immunity to such worries. We then took off for the top of the mountain and a view of the Continental Divide, finishing up on Pearl Street Mall as evening came and a spring storm dumped 4 inches of snow on us. One guy came up to us and asked me for my business card, saying 'you must be pretty serious at what you do if you are out here in this weather shooting!'

My wife rarely asks me anymore why I am gone so long doing my engagement shoots--she knows I will just tell her that it is important to me to get to know my clients better and will make wedding day that much more valuable. Bottom line--I had a great time hanging out with Katie and Rich!

Baby Portrait Session

This session was a lot of fun--we took a moment to find the light that would best portray Siena, then ended up doing the whole shoot with strictly available light coming through the sliding glass doors off their kitchen. Shooting available light is a favorite of many photographers in the photojournalstic style, where they don't have to take out any lights to intrude upon the natural scene. But I once heard another photographer describe available light in the following way. When asked if he lit a scene with 'available' light, he explained that the two studio lights he used were truly 'available' light, as "No one else was using it, so it was available to me!"

Fresh Eyes

Got to love the energy and eye contact the little ones bring during a photo session. Baby Beckett was no exception, willing to be photographed in various settings and clothes changes for the better part of the morning--he did great! Each shoot is different and lighting and background variations all make for unique opportunities. Claudia and Andrew were great, too, opening their beautiful home as the backdrop for Beckett's first professional photo shoot. Should have the shoot edited here in about a week!

Backroads America

It's Super Tuesday and I would love a few days back out on the road. Politics overload, so I'm clearing the mind with some photographs made from the road over the last couple of months. I am putting together a collection for a local commercial real estate firm showing off architectural details. Things off the beaten path, bright colors. Some of these might be in the final display. See you on the road...

Making Light of the Moment

Shooting an evening wedding the week after daylight savings time closes out means you will have to get creative with lighting. We were able to shoot a few series of getting ready shots and some formals before the sunset. And it got dark in a hurry!

Launi and Jeremy chose to see each other all decked out for the first time just prior to the ceremony, so we accomplished our formals shoot as well as a few minutes for them to be together. As an aside, I think this can be a wonderful way for couples to share in the excitement of the day together, to experience the touch of the person whom before God and man they will make a lifelong covenant. I have never shot a couple who regretted having those special moments together, especially the tender photographs we make of them laying eyes on the other for the first time.


Back to light--in a large venue with very high ceilings, we employed a few lighting methods that brought out some unique looks and made for more dramatic images. I snooted (i.e. made a narrow tunnel of light) one of my strobe flashes by attaching it to the end of a monopod and then having my assistant hold a 3' long poster tube in front of the flash. We worked in tandem on the dance floor, my shutter wirelessly tripping his flash from a range of distances. In the top image, we managed to squeeze a little light in between a crowd of dancing guests to penetrate just to the groom's hands clasped around the bride's dress. I kind of like it! The second image took a different approach. My assistant held the flash on the monopod, but this time we put a red gel over it to provide a more dramatic, club feel. I again triggered his flash as he backlit the couple, but I also snooted my own flash to throw some clear light onto just the subjects without overpowering the red light coming from behind. A color contrast is a fun way to add some more ooomph!

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience...

When I am photographing a wedding one of the most loved passages of the Bible at wedding time is from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ("Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy..."). It reminds me of the passage where Paul talks about the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). So I put together an image taken from an engagement session this past weekend with the fruits of the Spirit burned into the area around where their hands meet. To me, these 'fruits', or virtues, are great traits to demonstrate in one's own life, marriage, place of work, neighborhood and beyond. If only I could display more of these in my own life!

Ice, Ice, Baby!

Who says you have to trash the dress in order to 'trash the dress'? As trends go, all the cool kids are doing it, so why not get in on the act? Never one to just conform, we decided to mix up things a bit and just go for a nice, family-friendly ice skating session. But this one was literally right after Mariah and Reed walked back down the aisle and out of the church following tying the knot in Beaver Creek, Colorado. It always helps to have a rink 200 steps away from the church (and to arrive in style by showing up in a stretch Hummer limo).

Mariah & Reed hit the ice

Glory Community Golf Benefit

I got to spend the afternoon photographing foursomes from the 13th tee at Coal Creek Golf Course last week in a benefit for Glory Community. They are a faith-based non-profit group that provides assistance to the mentally-handicapped as they become adults and seek work, housing and meaningful contributions to society. They are a wonderful group and are doing a lot for the community.

I enjoyed the balmy afternoon in the shade and getting to brush up on some cross-lighting techniques with my trusty speedlight and umbrella. Also found 18 premium golf balls in the rough behind our tent that were written off by their former owners. And if that is not enough, I got to photograph the weatherwoman for Fox News, my high school principal from 20 years ago, my now-retired eye doctor and a friend from bible study--as the photo suggests, fun times were had by all!

Senior Session with Hanna

Senior portrait photography is starting to grow on me. For this portrait shoot we met up in downtown Boulder, Colorado on the Pearl Street Mall, looking for something urban, yet vibrant and bold. So while Boulder Pridefest was in full swing on the mall, we explored a few alleys to come up with several locations we liked. Taking full advantage of off-camera lighting using Nikon SB 800 speedlights and an umbrella and light stand, we turned the harsh, late-morning sun into an asset for some strong compositions.

Training Day

We're putting together a collection for a potential children's hospital client that focuses on the theme of trains. Kids love 'em, boys and girls alike. If I were a kid again and had to be in the hospital, I'd love if they had trains everywhere to look at and to play with! Heck, I'd like that even as an adult stuck in the hospital!

Here are a few of the photographs we put together to go with the train theme.

To the Trains!