Eagle Family Photos - Andrews Family

Getting 3 generations of family together can be hard, especially when they're scattered around the country.  So many families are in the same situation, so it's always great to be able to capture some of their time together.  This was the case recently for my dear old friends Matt and Tina when they had their families gathered together in Eagle recently. 

It's hard to believe that these were taken during ski season!  You can see all the snow in the hills, but it was completely dry where we were shooting.  Perfect conditions for little boys to run around and burn off some of that energy!

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Vail Newborn Lifestyle Photos - Brooks

When I do my newborn shoots, I take a ton of equipment with me.  I usually have to start packing the night before and I have a long check list that I follow every time, because all of the items are necessary.  

When I was asked to take newborn photos for Brooks, his Mom had asked me to do more of a casual lifestyle shoot with no props or backdrops.  I did newborn photos for his brother Ryder a couple of years ago using my normal set up and she wanted something different.  It sounds silly, but I was so excited to do a newborn shoot where I didn't have to haul half of the contents of my garage with me!

We had such a fun time shooting and I'm definitely a fan of this type of shoot.  I'm looking forward to adding more of this style to my portfolio.

Visit the website to see more Vail Newborn Photos.

Beaver Creek Marriage Proposal - Michael and Lyndsay

I've mentioned in previous posts about the amount of planning that goes into shooting marriage proposals.  This session was no different!  Michael had decided to propose to Lyndsay beside the Covered Bridge in Vail Village.  The one thing we didn't count on was spring coming two months early this year.  The Covered Bridge was a muddy mess and not an idea location for the big moment.  

With a few stealthy phone calls and emails, Mike asked to switch the location to Strawberry Park at Beaver Creek.  Strawberry Park is a nordic area, so no traditional skiing or snowboarding is allowed there.  So I packed up my snow shoes and camera bag and headed to the chair lift the next morning.  Mike had told me what they'd be wearing and I spotted them as I was getting on the lift and they were renting their snow shoes.

We had devised a plan that I would look like a tourist taking photos of the scenery and Mike would ask me if I could take a photo of them on his phone.  As Mike handed me his phone, I put it in my pocket and switched to my camera for the big moment.  As you can see from the photos, it went pretty well!

Visit the website to see more Vail and Beaver Creek Engagement Photos

Vail Family Photos - Shirleys at Stephens Park, Vail

A few years ago, I did some maternity photos for Rachel and Ben when they were expecting.  A couple of months later, we had one of my favorite newborn sessions when CJ arrived.  He's three years old now, so it was awesome to be able to take some photos of him when his cousins were in town.  

We decided to do the session at Stephens Park in West Vail.  As you can tell from the photos below, the snow was already beginning to melt so it gave us the best of both worlds.  We were able to take a few snowy photos and some on the grass.  These conditions are great for little legs because sometimes it can be hard for kids to get through the deep snow if we've just had a blizzard.  Also note the fact that we three three year olds in the group!

Here are a few favorites from their session.

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Vail Newborn Photos - Hale

Just like life on the farm, spring seems to be a busy time for babies of the human variety to make their way into the world.  I've got two newborn sessions this week, so I figured I better post the photos from my last newborn session with sweet Baby Hale.

Newborn sessions require more time and planning than any other type of photo shoot.  To give you an idea, the amount of items that I take with me will easily fill up the trunk and backseat of my car.  They include blankets, backdrops, backdrop stands, clamps, studio lights, light stands, props, bean bags, accessories, a heater and a heating pad - not to mention my camera equipment!

Thankfully, Hale was a dream and cruised right through his session.  Out of all of the equipment, the heating pad that I use to warm up the blankets is probably the most essential in making sure that the baby will relax.  Hale definitely approved of it.

Visit the website to see more Vail Family Photos.

Vail Mountain Top Wedding Proposal - Doug and Kara

Shooting wedding proposals takes a lot of planning and living in a resort makes the planning even more important.  Sometimes the person proposing has never been to the location where they would like to pop the question.  The majority of my work is for guests coming in from out of town that I haven't met in person, so it's my job to make sure that the location works, the conditions are suitable, the person proposing has clear directions on where to go and we always need to figure out a way to recognize each other.  These are the thing that I have control over.

What I don't have control over is other people and how they might interact with the situation.  Doug had chosen to propose to Kara at the top of Vail Mountain, beside the observation deck.  I had spoken to ski patrol to have them lower their safety ropes for five minutes so that there wouldn't be bright orange flags blowing in the background of the photos.  My camera was ready and Doug had sent me a text to say they were on their way.  

It was St. Patrick's Day and as some of you may know, alcohol hits you a little harder at altitude.  What I hadn't planned on was an inebriated guest who had perched himself down on the deck and was heckling tourists.  Doug had walked Kara out to the deck to take a look at the view and my 'helper' started giving them pointers on where they should stand for the best views and the best light and just generally getting in the way.  In the mean time, I was doing a delicate dance behind him, trying to get Doug off the deck and into place without Kara noticing.

Thankfully Doug managed to politely manuever both himself and Kara off the deck and into place for a gorgeous proposal with unobstructed views of The Mount of the Holy Cross.  There's always room to learn and now I know to keep an eye out for hecklers and helpers!

Vail Observation Deck

Heading out to the designated spot along the ridge line

Vail Mountain marriage proposal with The Mount of the Holy Cross in the background.

Vail Mountain marriage proposal with The Mount of the Holy Cross in the background.

Vail Mountain wedding proposal with Game Creek Bowl in the background.

Vail Mountain marriage proposal

Vail Mountain marriage proposal

Vail Mountain wedding proposal

Visit the website to see more Vail Marriage Proposals and Vail Engagement Photos.

Vail Village Family Photos and Clothing Tips for Shooting in the Snow - Spears Family

Well, 2017 is flying by and somehow we're already in April.  The ski season will finish in a couple of weeks, so I'm circling back and getting some Christmas sessions up on the blog before we hit summer and they're completely out of date!

The Spears contacted me about doing photos for them during their stay in town, so we decided to meet at The Covered Bridge and do a quick walking loop around Vail Village.  The first thing that you'll notice from their session is their choice of clothing colors.  Bright solids (particularly in warm shades) always look amazing against a snowy background.  Paired with some solid neutral tones and minimal patterns, you pretty much can't go wrong.  

Another thing to consider when doing a session in the snow is doing a few photos with jackets on and off.  It's an easy way to switch up your wardrobe, without having to drag an extra outfit through the snow.  You'll also notice that Libby brought a hat to wear towards the end of our shoot.  Another easy idea for changing up your look.  Keeping the hat for the end of the session helps with the dreaded hat hair scenario too.  

Here are a few images from their shoot to give you an idea.

Family Photos in Vail Village, along the Gore Creek.

Covered Bridge, Vail Village

Family Photos in Vail Village, along the Gore Creek.

International Bridge, Vail Village

Christmas Decorations, Vail Village

Vail Village Fire Pit.

Visit the website to see more Vail Family Photos.