Vail Wedding Proposal-Vail Engagement Photos - Lisa and Katlin in East Vail.

Up until the recent cold snap that swept the nation, we were having a pretty mild winter here in Vail.  This meant that my recent photo session with Lisa and Katlin could be done in the snow at the Vail Golf Course, without worrying about gloves, hats or any of that other winter clutter.  The frozen stream, mountains and bridges made for a gorgeous backdrop for their 'couples' photo session.

We had been walking around for about 20 minutes and we came across a backdrop against the mountains that I knew would look great with a wide angle lens.  We set up the shot and Lisa asked if they should put their jackets on or take them off.  I said to keep them off, so she put hers on my camera bag, safely out of the shot.  Katlin dropped his on the ground at his feet instead.  I thought it was a bit strange because it was obviously going to be right in the middle of the shot.  Lisa looked at him confused and told him to get it out of the way.  I had just finished putting a new lens on my camera and then it all became clear why he wanted to keep the jacket in the shot.  As I turned around, I noticed he was down on one knee.  Arrrrhh!!

I took several frantic shots and luckily they all came out nicely!  Of course she said yes, so our little photo session turned into an engagement session.  Here are a few shots from our little escapade around the Vail Golf Course.

Vail Newborn Photographer - Baby CJ.

I'm way behind on blog posts because it's been crazy around here.  In the last couple of weeks, I've shot a wedding, lots of last minute Christmas card photos, an engagement session and not 1, but 2 wedding proposals!  At the same time, the boys and I are getting ready to head to New Zealand, so it's just nuts.

Before I get too far behind, I have a couple of photos of Baby CJ that I want to post from a recent session.  You may remember his Mommy and Daddy from their maternity session in the fall.  They were both on hand to help me out during the session and we had so much fun playing around with the props.  I loved his little owl hat and now I'm on the hunt to get one for my own little collection.  I had also seen online that white noise machines help with getting babies to settle.  I found a white noise app and downloaded it to my phone that morning and once I turned it on, he fell fast asleep!  I'll definitely be trying that again.

Here a couple of shots from our session.

To see more newborn photos, go to Vail Photographer - Children and Newborns Collection.

Vail Newborn Photographer - Baby Holden

It's not every day that you get to do a newborn shoot in a Four Seasons, but that's exactly where I got to do Baby Holden's newborn photo shoot.  With some help from a good friend who works in valet there, I was able to haul my backdrops, lights and props up to one of the gorgeous residences there.

The Falkes moved in across the road from us about 18 months ago and we became instant friends.  We both had fluffy white dogs, sons that were the same age and then we were both pregnant with our seconds boys at the same time.  Peter worked at the Four Seasons in Vail and recently received a great promotion that meant they needed to move.  So in the space of a few days, they managed to sell their house, have a baby and move to Chicago.  I'm exhausted just thinking about it!  Somewhere in between, they had a few days that they could take up residence at the Four Seasons here, so that's where we did the shoot.

He is such a handsome wee chap and we had a great time getting the photos!  I'm sad to see the Falkes leave the Valley, but I'm also really excited for this exciting new chapter in their lives.

For more Vail Newborn Photography, go to The Newborn Collection.

Vail Photographer - New Logo and New Look for White Starfish Photography!

It's taken a little while to come to fruition, but I'm happy to announce that White Starfish Photography has a new look! 

I'm going to be moving ahead in small steps, but the first was to start with my brand new logo, designed by Caro Creative.  You might wonder why on earth somebody who is completely land locked would name their business after a sea creature.  When I say completely land locked, I mean it.  The closest beach to my house is a 14 hour drive away.  It makes me feel nauseous when I think about how far away the ocean is.  Keep in mind that in New Zealand, the FURTHEST you can ever be from the sea is a 2.5 hour drive!

So the story starts way back in 2006, when I was newly engaged and I was busy running around getting ready for our wedding.  My maiden name is Te Whetu.  Te Whetu is a Maori (native New Zealander) name and it's literal translation is The Star.  My husband's last name is White.  When I was trying to decide what to use for the table center pieces at our wedding, I thought about the combination of our surnames, mixed with our beach wedding and this led to the natural choice of using white starfish.  I took a pottery class at Colorado Mountain College and I crafted all kinds of different white starfish that were scattered all around at our reception.  I liked how the little creature symbolized our relationship and now it has just stuck with me!

It took me some time to come up with the logo though.  Designing a logo isn't very easy, but thankfully my good friend Caro is a design expert.  I had to marinade on it for a while, but I finally came up with the concept and here is what it means.  Each of the legs on the starfish are in the shape of a koru.  A koru is motif that is used consistently in maori art.  It is based on a fern frond, and it symbolizes new life.  I wanted to feature koru in the starfish because most of the events that I shoot are representative of a new life.  Whether it's the new life together that a married couple have chosen when I shoot a wedding or quite literally a new life when I shoot newborns.  I also chose to use 6 arms on the starfish because starfish are commonly found with 5 arms and I want my photography to be anything but common!

As I mentioned earlier, it's happening in steps.  Here is a copy of the new logo and the new website will be up and running in a couple of weeks.

Vail Photographer - Sheeran Family Photos in Beaver Creek, Colorado

You often hear photographers talk about the magic hour for lighting.  It's the last hour of good light in the day before it starts to get dark. It's called the magic hour because it produces the most flattering light on your subjects without the harsh shadows that appear when the sun is directly overhead.  The only issue is that this is also the time of day that kids are starting to wind down.  They're tired and often pretty hungry.  What's the solution?  Gorgeous girly tutus, promises of pizza for dinner and the assurance that we'll get the photos as fast as possible!

Having a good location also helped to keep my photo session with the Sheeran's on track.  We shot in a meadow in Beaver Creek and stopped a couple of times on the drive down to the base.  The old barn outside The Mirabelle was a great backdrop to finish the session with.

Bridget (pink tutu) is one of Maxwell's little buddies.  She was very confused about me being there without him.  My highlight of their session was Bridget asking me where 'Maskwell' was.  So cute!

In other news, I'm happy to announce that my new logo is complete and should be up and running shortly.  I'm about to embark on setting up my new website, so keep an eye out for White Starfish's new face lift!

To see more Vail Family Photos, click here.

Vail Wedding Photographer - Jessica and Brian's Engagement Photos

Jessica and Brian used to live in Vail, so it was fantastic that they were willing to drive back up here from Denver to have their engagement photos taken.  We started out in Vail Village and we took a few shots by the covered bridge and then moved around to a couple of spots I had found earlier along Forest Road and on the other side of I-70.

We shot their photos in the morning, which I don't usually do because I prefer the late afternoon light.  Morning was the only time that really worked for all of us though and I think the light turned out great.  Here are a few of my favorite shots from their session.

To see more Vail Engagement Photos, go to the Engagement Collection.

Vail Newborn Photographer - Parker's First Photo Session

The best thing about being pregnant at the same time as your friends is being able to share the good times and the bizarre times that come with pregnancy. Kim and I are lucky enough to have gone through not 1, but 2 pregnancies at the same time, so I was super excited when Parker Hood made his entrance into the world. 

We were able to shoot at Kim's house and we had 3 new vinyl backdrops to work with.  I fell in love with these backdrops instantly and promptly went online to Etsy and bought 5 more. 

Big sister Emma made a few cameos and gave us some gorgeous photos during the session too. 

To see more, go to The Vail Newborn Photos Collection.

Vail Maternity Photographer - Rachel and Ben's Maternity Photos in Vail, Colorado.

When you're pregnant, you tend to notice pregnant people everywhere.  I don't know if it's just because I had a baby this summer, but it really does seem like there's a baby boom going on in our little valley at the moment.  Rachel and Ben are expecting their first little boy at the end of October, so it was a great time for us to take some maternity photos recently.

We went to a little spot at the top of Beaver Creek and Rachel brought along a few props, including the awesome clothesline in the second photo.  Their first born, Sierra, managed to make it into a few photos too (see the last photo).  Sierra and Beansy are friends from way back in the day when they used to roam the Vail softball fields together.

Rachel and Ben are doing my Belly to Baby package, so expect to see some photos of Baby CJ in the next few weeks.  I've just stocked up on backdrops and props for newborn sessions too, so I'm very excited!

Vail Newborn Photographer - Newborn Photos of Baby Evan in Vail, Colorado

The only way that I can describe last week is 'insane'.  I had a wedding to shoot, a newborn shoot, a maternity shoot, 2 family shoots and an engagement shoot.  On top of that, I had to take Maxwell to Denver to ride on the Thomas the Train.  We had tickets to see him a few weeks ago, but he got caught up in all of the flooding on the front range.  Somewhere in between all of this,  Russ and I were both in our friends wedding on Sunday afternoon.  Thank goodness my wonderful in-laws were able to come and help us out with the madness!

So this week I'm playing catch up and getting lots of editing done and trying to get in a few blog posts too.  Our dear friends Jeff and Suzanne had Baby Evan a couple of weeks ago, and these shots were taken last Monday.  Isn't she beautiful?!  I love her little hands.  I'm pretty sure this is going to be Harrison's prom date in a few years, but I don't think Evan's Daddy will appreciate me saying that!  

Go to The Vail Newborn Photography Collection.

Vail Wedding Photographer - Fall Piney Lake Wedding, Vail, Colorado.

Mary Beth and Justin decided to hold their fall wedding up at Piney Lake, so I was very excited to be able to shoot their big day.  Piney Lake is a hidden gem in the valley and it requires you to drive 11 miles up an extremely bumpy, pot holed dirt road.  Once you turn the last bend and see the view of Piney Lake set against the Gore Range, it definitely makes the whole drive worth it.

Their wedding had so many gorgeous details from the cowboy boots to the signage set along the road, guiding guests towards the lake.  You never know how the weather is going to be in the Rockies in the fall, but we were lucky enough to have a perfect day with blue skies over Piney Lake.  Here are some of my favorite pics from their stunning day.

To see more weddings from White Starfish, go to The Vail Wedding Photography Collection.

Vail Newborn Photographer - Lily's Newborn Photos in McCoy, Colorado.

I had so much fun taking Lily's newborn photos recently.  Lily is one lucky girl, living on a real wild wild west ranch, named Black Mountain Ranch in McCoy, Colorado.  I had never been to McCoy before, but I have done a lot of rafting around the neighboring State Bridge area.  It was quite a spectacle to drive onto the ranch and see dozens of horses roaming around on a beautiful Sunday morning.

Lily was so cooperative and she did a great job of letting me capture her.  We even had time to take a few family photos outside.  Here are a few photos from our session.

Click on the link to see more Children and Newborn Photos in Vail, Colorado.

Vail Family Photographer - The Stroker Family at the Eagle Vail Pavilion

When you move to the other side of the world, it's always a rare and special thing to meet someone from your homeland.  When I started working at The Ritz-Carlton Club 5 years ago, I met Rachael.  Not only is Rachael from New Zealand, she's also from my the same home town as me.  On top of that, we even went to the same high school!

We talked about taking some family photos when Eli was born in November last year and we made tentative plans them in April.  Given the crazy weather that we had this spring, we must have scheduled 5 different times to take the photos before we were finally able to capture everyone, in one place, with great weather at the end of May.  It seemed like it was never going to happen, but we got there.  Even Kaia the dog made an appearance.

Today is Rachael's (21st?) birthday.  Happy Birthday Chica!

To see more family photos from White Starfish Photography, go to The Family Photo Collection.

Vail Newborn Photographer - Greysen's Newborn Photos in Vail, Colorado.

One of the greatest things about being a portrait and event photographer is that you get to capture some of the most exciting moments in people's lives.  It's always nice to see old clients and to catch up with them again when their next exciting life event for occurs.  

I shot Kimber and Phil's Wedding nearly 2 years ago, so I was so happy when they asked me to take family photos with their new little man, Greysen.  He was such a joy to capture!  We had a fantastic time trying different ideas and playing around with a few outfits, including a Florida Gators Onesie (don't tell any of the Bulldogs fans that frequent my house!).  Here are a few of my favorites from our session.

I apologize if none of this makes sense.  It's far too early in the morning and I'm not caffeinated yet...

To see more Family Photography, click here.