Akilah's Senior Photos in Denver. Through the Lens Series, Entry 29.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how much I enjoy shooting engagement photos because you have a subject that you can communicate with and there's not as much pressure as a wedding.  I also think that Senior Photos fall squarely into that category too.

The Senior Photo market in Vail is pretty over saturated, so it's not often that I get to do these shoots.  However, last week I got take some photos of the beautiful Akilah in Denver.  We decided to take the photos in a business park in Centennial.  Business park's are known for being rather stale pieces of green in the middle of concrete stacks (or maybe that's just from my years in London), but this one had some great scenery and plenty of opportunities for some fun backdrops.

Now, just to go off on a quick tangent, I have to say that I get a little worried at times about that way people communicate these days.  We're always constantly on the phone, emailing, texting...or even blogging!  I'm guilty of it just as much as anyone.  Sometimes I'll look up and I'll be on my iPad and Russ will be working on his laptop and it makes me shudder at the thought that Maxwell might never be able hold a decent conversation because of the direction that we all seem to be heading in the 'age of communication'.

However, after having the opportunity to meet Akilah and her wonderful family, it's put a lot of those fears to rest.  She was so lovely and unbelievably sweet!  She's clearly been raised in a loving family.  It's not every day that I get to have a Mom, Dad and brother come along to a photo shoot.  Along with my dear friend Shez, they were kind enough to keep an eye on Maxwell and let Akilah and I go off and take some photos.  Did I mention there was a huge pond in this park?  With ducks in it?  Maxwell was determined to get in there with them!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the shoot.  I'm still trying to figure out why Blogger seems to dull down my photos.  They look so vibrant and colorful and every time I upload them onto here, they seem to fade a little.

Click here to see more photos from Akilah's Senior Photo Shoot in Denver.

Kristen and Ryan's Wedding at Piney Lake. Through the Lens Series, Entry 28

Denver is set to break another record temperature today, with an expected high of 93 degrees.  Although we are only 100 miles away, we're definitely getting a head start on cooler temperatures.  The aspens are starting to turn it's getting down to around 30 degrees at night.  This is easily the most beautiful time of the year in Vail, which meant Kristen and Ryan had a stunning fall backdrop for their wedding last week at Piney Lake.

Located 12 miles north of Vail, Piney Lake offers stunning scenery of the Gore Range.  They also rent out canoes and Kristen and Ryan were brave enough to get in one for a few photos.  If you look closely at some of the photos of Kristen, you can see the rain coming down.  Luckily she had a good attitude about it and the umbrella turned out to be a fun piece in a few of the photos.  

Here are a few of my favorite shots from their big day.  To see more, go to Kristen and Ryan's Fall Wedding at Piney Lake

The Canoe Dock at Piney Lake.

My favorite shot of the day. 

Candid shot walking to a rustic chair that was sitting lakeside at Piney Lake.

Luckily the chair was easy to move and we were able to capture a shot of Kristen with The Gore Range in the background.

The Wedding Deck at Piney Lake, Vail.

Pre-ceremony smooch on The Wedding Deck at Piney Lake.

Maria and Tom's Wedding on Shrine Pass. Through the Lens Series, Entry 27

Way back in the day, I used to coordinate weddings on top of Vail Mountain at the Vail Wedding Deck.  The backdrop of the Wedding Deck is a breathtaking view of The Mount of the Holy Cross.  We could hold up to 5 weddings there a day and it still one of my favorite wedding spots in the entire valley.

What I didn't know until recently, is that there is another deck located many more miles away on top of Shrine Pass that has equally amazing views of Holy Cross.  Julia's Deck is about 3 miles in from I-70 and was the location of Maria and Tom's Wedding a couple of weeks ago.

The bride and groom wanted to incorporate some humor into their ceremony, so guests played 'Here Comes the Bride' on kazoos as Maria made her entrance.  The ceremony incorporated the 4 elements and readings from family, and was followed by dinner at Grouse Mountain Grill in Beaver Creek.

Here are a few of the photos from their happy day!

PS:  In my opinion, the best space for a wedding on Vail Mountain would be Windows Deck.  It's a trek to get there, but so underrated.  Maybe I'll get a chance to shoot a wedding there one day!

Practicing with the kazoos before the wedding ceremony.  Julia's Deck, Vail.

The Wedding Ceremony.  Julia's Deck, Vail.

My favorite shot of the day.  Their niece was responsible for the wedding rings.

USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Minturn. Through the Lens Series, Entry 25.

There has been a ton of excitement in Colorado this last week with the USA Pro Cycling Challenge happening with 7 stages taking place in various parts of the state.  Last Wednesday was Stage 4.  A grueling leg of the journey that started in Aspen, went over Independence Pass and ended in Beaver Creek.  I was fortunate enough to be contracted out by the Minturn Community Fund to capture a small part of the big day.

There were plenty of spectators waiting at the finish line in Beaver Creek, but the best spot to see the action was definitely at the Sprint Line in Minturn.  The 200 meter sprint started at the southern end of town and went flying through Main Street.

I don't profess to know much about cycling, but it's obvious that spectators are there to party.  They spend the majority of their time waiting for the cyclists to arrive, so they might as well have a good time in the process. Once the cyclists arrive, they're gone again in a split second!

There was some amazing people watching at the Sprint Line.  The lady that was in charge of crowd control was fearless.  One spectator was daft enough to dangle his baby, Michael Jackson style, in front of the camera crews that were coming through on motorcycles.  Ms. Crowd Control saw what was happening and tackled the father to the ground in front of everyone!

Here are a few photos from the day, including some shots from the special Farmer's Market they held that day.

This is my favorite photo from the whole day.  I just love the spectators in the background.  

Engagement Photos in Vail Village with Jesse and Jenna. Through the Lens Series, Entry 24.

Engagement Photo Sessions are definitely high on my list of favorite shoots.  Don't get me wrong.  I love taking photos of newborns and babies, but being able to tell someone to stand a certain way or to raise their chin just a hair, makes for a much easier and more time efficient shoot.  Plus you don't have the pressure that comes with wedding photography.

So of course I was excited to be able to take Jesse and Jenna's engagement photos in Vail Village a couple of weeks ago.  We opted for a Friday evening, which happened to coincide with the infamous Blizzard Sale, so there was an unseasonably large crowd in the village.  It took a little digging around, but we managed to find some quieter spots.  Getting the shots on the Covered Bridge proved to be a little tricky with the crowds, but we waited for a few very quick windows of time when no one was walking over the bridge.  There were a couple of groups that were very patient and gave us a couple of seconds to get the shots too. 

Jesse and Jenna will be getting married next year, so a big congratulations to them and I also need to give a shout out to our mutual friend Jeselyn who recommended me to take their photos.

Engagement Photos in Vail Village with Jesse and Jenna. Through the Lens Series, Entry 24.

Engagement Photo Sessions are definitely high on my list of favorite shoots.  Don't get me wrong.  I love taking photos of newborns and babies, but being able to tell someone to stand a certain way or to raise their chin just a hair, makes for a much easier and more time efficient shoot.  Plus you don't have the pressure that comes with wedding photography.

So of course I was excited to be able to take Jesse and Jenna's engagement photos in Vail Village a couple of weeks ago.  We opted for a Friday evening, which happened to coincide with the infamous Blizzard Sale, so there was an unseasonably large crowd in the village.  It took a little digging around, but we managed to find some quieter spots.  Getting the shots on the Covered Bridge proved to be a little tricky with the crowds, but we waited for a few very quick windows of time when no one was walking over the bridge.  There were a couple of groups that were very patient and gave us a couple of seconds to get the shots too. 

Jesse and Jenna will be getting married next year, so a big congratulations to them and I also need to give a shout out to our mutual friend Jeselyn who recommended me to take their photos.

Studio Portraits with Ben in Eagle Vail. Through the Lens Series, Entry 21.

The last time I took studio photos of Benjamin, he was only a few weeks old and I was 36 weeks pregnant.  He was such a fantastic model at such a young age that I knew we would get some great shots of him at a recent studio session.

He certainly didn't disappoint us and we had such a fun time with all kinds of props including cameras, blocks and chairs.  It was a great help having his Grandparents behind me stomping and waving at him and making him smile.  Having his Mom and Dad there with some funny props  was a tremendous help also.

Maxwell has just moved up to his 3rd classroom at daycare and after his first day in the new room, the teachers commented that Ben looked after Maxwell all day long.  So I am eternally grateful to this gorgeous wee man for looking after my little guy.

Here are a few of the photos from our fun morning.

This shot makes me think of the Little Rascals for some reason.

Ben was really interested in what was going on behind my camera.  The only problem was that I couldn't take any photos of him if he was on the same side of the lens as me, so we got him his own.  I see a shutter bug in the making!

Ben was so tired after modeling all morning, but we managed to get one last shot outside with his grandparents.