She Said Yes! Matt's Wedding Proposal to Amy at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. Through the Lens Series, Entry 31

It sounds hokey, but you have to be a romantic to be a wedding photographer.  So when Matt emailed me a couple of weeks ago asking me to capture his proposal to Amy, of course I wanted to do it!  Matt and I emailed each other several times leading up to the big day and we decided the best way for me to photograph them, was for me to play the role of a random tourist.

Matt and Amy had never been to Vail and we had never met in person, so the preparation involved figuring out where to meet and what they would be wearing.  As they started walking towards the bridge I was so nervous for Matt that my hands were shaking!  Luckily the aspens were looking gorgeous and it was a classic Colorado bluebird day.  Of course she said yes!  About two seconds later, Matt introduced me and we took a few photos around the gardens.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the shoot.  Congratulations Matt and Amy!

Sara and Steve's Fall Photos in Vail. Through the Lens Series, Entry 30

The first time I saw the leaves change in Vail was in 2003.  I had no idea it was going to be such a spectacle and I had no idea how to take a decent photo.  I drove out to Bellyache Ridge and took a few photos of the Aspens and showed them to my brother in London a couple of weeks later.  He thought it was a postcard and didn't believe that my cheap little 35mm camera could take that kind of photo.

If you haven't been to Vail or even Colorado while the leaves are changing, then I highly suggest putting it on your list of things to do.  It's a very short window and the whole valley can change overnight (September blizzards are a common occurrence in these parts), so it can be really hard to plan.

This year the leaves changed a little earlier than usual, but they also seem to be holding on a little longer.  Luckily for Sara and Steve, they timed it just perfectly.  Sara wanted some photos of the her and Steve with the leaves in the background.  We started over by the Vail Rugby Field with Golden Peak in the background.  The first few photos show you why it's called Golden Peak!  Then we drove across I-70 and found a perfect meadow, where the lighting was unbelievable.

Here are a few of my favorite pics from their shoot.

This was taken by Golden Peak, looking towards East Vail.

The Meadow on the northern side of I-70.  I'd love to tell you where, but locations are like secret recipes !

To see more, go to Fall Photos in Vail

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.