2021 is already shaping up to be better than 2020 in my book! I’m so thankful to have started the season with the Seidenberg’s opening up their home so that I can photograph their adorable family. Their home is so full of energy and love and it truly reflects that in their shoot. Our hour long mini shoot was full of candy, snuggles, and silly smiles! Forever grateful for amazing connections with amazing people.
Reflecting back on my very first elopement back in 2018. I couldn’t have asked for a better first wedding shoot and it was in an even better location. I’m so thankful that I was able to capture these special moments, and it was even better that it was for my sister! Katie and Tyler eloped at Arches National Park in Moab Utah surrounded by their closest family and friends. They have always been hopeless wanderers so their desert elopement was so fitting for them.
Who knew our old college campus could be so beautiful? I met Brittney my very first month of college at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville and she’s stuck by my side ever since. Every chapter of her life she has handled with such amazing energy and grace and this one is no different. Even with Brittney’s husband Chaz being deployed overseas during her pregnancy, their support and love for each other has only grown. He thankfully is making it back just in time to stand by Brittney’s side as they welcome their little girl. I’m so happy for this cute little family as they crush this new chapter of their lives.
I have absolutely loved watching the Washichek family grow over these past few years. Last summer, I photographed Katie and Tyler at their mountain home getting ready to welcome their newest addition. This fall, we wandered a dirt road on a golden Kenosha Pass with their adorable son, Jack. Katie and Tyler’s love for the outdoors runs through the veins of their adventurous and curious one year old. Their incredible patience and love for this cutie is so amazing and I’m so thankful to be able to capture this new chapter in their lives.
2020, what a whirlwind of a year so far. I’ve been laying pretty low for the last few months because of COVID-19 just like everyone else. Although these are less than ideal circumstances and so many people are struggling in so many different ways, we have taken this time as an opportunity to slow down. We have always felt like our house was more like a hotel, just somewhere that we could sleep and shower because we are always on the go. Quarantine has given us the chance to make our house feel less like a hotel and more like a sanctuary. It’s given us the opportunity to grow closer to family, even if we are six feet apart I feel closer to them now more than ever. This year has been full of so many uncertainties, but what is certain is that family is everything.
Getting to spend the day with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew are what dreams are made of. The last time I took family photos of them my nephew was just a little baby! Now he’s a fierce three and a half year old with an amazing sense of adventure and always has a cool stick in hand. We had the best morning together taking pictures in the Flatirons and eating takeout brunch.
Shooting Katie and Tyler’s session is a really special one for me. I have been lucky enough to capture Katie and Tyler throughout their relationship together, from their engagement pictures, to their wedding photos, and now their maternity pictures. Seeing them grow as a couple and as a family has been such an amazing experience for me as Katie’s sister and as a photographer. I cannot wait to meet the newest member of the Washichek family.
Anne Marie and Max’s Pacific Coast wedding is a day I will always cherish. From the second I arrived, I didn’t feel like I was just their photographer, or just another wedding guest, but part of their family. There was never a dull or quiet moment, just a day filled with love, family, friends, and many cocktails. The entire weekend was what dreams were made of. Being surrounded by such beautiful views and equally beautiful souls are the reason’s that I love being a photographer. Even after weeks, I still look back on this weekend with so much joy that I was able to be apart of such an epic weekend.
Anne Marie and Max have been some of our closest friends since we have lived in Denver. How we met and ended up becoming such great friends is a crazy story in itself, but I’ll save that for another day. When they got engaged I couldn’t wait to take their engagement photos. We had a perfect place picked out in Estes Park, but with Colorado weather being incredibly unpredictable and snow on the ground this time of year, our plans changed at the very last minute (we aren’t really going for the snowy vibe for this shoot). Anne Marie suggested we go to Lily Lake in Estes Park that was a little lower in elevation so there wouldn’t be snow, or as much snow. It rained on our way to Estes, but our hopes were still high for good weather. We pulled up to Lily Lake and it was beautiful. The sun was shining, there was hardly any snow and the weather couldn’t be more perfect. After shooting for an hour or so, the temperature dropped and it started to get really windy. We had this cute picnic planned and we wanted to hurry to get ahead of whatever weather was coming. We set up for the picnic and it start to dump snow. Through the sudden change in weather, Anne Marie and Max laughed through the snow hitting them in the face and drank their rosato like we weren’t just hit with spontaneous precipitation. Once we got a few shots, we ran to the car to warm up. While we waited for the snow to pass, we opened up a bottle of wine and had the best time chatting and eating amazing cheese. Once the snow passed, the sun started to shine, and the clouds cleared just in time for sunset. The look out was a bit of a walk, but with Max’s help Anne Marie hiked to the look out in 5 inch wedges which I didn’t know was possible. The views and colors were EPIC. I couldn’t have asked for a better day with two amazing friends with an amazing love to capture.
