Lisa, oh Lisa. Mama, you waited so long to have your family session with me. Your kiddos are another year older and you finally got to take that Colorado trip to see me! Lisa had scheduled her family session with me last year, but as all things, COVID threw a wrench into her plans and we had to postpone. It was certainly worth the wait.

These kids are firecrackers and lovers to their core, you can just feel it. Smiling and full of happy. I know I talk about it a lot but I really do wish I could perpetually be a kid. The world seemed so much bigger and overall, the problems felt smaller. I can imagine that allows for more of the happy to shine through. Kiddos radiate unfiltered love and curiosity. I. Am. Jealous. I’m not too proud to admit it. Being an adult does have its perks though. Being able to eat whatever you want is my favorite one, haha.

Kaitlyn and Jake, how did you two create such a beautiful baby boy? Ledger and I became fast friends during his mama’s maternity session with me in this lovely Colorado Springs location. It was a bit chilly that evening but still warm enough to have little Ledger’s bare skin showing with his mama. Doesn’t it just make those first few photos all that more authentically connected?

Kaitlyn trusted me to guide her with what I felt would look good and tell their story in the most authentic way. I took my lead from Ledger, and when he got too chilly, we put on the beautiful undershirt that his mama brought for him.

Mamas and their sons, I cannot think of anything sweeter. This North Cheyenne Canyon motherhood session was such a nice way to start my spring sessions. Abbey and her son, Lucas, explored one of my favorite trails in the canyon on a lazy Sunday afternoon with me.

It was not long ago that my son, Ellis was this small. His hair was long and whispy and his eyes curious and full of wonder for the world around him. I can picture him perfectly in my mind. Best friend’s peanut butter and jelly t-shirt on with a dirty sticky face, ear to ear grin, his tiny teeth on parade when he laughed. He had a pretty prominent speech issue and I love it when I find videos of him singing along in his own little way. G’s become d sounds, s’s become y sounds. The rap of a toddler.

Little Lucas here, he and his mama share these same moments. Years from now, when she sees these images, she will be ushered back. Sticky hands and faces, stolen bites of candy, and pockets full of rocks. Lucas will only grow and grow and now his mama has this gallery to help her earmark some of those smaller memories that you don’t ever want to lose.

These two lovebirds and I met for their couples session at Garden of the Gods during their vacation trip to Colorado Springs. I know it sounds unbelievable when I say it but, about 40% of my clients are vacationing couples and families. Colorado Springs is in a wonderful location to spend quality time with the people you love. Situated closed to the Front Range and Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs offers the perfect scenery to take advantage of while visiting for a photography session.

Steph and Chris brought their sweet pup Eddie with them on their trip and to their session. I always ask the lovely folks I photograph if they plan on bringing their fur baby(ies) with them to their session. This just makes planning logistics easier and more smooth. I want to make sure we use a location that will keep everyone safe and feeling happy, pets included! I love getting my clients prepped for their time with me. From what to expect to the location to clothing. I am here for you!

Planning your out-of-state elopement can feel a bit scary and uncertain, that’s where I come in! Jes and I planned her intimate elopement to Ken at Garden of the Gods and it couldn’t have been more authentic or lovely. It was just Jes, Ken, and myself during their elopement. It was full of happy tears, tender moments, soulful love and I am thankful I got to take part.

When you book an elopement photographer, you want to make sure that you feel comfortable being your authentic self with them. Find someone who shares your heart for the things you are passionate about. Allow yourself to connect with them on a deeper level. It should be more than, “Hello, I am your photographer, now let’s take your photo”. Your elopement photographer should listen to you and take interest in your life. Someone who can feel you and your love and radiate back to you through a gallery of images that authentically show the love you and your partner share.

Oh Dani, how can I even begin to write these words, my dear friend? Thank you so much for allowing me to document the authentic love that you and your family share, and on the Oregon coast no less!! This gallery is everything I could have imagined it to be; believe me, I imagined it for a long while.

Dani and I met during a Dear Photographer Elevate + Grow Workshop. She was attending the workshop herself but then also modeled with her family for one of the sessions we did as a group. Dani’s bright light of a smile just drew me in. This girl. She is the friend you didn’t know you needed. Always sweet and caring. Always smiling and ready to be kind. I am forever glad that I met her and we remained in touch.

I think that building friendships like the one I have with Dani is what I missed most about last year. The fact that I didn’t get to attend any workshops made me super sad and missing my friends something fierce. Being able to once again snuggle up with the people I love and do all the things together is going to be such a lovely reality soon. I can just feel it.

This family photography session on the coast in Oregon was goals for me, friends. I actually got to photograph two families on this beach on the same weekend while taking my daughter on her 16th birthday road trip and it was glorious. Bristin and her crew are one of those families that I got to hang out within Colorado but then the military took it away, haha. That happens a lot in Colorado Springs with it being home to several military installations.

I try to always find the good parts of what feels like a sad situation, like when families move away. I think the biggest perk when this happens is traveling to them! I LOVE traveling and seeing new spaces and most of all, I love seeing old friends and documenting their authenticity in their new home.

This family photography session in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains was goals. Charlie, her mom, and Mitch traveled to Colorado for a spring break birthday trip for not only Charlie but also for Mitch. Kirsten wanted to document the authentic love their small family unit held.

Kirsten and Mitch have a story full of love lost and rediscovered. Mitch and Kirsten have known each other since they were teenagers. Even getting matching tattoos at some point in their past (scroll down, they are there in all their glory). Mitch has been in Charlie’s life for a while now and she wanted to document them in the space that they are in. Happy, healthy, and full of love for each other.

Sweet friends and this mama’s hair give me life. We met up for their family session in one of my most chosen spots in Colorado Springs for some adventuring and snuggles. I can tell that all of Lesha’s boys love her to the moon and back. What a life to live.

I love when families take a break from their busy vacation life to spend some time with me documenting the love and authentic connections they share. This family came to visit me from Missouri and braved the cold Colorado air. Colorado can be unpredictable with the weather but there is one thing that I know, regardless of what the weather was the day before, there is a 90% chance that the next day will be sunny.

I know it seems like a funny thing to write a blog post about however, questions about the weather come through my inbox often. What do we do if it rains? If it snows? For my local families, this does not pose a big issue, most likely we can move your session date to a new date and roll with it. When I work with vacationing families and couples, that question becomes a tad bit more important.

This sweet in-home newborn session was just what I needed last week. I had been waiting to meet Miss Liv for weeks as we needed to postpone their first scheduled session to allow this sweet girl to acclimate to her home at high elevation. I was so excited to hear that I was finally able to make the journey up to their Colorado mountain home and hang out with them and their sweet baby girl.

Canyons, mountain views, trees, water, and boulder areas pepper the lands around where Laura and David live, and I was in awe. My drive up and through the mountain also included cutting through one of the many burn scars left in our Colorado forest from recent wildfires. It was a quiet two-hour ride and it allowed me to reflect on many things as our minds tend to let us do when we are by ourselves wandering.

Hey friends! I am teaming up with my good friend Sarah of Vintage Violets Photography to document your authentic love during the Fountain Creek Ranch Micro Wedding Day, Sunday, May 16th, 2021. The Fountain Creek Ranch is a new wedding venue as of 2020 and offers their wedding couples an authentic Colorado ranch-style wedding complete with a western boho-style ranch house surrounded by beautiful pasture land on the Fountain Creek.

Believe me, I know, getting married can be a stressful adventure. There are so many moving pieces to pull together in order for it all to work out the way you intend. Having a micro wedding is becoming a popular choice for many reasons. Ease of planning, fewer formalities, easier on the pocketbook and more, are just a few of the justifications for having a micro wedding in lieu of a larger, more formal, wedding.

Dawn reached out to me a few weeks back wanting to do a branding session for her new photography business, Dawn Autumn Photography with me. Dawn and I met when I look my kids to the Great Wolf Lodge a few years back. She was helping us with our time there and we got to chatting about photography. I gave her my card and we have stayed in touch since.

I have watched Dawn grow in her photography journey. Last year around this time, she booked a mentorship with me and we talked over technical things she was having trouble with, we ate some delicious pizza together, and then we photographed a beautiful family side by side. Afterward, we worked on some editing techniques and I have been in contact with Dawn on and off checking in on her and her growth.

This is my second time hanging out with Miss Addison, her mama, and her daddy. This time, however, she got to introduce me to her new baby brother, Hudson. I traveled down to Canon City, Colorado to document in their home now that Hudson had arrived with a Lifestyle Newborn Session.

When I walked up to their home, I knew I wanted to grab an item from nature nearby to incorporate into the session. I asked Sarah for some scissors and snipped a few branches from their pine tree in the front yard. I could hear Addison inside talking and when they opened the door she was very excited to show me around her home.

This family traveled to Colorado Springs on vacation and met with me to have an extended family session. To get everyone together and document was so lovely and important. They take a vacation each year and decided that Colorado Springs would be perfect for them this time around.

I wish that when I was a kid and my family and I got together, that we did an extended family session like this. My mom has five sisters and I have 14 cousins. Each year when I was a little girl, most of us would travel to my aunt’s home in Ohio each year for Thanksgiving. I have a bunch of home photos but I can’t remember a time when we ever did a professional session like this.

Clients book family sessions for a variety of reasons. To document birthdays, to celebrate other milestones, yearly updates to portraits for grandparents and family too. Living in a military town brings another reason to schedule a family session; deployment.

Vanessa’s husband is due to deploy soon and she wanted to document the authentic love their family shares one more time before he left for a few months. Documenting the love a family shares is so important, especially when you know you won’t see each other for an extended period of time. To have those images to look at while your loved one is far away, I can think of nothing more precious to hold in your hand.

Emily and Eli, you two are the sweetest humans and I am so glad that you picked me to document your sibling love. Eli is my daughter, Emma’s best friend. Eli is so special to me, like my own child. Can I be your surrogate mama? You can’t say no. These two peeps have got this siblinghood thing down. I mean, you cannot look through this gallery and tell me that they don’t like each other. More smiling and laughs than going to the damn amusement park.

Emily had been wanting to schedule something with Eli for a while and my daughter finally sent me a “business inquiry” for Emily, haha. I was totally down and we made it happen. I don’t typically shoot downtown Colorado Springs but this really fits them and their personalities to a T. It was perfect, just like them. Thanks for sharing your rawness with me. Your joy with me. Yourselves with me. I love you both with all my heart.

Steven, Brandon, and Brandon’s family came down from Denver to spend an afternoon with me at Garden of the Gods for an extended family photography session near Christmas time. This session was super important to Steven and Brandon for multiple reasons.

Brandon’s grandfather had passed away and he did not have many photos with him, so capturing images with his grandmother was special and important to him. Steven and Brandon were also celebrating their 5 year wedding anniversary as well as being together for 10 years. I was so honored to be chosen to be the one who got to take this journey with them.

Extended family sessions are something special. To see parents with their babies and them with their babies, generations in the making, it’s the sweetest thing you can imagine. I got to meet up with Lori and her bunch during their December vacation to Colorado Springs and we got to play in the mountains and explore the beauty that is Colorado.

To be honest, this is the second time I got to meet Lori and her crew. On their scheduled session date, we met up and the wind was super chilly. We walked up to where we were going to start their session and looked at each other and I knew that it wasn’t going to work. They have twin newborn babes and a tiny sweet girl and with those kiddos in tow, we just couldn’t make it work and have everyone happy.

The Fountain Creek Ranch is a historic wedding venue located just south of Colorado Springs. They are a new venue that launched during one of the hardest years we have had in a long time. They are still here though and I wanted to share their lovely space with you!

Alex, Daniel, their kiddos + I explored the house and grounds at the Fountain Creek Ranch on a fall day. The house was built as the Frost Family home and was lived and worked in by the Frost Family for some time. The ranch has decided to open its doors and land to host authentic Colorado weddings, lucky you!

I enjoyed the time I spent watching and hearing the kids play in the rooms and hallways. Each room holds different vibes and possibilities. The grounds of the ranch has its own flower garden which, when in full bloom, takes your breath away. The land is on the Fountain Creek as well so there are chanced to explore the creek area along with the large cottonwood trees that inhabit the land.

Elopements were the word for 2020 and 2021 is looking to be just as elopement heavy. So many couples have opted to elope instead of having a large wedding due to all of the reasons you could think of for 2020. Personally, I only take on elopements are smaller/less formal weddings as a rule of thumb. I love hanging out with my couples and document their love in an authentic and natural way.

Jennifer + Jay eloped with me in Colorado Springs at the end of 2020. They drove down from their home in Woodland Park with her in the backseat with a blanket between them so he couldn’t see her! It was pretty much the cutest thing ever. He pulled up and I was like, “where is Jennifer?”, I could hear her from behind the blanket saying hello to me. I die. hahaha