labor day with the instax

On Monday I went to hang out with my friend Kaitlin in Colorado Springs. It was an amazingly beautiful day (see first picture) and I was overwhelmed by the giant rock formations that were so red contrasting with such a blue sky. We also found a very hippie arts and crafts festival in Manitou Springs and I joined the little kids in making giant bubbles (notice live music playing in the background). On the way back to Parker (where I really live) I took Highway 83 which runs through some of the most picturesque land I’ve been in, I recommend it!

I’m a little addicted (can you be addicted in different measures?) to my instax camera. What do you think of it? You don’t have to love it, it’s just a toy, really. It is helping me see things in a different way, with just that one chance to snap what you are looking for, and really trusting your eye (and not the back of the camera LCD). Also, I was able to take a picture and give it away to someone on Monday and it was very rewarding.

The West Phase

Picasso had his blue phase and… (lest you think I consider myself a Picasso of photography!) none of us can help but be influenced by what and who’s around us, and those influences will inevitably dominate what we are producing. I made my art appreciation students memorize this phrase this week, a statement we will be proving this semester:

Art does not exist independently. It expresses a worldview and a culture.

So this is my West Phase. The mountains are there, of course. But things closer to home are different too. The air feels different, the sky looks bigger (lots of western big sky cliches could be inserted here) and the light seems more intense. Those are the obvious things, I’m sure there are other things that are inspiring me that I couldn’t put my finger on.

The images above are from a walk I took this week. I suspect the wildflowers won’t be around much longer. These pictures make it look like I live in the country a lot more than I really do. But nature here weaves easily through more urban landscape.

These were taken with my new instax camera…really fun, instant gratification (nothing like holding a print in your hand a mere second after you snap the picture).

And, just for fun, a mostly mellow playlist for September…songs I’ve been listening to on repeat. Don’t judge me if they ain’t your style:

Furr – Blitzen Trapper

Wildflowers – Tom Petty (obvious, right?)

Lady on the Water -Blitzen Trapper

Song Without Words in D Major – Yo-Yo Ma

For Beginners – M. Ward

Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right – Bob Dylan

Tomorrow Is A Long Time -Nickel Creek

Twenty Girls Ago – David Mead

Nobody Knows Me At All – The Weepies

Making Pies – Patty Griffin

Blowin’ In the Wind – Bob Dylan

Put You to Sleep – Dolorean

Better Than Wine – Derek Webb

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing – Sufjan Stevens

Painting By Chagall – The Weepies

Skinny Love – Bon Iver

Only Living Boy In New York – David Mead (cover)

hairbows and searsucker.

Not only are these cute kids (with that little impulsive hug that I did not make them do!) but I love what their mom picked out for them to wear. This is from another shoot in Kentucky last month.

It takes a village…to take a picture.

While in Kentucky, I shot some stuff for BlueCotton…children of owner/employees in BlueCotton branded apparel. Not the least of which was this adorable baby. This was the only shot from this wide of a perspective, in which I immediately noticed all the people standing around while I was shooting (I’m in the grey shoes) that I probably was hardly aware of in that moment.

I’ve just about wrapped up all projects I had prior to moving to Denver! It’s a good feeling and I’m ready to network and meet new people. I have a new business venture simmering with a fabulous photographer-friend that I will post more information about after it comes to a full boil. This coming week I’ll be in full swing teaching my photography class and art appreciation class at the high school and hopefully getting the film for my new instax camera. I’m exploring my new home and I keep being shocked by the mountains when I drive everywhere. On Tuesdays and Fridays I usually see the sun rise as I drive to school and it’s beautiful.

AND before I forget (as if) and time goes by…the first week I was here I was able to assist the amazing theimageisfound with a photo shoot in downtown Denver which was such a treat. Nate was here minus his better half and I helped hold the light and carry his bag (which is heavy after a whole afternoon). It was very fun and totally worth it. It’s always nice to affirm what you are doing by seeing how other go about doing their thing.

P.S. Friends & Family: I’m ready for people to visit! I can show you bike trails and coffee shops, bookstores and thrift stores, wildflowers and mountains! Hurry up!

A boy.

Maybe it’s the freckles. But I’m endeared to this picture and I feel good about it. And I don’t always feel that way. There’s more from this family, but this one stands alone.

Bridesmaiding

Taking a little break from the family portraits…here’s some odds and ends from Adam and Becca’s wedding in Austin a couple weekends ago. I was a bridesmaid. And I dropped my camera onto cement (talk about dying a little bit inside) so I didn’t shoot a lot. I also flew into Austin 5 hours before the wedding and left for Denver at 6 AM the next day. It was a beautiful wedding and probably closest in personality to what I might have someday (?) Please see Hailey’s blog for a few more!

The Guyers.

This was the last of the families in the three photoshoot marathon in one evening in Kentucky! For some reason, I saw all their kids portraits as kind of classic black and white. Maybe sometime I’ll get to go back and shoot the entire family after their family grows due to their upcoming adoption!

The Waylands!

Personally, I think Trip and Deacon are some of the cutest kids I’ve ever seen…and I’m pretty biased towards my 6 nieces/nephs! This is another one of my favorite families in Bowling Green, Kentucky and I’m honored I got to spend an hour with them taking pictures!

The Coffeys…

This is one of my “second families”…you know, not my real family, but my go-to family when I lived in Kentucky. I love them so much! They made all these photo shoots (which I’ll be posting over the next week or so) in Bowling Green happen. They have DELIGHTFUL children…no really! Even if the boys are rascals.

Gregg & Amy

Wow…Amy is married. To Gregg. I moved in with Amy shortly after they began dating a couple of years ago. The day after they got married I moved to Colorado…something poetic about all of that. Amy did SO MUCH WORK for her wedding. She decorated the cake, invisioned the entire reception and with the help of many people put it all together, and how about those amazing chandeliers? Personally, I had a great day shooting in almost every type of light. And there was almost too much laughter to capture that day. Watching everything through my lens really helped me stay a bit detached emotionally (or I def. would have cried). Now, they are on their honeymoon-cruise but maybe they will have access to the internet and look for pictures…Miss you guys already!