Jade and Nick

Meet Jade and Nick!! Jade is an amazing hair stylist/assistant at the awesome Matthew Morris Salon (Click Here to view their site) in Denver. (p.s. I get my cut, color and facials done here, so let me know if you want recommendations on who to see! They are all awesome, though, so you can't go wrong!)

Anyway...Jade and Nick are seriously the cutest couple ever and we had soooo much fun with them on Sunday. We started our session at the Broncos stadium, did some other city locations and then headed up to Evergreen where both Jade and Nick grew up.

Jade and Nick, you two are AWESOME!!! Thanks for trusting me with some pretty bizarre locations...I think you'll agree that it was worth it! ;-)

Ok, so can we all just take a moment to admire Jade's eyes??? UNBELIEVABLE!

Jeff and Tami

Please meet Jeff and Tami!! These two are seriously awesome, which you can completely tell just by looking at their pictures...their personalities come through loud and clear. I love that!!! Jeff and Tami are part of our small group from church and Will and I have been so blessed to meet them (as well as all the other amazing peeps in our group!!).

Jeff and Tami, thank you SO much for hanging out with me and my rockin' crew :-) on Saturday. We had such a great time with you guys. Hope you love these!.......

We did this great series with ice cream cones. I love this one so much because of the way Jeff is looking at Tami. Guys...do this....often. Trust me, we notice and we LOVE it!

And just because I adore these and they make me smile....

The Blog Return -- 2010 Christmas Video!

I decided this Christmas to attempt a Christmas video instead of just pictures. Since this is the first time I've even enabled the video mode in my camera, there's no doubt I have a ways to go in learning how to use it, but I think it turned out pretty sweet anyway...just ignore a few of the out of focus shots. ;-)

From all of us here in Colorado (Will, Stacey, Bailey, Kelsee, Chad, Tasha and Lola) --- a VERY Merry Christmas to you all!!!!!!

I know it will shock you, but the soundtrack is "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Lady Antebellum (my favs!!!!!).

Where I'm From

Earlier this month, I had a rare opportunity to spend a week back at home in Illinois....the heartland. It was such a good trip and probably more than anytime in my life, I had such an appreciation for where I come from. My Dad farms and is one of the hardest working people I've ever known in my life. We all provide for our families in good, honorable ways, but there is so much a child learns from watching their parents work the land with hard, physical labor. I learned an intense work ethic, good morals, and the importance of family growing up here. Dad, I'm so proud of you and I'm so unbelievably thankful for the life you and Mom gave to us. Love you guys!!

LEFT: Lola meeting Great Grandma Green for the first time.
RIGHT: Grandma spoiling us with an AMAZING meal to include the best homemade apple crisp on the planet!

The great Mississippi River

We went out to visit Dad while he was in the field and snapped a few shots of Lola and Mama.

And, well, not sure how this one fits in other than the fact that it was taken in Illinois. It's special enough it deserves its own space....

Inspired

Years ago I was introduced to the amazing photography work of Nashville's best, Zach and Jody Gray of Gray Photography (thanks Ashley R.!!!). I've marveled at their work and followed their blog consistently as inspiration of where I'd like to take my photography skills. This past week, I was beyond blessed to have the opportunity to attend a 3 day In Camera workshop that they hosted in Nashville. By "In Camera" they mean learning to get everything from the lighting (whether natural light or off camera lighting), exposure, composition, and white balance all right from the beginning in the camera so that VERY little post editing is necessary. Ah ya!!!

To say that I was inspired by the photography skills that Zach and Jody taught or the business and marketing tips they shared, would be an understatement. But even more than these incredibly important things, I was inspired by their love for God, each other and teaching us photographers. Their willingness to share things that most photographers keep so closely guarded was a true testament to their giving spirits. Zach and Jody, THANK YOU! And to all the other unbelievably talented photographers that I met at the workshop, thank you as well for your friendship and all the laughs :-)....I had a blast!

Natural light shots with the amazingly beautiful and talented model, Lindsey.

Off camera light shots with the stunning models Aimee, Lindsey and Bailey. Notice how amazing you can make the sky look when using off camera lighting, allowing both the sky and the model to have perfect exposure. So COOL!!