Ouray Colorado Family Photographer | Heaton Family
Ouray Colorado Family Photographer
I’m not going to lie, when folks book their photo shoot with me nearly a year out, I get so excited! When Lauren reached out last year to say she and her sister were surprising their dad with a Ouray Colorado Family Photographer session while on vacation, I could not wait to meet them. Lauren, her husband and their two boys, her dad, and her sister, Courtni, and her husband were all traveling to Ouray, Colorado from the midwest for their annual family vacation. When we got to Top of the Pines, Lauren informed me that her fathers house is filled with family photos covering the walls. Nothing warms my heart more than knowing that family photos grace the walls of folks homes. Social media is great and all people, but prints are purely magical. They’re tangible and nostalgic.
Now, I have found that by making farting noises, most boys warm up to me quickly. However, these boys needed a little more persuading for their sweet smiles. So, when all else fails in the fart-noise-making department, letting little boys jump off things is a sure fire way to win their hearts. Within minutes, Lauren’s boys had sticks in their hands and found a big wood pile. With a simple countdown and enthusiastic, “JUMP!” the boys immediately became starry eyed and game for anything we wanted to do for their family photos. And to boot, these two kiddos were some of the most affectionate and loving kids I’ve ever met. Their adoration for both mom, dad, Grandpa, auntie and uncle was so endearing. At any point, you would find one of the boys holding someones hand.
In true Colorado form, we were graced by Mother Natures beautiful lighting with a diffused and golden sunset. I can honestly say that I’m counting down the days when Lauren and Courtni and I can get together again when they’re back in Colorado! Thank you guys so much for having me capture this time for you!
Cheers,
Taylor
For more information about your Ouray Colorado Family Photographer, check out our Family Portrait Gallery!
Planning your Ouray Colorado Wedding? Check out our Wedding Gallery!
- Published in Family Portraits
Breckenridge Photographer at Sawmill Reservoir | Audrey Family
Sawmill Reservoir | Breckenridge Colorado Family Photographer
I was ecstatic to shoot this family session at Sawmill Reservoir, a hidden gem and easy hike in downtown Breckenridge. Shooting extended family sessions is one of my favorite things to do in the summer. There’s something about the WHOLE family coming together on vacation to have this time documented. Audrey messaged me to say that she, her husband, her parents, two siblings, 3 year old son, 3 nieces, 1 nephew, brother-in-law and sister-in-law were all going to be in Breckenridge for their family vacation. And they wanted this special time, celebrating their parents 50th wedding anniversary, captured! Did I mention she was pregnant with triplet girls at the time, too?
Naturally, most families have a little reservation, nerves, and questions when wrangling 13 people together for an extended family session. But let me tell you, you really can’t not have fun at these sessions! My goal at these sessions if for everyone to have fun. Being from a family of 8 (which is growing yearly), I totally understand the pressure and stress of getting a lot of people together and happy all at the same time. So, trust me, as a mom, daughter, and photographer, I feel you when you’re organizing outfits, food schedules, nap schedules, etc. Once you get everyone to the session, it’s up to me to take over and make it a fun experience and capture those truly candid and hilarious moments. Even if those moments include one little brother spitting at his sister!
What’s more is there’s truly nothing like watching big family dynamics. There’s inside jokes, allies, and love––so much love! When Audrey told me that she was pregnant with triplet girls, her sister, a mother of twin girls, looked at me and said, “Yes…she’s been trying to outdo me her entire life!” I never feel more at home than when I’m with a big family cracking witty jokes at one another. Meeting Audrey and her family, and celebrating her parents 50th wedding anniversary, was truly an honor and I can’t wait to see how this family continues to grow! Thank you so much for having me capture this time for you all!
Cheers,
Taylor
For more information about our extended family sessions at Sawmill Reservoir in Breckenridge, Colorado, visit our family gallery page!
- Published in Family Portraits
Salida Colorado Photographer | Franco Family Salida Colorado
Salida Colorado Photographer | Colorado Photographer in Salida
Colorado Family Photographer | Salida Colorado Photographer | We met Cassondra during one of the most critical times in our life–just a few months before having our son. She’s a lactation consultant in Chaffee County, and in my opinion, a lifesaver. When we got home from the hospital with our fresh, 48 hour baby, it was overwhelming. Wanting to breastfeed and give him as much consistency as possible while he learned to become a little human was important for both Mike and I. Since our families live hours to states away, having someone close by in our life during this time was so critical. This person was Cassondra. Her sweet spirit and calm nature gave us the confidence we craved that we were doing all the right things for our son. She was with us at the hospital the day after he was born, at our house 2 days later, and answered phone calls amidst breakdowns when things just weren’t going right.
Needless to say, when she said she wanted to do a family portrait session for her Mother’s Day gift, I was elated at the opportunity to try to repay her for all she did for our family those first few months we were home with a new little life. Little did I know, this would be one of my favorite family sessions to date! Cassondra’s sweet family has so much personality and love that it’s bursting out of their portraits! From family dance parties, to scavenger hunts in the field, and cuddling with all their favorite stuffed animals, my finger couldn’t snap photos fast enough!
Not only were we celebrating Mother’s Day for Cassondra, it was also their youngest, Corbin’s, first birthday! His charming smile and hilarious giggle had us all rolling at the shoot! I can’t say enough wonderful things about this family and their love. Thank you so much for being such an important part of our lives! Love you guys!
- Published in Family Portraits
Breckenridge Colorado Family Photographer | The Greeno Family
Breckenridge Colorado Family Photographer | The Greeno Family
As a Breckenridge Colorado family photographer, we get to watch our former couples go from two, to three. Husband and wife to mom and dad. Wedding day to walking around singing the best nursery rhymes they know to keep their son distracted. This is such an honor. Being a photographer gives us such an intimate view into peoples lives, and we don’t take that honor lightly. When we met Cortney and Matt back in 2014, we knew we wanted to be apart of their WEDDING DAY the following year.
Their spring wedding was one that was just saturated with personality and touches so unique to them. From their engagement shoot at a brewery in downtown Golden, Colorado, they kept the brews theme alive at their big day. When we heard that they were expecting a son, we were just so excited! Knowing that they were embarking on a new journey in their marriage was so exciting! Also, knowing they return to Colorado from the midwest for family vacations had us on their radar for family photos. Despite the freezing temperatures and painful wind, we met up just outside of Breck for their first family photoshoot!
Honestly, one would assume little man Huxley was a Colorado native. The way he held his own through the cold and wind was champion worthy! Getting to watch Cortney and Matt blissfully filling their roles as “mom” and “dad” was insanely awesome to see! While exploring our little spot in the Rocky Mountains, I got to hear about how parenthood was going and what they’d been up to since beginning their marriage over two years ago. The only thing that would have made this shoot better, would have been to have their bulldog, Barley, there with us!
Love,
Tay
- Published in Family Portraits
Buena Vista and Salida Colorado Photographer | Fall Mini Sessions
- Published in Family Portraits
Colorado Husband and Wife Wedding Photographers Shoot and Share Contest Results 2017
For the last few years, we have been trying to put ourselves “out there” more. By “out there”, we mean making ourselves a little more vulnerable. This year was only the second year that we entered into the Shoot & Share Photography contest. This contest is one of the most highly anticipated events in the photography community (I’m not even kidding when I say there are copious Facebook groups and “watch parties” dedicated to this event). This year was the biggest yet! How it works, is everyone and anyone is allowed to participate. Here were the numbers for 2017: 10,000 PHOTOGRAPEHRS submitted photos, 330,000 PHOTOS were submitted, 60 MILLION VOTES were cast, 1 MILLION IMAGES were favorited, 10,602 DAYS (29 YEARS) spent in the contest, 156 COUNTRIES were involved. This contest is voted for by anyone, but there are tons of photographers who spend countless hours voting and getting inspired by others images. So, needless to say, we are ecstatic and so proud that 18 of our images placed in their categories. We are also thrilled to share that one of our images, which was in the WANDERLUST category, placed in the TOP 100! Thanks for sharing in our excitement!
Love,
Mike and Tay
TOP 30%
TOP 20%
TOP 10%
TOP 100!!!
- Published in Engagements, Family Portraits, Travel, Weddings
Matt and Lindsay | Salida Colorado Ranch Photographer
Seeing familiar faces in my new state was what helped get me through the first few months after my big move across the county in 2011. To this day, six years after moving to Colorado, the feeling is still the same.
Lindsay and I met when were were in kindergarten and were inseparable for the majority of elementary school. I was the oldest of six, and Lindsay was an only child, so I think we secretly loved getting an inside look (and at times for me, an envious look) of each others lives. I can remember Lindsay hosting “gymnastics lessons” on the playground at Easton Elementary, where I tried desperately to learn how to do a round off, and our attempts at planning matching outfits for school the following day.
Needless to say, I was so excited when she got in touch with me a few months ago to let me know that she was surprising her wonderful husband, Matt, with a trip to Colorado for Christmas. She went on to tell me that they had never had professional images done before and that they’d love to do their portraits when they came out for a long weekend. Like I said before, seeing a familiar face in my adopted state brings back lots of nostalgic feelings and it was such a treat to have her and Matt out to our ranch during their short stint here. Despite the cold, we had a wonderful time shooting and catching up, even standing on a dirt road after the sun went down and we were chilled to the bone!
Lindsay and Matt, it was SO wonderful to see you guys! Thank you so much for planning a little stop at our home on your trip to Colorado. You guys are truly amazing together and we can’t wait to see you again!
Love,
Mike and Tay
- Published in Engagements, Family Portraits
The Paul Family | Salida Colorado Photographer
I. Love. This. Family! Seriously, I can’t tell you enough how much I love this family. When we bought our first home in Conifer, Colorado in 2013, we had no idea we were going to make some of our best friends during that move. I was scared moving to the mountains, but quickly fell in love with life at 9,000 feet and the neighbors surrounding us: including the Paul family. These guys are the parents you look up to and the kids you hope to have one day. Needless to say, when we made the move earlier this year to our ranch, leaving them was one of the hardest parts of the move. However, our friendships have only gotten closer and stronger!
Kaiya, who is one of the sweetest girls we’ve ever met, has a passion for anything crafty and a newfound love for photography (melts my heart). We had a blast running around the ranch taking photos of family members and the pups while they were visiting us this fall. In the last couple of years, Cameron has developed a serious love for dirt biking (making Mike super excited to have another buddy to ride with) and was able to bring his bike out to the ranch. Mike taught him how to pop a wheelie and he was off like a rocket for hours riding around the property! Quade and Emi have one of the strongest marriages we’ve witnessed in our friends and it’s truly an honor to watching them parent (and take lots of notes)! We can’t say enough about this amazing family and are so glad that we met them! Love you guys!
- Published in Family Portraits
Smith Fall Family Portraits | Salida Colorado Photographer
Watching our families grow every year is one of my favorite things about my job as a photographer! After our move to our ranch near Salida, Colorado, we were so excited to have some of our favorite people out to see us and experience our life at the ranch. It was such a joy when Suzanne contacted me about coming from Denver for a visit! I just love this family and have had the pure joy of watching them grow in numbers, age, and personality. Hayden, who is now 6, was just barely two years old when I met her. Her vivacious personality paired with her “oldest sister” heart make her just a joy to be around! I had the honor of visiting Kirk and Suzanne in the hospital the day Carter was born…needless to say, watching him grow up has been so exciting! And Miss Harper, well she’s just the sweetest thing whom I got to meet as a newborn for her first photo shoot. It’s truly been so incredible watching this family I adore grow up! Love you guys!
- Published in Family Portraits
Iturbe Family | Buena Vista Salida Colorado Photographer
Watching families grow and change is one of my favorite things! When I met the Iturbe family at Brian and Alexei’s wedding last year I was so excited about their family dynamics. Mama Joanna was dancing behind me to get her girls to look at the camera and giggle while Daniel, the calm papa was laughing at his wife as well. Since their last family shoot in 2015, little miss Maya has hair and her little personality is just blossoming! Danica remembered me and put some of her best facial expressions in her back pocket for her “model shoot”. It was such treat to spend the morning with this lovely family exploring our ranch as the girls gathered walking sticks, tickled each other, and enjoyed being their free spirited selves. Thank you so much to this sweet family who has allowed me to follow them in their amazing life together, documenting these moments!
Love,
Tay
- Published in Family Portraits
- 1
- 2