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Rebecca & Mitch ~ Laramie, WY

Wyoming weather is crazy. Coming from a girl who used to live in Denver that says a lot… This weekend started out jam packed with photography. All day Saturday I was planning to shoot soccer team and action photos for Osborne Athletics. Sunday had two engagement photos on the books. The Thursday night we got snow. Not just your everyday run of the mill snowstorm either but a crazy snowstorm that held up until Saturday afternoon. Soccer was definitely postponed. Sunday morning’s session with Brie and Zach had to be rescheduled due to the massive amounts of snow on the ground. My evening session Rebecca & Mitchell had wanted to go for more of an urban feel. So I went out early afternoon, tracking through sloshy snow to check out the current state of our locations. Since they would be in town anyway we decided to go ahead as planned. Fast forward to five o’clock and the snow has miraculously melted leaving sunshine in its place…

Rebecca and Mitch were so easy to photograph. Not only is the tremendous amount of love between them very apparent but they were naturals in front of the camera making my job easy. I feel like every time I would open my mouth to give them some kind of cue they were two steps ahead changing their pose to fit what I was seeing in my mind. Rebecca’s stunning hair and amazing eyes, coupled with the fact that Mitch is an expert on making his lovely fiancé smile and giggle made for some really great photos. My talented husband also came along for this session. I am sure you will recognize his wide angle shot, but my favorite is the portrait with the sun glare. It’s always interesting to me how two photographers (especially when they are me and my husband) will see things completely differently. Rebecca & Mitch you are going to get quite a set of photos… Thank you for coming out even though we anticipated the weather being bad. Rick and I had a lot of fun with the two of you. I cannot wait for you to see the rest of these!

Here are a few of my favorites.

Here is a picture Rick snapped while doing this session. I love this photo as I feel it gives you such a perspective of what we had to work with. Snow, crabgrass, mud, an ACTUAL abandoned warehouse. There is so much that goes into a shoot like this to really pull from its creativity opportunities without showcasing its less than appealing nature.

The Beginning

The other day I was going through my online photo inbox. For me this now consists of thousands of photos that once upon a time were uploaded for one project or another and just never done away with. So much of the junk in there was completely useless now and of course as part of any proper spring cleaning it was promptly deleted. During the process however I came across a photo that I know will never be deleted. It will never be forgotten, never overlooked, never discounted and never taken for granted... the first photo of my professional career. The photo that opened my eyes as a photographer, sparked my passion and still to this day touches my heart and fills me with a sense of purpose, peace and opportunity.

The following photo was taken at a Rodeo in Westcliffe, CO. It was for a feature on the local rodeo that had been commissioned for the Canon City Daily Record. At the time although I liked taking pictures I had not done so professionally as of yet. This was sort of my "audition" for a freelance position within their photo department. The accompanying cut line is so basic (as is the photo) but it definitely takes me back to when everything started. I remember taking this photo with my Kodak CX7530, a far cry from my current baby my D300. I've come so very far as a photographer. I am so blessed to be able to follow my passion as a profession. This photo definitely gives me some perspective. Cutline reads: Jaydon Warnke, 3, watches the 59th Westcliffe Stampede Rodeo on Sunday from a fence just outside the arena. Warnke, Trinidad, has been roping since he was 6 months old. Photo taken 07/16/05.

‘Works of Man’ ~ Gallery Exhibition Submission

As a photographer I eat, sleep and breathe weddings… When I am NOT photographing weddings however I do manage to maintain a pretty impressive fine art portfolio. Surrounded by beauty as an artist and a photographer I cannot help but being somewhat obsessed with capturing that beauty and presenting in the form of a photograph. Couple my fine art portfolio with the fact that I am so up for any type of photo contest and viola the subject of this blog post, my 3 submissions for the exhibit ‘Works of Man.’ This exhibit is being put on by the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins. The Center is home to exhibit after exhibit of the finest Fine Art Photography throughout the world. In addition to exhibits however they also have classes & groups for both photographers and John Q. Public who just loves great photography.

‘Works of Man’ is based around just that, the work of man… anything man made. Electronics, architecture, crafts, automobiles basically anything made by mankind. These are the three photos I chose for the exhibition. The first of course is Le Tour de Eiffel taken during my visit to Paris last year. With a texture and toning applied to it I wanted it to have a timeless and vintage feel to it. My second submission is the famous Bellagio ceiling fashioned in glass by the talented Dale Chihuly. I just love the colors, the textures etc… this is actually the middle of a three panel photo collection which adorns my own living room wall. My final submission is a driveway in Fort Collins. I was immediately struck by its symmetry and just the radiance of the colors, the leading lines of the trees etc… These submissions will be juried and then if chosen available for viewing at the Center. I will of course let you know more about their progress as it unfolds.

The Knot Real Wedding Submission ~ Meg & Dan

It’s that time of year again… TheKnot.com, one of the wedding industry’s most recognizable and popular sites is accepting entries for their ‘Real Wedding” competition. Vendors and brides alike are invited to share photos and details about their wedding with the hopes of having it featured in their national publication. After the entry is submitted theknot.com members get to rate each wedding and leave comments. Based upon that rating, coupled with the ratings of theknot.com editors and staff winners are chosen for publication. Last year brought me to so many fun places. I worked with some amazing couples but in the end I found my decision to be a piece of cake… I chose Meg & Dan’s Aspen Wedding. There was just something about this wedding that so special. Maybe it was the bond between Meg, Dan and all of their friends. Perhaps it was the amazing, majestic and perfectly Colorado setting. Then again it could have been the most hilarious best man speech I have ever witnessed… Oh who am I kidding this wedding was absolutely wonderful and I am so proud to be able to share it with theknot.com readers. Here are the 7 images I chose for submission. Keep your fingers crossed Meg & Dan and hopefully we will soon be celebrating!

Monday Mischief….

This weekend started with all sorts of plans. Site tours, client meetings and a Mojito headshot mixer with my favorite group of lady photographers were all on the agenda. Then like it always does the Wyoming Weather decided to kick in with full force. There was a point this weekend that I found myself staring out on the deck amazed at 3 ½ feet of snow staring right on back. The highway in and out of my city was closed which made most of my appointments impossible… so instead I spent some time with my new computer. Installed my new Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom 2.0…. about 7 hours later viola! Char & Stefanie both of your engagement sessions are done being processed I will have your galleries up shortly. Bryn your album is now on the way to the printer. All of the Osborne Athletics orders are done, bills are paid and I even managed to finish the second book in the twilight series…. I know such a priority right?

It feels good to be completely caught up. Just in time for my next round of pandemonium. Engagement sessions galore, a trip to Vegas, weddings and soccer season have all ravished my calendar. I’m both excited and exhausted just thinking about it lol. This week however I have a particularly wonderful thing to look forward to… RICK’S BIRTHDAY. It is this Thursday and I have some very creative plans in the works. For those of you who don’t know and haven’t become overly sickened by my husband worshipping in this blog lol my husband Rick makes my world go round. I cannot even imagine life without him, not a life worth living anyway. I am so glad that god put him on my heart, what a better day to celebrate than the day he was brought into this world?

Plans to make, presents to buy and surprises in the works…

April Showers Bring…. Free Custom Guest Books?

Creating a unique and amazing album that really showcases the love between my couples is such a thrill to me. Compiling their favorite wedding photos and creating a custom designed wedding album is an awesome way to hold on to those precious photos as a collection, a storybook of the wedding if you will. This makes perfect sense… Lately I have been asked by a few clients what people DO with their engagement photos though? Save the dates, the announcement in the paper, a photo with a signing mat board… there are so many options. My favorite of all these possibilities however is the custom engagement guest book.

Ardent Engagement Guest Books receive the same care and creativity that our wedding albums do, just highlight your engagement photos instead. There is plenty of room for wedding guests to sign and give their blessings within its completely custom designed pages. The book is magazine style which means the photos are printed directly onto the super thick (think postcard) pages. The binding is completely unique in that the pages lay completely flat which when presented is really impressive. A photo adorned hard laminate cover will keep the pages safe and is an awesome way to highlight your favorite photo. We can even put your names and event details right on the spine of the album! Custom colors, text, borders… the options are endless, as unique as you are. No two of my books have ever been the same.

So what’s with the blog title? Well any bride who books their wedding during the month of April will receive a complimentary custom engagement guest book (a $300.00 value). Below are some example photos of what the actual albums look like, if you’re anything like me you need PICTURES! For more info please email me info@ardentphotographyinc.com.