American Cancer Society Relay for Life

Friday, June 19, the local chapter of the American Cancer Society conducted the annual Relay for Life fundraiser.

I teamed up with my friends from the Christian Photographers Guild to take LOTS of pictures of the event and then provide them free to the participants, volunteers and families. We have a couple members who've dealt with cancer quite close in their lives and it's touched members of my family as well, including my parents so this had some personal meaning for us as well.



The band 'Language Room' from Austin, TX came out and played for us. They were even kind enough to donate a track from their album for the slide show below.



I've also posted a few of my favorite pictures -- I couldn't arrive until after dark so I had fun with some long exposures and extreme wide angles...things I don't always get to do with weddings and portraits.

Anyone interested in seeing the rest of the pictures can see and download them for free at the Image Factory web site: www.imagefactoryphoto.com
click on 'clients click here to see your photographs'
create an account
click on 'access a new gallery'
use the access code 'relay'
enjoy!

Aspen-Snowmass wedding

While we were dodging raindrops in Colorado Springs on June 13, our second shooter Todd was soaking up the sun with Sharon & Munish at Snowmass Village.

Here's the gorgeous bride on the patio of their suite overlooking the ski slopes:








What a great view and a perfect day!


This wedding was quite unique because after the traditional American ceremony, everyone changed clothes and came back for a traditional Indian ceremony...check out the great colors:





Since everyone was staying at the hotel, this party was primed to strong!


I don't think you'll see this cake at any other weddings this year...how unique!

family portraits in the park

This was a great photo session -- we photographed Chandra & Ryan's wedding in 2002 and since that time they've made a beautiful family and become missionaries in Nepal!

When we heard they were returning to the U.S. for a short visit, we had to get them in for some great portraits. We chose one of our favorite locations where kids can run around and have a great time being themselves -- Fox Run Park.

It seems crazy these guys were just having their kiss at the altar and first dance....now look at them with their family of five!




The kids were trying to wink back at me ;)


Image Factory family portrait sessions are more like playtime!




Aren't these guys cute?





We finished by blowing dandelions all over the park!

June 13 wedding at First Presbyterian & Garden of the Gods Club

Last Saturday we photographed Allison and Brad's classy wedding at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Colorado Springs.

We arrived early to capture some of the gorgeous details:







Allison's mom made sure every detail was in order for a perfect day.







The flower girl was enchanted by Allison in her gorgeous dress!



I liked the view from the florist's camera as she posed the bride...what a funny reversal of roles!



Speaking of florist, Skyway Creations did an amazing job, don't you think?



Our flower girl modeling for us again:



After a beautiful ceremony we headed to the gorgeous Garden of the Gods Club for the reception.





While the rain came over the mountains, it seemed to be timed perfectly to allow a dry arrival and some gorgeous portraits on the grounds.



How about this view for a first dance! Allison and Brad danced the night away to Chris from Blue Moon DJ spinning the tunes.

June 12 wedding at the Stone Chapel

In between all our thunderstorms and tornado warnings the weather cleared up for a perfect afternoon at the Stone Chapel at Woodmen Valley on Friday for Teresa & Chris's wedding. Here are a few of our favorite images:

The spotlights on the orange wall outside the bridal parlor were just begging for some pictures:


Teresa making her way outside for some portraits. I love backlit veils!


Many couples want to be traditional and see each other for the first time on their wedding day as the bride comes down the aisle. While romantic, this can really wreck havoc on time schedules and leave guests hanging during family photo sessions. Our solution is to let the couple see each other for the first time in private while we photograph it. This is actually much more intimate and allows the groom to really express himself. Of course with Chris it was no problem either way -- look how ecstatic he is about his beautiful bride!


Being able to make portraits prior to the wedding usually gives us a little more time and allows portraits when everyone is freshest. I think they're more relaxed and it gives us more time to be creative...what do you think?








Of course it's not all about the fun, relaxed portraits we make, somebody's gotta be around to capture the emotion and real moments of the day. Check out this proud dad:


Even though we made portraits before the wedding we really wanted to take Teresa & Chris for a litle walk downtown near their reception at Tre Luna.




We happened upon Starbucks and it turns out Starbucks had a special meaning for these guys since it was a destination on many a date....so of course we talked the barista into some cups ;)


Finally, my favorite image of the night -- the ringbearer ditched the tux and decided to cut loose:

Air Force Graduationi - Thunderbirds performance

Every year I make a point of going to watch the Air Force Thunderbirds perform at the Air Force Academy graduation. The show is put on for the crowd in the stadium but can easily be seen for miles in every direction so it's easy to find a spot to break out the big glass and shoot away.

I've seen the show every year I've lived in Colorado and even a few times elsewhere yet I never tire of watching it and I just can't help myself from firing off hundreds of frames, trying to catch something new. Here are a few of this year's images I like best.

For the photographer geeks out there -- I like to shoot manual exposures for this event -- I take a reading off the ground in front of me since I know the jets will be in the same light. That way bright sky, clouds, snow on Pike's Peak, etc. won't throw off my exposures. I shoot with an ISO high enough to get a really fast shutter speed. I think I was ISO 640, 1/3200 @ f/5.6 today. I used my 70-200 and 70-300 lenses, but the shots from the 70-200 are noticeably sharper, especially at full magnification. Anyone have a 600 f/4 they want to lend me for next year? ;)

We had perfect weather and all the spring rain gave us beautiful green in the foreground. Here are the jets crossing in front of Pike's Peak. I have a few that are closer but I love the scene here.




Lens flare!




I think we might have a new brochure cover image for the new Renaissance Hotel! For those not from Colorado Springs, the mountain in the background is Cheyenne Mountain, which contains the underground bunker for NORAD (remember the movie Wargames?)




Catching up:




One of my favorite images of these guys ever -- this is hardly cropped at all...got them full frame and tack sharp focus.




Postcard day:




One of the loops. There are a few loops they do that I wish I'd had a wide angle lens ready for. Maybe next year I'll remember!




In formation:




Goodbye!