having fun with the guys

I had to laugh at this sequence of pictures from a recent wedding....they play out like a David Ziser tutorial or something (actually much better because I like our work better than David Zizer's but he gets the big bucks to go around teaching his seminars while we keep creating awesome wedding images so go figure.

Anyway, here's what it looks like when we're in action with the groomsmen:





And the resulting image:




I think the fun and relaxed atmosphere we provide at times like this during the wedding pay off as much as the images do. Even grooms and groomsmen constantly tell us how much fun we are and how they didn't mind the photo sessions and actually had fun. The grooms get into the pictures and are genuinely excited about seeing the resulting album with their new brides....now that's something!

Besides loving their images, this couple told us how much they liked our demeanor during the day, how we made things fun and relaxed, not stressful. They said how even their guests commented positively about the photographers!

Balloon Fiesta

This past weekend we took our (almost) annual trip to Albuquerque, NM to see the International Balloon Fiesta.

This is always a great time, seeing the intense color of the balloons as the sun rises over them, feeling the rush of the large aircraft taking off right over your head. This year we did something different though and after getting up at 4am to see the morning ascent, we came back in the evening to see the balloons stay tethered to the ground and light up their burners all at the same time for the evening glow. Very cool. Check out a few of our favorite shots below:

The 2-Photographer Wedding

One of the many great features offered in some of our wedding packages is two photographer coverage. Many brides ask 'why would I want 2 photographers?'. Well, besides the benefits of more efficient use of time - such as photographing the guys' preparation with one photographer while Tim photographs the bride and bridesmaids, we find ourselves in a unique situation where we can produce amazing story-telling images for your album. An example of such an image hit me smack on the head last night while showing one of our recent brides her album design:



Notice the amazing sequence of real-moment images as the bride & groom leave the altar and then notice how we're able to overlay them on an 'aerial' shot from the balcony taken by my second photographer (nice job Kevin!).

Little touches like this, the additional peace of mind and the creative options are very compelling reasons to consider a second photographer at your wedding!

Fun family pictures!

Christmas is really just around the corner, it's a great time to get into the studio for family pictures for your Christmas cards!
We just had little Victoria in our studio for her family portraits...this happy baby smiled and smiled for her whole session...we could've photographed her all day!

If you're short on time, give us a call for a mini-session, just mention this blog post it's only $50!

October 6 wedding at Mile High Station

Whew! We made it through another big double wedding weekend. I gotta figure out a good place to get a nice massage after weekends like this...any spas out there want to do some trade for advertising photos? ;)

We've photographed a good number of events at Mile High Station in Denver but this is the first time we've seen the actual wedding ceremony done there. It may not be the last either as their marketing manager Stephanie tells us other couples are interested in this idea too. (Hint to prospective brides -- check out some great examples of what it looks like in the pictures below!).



One of the great things about photographing at Mile High Station late in the day is the marvelous light that filters through the large bank of west windows, across the bar and onto the table settings. Gorgeous!





The wedding was a very low-key classy reception but we convinced Jene and Scott to arrive a little early and let us have a quick portrait session before the guests arrived. I'd say it paid off!!



A gorgeous fall bouquet from Moss Pink.



Despite all the great photographs we made, Jene and Scott have their own tradition of making a self portrait at special events so we made sure to catch them in action.



A very unique guest book -- leather bound with parchment pages. This fit perfectly with the style of the venue and the classy evening reception.



The ceremony was conducted with a circle of family & friends around Jene and Scott and with the sun already set and the lights down low, we were practically in the dark but I love this picture that is lit with the flash from one of the guest's cameras!



Yummy hors’ de vours from Epicurean Catering.



The cake from Gateaux Pastries was simple elegance, but that wasn't all...





The individual servings of chocolate and carrot cake were out of this world!



View from the balcony at Mile High Station.



Grandpa got in some dance lessons...



While Jene & Scott and their friends danced the night away to the sounds of Soul X.



Fall is quickly approaching so the wedding season will finally slow down but not for us -- we're cranking out albums from all the incredible weddings this year (if you're a previous client, be sure you have an appointment with us to finalize your album before the end of October for Christmas delivery!) and will be working on our 2008 packages, some great new ideas and we'll have just a few more wedding images to post before the year is out so stay tuned!

October 5 wedding at The Secret Garden

Friday we photographed Angela & Ian's wedding at The Secret Garden in Colorado Springs. This is a cute venue that started as a nursery and grew into an intimate outdoor wedding venue. Be sure to check out their site and read the story of how it all got started.

This wedding was special to us because the couple was in the middle of relocating to Oregon but the bride was still on her own here in Colorado so we helped as much as possible with wedding planning and vendor selection. DeAnna even brought the dress to the gardens for Angela!






The ring bearer really loved the camera and hammed it up for us all day!



Angela chose fall colors for her theme and was rewarded with a beautiful fall day to match!



I really enjoy the extra photo opportunities from intimate outdoor weddings. This is a shot that you often can't get in a church (not without walking most of the way up the aisle anyway!)





Garden of the Gods was a meaningful location for Angela & Ian and we were fortunate to have a venue so close to the park so we took some time to make some newlywed portraits there before the reception.



We turned the corner just in time to catch the sunset over Pike's Peak.



On the way to the reception, I couldn't resist this orange stucco wall so we jumped out of the limo for one last portrait. It was practically dark outside and I had DeAnna and Rob from American Limousines guiding traffic as we walked up the street!



This is the first time we've seen the Tango for a first dance! They pulled it off quite nicely!



Topping off the theme with fall-colored and monogramed M&Ms. Yum!



Today we're off to Mile High Station in Denver to photograph another wedding!

gearing up...

Getting ready for our wedding today, I took a moment to marvel at the gear we apply to any given photography assignment. This is minus the 2 dozen batteries that are still charging!



Anyway...please don't come rob the house ;) We need this gear to keep making incredible memories like these!




We received an update on the Denver A-List voting. While we didn't win, we did have an incredible showing in the number of votes and touching comments from all our clients. This is definitely on our calendar for next year to get an earlier start and let everyone know it's time to vote for us again. Thanks to everyone for your wonderful testimonials and support!

Check out our results here:

http://kmgh.cityvoter.com/details.aspx?business=50792

get your orders in!

This weekend is a busy wedding weekend at Image Factory...we'll be visiting the Secret Garden on Friday and back to our friends at Mile High Station on Saturday. When we wrap up, it's full speed head on finishing 2007 wedding albums.

If you're still working on your album with us, please make an appointment with DeAnna as soon as possible to get your album finalized. We want to make sure you get your album in time for Christmas! October 31 will be our official deadline for Christmas delivery on fine art coffee table albums so don't delay!

Homing Pigeons!

Here's a really intresting story I just picked up from the Denver Post about a whitewater rafting photographer who uses homing pigeons to deliver his camera memory cards back to the office so he can have pictures waiting for the rafters when they return!

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_6209735

We seem to run into plenty of wildlife when we're out shooting....I wonder if we could use the same concept. Homing rams?

Denver A-List update

Thanks everyone for your votes for Image Factory as 'Best Wedding Photographer in Denver'. We're anxiously awaiting results from the Denver Channel web site and they promise to have an update on Friday, October 5....we're holding our breath!