studio lighting workshop-mile high photographers

i am new to studio work. natural light photography is my passion but i do yearn to learn more about the intricacies of studio work. mile high photographers offered a nice 5 hour workshop a few weeks ago.

each hour was devoted to a different type of studio setting: children, senior portraits, boudoir, and high/low key lighting. i learned some good information but i struggled in posing and getting creative in the studio setting. it was definitely a challenge for me. and, in the end, an area i need to improve on for sure.

but thanks to the amazing instructors for sharing their time and expertise. and also shouts out to the models and make up artists who made the event such a success.

i left the studio feeling energized and thankful for having spent the afternoon with other photographers having fun!

one windy colorado afternoon...i met some amazing souls

--the staff







































http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1176620617186

i had the pleasure of meeting some extraordinary families during a charity photo shoot for the ARC of Jefferson County. the Arc in Jefferson County was founded in 1961 by a group of pioneering parents of children with developmental disabilities who chose to raise their children at home in their community. for more than 40 years, The Arc in Jefferson County has provided leadership, advocacy and support to people with developmental disabilities and their families living in Colorado. ironically i didn't know their stories before I had the chance to photograph them. (please take a moment to watch the video link above).

their stories made them all the more interesting to me but certainly didn't change the images of these amazing souls. their inner strength and character were obvious to me from the moment I shook their hands. and the camera captured the lighthearted fun of the day.

we had a beautiful and breezy afternoon for our photo session together. i loved the light--it was as magical as the families and their powerful stories.


a fundraising breakfast will be held on tuesday, may 4, 2010 from 7:30-8:30 am at the Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities. this will be an excellent morning to wake up early and get involved in supporting this organization that has positively impacted many familes--including mine. (i attended the 9 week, award-winning "Mobilizing Families" class soon after we received my son's autism diagnosis. what i learned during that class helps me still to navigate the tricky waters of IEP's and the developmental disability world in general.)

kudos to these amazing people and the top-notch staff. thanks for welcoming me into your world and allowing me to capture your spirits in these portraits.

i will be there on tuesday, may 4th. perhaps i will see you too!

Treasure the moments and don't forget them. Time passes. Memories fade. Photography is forever.

...and often time we don't take the time to look back.

i am feeling nostalgic. perhaps the motivation is the two glasses of red wine i recently enjoyed. but i am more inclined to believe i am feeling this way because of a tv show i had tivoed and watched earlier this evening.

the show, called 'parenthood' had a part that really touched me. it was during a tender moment between a dad and his daughter. they were spending some time together on a saturday morning. the dad had been feeling a bit lost in his life and feeling like work and schedules had taken over his world a bit too much. he was missing the person he was that had seemingly gotten lost in his world of responsibilities as a father, a husband, a brother, an uncle and all of the roles that consumed his little chunk of free time.

as the father and daughter sat down following a bike ride, the father had thanked his daughter for spending time with him on a busy saturday when she surely had something more fun to do. right on cue she got a text from her boyfriend. the dad looked down and said to her : "go and be 15. have fun." she hugged him and thanked him for understanding. he watched as she walked away. and i felt the power of that emotion (probably more so because of the red wine) but also because time passing by has really been on my mind lately.

my oldest son turns 6 in a few weeks. just like everyone else--i can remember his birth like it was just yesterday. the moments are forever frozen in my mind and keep playing back in slow motion. and now i look at my son--so independent. his strong and noble character already firmly formed. he is almost 4 feet tall. size 13 shoes and a mini replica of his father.

my baby hardly needs me any more. and as the years continue to grow away from me i know that will be the norm. i ache for the past. i ache for the days when he was mine. even though the days were long-i miss being so needed and so unconditionally loved.

so i did a photo shoot for these young parents, darcy and ryan, and this all seemed to come full circle. i photographed them during their 8th month of pregnancy. i photographed their son as a newborn, a 6 month old and now a one year old at his birthday party.

i treasure that they treasure photography as a chance to taste life twice. savor every morsel darcy and ryan.

it
goes
by
so
fast.

soon it will be me lost in the passage to time. lost in the pending and inevitable identity crisis. nostolgic for past simple days where my boys were all mine. it will be me asking for a special date with my sons amidst text messages and much more exciting plans. it will be me sitting reflective as i watch my sons run off to start their own lives.

thanks for trusting me to capture ryder's moments darcy and ryan. and thanks for treasuring the unique ability photography as to allow us to taste life's sweet moments over and over again. so we never forget.