Carolyn and Ben signed up for the downtown Boulder engagement shoot extravaganza. We started off properly with a pint at Conners. :>)
This entire shoot was performed within a one and a half block radius of the Steve Z Photography downtown studio! I’m psyched to have such cool locations at my disposal. Locals will recognize these lines as the curves of The Bandshell in Boulder Civic Park.
Across the street at the Dushanbe Tea House there was a wedding reception taking place. That didn’t stop us from borrowing the roses for a couple shots.
I really like laughing. Ben, I’m not really sure where you pulled this out of, but it makes me laugh every time I see it!
By this point in the shoot we were developing a powerful hunger. Fortunately, the Draft House was serving 50 cent wings. After some refueling, we were properly motivated to take some cool nighttime portraits in the alley around the corner.
Engagement shoots are so much fun! Getting to know awesome clients like these guys, mixing some social time with some creative photography . . . it doesn’t get much better than this. Thanks guys, I’m looking forward to the wedding!
My most recent engagement session was with Lauren and Rich. We met up at the Denver Millennium Bridge, which connects the Highlands to LoDo and the 16th Street Mall. Interestingly, the bridge is the first bridge of it’s kind ever built!
We had such a gorgeous day! After a few warm up photos, we stopped for a couple pints to chat about the plans for the big day. Not that they needed much warming up, as you can tell by the playful photo above! The shadows were my idea, but the pose was all them!
At the other end of the Bridge is Commons Park. There is a cool stone sculpture structure thingy there. Sitting down inside the walkway, we took some more intimate portraits. We decided to move on after almost getting run over by some skateboarders.
We arranged the shoot to occur in the early evening, and we were blessed with some magical light in the golden hour.
But as the sun set behind the buildings, we just kept on shooting. Lauren and Rich were a great couple to hang out with and willing subjects for all my crazy compositions. This fence made out of skis caught my eye.
We wound things up were they began, on the bridge over I-25. Because there is nothing more romantic than wire fence and headlights. Haha. Tune in again soon, lots more engagement portrait sessions coming soon!
Prepare to bathe in the glory of my most marvelous engagement shoot ever! That may sound over the top, but all the credit goes to Emma and Jasper and the fun energy that they put into this shoot. They hung out and watched me roll all over the ground and contorting into weird positions, and never once did they even make fun of me. We got so many winners that I’m going to post way too many, and I still won’t be able to show you all the ones I like.
We set out from my photo studio on a fine spring afternoon to cruise around the side streets and alleys of Boulder, looking for cool locations to shoot artistic compositions. I was filled with fresh new inspiration from my recent photo workshop. Without any particular plan in mind, we were able to uncover new spots like an anthropological expedition. Not too many people have probably ever seen this old wall mural, I know I’ve never noticed it before, as it’s hidden behind some very old trees!
Most of these shots were lit using my DIY beauty dish mounted on a light stand. I always try to keep my lighting subtle, so that you can barely tell that I’m even using it. Some people say, “I could have gotten that shot with natural light!” Hmmm. Maybe. But the illumination of the leaves behind the couple, and the accent light on the sides of their faces that separates them from the background really makes this next shot for me.
And now the fun begins! I don’t remember exactly how the subject of handstands came up. But I managed to figure out a hidden talent of Jasper’s and exploit it to the fullest. Love it!
There is a portion a photo shoot that is for the clients, and their friends and family. These are the safe shots. The traditional smiling at the camera, the capturing of the love the couple has for each other . . . then we have the shots for me! The shots for me are the ones where I try to push my creativity, and to express my quirky sense of humor. I crack myself up! So laugh with (at?) me while you enjoy the next 3 shots, taken with the funniest lens ever, the 45mm tilt-shift.
At this point the shoot was over, and we were heading back towards the studio, to meet up with Emma and Jasper’s baby boy, Judah. When we arrived, Judah was still half asleep from his nap, and hungry to boot. He wasn’t feeling quite up to his full baby modeling potential, I’m quite certain. Undaunted, I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to get a few shots of the whole family. Because sometimes I take shots for grandparents as well. :>)
Lara and Billy had been waiting all winter long for a snowy day to take their engagement photos. Once it gets to March, it’s easy to give up hope that the day will come. But I was pretty sure after such a dry winter that we were due for a big spring dump. Sure enough, Boulder got 16 inches of snow followed by a bluebird morning. The perfect day for some cool snowy shots!
We started off the shoots with some ‘family’ portraits with today’s star of the show, Bogart. Young Bogart really liked playing in the snow!
Bogart is a Goldendoodle. He is pretty much as silly as his name. I don’t think I’ve ever captures so many pictures of a dog with his tongue out!
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about trying to find new locations that are conveniently close to my office. You don’t always have to travel long and far to find epic scenery. This shot was 1 block from my office door!
It doesn’t get much more ‘Boulder’ than a couple in matching Go-lite jackets. Yes, Lara, the gloves definitely work in this shot! :>)
We are at the end of another awesome engagement photography session, join me next time when we will hopefully be seeing the return of spring!
