The Steve Z Photography Blog

Engagement photos in the snow have been a popular request this winter.  The tricky part has been that it hasn’t snowed all that much.  Which means that everyone needs to be ready to respond on short notice.  That is what happened on the day of Kara and Jacob’s engagement portrait session.

There is another factor that must be considered.  When it snows nice and pretty and fluffy . . . that means it’s COLD! It was an honest 14 degrees during this shoot.  But Kara and Jacob are hardcore skiers, so they did this whole shoot wearing light coats without hats or gloves!  So you can add frostbite to the list of ways that Steve Z will put you in danger during a photo shoot.  And mountain lion attacks.  Yes, don’t forget about the blood thirsty puma.

But regardless of the many challenges associated with shooting portraits in the Colorado mountains in the winter, the results can be completely amazing.  The snow was clinging to all the trees and the weeds, it was so amazingly beautiful . . . believe me when I say that I haven’t even captured it fully.  Well, you could be nice to me and tell me that I did as well.  Yeah, that would be cool too.

These guys were truly a blast to hang out with.  We all were moving a little slowly from staying out too late the night before, but getting out into nature and hiking around was a great way to get our livers back into tip top shape.  These guys pretty much laughed their way through the entire session.  They really have a great chemistry together, which is just plain awesome.

After our session in the woods we headed back to the car to warm up.  On the way to the park I happened across a cool little abandoned building.  So we did a wardrobe change and headed back out for a few more shots.  I usually don’t like to duplicate my locations, but I’ll definitely be back here in the future, as there is a lot of untapped photo potential here!

OK well that wraps up another session of Steve Z making couples look ridiculously cute and happy.  Thanks Kara & Jacob for making my job easy.

In a perfect world all my clients will come into the cozy studio, hang out on the couches, and enjoy a beverage while flipping through my selection of albums.  Web images are clearly no substitue for looking and touching the real thing.  However, I’m providing an online guide for my out of town clients, to help sort through the album selection process.

For 2009, I will be offering 4 different types of photo albums.  My intent is surely not to make things complicated; I just can’t limit my choices, because they are all so cool!  Well that and some offer price point savings that will appreciated by some.   Each album or book offers different covers, features, page styles, and price points.

Click on the ” Read more” to the right to view all the detailed pictures and descriptions.  Thanks!  Steve Z . . . . . (more…)

Sometimes I offer to shoot my engagement portrait sessions down in Denver to break out of the Boulder landscape mode. I really enjoy shooting buildings and architecture for a change of pace!

I began this e-session with Paula and Harry at the original scene of the crime; where the sparks frirst flew; at the Samba Room on Larimer Square in Denver. Adding to the ambiance, we loosened up a little with a few adult beverages.

We then headed out and wandered around downtown.  Yes I have a thing for walls.  Maybe it’s because I like being outside of them so much.

We then checked out the inside of the Hyatt Regency.  I made these guys ride up and down the elevators while I took photos.  I thought for sure I was going to get hassled, but to my surprise no one said a word!

We finished off the afternoon with some shots from inside the Altitude Restaurant on approximately the one millionth floor.   Even in downtown Denver I managed to get some shots of the mountains!

Now there is a headline for you eh?  Flirting with death? Huh? What? Where? Looks to me like they are just flirting!

I keep telling people that my photo shoots are not successful unless I’ve put my clients in some kind of danger during the shoot.  Yeah, I’m a freakin’ marketing genious.  Here are Jillian and Mike, all happy and innocent, unaware of the perils that lie ahead.

But safe shots are just so . . . safe.  Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  Thats me falling asleep after too many ‘normal’ photos.  Hey I understand everyone needs the safe and smiley shots to give to Grandmammy and Grandpappy Hucklepuss.  But let’s have some fun too alright?

Jill and Mike are super cool.  They know what’s up!  They like rad photos and were willing to go that extra mile . . . “Hey, so uh . . . what do you think about climbing up that fire escape . . . “

Then Mike pulled a Superman Switcheroo and changed into his Class A’s.  “Hey, can you just stand on those rocks on the edge of Boulder Creek?  Oh, and can you hold Jill as well.  What? Torn MCL?  OK, we’ll make it REAL quick then!”

“Hey watch out, it’s slippery when wet!”  Crap, now I’ve got Bon Jovi stuck in my head again.

Now it was getting dark, and Mike had one more suggestion.  He asked to do a down-on-the-knee shot.  Hmmm.  Sounds a bit normal . . . “Hey, how about you guys stand in the middle of the street and you’ll be backlit by the oncoming car headlights?!?!”

Haha, so, I hope you appreciate all my joking around about danger.  I haven’t lost a client yet  ;>)  But I do really enjoy pushing the limits, and going the extra mile to get the shots that are creative and unusual, with unique compositions and perspectives.  Til next time, Steve out.