Boulder Photographer

Nichole +Dustin

Steve Z — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:47:32 +0000

The Janisch girls really know how to throw a spectacular wedding event. In 2010, Danielle and Jason were married in an intimate backyard wedding in the town of Nederland, located in the foothills surrounding Boulder. Danielle, an engineer by trade, crafted all the wedding details herself, even the flowers. Her work was so visually stunning that I chose her wedding as one of my display albums.

Fast forward to 2011, when the Janisch family welcomed me back for younger sister Nichole’s wedding at the Chateaux at Fox Meadows in Broomfield, Colorado. Once again Dani was the event stylist, and paired with her elegant sis, the two took wedding details to a whole new level. The elegant ballroom was decked out with red themed details and bird accents, which complimented Nichole’s exquisite feather-adorned wedding gown. Dustin contributed to the production as well, by lending his intense commitment to flower preservation with self proclaimed Groomzilla fanaticism. You could tell he was ready to let it all hang out on the wedding day and provided extra entertainment with his backflip exploits.

It was a pleasure to be a part of another family celebration with familiar faces, and these guys were super fun to play with in front of the camera lens. From the outdoor sun flare portraits on the ceremony lawn, to elegant captures amidst the ornate railings, to some long exposure evening funkiness, we covered the gamut of awesome wedding photography. Thanks and enjoy the timeless memories.

Wedding Vendors

Venue .:. The Chateaux at Fox Meadows .:. 303-466-8078

Caterer .:. Biscuits and Berries .:. 303-277-9677

Cake Artist .:. Das Meyer Fine Pastry .:. 303-425-5616

Makeup Artist .:. The Makeup Guru .:. 720-300-9724

Musician/DJ .:. A Music Plus .:. 303-426-9990

Gwen + Jaime

Steve Z — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:00:35 +0000

I meet my clients in many ways, both common and uncommon. Internet searching falls into the common category. A more uncommon way is to meet them while completing a bicycle tour of Boulder County brewpubs dressed in a costume. Since Gwen and Jaime fall into the latter category, I knew they would be up for both some common and uncommon engagement shoot locations.

At the time of our engagement session, the fall colors were in full swing. I’m a sucker for the changing colors, and made sure to visit a nature setting to get those sweet photos for Mom. But after that, we headed over to a location that I’ve been meaning to use for years, but have never quite remembered to visit. This concrete spillway is a super unique location where I can get creative and capture images with stunning geometric patterns. The stark colors and lines draw me into funky poses, Blue Steel expressions, and fiance shoulder presses.

Karen + Ken

Steve Z — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:25:40 +0000

The Mount Vernon Country Club is located in the Front Range Foothills just up the hill from Golden and the Denver metro area. The facility offers an outdoor wedding experience with breathtaking views of the mountains, Clear Creek Canyon, and the Denver city lights. This means wedding clients and guests get the Colorado mountain experience while maintaining the convenience of being close to the city. As a photographer, it means I get a lot of great scenic backdrops to work with.

You may remember Karen and Ken from their Denver engagement photography blog post earlier this year. Their wedding day brought typically bright Colorado sunshine that illuminated the portrait session in the mountain field, and clear skies that provided stunning views from the deck during the wedding ceremony. Once the sun went down, the guests enjoyed the Denver skyline view through the monstrous glass windows in the reception venue. Photographically, we had a grand evening, which was filled with reception dancing, some creative long exposure night photos, and a sparkler exit into a 1930 Chrysler Imperial 8. Congratulations Karen and Ken!

Wedding Vendors

Venue .:. Mount Vernon Country Club .:. 303-526-3105

Gown Boutique .:. A Total Image Bridal Wearhouse .:. 303-424-5333

Florist .:. J Escapes .:. 303-204-1523

Caterer and Cake Artist .:. Mount Vernon Country Club .:. 303-526-3105

Musician/DJ .:. ABC Music, Video and Photography .:. 303-987-0303

Transportation .:. The Ambassador’s Rolls .:. 303-293-2719

Despard Family

Steve Z — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:24:47 +0000

The Despards were looking for outdoor family portraits featuring Colorado fall foliage. With their boisterous young son and their picture-perfect yellow lab, we captured these candid family pictures on their beautiful property in Broomfield Colorado. The warm, sunny weather made my job easy that day – I combined some off-camera flash with the diffused late afternoon light. Aren’t they lovely?

If you too, are in need of some holiday family portraits for Christmas cards, you best contact me pronto! Winter is almost here and I have many dates already scheduled with a ski pass, and a plane ticket to South America on the horizon.

Caitlin and Phill .:. Wedding

Steve Z — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:59:20 +0000

Mountain weddings rule. The Winter Park area always serves up stunning scenery and dramatic skies that make my Cloud Whispering job easy. Caitlin and Phill brought me back to the Wild Horse Inn, which is technically in the town of Tabernash which is in the Frazier Valley of Colorado. You may remember this dynamic duo from their Boulder engagement photos taken at Settler’s Park. Fast forward to 2011 – they enjoyed a perfect summer wedding with an outdoor ceremony and stunning mountain views.

Wedding Vendors

Venue .:. Wild Horse Inn .:. 970-726-0456

Florist .:. Pick Me .:. 720-270-4647

Caterer .:. Wild Horse Catering Co. .:. 970-726-1368

Jennifer and David .:. Engagement Photos

Steve Z — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:30:05 +0000

Are you ready to check out some engagement photos taken in downtown Boulder? I know, I know, you’ve been waiting around for weeks and weeks thinking, “When the hell is Steve Z ever going to blog creative and magical downtown Boulder engagement portrait sessions? I mean, I know he’s always busy shoot something or another, but there just aren’t many blog posts coming along, especially ones taken in downtown Boulder that will melt my face off with creativity, lighting, composition, and dead sexy couples who are so in love it makes my own relationship seem inferior. I mean, what, is he going to wait until all the leaves have fallen off the trees so that it is completely obvious how far behind he is on his blogging?”

My answer to that line of thinking is apparently, “Yes.”

I’m thinking that all my summer and fall portrait shoots that haven’t been blogged are going to be looking pretty good when I post them this winter. I mean, I could blog in the summer, when everyone in Boulder is outside doing sports and not blog stalking, and all the other photographers are blog blogging away and oversaturating your Facebook News Feed. I could have done that. But I believe that it will probably be even better for me to blog when it’s mud season and you can’t ride or hike because it’s muddy and windy, and it’s still too early to ski, because then, oh yes then I will have you right where I want you. You will be a captive audience just sitting around bored waiting for something interesting to come along, and then I will hit you up side the head with a blog post filled with fantastical engagement sessions like this one with Jennifer and David. This is a blog post about Jennifer and David, remember? Enjoy Jennifer and David’s engagement photos, because they are super rad and totally deserve to be worshiped.

My favorite part about this last shot is not the kicking sand, the pink toenails, or the backlit foot hair … it is the strobe reflecting off of the inside of David’s mouth.

Walker .:. Family Portraits

Steve Z — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:17:17 +0000

The holidays are approaching and that means that it is family portrait season. This was my second photography session with the Walker family. We began the day by spending some time getting some creative shots in the back yard, as well as a group family portrait with the dogs included. After that, we changed up the outfits and headed out to a field for some scenic images in a nature setting with the mountains in the background. It’s pretty cool to see how much the young ones mature in just a year; I’m already looking forward to next year when I will be taking their high school senior portraits.

Hadley and Jesse .:. Wedding

Steve Z — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:28:18 +0000

Hadley and Jesse’s wedding photos at the Greenbriar Inn are the latest stop on the 2011 Steve Z Wedding Photography tour. My tour bus only had to make a short trip into the northern reaches of Boulder County, whereas our starring couple trekked down out of the wilds of Alaska to celebrate with friends and family. A wedding at the Greenbriar offers an outside ceremony venue at the base of the Colorado foothills, in the back yard of a quaint inn which boasts one of the best wedding menus in the industry. After enjoying the festivities of this brunch wedding, we all headed into the mountains for some creative and scenic wedding portraits, where I was able to capture my first portrait with lightning in it. There was no Photoshop or image combining used to create the image, I promise!

Wedding Vendors

Venue .:. The Greenbriar Inn .:. 303-440-7979

Florist .:. The Flower Nook .:. 303-828-1062

Cake Artist .:. Tee and Cakes .:. 720-405-7548

Musician .:. The Ricardo Pena Band .:. 303-875-2134

LeAnn + Brandon

Steve Z — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:41:53 +0000

This was my first wedding at the Mountainside Chapel at the Estes Park YMCA. Well let me tell you, I don’t think that I have ever captured a wedding with more stunning views. This Colorado mountain wedding location borders Rocky Mountain National Park, and serves up 360 degree views of glacier capped peaks. If that weren’t enough to ensure that I had a portfolio wedding on my hands, luck was on my side, and LeAnn and Brandon turned out to be the cutest couple ever. You can check out the Guinness Book of World Records if you don’t believe me.

Wedding Vendors

Gown Boutique .:. David’s Bridal .:. 719-262-0988

Florist .:. Karen’s Flowers .:. 970-586-7673

Cake Artist .:. Colorado Rose Cake Company .:. 303-651-1440

Musician/DJ .:. Jim Hyatt Band .:. 303-809-3263

Kay + Eric

Steve Z — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:53:51 +0000

Chautauqua Park is the quintessential scenic outdoor photo location in Boulder, Colorado, and is located at the base of the iconic Flatirons. Started in 1898, it is one of the few continuously operating Chautauquas, and the only one west of the Mississippi River. It is also the only one that operates year round. One can reserve the lawn for wedding ceremonies with a view of the mountains, and host a reception in the Dining Hall. There are cottages available for rent, so that guests can stay on site as well. Kay and Eric chose this venue, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006, to host their wedding.

I knew that Kay and Eric possess great style from our engagement shoot in Denver, and that they would be infusing their creative flair into their wedding. They hired Honey from Seize the Day Wedding Planners to ensure that their wedding guests enjoyed an event filled with the finer things in life. And well, they also hired me, which is pretty much like smothering your wedding with a healthly dose of MagicSauce™.

Wedding Vendors

Event Coordinator .:. Seize The Day Event Planners .:. 303-530-3953

Venue .:. Chautauqua Dining Hall .:. 303-442-3282

Florist .:. European Flower Shop .:. 303-442-7802

Cake Artist .:. Kim and Jakes Cakes .:. 303-499-9126

Makeup Artist/Hair Stylist .:. On Broadway .:. 303-444-0330

Musician/DJ .:. Gypsy Swing Revue .:. 303-745-7944