Riley (one of my Senior Reps) came to me knowing she wanted something really fun and creative, but not sure where to begin.  We brainstormed together for a little bit before deciding to start the shoot with a theme of lemon yellow – her favorite color.  Thus, the vintage lemonade stand was born.  Then our minds wandered a little bit and we ended up with a ton of other fun stuff!  Riley is just gorgeous and wonderful in front of the camera.  Thanks for an amazing shoot, love!  You’re beautiful!

Not to crush anyone’s dreams or anything, but… definitely not lemonade in that pitcher.  It’s, um, nasty water we took from the creek and added yellow food coloring to.  Yum!  It reminds me of that scene from the old Addams Family movie:

Snotty Girl Scout : “My mom says I can’t buy your lemonade unless it’s made from REAL LEMONS..”

Wednesday Addams : “Well, I hope your Girl Scout cookies are made from real Girl Scouts.”

Anyways…

Sunflowers = picked from the side of the road.  True story.

The following shots are in her grandmother’s vintage rain coat!  I love it :)  That B&W shot on the right is SO INTENSE!  One of my favorites :)

Cool people can fake rain.  It’s true.

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Claire September 2nd, 2010

Yes!! I love that I helped brainstorm for this. I love how it turned out. :D

admin September 2nd, 2010

hahaha.. me: “Okay Claire. What’s yellow?”
You : “What are you talking about?”
Me: “No, just.. what’s yellow? What are yellow things?”
lol…

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A huge congratulations and a big thank-you to some of my couples who were recently featured!

Lindsay & Brandon’s engagement session was featured on Colorado Wedding Style.  I can’t wait to shoot their Seattle wedding NEXT WEEK!  Yay!

And, their engagement video was featured, too:

Sara & Cole’s  wedding was featured on Couture Colorado:

Abbey &  Justin’s wedding was featured on Best of Colorado Weddings Magazine blog :

And, images from Ryan & Rachel’s wedding last year were used in Mt. Princeton Hot Springs’ page in the Colorado Sites & Services directory!

Thanks, everyone- and congratulations! :)

Before Maddie & I even met, I knew I was going to love her.   We emailed back and forth for days about her senior portrait shoot, and she got me so amped up I totally dropped the “L” word on her over email before we even met.  And I did – I loved her immediately!  And I loved her grandmothers’ suitcases.  And her Vespa.  And her kayak.  And her cute, cute smile.  And her newspapers.

Maddie is the editor of her school newspaper and a contributing writer at the local Salida paper!  We came up with tons of fun ideas involving newspapers, but ended up going with this one in the aspens :)

I love it!  Thank you dear!

Okay… I seriously debated splitting this engagement session into two separate posts.  Then I debated splitting it into three posts, because, really, each location we hit could have stood on it’s own.

Meet Shalisa & Nate.  I’ll be shooting their wedding next summer (yay!)  She wasn’t totally sure how she found me, but she’s been blog-stalking me for a while, which makes me happy :)  What she doesn’t know is that I’ve totally been Facebook stalking her!  When Shalisa contacted me for wedding info, I looked her up on Facebook, and she was downright, amazingly GORGEOUS.  I knew that I really, really wanted to shoot her wedding, just as much as she really, really, wanted to have me shoot it.  It’s a match made in heaven – almost as good as her match with Nate, right? ;)  Ever since she booked me, we’ve been exchanging ideas and information like crazy people :)  So who knows – if you’ve been blog-stalking me, let me know!

So we put this shoot together, combining Nate (DJ Sounds Supreme, woot woot! )’s DJ skills with Shalisa’s amazing style. We hit up three amazing locations, using Nate’s DJ skills as inspiration for all three.  I LOVE THIS SHOOT.  Aah!  The wedding promises to be truly amazing :)  Prepare yourself for a mind-blowing quantity of images.

Location #1: Wax Trax in Denver.  Big, big thanks for letting us be silly all around your store.

Location #2 – The Beauty Bar, a retro bar / club/ salon.  If you’re in Denver, and you’ve never been, you MUST GO.  You can get a martini at the same time as you get a manicure, and the flipping walls are entirely flipping covered with flipping glitter.  Need I say more?

How hot are these two?  I mean, like… DAMN.

Location # 3- homemade outdoor dance party.  This is why I love them.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  You guys are completely amazing and I couldn’t ask for better clients.  I can’t wait for the wedding!  Stay tuned for a fun engagement video, too :)

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Mish August 29th, 2010

I adore every single one of these photos! They well up my eyes with tears..in the best way! You two are the BEST, you mean the world me to me!! What an amazing shoot…shout out to Cedar House Photography for doing an outstanding job with an outstanding couple! XO

Claire August 30th, 2010

WOW! Molly, this is the most adorable shoot I have EVER seen. This just raised the bar for engagement sessions for sure. I don’t even know them, but I’d totally put a print of them on my wall. Ha!! :)

Bryson August 30th, 2010

You guys are too cool! These pictures are amazing. I’m not sure how I feel about all the kissing, yucky. Just kidding.

Love ya

Briana August 30th, 2010

I absolutely love ALL of them!!! They are so perfect and I cant wait for the gorgeous wedding pictures :)

Abbe August 30th, 2010

I am amazed by these photos! NO other way to express the love these two share…music, fun and spontaneity! Love them! Congrats you two!

XO
~Abbe

Lindsey August 30th, 2010

I am in with love! You guys rock the dance floor and the disco forrest!

Love you both!
Lindsey

Amira Watters (Mom) August 30th, 2010

OMG! These are FABULOUS! I almost cried – it’s beautiful, artisitic, creative – I Loved it!! And this photographer….amazing! You are both beautiful and I love you very much!!

Gigi & Dan August 30th, 2010

Great photos of you two…..Big Congratulations! We are so happy for you both…..Love Gigi & Dunn

admin August 30th, 2010

Thanks, everyone! We had SO much fun and I can’t wait for the wedding – it’s going to be epic :)

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Ryann came all the way down from Castle Rock for me to shoot her senior portraits!  We hung out at her grandparent’s ranch just outside of town and caught some amazing light.  This girl is seriously stunning!

One of my favorite, random shots.  I love the light, I love the texture, I love the soft colors :

Ryann, I know you have a gorgeous smile, but I think there’s something so intense about your eyes in the serious ones:

I LOVE this one!  Me: “Okay, fix your hair a little bit in the front…. nope, okay, never mind.  That was exactly the shot I wanted.”

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Jackie Rackley August 29th, 2010

Molly you did an amazing job with Ryann’s pictures!!!! We will be back in two years to have her sisters done! Thanks again!!!

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I met Arlene in Colorado Springs for her fun, urban senior portrait session.  I love shooting in Colorado Springs & Denver – there’s so much new, fun territory around every corner :)  She seemed so comfortable in front of the camera and is totally and completely beautiful.  Congratulations on graduating and good luck with the Air Force!  Thanks for a great shoot :)

See what I mean about the “gorgeous” part?

I LOVE THIS ORANGE WALL!

When I shoot weddings, people frequently come up to me during the reception when the dance floor is getting hot and say something like, “Man, it sucks that you have to work and you can’t have fun at weddings!”  I always laugh and start trying to explain myself, but it can be a long explanation :)  I would SO much rather shoot a wedding than be a guest at a wedding – and this definitely includes my friends’ weddings, too!

A few years ago I took the intensive Meyers-Briggs personality test.   I was a little skeptical at first, but as soon as I got my results and started reading about my personality type, it was seriously eerie.  I’m an INTP, which basically means that I’m introverted, independent rather than being a leader or a follower, and really really logical rather than emotional.  Things that I thought were just weird little personal idiosyncrasies are, it turns out,  particular to all INTPs.  It was actually kind of creepy.  Like, for example, I’ve always hated games.  I’m really not sure what my deal is, but card games, Monopoly, mini-golf, whatever – you name a game, I can guarantee I will never want to play it.  I always thought this was just another one of my weird “things”, but it turns out all INTPs just hate games.   Other famous people with my personality type include Einstein, Pascal, Carl Jung, Darwin, both of the Olsen twins, Descartes, Socrates, and – the one that really made it hit home – Brian the dog from “Family Guy”.  That was my true “aha!” moment – it was like the planets aligning.  I. am. Brian.  It all makes so much sense now :)   Although it’s a pretty uncommon personality type, I have two close friends who are also INTPs, and we can pretty much read each other’s minds.

What being an INTP means for me as a photographer is pretty cool – actually, “photographer” is one of my recommended careers.  To quote from the  intp.org website, we have “…a curious desire to observe from a detached position..” and “tend to mirror the emotional content of the other person”.  Although I love my friends, it takes a lot of mental energy for me to be a guest at a big event.  I’ve noticed that this is one of the things that I love about shooting weddings: I can be a part of your social event while still being my introvert self – you know, “observing from a detached position”.  It’s totally ideal for me.  Also, I definitely find myself mirroring the attitude of my clients on their wedding day.  I’m pretty easy to get along with because I feed off of other people’s “vibes”.

In terms of composition, “When involved in portrait or people photography, the INTP will also be primarily concerned with the mood conveyed by the person in the eye of the lens. Quality photographic skill, as well as an intrinsic feel for imagery, is usually second nature to the INTP and can make a good career choice. When viewing photographic images, say in magazines, the overriding concern is for how the photo is conveyed; its mood, its colour, contrast and shading usages, its perspectives and image quality.”
And, it’s true!  My favorite images  (both mine and other photographers’) are the ones that really make me feel something.  Not just a singular emotion (“oh, this one of people smiling makes me feel happy”) but images that portray mood- images that make you feel the same way you felt when you were there.

If you haven’t taken the Meyers-Briggs test and you’d like to, you can take it for free here, but you have to sign up for a free account.

If you want to find out more about INTPs and you like reading lots of dense scientific material, you can read about us here :)  Because we’re nerds like that.

Speaking of “mood”…  here are some fun images from Maddie’s senior portrait session that I love the mood of:

I can’t wait to blog this session!  :)

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Maddie August 29th, 2010

Molly!!! I love it! Gah you are so fing amazing it is unbelievable. I had so much fun with you! I can’t wait to come down tomorrow and see you again! Thanks again for everything.
You rock my socks.
~Maddie
p.s. Brian the Dog is so incredible on many, many levels.

Kyndra August 29th, 2010

Molly,
Thanks for a great session this Friday! Funny that you reference the MBTI. I’m an ENTP and although I am an extravert, I too have always hated games. Hah! Tom and I are MBTI certified and are putting on a Myers-Briggs and Marriage class this fall if you’re interested.

Otherwise, I can’t wait to see the photos! Thanks again.
K

admin August 29th, 2010

we have three out of four, kyndra! haha :)

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Other than the fact that they’re wicked fun, destination weddings are extra special because we get to shoot for a few days!  Shelly & Daniel recently got married in Estes Park, and the next day, we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for a fun day after / trash the dress session.  I realized how spoiled I was when we were driving through the park and hit a traffic jam on the narrow, windy mountain road.  Huge black thunderclouds threatened in the distance, we hadn’t started shooting yet, and I was getting a little frustrated.  I knew if we didn’t hurry, we were going to get dumped on.  So, we’re crawling along, we pass some elk on the road, and then traffic sort of let up.  It took me a few minutes before I realized that traffic was stopped FOR the elk – everyone was taking pictures out their windows and ooh-ing and aah-ing.  Me, I’m just like, “Elk, whatever, let’s go.”  People from all over the world come to Rocky Mountain National Park probably just to see the elk, and I see them so regularly that I don’t care unless they’re about to hit my car :)

We finally found the perfect spot and pulled off the road and started shooting.  Within minutes, people were honking and waving and yelling congratulations from their windows.  One older German guy was cracking us up, shouting things like, (to Shelly) “You are ze best animal in ze park!”  and (to Daniel) “You are ze best hunter I have met!”  Which… you know… was a little awkward.  But made us laugh.  So there’s that.

Anyway.  Here’s to timberline, marshy fields of wildflowers, and knowing what the elk feel like in front of the tourists.

Then it got all dark & stormy & awesome.

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amber morain August 25th, 2010

OH MY! love Love LOVE!!!

Chandra August 26th, 2010

WHOA! Molly these are INCREDIBLE – I covet these pics – LOL! You continue to amaze me each time you turn a corner…. these are breathtaking!

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Brittany & Ayla are two of my favorite, favorite seniors from last year.  They go to different schools, so I had no idea they knew each other, but apparently they’re good friends from skiing and snowboarding together.  Brittany is usually very articulate, so I was a little bit confused when she was being so vague in her emails to me.

“What sorts of ideas do you have?”  I’d ask.

“Oh, well, I have some ideas,” she’d write back.  I started to think that something was up, but I let it slide.  When we met for their session, she was showing me all the stuff she brought – dresses, shoes, accessories – and then she started smirking.  And explained that she also brought a giant hot dog suit and a giant banana suit.  Is it any wonder I love these girls so much?

l

a

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Scout August 25th, 2010

LOVE Brittany and LOVE these shots!

smallzi August 25th, 2010

badass work chica. you never cease to impress me.

Jessie August 25th, 2010

I have been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for this blog every since I saw you guys that morning!!!!!! lovin’ it. ESPECIALLY mama d’s, does it get more classic than that? I think not.

Chandra August 26th, 2010

#@$%!

Chandra August 26th, 2010

#@$% YES!

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Bryn came all the way from Burlington to have me shoot her senior portraits, and I am so glad she did.  This girl is downright gorgeous.  She’s like Natalie Portman’s twin sister, but prettier.  She brought me some great clothes and tons of fun props – she’s so sweet and beautiful that it’s almost unreal.  Bryn – you are amazing in front of the camera!  Thank you!

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Bryn August 24th, 2010

YAY!! I was so excited to see them on here you did a great job, your so amazing Molly!

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