Joe and Carlie’s Engagement Session

 

Joe and Carlie were so much fun, they were willing to create some zany ideas, and I can’t wait to photograph their wedding next month.  I actually did a short video of Joe and Carlie doing the silent movie acting on the train tracks.  If you want to take a look it’s at www.karenskellyphoto.com, Galleries/Videos (click on it and let it load first).  They’re getting married at Redstone Inn in Redstone CO and I found out I’m moving in about a week, so I’ll have to do some extra driving to get to their wedding, but it’ll be totally worth it.  I’ll now be working as a Photographer in Durango CO.

Jason and Nicole’s Engagement Session

Jason is in the military service stationed in Indiana and Nicole lives and works in Colorado.  This was one weekend they were able to get together and what a better way to spend together than an engagement session.  They’re getting married in August and haven’t decided where they’re going to live once Jason is out of the service (she says Colorado definitely – but who wouldn’t want to live here!)

We had a fun time, even when I made them get into the really cold water at the falls.

Jim and Becky’s Wedding in Aspen CO

Jim and Becky were married on an unusually warm day for Aspen in March (it was around 70 degrees F).   Usually in March it would be snowing and cold.   They married on her parents balcony and then we went to a couple different locations to take some beautiful images.  Becky has 2 boys from a previous marriage so they have a ready made family.   I asked them if they wanted to go to Ashcroft Ghost Town and they were sooo excited because they live in Chicago and don’t have too many ghost towns there.  We had a great time.

Sammy’s entry into Charity Model Search

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I loved photographing Sammy – she is definitely the cutest kid.  These were taken to enter into the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Cutest Kid Charity Model Search.  NILMDTS is an organization which hundreds of photographers, including myself, volunteer our services for.  If a family has lost a newborn I go to the hospital and take photographs of the baby and the baby with their families.  Then the family gets a cd with the images on them so they have a memory of their baby.

You can go to http://www.charitymodelsearch.org/ci.php/photos/showphoto/1824  and enter as many votes as you want for Sammy (they are only $1 per vote).  The winners will be determined by the largest number of votes.   The Grand Prize winning child will win a $500 travel voucher from Frontier Airlines, a point and shoot camera and a $1000 savings bond. Winner is responsible for all taxes, and fees. 2nd and 3rd place runners-up will win point and shoot cameras and a savings bond. NILMDTS reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value based on prize availability from our partner sponsors providing the prizes.  Voting starts any time and ends on 3/23/12.

Sammy’s parents both work 3 jobs to support their family, so this would mean a lot to them.  I also photographed their wedding (Melanie and Andy), whose wedding post you can read on this blog.

The image that I entered into the contest is the last one on this page – the headshot with the black hat.  It was the most popular when I posted them on facebook.  Now, go vote!!!

Cutest Kid Contest for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

I volunteer for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep which is a non-profit organization that families who have lost a newborn utilize to have beautiful portraits of their baby and it’s a free service to them.  This is their annual fund raiser to determine the cutest kid in North America.  Here is the poster giving more information.  Call me to set up an appointment or if you have any questions.  Karen, 970-625-3468.  We really appreciate your support and want to show off your adorable child.

 

Wedding at Lodge at Cordillera near Vail CO

Josh and Mandi came here from Kansas to do some snowboarding.  So they decided to throw in a wedding and honeymoon while they were here.  A bunch of friends and family came to celebrate and join the fun, and fun they had – it was a great wedding.  I personally wanted to bring the old telephone booth home, but alas, no such luck.

Samantha’s Senior Portrait Session in Rifle CO

This is a short video of Samantha’s Senior Portrait Session.  She was rockin it!

 

Interview with Melanie about her wedding at Sunlight Mountain Ski Resort

Andy and Melanie were married on September 17, 2011 at Sunlight Mountain Ski Resort.  They’re a really really fun couple who were both in the army – Andy was stationed in Iraq and Mel was at Ft Benning GA.  They met because Andy became friends with Mel’s father and brother and then were at a Christmas party together at her parents home.  They’re both extreme runners who love nothing more than doing the hardest, highest, farthest races like the Warrior Dash where you have to jump over fire, crawl thru mud, and scale a wall, so of course, they had to wear some running shoes for their wedding images.

 

Me:  So Mel, what was the theme of your wedding and who made the decorations?

Mel:  We’re both big time campers, so we chose camping as our theme and I made all the decorations for the table tops, the invitations, and the favors.  It was so much fun and the guests enjoyed it very much.

 

Me:  What was your favorite moment during the wedding that you will always remember?

Mel:  It had been raining all morning, and right before the ceremony, it stopped and the sun came out – it was so beautiful.  Then it started raining again shortly afterwards and a couple more times throughout the day, but it stopped long enough to get some wonderful photographs.

Me:  Where did you get your dress, the shoes, and the bridesmaid’s dress

Mel:  The bridesmaid and flower girl are my daughters and we got their dresses at Sears.  My dress came from Milanoo.com and we got our shoes from Famous Footwear (nothing fancy here – it’s a camping theme remember?).    My jewelry belonged to my grandmother who got it in Okinawa Japan when she was a schoolteacher there.  We also had a “camp director”, who was my best friend Kathy Yost.

Me:  How about your hair and makeup?

Mel:  My hair was done at Sanctuary Spa in Glenwood Springs CO by Amanda.  I did my own makeup.

Me:  And your flowers?

Mel:  Those were made by Flowers by Staci also in Glenwood Springs.  I loved my flowers – they were exactly the right colors.

Me:  Tell me about your cake and the food served.

Mel:  The cake was made by Melissa Miller at Killer Cakes in Glenwood Springs.  Since it was a camping theme, the cake had crumbled cookies in it to look like dirt, gummy worms, had two bears on top, and was placed on top of a piece of tree.  The rest of the food was catered by Sunlight.

Mel:  Also, for two days before the wedding, we invited guests to set up their campsites, and then do some whitewater rafting or a four wheel/jeep tour and then we had a backyard campfire at our home.  This is Colorado after all – these are the things we love to do!

Me:  This was a really fun wedding and I was honored to be their photographer.   Mel and Andy are an amazing couple and are obviously very much in love.

Let me know what you think.  Thanks for looking and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Total Eclipse of the Moon in Rifle CO

The other night there was a total eclipse of the moon at around that lasted from around 6 am to 6:45 am.  It was pretty cool, but the moon went behind the mountains before I was able to get the whole thing.

Eclipse of the Moon

Eclipse of the Moon

Scarrow Family Reunion in Rifle CO

The Scarrow family had a reunion and 8Oth birthday party for Papa George.  He had his children, grandchildren and some great grandchildren were there to celebrate with him.  He’s a feisty senior citizen as you can tell from the wine he rec’d as one of his gifts.  Trying to corral 60 people for a group photo in the only shady spot on the whole farm at high noon was a definite challenge.  Brought my two studio lights with soft box and umbrella to light up the group’s faces (had to do some head swaps because I’m not sure it’s possible to get that many people to look at the camera and smile at the same time).  And yes this was during the summer and there’s snow on the ground right now, but hey I’ve been catching up getting everyone’s photographs enhanced.