It has been almost two years since my last post, I almost didn't believe it myself! So much has happened in that time. First I moved from one city to another, then I moved across the country and then across that state.  There has been a lot of photography that has happened in unofficial capacities as I have moved around. Now that I am settled somewhere for a bit ... I have begun to think about resurrecting my photography endeavors. 

The number of nieces and nephews has really grown over the last couple years and this past weekend I had the opportunity to photograph the newest one! Findlay was just 5 days old when I did this shoot and will definitely go back for another round. She is adorable (yes, I might be a little biased) and cuddly (as most newborns are) and really I did not want the snuggles to stop. I will be back for more snuggles soon!

A few weeks after my first excursion to the country, J called me for some last minute photography . This session was even more fun than the last ... and while he pretended to rope some steers, I snapped away!

According to J ... the face is VERY important! ;)

Still catching up on life over the last several months ... here is a little glimpse into my personal life. Back in June, hubby graduated with his master's degree. It was special because he graduated and it was the culmination of a lot of hard work over the last two years. It was also very special because we had both sets of our parents come out for a week and we got to celebrate with hubby AND show them a little bit of the gorgeous mountains that sit majestically to the west of Denver.

I will caveat this with telling you that my mom grew up from about highschool through college in Colorado and my dad went to college out here. Well, for Mom, the mountains are therapeutic and whenever she is here she has to get some time in the mountains and do some hiking/walking and of course driving through them. We were able to help out a little with that. All 6 of us got to go spend a few days in Estes Park at a LOVELY house that we rented. Such a fun time and the scenery was spectacular!

Here is one of the whole group ... no hubby & I didn't coordinate our colors very well at ALL! (that might have been my fault ;)

It was kinda cloudy and rainy while we were there ... and YES, there is still snow on the mountains in June ... this is the view from the back porch of the house we rented.

Hubby got up close and personal with an elk that was hanging out in an area where we stopped on our way back from dinner one night.

*Phew* It's been a long time since my last post ... it's been a busy year. Quite a bit of catching up to do on my recent photography adventures.

Back in May, I had the opportunity to drive outside of the city and get out where wide open spaces instantly calm and refresh one's soul. A couple of my coworkers own a few horses and live on a ranch. I never knew what therapy horses, their smells, the smell of hay, breathing in some fresh air, the smell of tack and the sounds of whinnies can be! One's troubles seem to melt away in the wide open space. It was slightly cool with a bit of a breeze ... *happy sigh*.

Pard & Zan are the two horses who had my full attention the majority of the time we were there (there were a few other horse friends hanging about as well) ... and let me tell you these horses have personalities all their own. Pard & Zan are roping horses and their owners G&J have been competing for several years individually and are now training together to get a buckle as hubby & wifey. What a fun day getting to know these two gorgeous animals and spend a little time outside of work with G and have a little fun in their neck of the woods!

This next one is neither Pard nor Zan, but one of the other horse friends. Beautiful horse with big, soft eyes. She was a little shy though and catching shots of her was a little challenging.

This past weekend one of my two sister's got married. I had the privilege of doing her bridal shoot a few days before the wedding. It was a muggy fall day in Roanoke, Virginia. The leaves were just starting to change and fall. It's a little surreal to do one's sister's bridal shoot & realize what is coming in the next few days. Things went off great and the pictures turned out beautifully. Congrats to Kerry & Collin!

I've always had a fascination with graffiti ... I think it's really cool art. I love how it expreses the artists' personality and often feelings. I love how colorful it is. I love often how BIG it is. I love the creativity of much of it. Our current city has some really fantastic graffiti. I've been thinking for a while how I wanted to make a project of photographing various kinds of graffiti and once it started warming up, so did the project. It also got me wondering what the history of graffiti was ... and thus began "The Graffiti Project". 

Here are a few things I found out abou the history of graffiti:

"Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and it has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire. ... In modern times, paint, particularly spray paint, and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. ... Graffiti may also express underlying social and political messages and a whole genre of artistic expression is based upon spray paint graffiti styles. Within hip hop culture, graffiti has evolved alongside hip hop music, b-boying, and other elements. Unrelated to hip-hop graffiti, gangs use their own form of graffiti to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities. ... Historic forms of graffiti have helped gain understanding into the lifestyles and languages of past cultures." (All this information & more can be found here & here)

It's April here in Denver and they are calling for snow on Tuesday. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE winter & snow and the cold ... but after all these tastes of Spring (days of 60-70 degress & sunny) I think I am ready for the "thaw" as one of my friends says.

All the snow the last few months though, has made for some fantastic photo opps ... and I was out there with my camera & snow boots snapping away. Here is a sample of winter in Denver:

Moving to Colorado has meant photography I never thought I would have the chance to do. Majestic mountains and amazing vistas. My camera has been used more since we moved here than it was for a couple years in NC. I now have more time for photography and exploration. I'm loving every minute of it!

A couple weekends ago hubby & I had a chance to go up to beautiful Estes Park, CO. I had so many people tell me that it was a must see. Estes Park consists of a cute little mountain town and amazing views. It was cloudy & overcast (& a little snowy) the couple days we were there, but it was well worth it and had us jonesing for a chance to come back on a clear day with our cameras. 

One thing I love about the cloudy days (while they are not great for majestic vista shots) is the way the clouds shroud the tips of the mountains and give a mysterious ambiance. We took the scenic route home and encountered beatuful scenery with no where to pull off and take pictures ... ack! It was gorgeous driving through the snow & mist. Here are a few of my favorites that we did manage to take and the clouds just mean we'll have to go back when it's clearer.