I’m officially done with this old blog—and have a new too cool for school, custom blog by Treble Red Media.  LInk here and contine down this path with me…. http://www.julieharrisphotography.com/blog

I’m officially done with this old blog—and have a new too cool for school, custom blog by Air Publish.  LInk here and join the RSS feed. http://www.julieharrisphotography.com/blog

I had always wanted to do this!!! Eric contacted me about 2 months ago to see if I would be interested in photographing his proposal to Elissa. Ummmm…. duh! I can’t think of anything I would rather photograph. The emotional element to a shoot like this is a once in a lifetime thing—for them too! Hee hee. But really, I cried more than Elissa! And I think I might have been more nervous than Eric. What if I opened my big mouth and blew the surprise, or sneezed and missed the moment, or what if I couldn’t focus my camera, or worse—what if she said no? Of course she said Yes. And from the moment he “popped the question”, Elissa was ecstatic.  Her eyes stayed wide and her mouth was curled up for at least an hour!  It was one of my favorite shoots of the year.

And I have to give Eric major props…  It’s only once that a girl gets proposed to—and if she is proposed to more than once, she is only proposed to for the first time, once in her life.  You catch my drift—it’s a big moment in a girl’s life!  And Eric was so thoughtful.  He planned everything out so perfectly.  It showed how important the proposal was to him as well.  Even the ring was perfect.

So, without further ado, I’ll let you check out the pics.  These images need no commentary.  They say more than a thousand words.

If you know my style at all, than you probably know that “trashing the dress” isn’t really my thing. I focus on capturing emotion and genuine moments rather than trying to turn something that is a sacred and momentous into something that should be an advertisement for perfume. That being said, when on the actual day of their wedding, a bride and groom should be super stars and really know how to glam it up, while still authentically living out their wedding day in love, I’m tickled pink! That’s an alignment of many perfect stars! In that world, you have both the emotion of the day, the glamor of everything a bride should be, and the love for a “good time”. This sums up Andrea and Duane’s wedding…. Andrea is a gorgeous rock star who would be any photographers dream with her ability to be herself in front of the camera. And Duane’s total adoration and awe at Andrea’s beauty, is a thing I run across less that I’d like to. These two love each and also have a undying passion for art and beauty. This post–which may look like a “trash the dress”, was nothing of the sort, but was simply the way Andrea and Duane chose to celebrate part of their day—at Lime in Larimer square and all around the parts.

….And did I mention that Andrea is a photographer? Her wedding photographer was a very important decision for her, I feel very honored to have been the one chosen to capture this day.

This shot is purely PJ. Andrea took a horse and carriage over to Lime where they held the celebrations of the day. I got this shot as she was getting into the carriage. Isn’t she fabulous?!

Priceless expression from Duane, as Andrea rounded the corner and started descending the stairs…

Check it out, y’all…. Andrea gave me the honorary Nikon table! I was quite flattered, and my camera appreciated the shout out to Nikon.

I really hope Andrea puts this image on her website! I love it when the bride is also “the photographer”.

…and of course the day wasn’t just glamor—there was plenty of tenderness too. I could never tire of these kind of shots.

Meet the Nekritz family—Ed, Wendy, Jessica and Matthew. What a bunch of strong personalities! There would be no “faking” it from them, which was quite refreshing, actually. I walked away from the shoot feeling like I had actually captured their true spirits—especially the kids. All I had to do to get some shots from Jessica, was to ask her to recite Shakespeare (she’s quite the actress). I think she completely forgot that she was getting her photo taken, and went right into character. As for Matthew, I knew from the moment that I saw him, that he is a fun loving, silly little guy. I simply had Wendy stand behind me while I was taking his photo, and crack a few jokes to get these smiles. Although I have to say, my very favorite shot of the day is of Matthew dead on and stoic. His eyes are amazing….

Chelsy and Phil tied the knot last Saturday at the Chateaux at Fox meadows.  It was a hot, summer solstice ceremony with all the bells and whistles.  Chelsy hired me to do this wedding back in 2006 so I’ve gotten to know these two a bit.  Chelsy hates PDA–Public displays of affection, so it was quite humorous taking their engagement photos, and their wedding day couple photos!  What do you do?  Phil, on the other hand took things into his own hands and got some canoodling out of her!  It was a riot—but they look like they’re having fun, and very much in love in all these shots,  don’t they? And they clearly had a blast at their recception.

Congratulations, you two!  You won’t have to kiss in front of me until your maternity photos! Hee hee!

Chelsy has the most gorgeous blue eyes—they are luminous and  glow from across a room—she is also blessed with amazing lashes.  She told me that she can’t curl her eyelashes, or she’ll get mascara in her eyebrows…. ahhhh poor girl!

Phil is a man in love.  Look at the expression on his face when he first saw Chelsy step out of the manor—priceless!

The Chateaux at Fox meadows doesn’t have a lot of “nature” around it, so outdoor shots can be hard. There is a fountain out front and a couple in the back, but for the most part, the place is surrounded by subdivisions and a parking lot.  I actually kind of liked this—not sure why!  But I love this shot, with the homes in the background—it just feel so honest and journalistic.

I think this shot is sexy.

Chelsy loved her flowers… they were one of the most important things to her about the day.

I don’t advertise myself as a “senior portrait” photographer—-it’s just not my thing. I don’t really care for straightening necklaces and making sure that my subject is perfectly poised in front of some flowers or hugging a tree. But every now and then, I’ll get an inquiry for someone who thinks outside the box and wants me to do their senior portrait–knowing full well that I may break all the “guidelines for the yearbook”. If all seniors were like Alec, I’d be making half my living doing this—he was so great to work with–a little shy at first, but working it like a champ by the end of the shoot. I told him he should do some modeling…

I had to throw in a photo of Alec and his sister—I loved that they didn’t take the shot too seriously… It fit both of their personalities

This is my favorite shot from the day.

Sarah and Simon’s wedding was a dream wedding for a photojournalist—to put it simply. The day was an emotional smorgasboard –there was laugher and tears from both the bride and groom, and what looked like every single guest present! I’m a sucker for moments that move people to tears–be it tenderness or a good old fashion roast, and I was completely in my element at this wedding. Sarah and Simon are two extraordinary people who love deeply–not only each other, but their friends and family, as well. They treated me as though we had known each other for years. I’m always blessed by this.

…And well, let’s be honest–I’ve been waiting for a shot of a bride and groom smoking a cigarette together for years…. I finally got this from Simon and Sarah. What a riot!

This image is more of a cautionary tale…. family portraits are not always easy to get through!

Check out the views from cocktail hour, and of course the amazing decor inside the Ritz Carlton ballroom—Sarah and Simon have some serious class!

Meet Little Lyla Oliver….  the most sweet, and petite little 15 month old!  She was like a little doll to work with–and so beautiful.  I can’t believe I’m even going to say this, because the last thing I want to do is perpetuate the celebrity obsession some of us have, but doesn’t Lyla look just like baby Shilo?  Anyhow, it was a wonderful evening at Wash park with the Olivers—and I owe the pleasant, easy shoot to Baby Lyla!

Brooke and Bill were married last Friday at Ten Mile Station in Breckenridge, and I had the honor of being there to capture all the gorgeous, sweet moments that these two shared with each other and their guests. Brooke was beautiful—simply stunning. I drooled over her dress from Melissa Sweet and seriously would consider renewing my vows just to wear this spectacular gown. Classic and nostalgic, somehow.

Bill didn’t look to bad himself—although he warned me before that he abhors getting his photo taken, so I stuck to catching him in the moment. He’s so in love with Brooke that asking him to tear his eyes away from his lovely bride, would have been a shame. I loved the real emotion at this wedding. It’s so clear that Brook and Bill really love each other…. I walked away very happy and giddy for these two.

Brooke’s sister, Mo was a riot! I loved watching her all day—she really wears her heart on her sleeve…

not a cloud in the sky—and only about 75 degrees. Can you think of better conditions for a lovely mountain ceremony?

I love these next two shots.  The first kiss is a “standard” shot that we all have to capture during the ceremony as photographers—but WOW! This is an extraordinarily hot kiss!

….now this is my idea of a “family formal”!

I thought this was a hilarious moment… where are these ladies? Europe?

Shami and Dan are pregnant—well, actually Shami is pregnant, but they are both enjoying the glow! And truly, Shami is glowing—her skin is luminous and dewy.  Is this one of the perks of pregnancy?  Can I take a vitamin for this?

I went over to their home and photographed them  (on their wedding anniversary) where they had the most lovely, gigantic yard!  They also had just had their wood floors re-done, so we had lots of emtpy rooms to play in!  It was a wonderful, summer maternity shoot!  Happy anniversary, Shami and Dan—I can’t wait to meet the little baby boy when he arrives…