Denver Family Photographer | Family, Fun and of course Frolic

Posted on June 9, 2010

I had the most amazing time photography the fabulous Hulstrom family last Sunday.  Not only was the location AMAZING (Thank you Vicki for introducing me to it!), but the kids were  also so much fun to play with. They were a bundle of energy and that made for some fantastic candid images. Honestly, I know I was working but I as usual I had a great time too!

Vicki, thank you so much for allowing me to photograph your BEAUTIFUL family. It was a blast! Here is your sneak peek. I will email you when you gallery is ready for viewing.

Oh and to you blog stalkers out there please leave a comment so this amazing family can earn a free print. THANKS!

Denver Family Photographer | My baby turns “3″

Posted on June 2, 2010

Make a wish and give it wings
Dreams of bright and beautiful things

Dance through all the fun filled hours
Don’t forget to smell the flowers

Share some love and birthday cake
All life joys are yours to take

And when evening comes to view
Thanks your lucky stars you’re you

Happy Birthday!!

I sincerely can’ t believe that it has been 3 years since I held you in my arms for the first time sweet boy.  You came baring gifts even I could not have imagined. You have brought so much joy and laughter to our lives.  It feels like a fleeting moment and that only yesterday you were smiling for the first time, sitting by yourself, taking your first step and saying your first word.  Each of these milestones and many more have made up these last 3 years and though I want it to slow down a bit I am excited to see what you conquer the next 3.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY my sweet baby boy. May the year ahead be filled with laughter, love and new discoveries.

I love you!

Mom

Finding balance| Denver Family Photographer

Posted on April 26, 2010

“Our lives are a mixture of different roles.
Most of us are doing the best we can to find whatever the right balance is . . .
For me, that balance is family, work, and service.”
Hillary Rodham Clinton

Like many, I struggle with finding a balance in my life.  I have spent the last year trying to find it among family time, growing my business, maintaining friendships and giving back to others and my community. As many of you know it isn’t easy. Even when trying to focus on one task you are less than a 100% because you are concerned about dropping one of the other balls you are trying to juggle.  We all do it in one way or another.

The other day it occurred to me that in my attempt to help others capture their family moments I had neglected to capture some of mine. My youngest has grown so much over the last 6 months and I hadn’t documented it as well as I should have. So in attempt to remedy that oversight today I am posting a few of my own.  In fact, I  think I will be sprinkling in these images more often in order to make it as much as a priority as I do my fabulous clients images. I hope you will humor me a bit.

Oh and if any of you amazing blog stalkers have found the secret to finding balance; please share. The only answer that seems to come back to me is “forgiveness”. Forgiving yourself for not being perfect and for not being able to do it all seems to me to be the only way to survive the balance struggle. What are your thoughts?

Oh and more often than not his images look like this. I guess he got my goof side.

Nichole Van Workshop | Denver Portrait Photographer

Posted on April 5, 2010

You should make photographs with your heart, mind, eye & soul. The capture device is simply there to allow you to transfer your vision to a medium that you can share with others.

- Bill Frakes

So as many of you know (and some of you don’t) I had the distinct pleasure of attending “Nichole Van’s Professional Photography Workshop”.  Let me start off saying “WOW!”.  In all honesty I am not sure I can fully express what a fantastic experience this was.  It was well worth the investment and I highly recommend it to any of my fellow photogs whom are looking for a great workshop.

Let me start off by saying that Nichole is not only an extremely gifted photographer, but her previous experience as a college professor gives her a unique advantage when it comes to teaching the content of her workshop.  She really is able to explain things in a way that makes them easy to follow and understand.  The workshop itself is extremely well organized and is full of fantastic content. She has thought of everything, is open and forthright based on her experience and it showed.  I personally came home with a wealth of information that I will now be able to apply in my own art and business.  Yes, Nichole has a very distinct style when it comes to photography but her workshop isn’t about her style; it is about learning the tools to assist you in being able to express your own creative vision. Leaving her workshop I actually felt like I was given numerous little gifts that will forever be in my photographic tool box.  For me this is what a great workshop should be.

Oh and a quick side note…. Nichole is hysterically funny!  I know many wouldn’t choose to mention that when reviewing a workshop but the girl had me laughing the whole time I was there and I appreciate  a great sense of humor.

So our shoot day was quite cold to say the least and I have to give a huge “THANK YOU” shout out to our fantastic (and gorgeous) models. These girls literally stood outside in the freezing temperatures for hours without complaining.  No matter how many times I offered them my coat or told them they could go in to warm up they gratefully refused and when on working to give us there best poses.  They were all a blast to work with and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Also, a few of us were fortunate enough to coax Nichole’s beautiful daughter outside for a few shots. She was such a great sport and so patient with all of the cameras pointing at her. She is quite the little lady and gracious to boot.

So without overloading you blog stalkers out there I wanted to show a few (ok more than a few) of my shots from the workshop.

Thank you so much Nichole , Dave, their families, the models and my fabulous fellow workshop attendees for making this workshop so much fun!  It really was worth the money and time I invested to attend and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.  ;)

Oh and for those of you who just read my review whom are thinking, “Wow, I need to attend one of Nichole’s workshops”; you can find them here

Nichole’s Amazing Workshops (my verbiage of course)

I *Heart* Faces | Denver Portrait Photographer

Posted on March 30, 2010

I *HEART* FACES DRAMATIC BLACK & WHITE CHALLENGE

I LOVE THE  ”I HEART FACES” BLOG. IT IS A FABULOUS PLACE THAT HAS WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGES.  ANYONE CAN PARTICIPATE AND I THINK IT IS GREAT WAY TO SEE THE WORK OF SO MANY AMAZINGLY TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHERS (BOTH PRO AND HOBBYISTS ALIKE).

THIS WEEK’S THEME IS DRAMATIC BLACK AND WHITE. I LOVE THIS IMAGE AND I I THINK IT FITS THE THEME PERFECTLY.

IF YOU LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY AND YOU WANT TO HAVE SOME FUN I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND YOU CHECK OUT WWW.IHEARTFACES.BLOGSPOT.COM.

YOU WILL BECOME ADDICTED QUICKLY!

Sweet Sweet Baby | Denver Newborn and Family Photographer

Posted on March 16, 2010

“She will fill our lives with sunshine… And our hearts with love.”
~ Author Unknown

After yesterday’s session I find myself speechless. Capturing images of this beautiful 7 day old beauty was an amazing and emotional experience.  The love her parents have for her was palpable and to be in the presence of that love was magical at best.  Experiencing the joy , love and wonder in these precious family moments reminds me of how blessed I am to share and captures these memories. It truly is awe inspiring and life altering in every way that is good.

Thank you Karla, Shem and Holden for allowing me to capture your new amazing daughter/sister.  She is quite the charmer!

Ok, I just have to make a small note about the next image.  You may have guessed it but it completely and utterly cracked me up!  I mean look at the look on her face. Is that not a laugh out loud moment?

A vacation full| Colorado Family Photographer

Posted on December 9, 2009

“A vacation is like love – anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort, and remembered with nostalgia. ” ~Author Unknown

What a vacation this has been I cannot believe it is almost over. It has been filled with so many wonderful experiences; I am not quite sure I could even share them all with you.  So instead of doing a paragraph (or two ) of how great this trip was I think I will just share with you some of my “HITS” and “MISSES”.

My vacation “HITS”

1.  Spending uninterrupted time with my family. PRICELESS!

2. Watching Roman’s eyes filled with wonder as he was taking in all the new sites and sounds. His senses were on overload.

3. The night my my mother put Roman’s diaper on….. BACKWARDS.  We found it in the morning after she had put him to bed the night before and it gave me a great laugh.

4. Taking my father and my hubby on the Jungle cruise so they could get a taste of what it is like to live with their BAD jokes. If you knew them you would understand.

5.  Seeing and speaking with people from all over the world.  So cool! My hubby says that no matter where I go, I am never a stranger because I talk to everyone. It gives me an opportunity to meet so many nice people and honestly I think it makes people feel good to be acknowledged in some way; even if it is just a “hello”.

6. Ok, I know I am a dork but when traveling I LOVE LOVE LOVE taking pictures for people. So many times you run into couples and families who go home with pictures from their trip and someone is always missing because they are behind the camera.  I don’t think I can begin to count how many times I offered to take pictures for people; knowing that if they go home with only one picture from a trip that shows them all together that I had I did that for them makes me very happy.

7. Pin trading~ Ok, some little unknown fact about me is that I am addicted to trading Disney pins. It is so much fun and gives me yet another way to meet different people. I love it!

8. The fireworks at Epcot. We rented a private boat this year and sat on the lake during the fireworks. What a view! Thanks Mom for arranging this is really was a huge highlight.

9. Finding out that one of Roman’s favorite rides was the elevator in our building  and that we could of stayed home to make him that happy. He also loved all of the trains we rode. What a happy boy.

10.  Funnel Cakes

My vacation “MISSES”

1.  That my eldest had to miss this vacation.  He stayed home to practice for his debate competition and I respect his commitment, but boy did I miss him!

2.  The lack of graciousness I witnessed daily. It makes me so sad to notice that people just aren’t as considerate and gracious anymore. I miss the days when people would readily said please, thank you and excuse me. It just doesn’t seem to happen anymore. 

3. My aching feet!  Boy do my feet hurt.

4. The cold I now have after being exposed to millions of germs. Not a fun souvenir to bring home.

5. Funnel cakes

Disney, we have landed | Denver Family Photographer

Posted on December 1, 2009

“There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.”

— Charles Dudley Warner

Well after a long day of travel we have finally arrived. My little man is so excited about every little moment we have had today; especially the motorized walkway at the airport.  We must have went up and down it 20 plus times.  I love how the simple things thrill him. I am going to have to get back to that place.  I think as we get older we don’t easily recognized or find the joy in the simple things.  Perhaps this will be one of my goals for 2010.

It was a VERY long day and we are all exhausted.  I cannot believe how well behaved my little guy was considering we were all running on about 3 hours sleep. Not easy for an adult; very hard for a toddler. Those of you whom have traveled with toddlers are saying to themselves, “AMEN”.

I think my favorite part about today is seeing the smiles on the faces of strangers as Roman passed them by in the airport or the plane. The site of him wearing his Mickey ears and the excitement in his eyes made them beam and in turn it made my day.   Roman brings all of us so much joy and in turn made my day.

Tomorrow the Magic Kingdom it is. I am so excited about the opportunity of capturing the wonder in Roman’s eyes as he is experiences a place that brought me so much joy as a child.  These are some of the best moments of being a parent.  I am giddy with the prospect.

We are off to join the magic! | Denver Family Photographer

Posted on November 30, 2009

“A man should never neglect his family for business.”

Walt Disney

In the spirit of what the great Walt Disney is quoted as saying above; I am officially on vacation.  Our bags are packed and my camera is in hand. My family has been so supportive and patient this last year as my business has flourished and now it is their time.  We are off to Walt Disney World for a fantastic family vacation.  I cannot tell you how excited I have been about this trip and the memories we are going to make as a family.  We started taking an annual family trip with my parents 16 years ago after my sweet brother passed away.  We decided after attending the service and feeling no relief from our grief  that it would be best if we went  away as a family together .  We have been honoring that tradition every year since and it means so much to all of us. They are so much more than your average family vacation. We value these trips because they honor my brother by giving us a special opportunity to build happy memories as a family.

So Kristanne V Photography is officially closed through the month of December.  We will be accepting new clients starting Jan 10th; currently all January session slots are filled and we are currently booking for February 2010.

Happy Holidays!

Kristin

An admitted Zoo addict | Denver family photographer

Posted on November 19, 2009

” Does the quizzical expression of the monkey at the zoo comes from his wondering whether he is his brother’s keeper, or his keeper’s brother.”

Ok, so I am a Zoo addict.  I love going there. In fact, even if I did not have kids I would wander around the Zoo.  Well now that I am sitting here writing this I think it isn’t actually the Zoo I love; it is so many things. It is the opportunity to see animals that I would never get to see and learning about them. It is the sound of squealing children when they see  a giraffe’s tongue for the first time. It is the smell of kettle corn, the sound of the train and the blue tongues of children who convinced their parents that cotton candy is a “must have”. Mainly I love that it is a place where families gather and spend time together; real quality time.  Several generations gather in this one place and it is filled with love and wonder. Who wouldn’t love that?   I love the Zoo so much that I try and go there at least once a month.  I could probably fill a whole hard drive with all the images I have taken over the years at the Zoo. Well out of the goodness of my heart I will only bore you with a couple of shots from my last visit.  It was a great day.  I had both of my boys with me, the weather was gorgeous and Roman tried cotton candy for the first time.  Not a hit by the way; despite is huge sweet tooth(something he got from his father) he didn’t like it that much (images below).  I am sure our dentist will be thrilled by this epiphany.

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