The Ernster Family

Do you all remember Paul? AKA John Travolta? His senior pictures are below if you don't. :) Anywho, this is Paul's family. The Ernsters. :) This is such a sweet and beautiful family. We shot around their home (my favorite!) and actually around their neighbor's home too. Thanks neighbors! The shoot was quick and painless. Suzanne had a great idea of what she wanted - just some simple group shots before her daughter headed off to Australia to study abroad. Good luck, Lauren! Live it up and make the most of everyday there. Meanwhile, Paul is about to begin his freshman year at Rice University in Texas. With her children moving all across the globe, I can see why family portraits were necessary!

Amy & Kelly - Part 2

Amy & Kelly - Part 1

I know I say this every time I work with a couple or a family or a senior, but I want to be friends with them! Amy and Kelly are such cool people. Cool is an understatement actually. They're both so laid back and Colorado outdoor enthusiasts to the max. Wait till you see a picture of their wedding cake... that's all I have to say.

What a unique wedding it was. Everything from the Native American blanket ceremony to Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" processional. Not to mention the trivia games at the reception tables, Amy's love for reggae music (which was played through the day) and the intimate phone call to Amy's grandmother who couldn't make it to the wedding.

Amy and Kelly's family and friends were so awesome. Jesie, Ethan, and I felt like we were a part of the family. I love those kind of weddings. :)

As always, click the images to enlarge and please post your thoughts. Interaction on this blog is greatly appreciated whether its questions, comments, or even snide remarks. ;) Simply click the blue "comments" links at the very end of the post.

Boudoir Session, Anyone?

Have you ever met someone and knew instantly that you were going to be good friends? That was the case with Melissa and I. Melissa found me through TheKnot.com. She wanted to take some classy boudoir photos for her fiancé and give them to him in a scrapbook on their wedding night. Jesie and I had such a blast getting to know Melissa. She was so easy going and fun, as you can see by all her laughing in the photos below. When Melissa first wrote me she said, "I already feel somewhat comfortable with you since we both love Americanos and Jesus. :)" I knew we'd be good friends from there on out. Here are just a few of my favorites...

Sarah and Simon

What a sweet note I received from Simon and Sarah after they saw their photos from an impromptu photo shoot at the Trevi Fountain in Rome. I hope my future travels take me their way.

Hi Rene, What can I say.. I am absolutely bowled over...these are amazing, they brought a tear to my eye!

We have just returned from the UK Music Festival, Glastonbury, a 3 day camping festival which was brilliant and these pics have just made my year!

I am going to get them framed straight away and will never forget how kind you were in taking these for us.

You are very talented and have made us very very happy people.

If you ever need a bed in the UK let us know!

Take care and happy travels!

Sarah and Simon (smiling)
xxxxx

Ciao Amici!

That's "Hello Friends!" to those non-Italian speaking viewers. Well wedding season is in full swing and I should soon have many many pictures for your viewing pleasure. But before that, I'm dying to share some images with you from my recent holiday in Italy. I just returned a few days ago... which is lucky for my brides, cause I seriously considering finding a way to stay. ;)

I think I left half my heart in Italy. I was captivated by Italy and its people. I came back with a renewed perspective on the American way of life and a love for the modest Italian lifestyle. In addition, I became quite the connoisseur of gnocci and cappuccino; in fact, I don't see myself drinking Americanos quite as much anymore. :) I felt a connection to the Italian people and can see myself one day studying abroad. I'm looking into an MBA in business administration at one of the most prestigious design schools in Italy: the Politecnio di Milan. I visited the campus and was blown away by its technology.

Other than Milan, I visited Rome, Florence, Siena (I luuuuvv Siena), Riomaggiore and the Cinque Terre, and Venice. Here are just a FEW images from the trip; I have more to show, but do not want to overwhelm you. Check back soon!

ROME:
We sure had our fair share of adventures in Rome. I can't even count the number of times we laughed to the point of tears. We asked for many different sets of directions, got our first taste of interacting with Italians, also had our first taste of the famous Italian gelato. Rome is so filled with history; I'd love to go back. This is such a classic picture as it foreshadows the rest of our trip.... we constantly had our noses in Alyssa's phrasebook and our eyes on my maps (I had one of these for each city and they came in SOOO handy). However, we DID make a point to ditch the map for a day and get lost in every city.

Sara and Simon: I ran into this cute couple at the Trevi Fountain and did a spontaneous photo shoot with the English couple.

Laughing at the entrance to the Coliseum. We were actually able to score 3 free tickets from Totó.

My favorite part of Rome: the wedding photographers!! Both the above and below images were obviously taken in Rome. It was a Monday afternoon and we saw the first couple at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and the above couple outside the Coliseum. I can't even explain the feeling I got when I saw the photographers. They were living my dream of photographing internationally, well I guess to them it was just another local wedding.. how boring.. shooting at the Coliseum AGAIN... ;)

Looking out over Rome from the interior of the Vatican Museum.

Our first dinner in Rome where we coined the term "Rome it up," meaning because we had such a fabulous time in Rome, we were going to "Rome it up" in all the cities to come. This bottle of wine you see here led to a very interesting night of fun, dancing (well almost...), the purchase and use of a street vendor's night flying toy, a very late walk home after realizing the metro was closed, and to top it off, a near "picking" of my pockets!!

SIENA:

Overlooking Siena. This was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. The view was breathtaking and literally almost brought me to tears of joy. Siena is about 30 miles south of Florence in the heart of the Tuscany. (Photos from Florence to come soon.)

Jesie and I having lunch at Key Largo Bar on the perimeter of the Piazza del Campo, a famous square in Siena where the biyearly Pilao derby is held. Siena was one of my absolute favorite towns. It was small and quaint.

MORE PHOTOS FROM FLORENCE, VENICE, THE CINQUE TERRE TO COME SOON!