Maui

Maui, it’s hard to believe that it was almost 8 years ago since I last visited! I noticed some changes…. Like a huge rental car station at the airport, wild chickens EVERYWHERE, reservations to see the sunrise at Haleakalā, and dried up fields where there once was sugarcane and pineapple. You may have changed a bit but you’ll always be “home” to me, even though I felt like just another tourist from the mainland driving around in a stupid looking rental car. It was a whirlwind of a far too short trip⁠—I promise it won’t be another 8 years until I return.

4th of July - Carter Lake

Rob got a bike and I couldn’t be happier with my new riding partner.

CRAFTRAD

I am so thrilled that CRAFTRAD, a German motorcycle culture magazine, published my road trip from last year! This is one of the publications that I was always excited to receive in the studio. I can’t read the articles, but you know… It’s still beautiful to look at and admire.

New Year's

Full disclosure: This was not taken at midnight—but who really cares?

El Rey Court

We drove to Arizona for Christmas, much to the disappointment of our backs and cats. We stopped at El Rey Court in New Mexico on the way home. Almost painfully hip :)

a new life

In 2018, I left my full time job of 4 and a half years with no other prospects lined up for myself. I freelanced for a bit, but wasn’t loving it. I took all the skills I learned with Michael and applied them almost seamlessly to being a project manager and occasional photographer at a creative agency. I love this group of people I work with, and I love what I do in this new world I am in.

With that being said, here is a little bit of stuff I’ve gotten to do for Ironton Distillery, a local business in RiNo! Wigwam Creative does all their branding and packaging, and now, photography.

Engaged

My sweet man took me to where we first met 5 years ago and proposed, much to my surprise and shock. I hadn’t the slightest clue! To anyone else, the quiet street of Yarmouth in “new” North Boulder would be decidedly unromantic. To me, it was perfect. I still remember how Rob shook my hand with such intensity inside Molly’s old apartment as he cut through the chaos of an end-of-summer’s party, looking me in the eyes with undivided attention.

We went to Betasso to take self portraits—you’re welcome, mom!

Rob in studio

As I work less and less for Michael, I freelance more and more as I look for another full time position elsewhere.  One day he came into the studio and said "I got you a job!"  He'll be in Sturgis during the timeframe a portrait someone asked him to take needs to be completed by, so he gave the work to me instead.  And of course is nice enough to let me borrow anything I need, like a grey background. 

I love making Rob model for me when I need to test lighting.

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Lucy

A mom wanted portraits of her four year old daughter dressed up as characters from the whodunnit board game "Clue."  She was extraordinarily patient and so precious.

The location was the front of the Molly Brown House in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Denver.  I used to live around here...  Waiting for them momentarily watching the hustle and bustle on the streets made me nostalgic for the city.

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Another revolution around the sun

I'm 27!  My late 20's have arrived.  I am terrified at the prospect of being one year closer to 30.  Boulder has been sweltering, and I was treated to exceptionally hot weather on my birthday with temperatures reaching 100 degrees.  The mountains were beautiful as always, but still scorching. 

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Quinceañera

I was approached to do a quinceañera, and even though events aren't really my thing, I was curious about a cultural rite of passage that I'd never seen before.  While I'm sure the family was happier with the posed pictures, the photojournalist is me is drawn to candid moments.

My original muse

In high school, my AP art final project was a series of cyanotypes.  I photographed my friend Haley in the nude, focusing on the unfettered beauty of the female form.  So when she came to Colorado for an art conference, I of course wanted to photograph her again!

Bug spray

Evening apartment grounds exploration.  Now is the season for bug spray, especially with all the rain we just got in Boulder.

Eden's Shadows

 

 

When I came back from the road, I knew I had a lot of work to do examining the hundreds of images I took, and editing them down to a particular theme. 

It's not enough to do a linear story about myself going on a trip.  That's not terribly interesting or insightful.  What can I offer to the world of photography that will set it apart from other stories about the southwest, motorcycles, etc?

What continuously stood out in my mind was the juxtaposition of nature vs manmade, and how stark the contrast was between the two at times.  I layered two opposing images in a series of ten as a visual representation of what I saw and ultimately came away with after my journey. 

It's now under Stories > Eden's Shadows!

 

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