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Real Photography closed in December 2014 and is no longer accepting clients.

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I have been wanting to do a winter engagement shoot in the snow for a long time, and Nic and I just got our chance!  Monica and Dan will be getting married in Vail in September, and came into town to check things out this last week.

Nic and I were watching the weather closely all week…but the weather forecasts LIED.  We had quite the snow showers (and some of the worst traffic of my life–which, since I’m from Seattle, says a LOT), but the pictures were totally worth the 10+ hours Nic and I spent in the car that day!

Monica and Dan are from Texas.  I’m pretty sure they don’t get this snow covered at home.  Maybe we should put a disclaimer on it for the Texans that this isn’t just a really bad case of dandruff… ;)

engagement portrait photographer colorado

(Sometimes my auto watermark action does funny things.  But I have post Thanksgiving turkey coma disease and can’t be bothered to fix it today.)

engagement portrait photographer

Nic’s shot.  I always know he’s got a great angle on it when he tells me that I better bring it because he just nailed the shot…

winter engagement portrait shoot

Consider it ‘broughten.’  (Okay, totally different spot, but it should still count…)

engagement portrait photographer colorado

Nic’s idea to stick Monica’s arms inside Dan’s jacket–I *love* it!  And I love Dan’s expression!

engagement portrait photographer

One of my favorites.  I’m a sucker for Christmas lights!

winter engagement portraits

As we were discussing where to place Monica and Dan for this shot I said to Nic “we’ll put then right there and [blah blah blah]…do you see it?”  [insert blank expression from Nic]  “Doesn’t matter–I see it.”  Which is exactly the thing about photography-you can put five people in the same spot, and they’ll all see completely different shots.  So make sure you go with what you see–don’t worry about other people, because they aren’t seeing what you’re seeing!  And this, right here, is EXACTLY what I saw in my head.  I love it!

engagement portrait photographer vail colorado

Here comes another favorite.  It’s definitely in the “all time faves” folder in my head.  Back at the lodge in front of the fire…

engagement portrait photographer

Quick outfit change and then it was back into the snow!  (It’s not a Colorado mountain scene without some Aspens!)

engagement portrait photographer

A little different processing on this one.  If I didn’t cinnamon up at least one it just wouldn’t be me at the Photoshop helm!

engagement portrait photographer

My shot…

winter snow engagement portrait photographer

Nic’s version (I am seriously digging the tilt)…

engagement portrait photographer colorado

Last one!

engagement portrait photographer vail colorado

This would have been the best shoot ever for behind-the-scenes shots, what with us being up-to-our-knees in snow most of the time, but…ummmm…we failed pretty miserably to catch the behind-the-scenes stuff, we were concentrating so hard on the in-front-of-the-scenes pics.  (That and not dropping any equipment in the snow.  Thank God the D3 is weather-proof is all I’m gonna say!)

A big thanks to Monica and Dan for being such great troopers in the snow and inviting us out to Vail!  We could have spent the whole day shooting–Monica and Dan were up for anything and you couldn’t ask for a better setting!  We hope you love this sneak peek and we look forward to seeing you again in September!

Posted in Engagement Portrait Photographer

Belinda and Justin were married last weekend at St Dominic’s Church in Denver.  They are an adorable couple and it was an honor to photograph their day!

Belinda is one of the most genuinely sweet people I’ve ever met in my life.  And so I forgive her for being so crazy beautiful!

wedding photographer denver colorado

wedding photographer denver colorado

I couldn’t resist an ivy background!

wedding photographer denver colorado

Yep.  Belinda is way too pretty!

wedding photographer denver colorado

Nic’s shot, and my favorite from the ceremony.  I bow down to him.

denver wedding photographers

My favorite “We did it!” face of the year.  Which is a good way to end because this is our last wedding of 2008!

wedding photographers denver

The dove release after the ceremony…

wedding photographer denver dove release

Belinda’s son, Aidan, is such an adorable little boy!  He was so well behaved for us.

wedding photographer denver

We had some beautiful afternoon light.  The kind of light that we just don’t get in most areas of Colorado Springs because the mountains get in the way!

wedding photographer denver colorado

Time for some back alley kisses.  I’m pretty sure photographers end up spending almost as much time in back alleys as muggers.

wedding photographer denver

We had an awesome amount of time between the ceremony and reception for photos, so we played around for a long time and then released them to the limo party…

wedding photographer

My favorite reception shots are almost always from the first dance.  Nic really rocked this one!

wedding photography denver colorado

The mother-son dance always gets me thinking about the future.  (Although I’m pretty sure I’ll run off any of Will’s prospective brides.  Because No One will be good enough.)  :P

denver wedding photographer

Belinda’s father passed away, so her uncle stood in for him on the father-daughter dance and they danced to There You’ll Be (that song from Pearl Harbor) and I cried like a baby.  So much so that Nic was prompted to look at me and ask “Have you been drinking?!”  (But since this was his shot, I know he was feeling it too.)  It was so moving it was totally “two glasses of wine” or “six months pregnant” pain-in-your-chest emotion.  I can’t even proof these without tearing up.

wedding photographer

Before I start crying all over the place again, I’m going to end with my favorite picture of the day.  A little something I like to call “the magic of the D3.”  Or just “a really cool bridal bouquet toss picture.”  Belinda has the cutest expressions!

wedding photographer denver colorado

Thanks, Belinda and Justin, for letting us photograph your day.  You were so easy and fun to work with, so gracious, and so welcoming.  We hope you have a wonderful mini-moon in Vail and fantastic forever together!

Posted in Wedding Photographer

thanksgiving snow

Nov 27, 2008

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here at the Turchin house.  We enjoyed some falling snow during Will’s nap and Nic lamented that it stopped before Will woke up.  But as we were clearing the table of our pie plates, Will ran to the sliding glass door and said “Christmas snow!”

A month or two ago he found our Charlie Brown Christmas dvd and became obsessed.  And whoever says that television isn’t educational has never met Will, because everything Will knows about Christmas he learned from that movie. As he proved yet again when…

He opened the door, stuck his head outside, opened his mouth, and stuck out his tongue.

It was one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.  Even if he was just copying Linus.

(PS–When I frantically grabbed my camera and started firing, Nic laughed at me and called it “an impossible shot.”  I love it when he’s wrong. :P  )

Posted in News