John Bosley Photography - Denver Portrait Photographer - Seniors, Weddings, Professionals

Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

It's the weekend before Valentine's Day and I've spent the day hanging out with Belinda and Tess. They've been crafty all day making valentines for loved ones and I've been working and taking photos. Among other things, we've been talking about relationships and love. It's contagious, this talk of love. It changes your outlook on things. Maybe not your outlook on life, but at least on the day. It puts a little spring in your step.

I feel so lucky that I get to spend so much time with two people who I love so much: Belinda, my wife, life partner and soul mate; and Tess, someone who was barely even a part of my life a year ago, yet now we're best friends (homies, if you will), studio mates and so much more. Without these two people in my life, I don't know what I'd do.

Really, to me, that's what Valentine's Day is about. It's about romantic love, sure. But what other holiday is there for letting people know how much they mean to you? Thanksgiving? Maybe. Birthdays? Sure. But Valentines Day... It's written off by so many people as a Hallmark holiday, but it can be so much more if you get past the flowers, candy and cupids. So, this Valentine's Day, I plan to tell two amazing people how much they mean to me. I think I'll tell them in person, though. Maybe I'll even write them a valentine. :)

Lorian and Chris - Denver Engagement Photos

2012-02-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

Lorian and Chris are getting married! We met up for their engagement session at Eldorado Canyon on a chilly winter morning and had a great time. Enjoy the photos!

Kristina - Denver High School Senior Photos

2012-02-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

Way back in July I posted Kristina's sneak peek. July! Somehow, I never got around to posting her full blog post!

We met just outside of Fort Collins in some beautiful farm country. I asked Kristina if she would mind if I shot some film, which she was totally OK with, so I brought along an entire arsenal of film cameras (in addition to my digital). Holga, Polaroid, medium-format twin lens... a little bit of everything. We had a great time and I think the photos show it. So, without further ado, here's Kristina!

Yashica TLR - Double Exposure!

Yashica TLR

Holga

Polaroid SX-70

Polaroid Pack Film

Laurie and Jonathan - Golden Wedding Photography

2012-02-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

On a sunny September day, Laurie and Jonathan were married at the beautiful Chapel at Red Rocks. They started out as neighbors. Laurie would plan her runs so that she could see the cute guy across the street. Pretty soon they were hanging out together at BBQs and ~~vandalizing~~ decorating each other's driveway with the rival college football team's logo.

Fast forward to Laurie's birthday. She'd been told to take some time off for a ski trip. Instead, Jonathan surprises her with a trip to Mexico! While in Mexico, Jonathan pops the question, Laurie says yes and... well, I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Also, a big thanks to Annabelle for helping me photograph this wedding!

Catching Up... Part 2

2012-01-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

If you saw yesterday's blog post, you saw some of my color film photos from Thanksgiving. After all the turkey and pie had been eaten, Tess, Mike and I headed out into the park for a quick photo shoot. I traded the color film for black and white and we caught the last of the golden autumn light. As you can see, we were having a lot of fun together and mostly goofing around, but I still love these photos!

Before we get to the photos, though, I have to give a huge thank you to Tess and Mike. They didn't come to spend Thanksgiving with us planning on a photo shoot. I suggested it and they accepted it. We've become very close friends over the past year and I'm so thankful for how much our relationship has grown and blossomed. I really can't think of a better day to spend with close friends and family than Thanksgiving and I can't think of better memories to have than of us in a park with a camera on a beautiful November day.

Catching Up... Part 1

2012-01-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from a 4 week hiatus and couldn't be more ready to get back to photography! What have I been doing for the past 4 weeks? Well, there was a little holiday fun and a few nights out with friends, but for the most part Belinda and I have been working on fixing up our house so we can put it on the market. The hard part about taking off so much time to work on the house (besides the hard work we put into the house) is not getting to take care of things as they happen! Which is why I'm just now sharing photos from Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving? That was a lot longer than 4 weeks ago! I know it was, but these images were shot on film, which requires shipping, developing and scanning time. Honestly, I didn't receive them back from my lab until the day we were leaving town for Christmas. Since today is my first day back at work, it's really the first chance I've had to share them with you!

We spent Thanksgiving with Belinda's parents in Pueblo. Some friends of ours, Tess and Mike, joined us for the day, which made it even more special. I'd really been wanting to try out my new camera and fortunately everyone indulged me.

Although I definitely consider these to be test photos, I'm still happy with the results, out-of-focus photos and all! I'm very happy with Indie Film Lab's scans and would recommend them to anyone who has some film that needs developed.

So, without further ado, here are some of the long-overdue photos!

Be sure to check out Part 2 of this post tomorrow where Tess, Mike and I head out for a photo shoot in the park.

2012 Resolutions

2011-12-27T19:22:00.002-07:00

New Year's Resolutions... you've got to have them, right? Last year I decided to get serious about the business and my resolutions reflected that. Before I get into my 2012 resolutions, let's see how I did on 2011's:

- Work harder at directing, not just photographing. I feel like I did a pretty good job here with the high school seniors I worked with and also at the weddings I photographed. Of course, I'm not directing every little detail, but I'm happy with the balance my style has taken.

- Continue to grow and maintain my network. I definitely continued to grow my network and it had an enormous impact on my business! Not only that, but I've met some amazing people as well.

- Be more selective about who I donate time to. I actually said no to a few organizations who asked me to donate my time. Don't get me wrong, if I could donate to every organization I believed in I would, but there's only so much of me to go around.

- Join some organizations. Last year I joined the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce and absolutely loved it! Not only did it help to grow my network, but it also connected me with some amazing business owners who continually inspire me.

- Develop the business side of things. Definitely nailed this one. I feel like I have a much better grasp on the business side of things than I did last year at this time. Is it weird that I'm actually excited to crunch some numbers to see how I came out for the year?

OK, so last year's resolutions were handled pretty well! What's in store for 2012? Let's just see...

- Take a risk, every single day. I came up with this idea way back in November. I took some risks in 2011. Most of them were pretty painless and some of them even paid off. What might happen if I took a risk every single day? I'm not talking walking in front of a bus or anything crazy, but what would happen if I said what was on my mind a little more often, if I made a phone call or sent an email I might be hesitant to make or if I took some shots during a shoot that I might typically skip? We'll see.

- Shoot more personal work. I've really enjoyed shooting film this year. I'm planning on shooting much more in 2012 for my personal work, as well as setting up some personal shoots. The inspiration and freedom that comes from shooting for yourself can not be matched and are invaluable in my development as a creative individual.

- Focus my business and business goals. I see myself taking on fewer events and families in 2012 and taking more weddings and high school seniors. It's not that I don't enjoy events or families, but I really want to focus my work. With my business goals, I already know what my general numbers are and what to aim for, but I want to be more engaged on a regular basis and know if I'm on track to make all of my goals for the year at any given point in time.

- Network, network, network! This has been one of the most useful things I've done for my business and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. In 2012, I want to attend 3 networking events (and I use the term "networking event" loosely) per month.

Wish me luck!

Norma and Juan - Denver Wedding Photography

2011-12-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Norma and Juan had already been married for over a year when I met with them to discuss photographing their wedding. Wait. What? That's right. They had gotten married in Las Vegas, but still wanted to get married in the church in front of friends and family, so they planned another wedding and asked me to photograph it! Thank you Norma and Juan for asking me to photograph your wedding.

2011 Wrapup

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

2011. It's been a damn good year. I've met some amazing people. They're the kind of people who will be lifelong friends and will challenge me to improve as a photographer. I've gained focus, both in my business and personal life. I broken down barriers, shed inhibitions and really feel that flourished as a person.

Sometimes figuring out what's important and what needs to go away is a difficult thing. Other times, it's a very simple decision. This year I've been faced with both and I believe I've made the right decision every time. Let me tell you... that feels good.

I've been privileged enough to work with some wonderful and generous people this year. They have made a huge impact on my career. I can't thank these people enough for working with me, letting me work with them and being there to help out when a business challenge (or opportunity) presented itself:

Karina Heneghan, Kimothy and Tess with Love n Joy Photography, Sara Hasstedt, Annabelle with Mahal Bella Photography, Autumn Cutaia, Sarah with Trulife Photography, Ken Miller, Michael Sasser, Katy with Golden Paisley Photography, Rachael with Rachael Grace Photography, Marina with Marina Photo Art, Sarah with Lola Photography and Art Heffron.

Goodbye, 2011. You'll be missed. You'll be remembered fondly. I can only hope that 2012 holds half of the opportunity, the fun and the love that you provided.

Just A Few Flowers and Trees

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

I don't take many photos of flowers and plants, but when I do I try to capture something a little different than normal. Here are a few of my favorites from 2011.

2011 Wrapup: Film

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

One of my newest joys of 2011 is shooting with vintage cameras and film. I just love heading out with a camera that forces me to slow down, doesn't give me instant feedback (except for the Polaroid) and only gives me 10-12 photos to work with. Here are a few of my favorite film photos of 2011. If you want to stay up to date on my personal work and see my latest film photos, be sure to check out my Tumblr page!

2011 Wrapup: Seniors in BW

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

I had such a great group of high school seniors in 2011. We shot all around Denver and the Front Range and got some amazing photos. Here are a few of my favorite black and white photos from the year.

2011 Wrapup: Weddings in BW

2011-12-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that last year at this time I had only shot a handful of weddings. This year was my first year of shooting weddings for the entire year and it was amazing! I got to meet so many wonderful people and work with so many fabulous photographers, I can't believe that for a while I considered not shooting weddings.

Lately, I've been addicted to black and white photos, so I figured that I'd share some of my favorites of the year. Enjoy!

Niki and Scott - Denver Wedding Photography

2011-12-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

Niki and Scott got married the day after Thanksgiving in Denver. I think the fact that friends and family flew from around the country to witness their wedding on the busiest travel weekend of the year speaks volumes about what kind of people Niki and Scott are.

I have to give a huge thanks to Autumn Cutaia for helping me out with this wedding on such short notice. Not only was she there for me when I needed her, but she also did a fantastic job at catching some photos I just couldn't get myself!

C&T - Aspen Wedding Photographer

2011-12-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful August day I got to head up to Redstone with Michael Sasser to photograph C and T's wedding. Enjoy!

Kim and Chris - Manitou Springs Wedding Photographer

2011-12-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Kim and Chris were married at the Red Crags Inn in Manitou Springs, CO. With a gorgeous mountain backdrop they said their vows in front of family and close friends. They are such a fun couple who love to get goofy and have a good time, so it's only fitting that we headed down to Old Town Manitou Springs for their portraits. It's full of penny arcades, classic food vendors (think hot dogs, cotton candy and saltwater taffy) and tons of photo ops!

T&C - Fort Collins Wedding Photography

2011-11-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

T and C were married back in August at the beautiful Beaver Meadows Ranch Resort outside of Fort Collins in Red Feather Lakes, CO. I was fortunate enough to help Karina Heneghan photograph this wonderfully fun wedding!

M & J - Denver Wedding Photography

2011-11-29T09:58:00.001-07:00

M and J's ceremony was held up at Boettcher Mansion in Golden. I just wanted to share a few moments in B&W from the day. Enjoy!

Friends

2011-11-17T11:18:00.001-07:00

Let Go by Frou Frou on Grooveshark

Friends. I've never had many. I know a lot of people. I have a lot of acquaintances. But the people who I actually consider close friends are few and far between.

Maybe it's because I don't open myself up to many people. It's hard to develop a friendship when you don't really know a person. You can be colleagues, co-workers, mutual acquaintances or just drinking buddies, but true friendship is different.

I was talking to a friend a while back and she said that she felt the same as me. She knew a lot of people but doesn't consider many to be true friends. To her, a true friend is someone who, if they call you in the middle of the night or show up on your doorstep with a problem, you don't ask questions, you don't judge them. You help them in any way that you can...

Yesterday was my birthday, but we've been celebrating it since Saturday. Not only were there many evenings of dinners and drinks, but there was also a surprise party that my wife, Belinda, had planned for over a month.

Something happened that night. I walked into my studio expecting to quickly grab something and then head over to photograph a wedding. Instead, I walked into a room full of people who had gathered together to celebrate with me. A wall inside of me was broken that night. I was able to let go and enjoy my party without feeling guilty or self-conscious. I have never experienced that. Before I walked into the room, I was a photographer who was going to photograph a wedding, a celebration of love, with a good friend. Once I walked into the room, I was a guy who was surrounded by friends and filled with love.

I realized what it is to have people in your life who want to see you happy, who will spend time with you for no other reason than to be in the same room together, who don't just take your time but also give their time. I realized that letting go is not something to fear, but something to embrace. I realized that expressing your feelings is a wonderful thing...

To the friends who helped Belinda keep the surprise party a secret for over a month, the friends who came out to eat and celebrate even though the concert got canceled, the friends who came out with me on my actual birthday and the friends I'll be seeing tonight and tomorrow night, thank you.

Thank you for the well-wishes, for the photos, for the gifts and the hugs. Thank you for helping Belinda plan an amazing party, for keeping secrets and for getting me to the party without me ever suspecting a thing. Thank you for helping me start to become the expressive and emotional person I've always been inside, but have never felt comfortable being on the outside. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to discover what it is to not just have friends who you hang out with, but to have friends who you love. And finally, thank you for choosing to spend some of your valuable time with me. I can't think of any gift that's more meaningful and cherished than time spent with good friends.

Birthday Week?

2011-11-16T14:54:00.001-07:00

I've never been one to make a big deal out of my birthday.

"You want me to be the center of attention? You want to throw a party just for me? You want to sing to me while I stand there and listen?"

No thanks. That's just not how I like to do things.

Nevertheless, that doesn't stop Belinda from trying. She always wants me to open her gift to me in a restaurant, in front of everyone! She always wants to sing to me, in front of everyone! As much as I protest, this happens every year.

This year was an entirely new experience. Since Belinda seems to always be out of town for work on my birthday, she decided I needed a birthday WEEK! I can hardly stand one day of attention, let alone an entire week. Now, some of it just happened to work out. A concert the night before my birthday? Good timing. A beer-themed fundraiser for an organization that we support the night after my birthday? Luck. Nothing could have prepared me for the event that kicked off my birthday week, though... a surprise party!

Just the thought of a surprise party makes me nervous. When I'm a part of one for someone else, I feel so guilty. "What if they don't want a surprise party? What if they had plans and really need to be somewhere else?" And that's just when it's for someone else! The thought of having one thrown for me is just too much for me to handle.

I guess that's the nice thing about a surprise party that's thrown for you. You don't know anything about it until it's happening, so you don't have time to worry about it. I must say, though, that when my birthday week kicked off on Saturday night with a bunch of people yelling "Surprise!", I had no idea that I'd have so much fun or that over the course of the next week I'd learn what amazing friends I truly have.

So, did I enjoy Birthday Week? I enjoyed it more than I would have ever thought possible. Do I want to do it again next year? Let's just say one day per year is enough for me...

Tyler - Golden High School Senior Photos

2011-11-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

Tyler wanted to incorporate some modern architecture into his Senior Photo session, so what better place than the Denver Art Museum? Thanks for a great shoot, Tyler!

Erin - Denver High School Senior Photography

2011-11-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

A little rain couldn't stop Erin's downtown Denver Senior Photo session. Even when there was a lot of rain, wind and lightning we didn't cancel! Fortunately, the weather cleared up just minutes before her shoot started and we had beautiful light to work with. Thank you, Erin, for trusting me and waiting for the weather to clear!

Emily - Denver High School Senior Photos

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there were picturesque spots for Senior Photos in the Tech Center? There are, and Emily and I found a few! We even found a little fall color. Enjoy!

Diana - Denver High School Senior Photos

2011-11-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

Diana and I met up at Red Rocks for her Senior Photo session. Between the great location and her wonderful personality, we had a blast and got some amazing photos! I wish I could share them all with you, but you'll just have to enjoy what's here... :)

Jer and Sara - Denver Family Photography

2011-11-04T07:39:00.000-06:00

I first met Jer and Sara when I was in college. Those were different times... I was in a band and we practiced in Jer's garage. After college, we lost touch, but were recently reunited at a friend's get-together. We started talking and, well, we set up a family portrait session!

Since they live close to Washington Park, we headed over there so Ryah would have some room to run around and they wouldn't have to drive across town. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun! Ryah was in a great mood and Jer and Sara were a pleasure to work with. Thanks for a great afternoon!

You can check out my site if you want more info about setting up your own portrait session!

Caitlin - Denver High School Senior Photography

2011-11-03T06:57:00.000-06:00

I was originally supposed to photograph Caitlin and Bo at the same time since they're a couple, but due to unforseen circumstances, it didn't work out. Fortunately, everything worked out really well and Caitlin's shoot was pretty amazing! We met up at Cherry Creek State Park and took advantage of the variety of locations, shooting both in a bunch of trees, grassland and on the beach!

Brenna - Denver High School Senior Photography

2011-11-02T06:42:00.000-06:00

Brenna came down to my LoHi studio in Denver for her Senior Photo session and ended up having a great time! While her mom and little brother explored the neighborhoods, we found some great locations. Enjoy!

Fershop:Denver

2011-10-31T20:55:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending Fer Juaristi's workshop (or Ferhsop) that was held here in Denver. I knew that it was going to challenge me. Our styles of photography are very different. Honestly, though, I had no idea what was about to happen.

I was introduced to Fer's work earlier this year. I was instantly drawn to his style of photography. The way he uses light is simply amazing. I found myself staring at his photos wondering how he got that shot. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to see him in action and see what kind of tricks he used.

It turns out there really aren't any tricks. It's just a different way of seeing things. Don't get me wrong... he's super talented and insanely creative, but he showed us everything, from finding a location without even knowing where he was going to his complete editing process, and I can assure you that there was nothing crazy or secret going on.

At a workshop, you learn a lot of information. The best way to process that information and actually learn something is to try it yourself. So, here are the images that I walked away from the Ferhsop with. To further challenge myself, I tried to edit the photos a little closer to how Fer might edit them than how I typically would. If they look different from my typical work, they are. And I kind of like them...

Wedding Dress provided by Marie Margot Bridal Couture
Hair and Makeup by K Schell Designs

I can't finish without talking about Fer a little. To say Fer is a nice guy would be the understatement of the year. Not only did he completely open himself up to the class and share everything that he could, but he was also just genuinely a nice person. When you meet him you get a big hug, like you're long-lost friends. When you're in one of his classes, you find yourself spending as much time laughing as you do learning. When your class is over, you don't want to go home... you want to grab a beer with the guy!

Thank you, Fer, for being such a real person.

Ashley - Denver High School Senior Photos

2011-10-27T06:34:00.000-06:00

When you schedule a Senior Photo session, you don't usually need to specify which city you're going to meet in. I've learned my lesson, though, that sometimes you do. Ashley and I were looking for each other in two different cities on the day of her session. I was in Denver, she was in Lone Tree. Despite the initial miscommunication, we were able to meet up and had enough light to get some wonderful photos! Thank you, Ashley!

Amber - Denver High School Senior Photos

2011-10-26T06:22:00.000-06:00

Amber and I had a blast with her Senior Photo session. We met up at my Denver studio and had gorgeous weather. That always helps, but honestly Amber didn't need any help. She was so comfortable in front of the camera, which definitely shows in her photos. Here's Amber!

Gwen and Eric

2011-10-25T19:44:00.001-06:00

I met Gwen and Eric's family for some family photos up in Louisville at an office park on the edge of town. Doesn't sound like a very photogenic place, does it? I wouldn't have really thought so either, but once I started exploring it a bit I saw lots of opportunity.

I met up with Gwen, Eric and Claire, along with her sister and brother-in-law and her parents on a beautiful spring evening. We explored the wilderness around the offices and here's what we found.

Of course, everyone like to kiss on Claire...

especially grandma...

Bo - Denver High School Senior Photos

2011-10-21T06:24:00.001-06:00

I met up with Bo at my Denver studio for his Senior Photo session. Although most guys don't really get into their photos, Bo was great! He warmed up to the camera and we had a lot of fun. Even his sister and mom helped out and took turns holding the reflector! Here's Bo!

Anacani - Denver High School Senior Photos

2011-10-20T16:25:00.000-06:00

Anacani and I met up early one morning at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in north Denver for her Senior Photos. While I love to shoot in the evenings, we could only get a morning to work with both of our schedules. Fortunately, the weather was beautiful and we were able to find some good light. What do you think?

Missing In Action

2011-10-11T09:49:00.000-06:00

Has it really been over 2 weeks since my last blog post? Yes it has. Sorry about that. September was a super-busy month, so I can guarantee that there will be loads of photos making their way onto the blog very soon. I'm finally getting caught up, so get ready!

Until then, I've actually started using my Tumblr account to post more fun and personal work. Since I don't feel the need to do a big writeup for every post, I've just been posting a photo with a few words. Expect an update almost every day over there!

N & C - Denver Wedding Photography

2011-09-23T12:26:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing a wedding at the unbelievably beautiful Arrowhead Golf Course with an amazing photographer and wonderful friend, Belle with Encore Photography. Here's a peek at their wedding day...

Randomness - Being Nice

2011-09-19T09:31:00.002-06:00

Being Nice

Random acts of kindness rock! The other day I bought something from a guy on Craigslist. Although Craigslist might not be for everyone, it's definitely a good source for used equipment (here's more in-depth thoughts). The most sketchy part about it is both the sellers and the buyers. As a seller, you wonder who's going to show up to buy what you're selling, if they even bother to show up. As a buyer, you have to wonder if the seller is going to still have the item when you show up.

The other day I found something on Craigslist that I'd been looking for for a while. I emailed the seller, we set up a meeting and life was good. Then I had to cancel, which I figured was the end of my chances. I emailed him, let him know and offered to set up another meeting, but not until a few days later. It was a long shot, but he said it would work for him!

When I finally met up, he was a really nice guy and we talked about photography for a while. When I thanked him for being so flexible with me and the schedule, he just said that he'd want someone to do the same for him and I should pay it forward. This really made my evening. Here's a guy who had no idea if I was even going to show up, yet he worked with me and made it a good experience. I'll definitely pay it forward and will encourage others to do the same. It can really make a person feel good!

M & J - Estes Park Wedding Photography

2011-09-05T06:42:00.001-06:00

I've had the pleasure of photographing many weddings with Karina Heneghan this year, but M & J's wedding at Della Terra Mountain Chateau in Estes Park, CO was one of our favorites. The location and light were beautiful, the details were simple but elegant and the evening was perfect. Here's what I saw:

M & J - Estes Park Wedding Photography

2011-09-02T09:34:00.000-06:00

I was fortunate enough to escape the Denver heat in July and head up into the mountains to help Karina Heneghan photograph a wedding at Wild Basin Lodge in Estes Park, CO.

Kendall - Denver High School Senior Photography

2011-08-31T09:54:00.000-06:00

When Kendall first contacted me about Senior Photos, her "About Me" section on my contact form went something like this: She likes M&Ms, is sarcastic, has red hair and only wears black. To be honest, I was quite looking forward to meeting her because she sounded so confident. When we met up in downtown Denver for her Senior Portrait session, I wasn't disappointed.

Kendall has a great personality and loads of confidence. She was so much fun to work with! Although she initially only wanted to smile in her photos, she gave me some great looks that were a little more serious and had some attitude. Kendall, thanks for an amazing photo shoot. I had a great time!

M & L - Larkspur Wedding Photography

2011-08-29T06:35:00.001-06:00

On a beautiful July evening at the lovely Spruce Mountain Guest Ranch in Larkspur, CO, I had the pleasure of helping Sarah Roshan of Trulife Photography photograph M & L's wedding (you can read her blog post here). Here's a peek at what I captured:

Lindsay and Bob - Silverthorne Wedding Photography

2011-08-24T06:39:00.002-06:00

On a beautiful July afternoon, Lindsay and Bob were married in Silverthorne, CO. If you remember when I met up with them in November for a quick photo shoot, I couldn't wait to shoot their wedding. Well, this was it and it was everything I hoped it would be!

They chose to weave lots of Asian-inspired details into their wedding, including a Torii Gate that her dad built (and had to transport up the mountain in a moving truck), a sake ceremony (san san kudo), and 1000 hand-folded origami cranes! To say that this wedding had some amazing details would be an understatement!

What made this wedding truly special was the presence of so many family and friends. It was obvious, not only from the distances people traveled, but by the way everyone acted around each other that this was a very close family and a group of friends that has been around for a long time and will continue to be friends far into the future. It was such a joy getting to know everyone (I went up the day before to photograph the rehearsal dinner). By the time I left I felt like I had made a bunch of new friends!

Lindsay, thank you so much for believing in me and booking me before I ever even considered shooting weddings. I had a wonderful time with you, Bob and your families and friends. Congratulations, Lindsay and Bob. I hope you have many, many years of joy and happiness together!

Location: Silverthorne Pavilion
Flowers: Joanelle's
Catering: Gilchrist Catering
Makeup: Belle Amore Makeup Artistry
DJ: Top Hat Entertainment
Officiant: Josh Ratzlaff
Photography: John Bosley Photography
2nd Photographer: Sara Hasstedt Photography

Another huge thanks to Sara Hasstedt for helping me photograph this day. I couldn't have done it without you, Sara!

What's up with the initials?

2011-08-22T15:47:00.000-06:00

You might have noticed in a bunch of my wedding previews from last week I just used the couple's initials, while in others I used their names. What's up with that?

Any weddings that I shoot with other photographers are their weddings. I'm there to help capture different angles and moments, but the wedding isn't mine. In these cases, I just use the couple's initials. Why? If the couple's friends search for their wedding, I don't want my blog post coming up in the search results. Then they might think I was the main photographer!

When the wedding is my wedding, I use the couple's full names. Same idea... when people search for a wedding, I want to be found in the search results!

OK, now that that's cleared up, get ready for a beautiful wedding I'll be posting on Wednesday!

Utilize Backlight - Better Photos... Now!

2011-08-19T07:22:00.000-06:00

We've all seen a photo where there's a group of people looking at the camera, but they're squinting because they're looking directly into the sun. It's an easy mistake to make. You want your subject to be well lit and there's not a better light source than the sun, right? The only problem is that the resulting photo isn't that great, it's got deep black shadows and your subject is now temporarily blind. What other options do you have? Backlight!

By placing the sun behind your subjects, you've completely changed the look of your photo. Your subjects are no longer squinting, so that's good. If you've exposed for the shadows on their faces, all of their features will be visible. Unfortunately, your background is a lot brighter than your subject, so now it's probably pure white.

By getting a little creative with your subject placement, you can create a more interesting background than just pure white. Find a tree that you can place between your subject and the sun and you'll get a colorful and interesting background for your subject. You can also use your flash or reflect some light back into their faces to decrease the contrast between your subject and the background (for a reflector, I use a Tri-Grip). Just be careful you don't reflect too much light or they're going to start squinting again!

Backlighting is a technique that changes for every situation and takes practice to master. Be patient and keep practicing and eventually you'll start to get results that you're very happy with. Your subjects will thank you.

NOTE: The entire time your subjects have the sun to their backs, you are facing the sun. Never look at the sun through your camera! Also, don't forget to turn around once in a while and see how the light actually looks when it falls directly on something. Sometimes the intensity of the sun decreases while you're taking photos and you can use it to directly light your subject with beautiful sunlight!

Here's an example of a photo with strong backlight and reflected light
to fill her face.

Here's another example with strong backlight and reflected fill light.

Here's a more subtle example of backlighting, but this time there is
no reflected light.

Read all of my DSLR tips here.

Sneak Peek Week - N & C's Wedding

2011-08-19T06:45:00.001-06:00

We ran into some beautiful light at N & C's wedding at Arrowhead Golf Course.

Sneak Peek Week - M & L's Wedding

2011-08-18T06:58:00.000-06:00

Dancing under the lights at M & L's wedding in Larkspur, CO. More to come soon...

Sneak Peek Week - M & J's Wedding

2011-08-17T07:22:00.001-06:00

Here's a photo from M & J's wedding in Estes Park, CO. Not the same M & J as yesterday, but just as beautiful!

Sneak Peek Week - M &J's Wedding

2011-08-16T07:22:00.001-06:00

Here's a teaser from M & J's wedding in Estes Park, CO. More to come...

Sneak Peek Week - Lindsay and Bob

2011-08-15T15:12:00.001-06:00

I'm kicking off Sneak Peek Week with Lindsay's wedding. Lindsay and Bob were married in Silverthorne, CO and I was there to photograph it. I can't wait to share photos of their wedding with you!

Check back tomorrow, and every day this week, for another wedding sneak peek!

Randomness - Batteries

2011-08-15T07:35:00.000-06:00

Batteries

It seems that our lives these days are controlled by batteries. Ever had your cell phone battery die? It feels like the end of the world! Don't even get me stared on laptops.

We rely on the batteries in our cell phones, laptops, cameras, remote controls, iPods... you name it, it probably has a battery that needs charged (and without which we cannot survive a day). I have a strict charging regimen for my camera gear. As I type this, I'm charging batteries for two different cameras, a bunch of AAs for my flash, my Epson P-3000, my cell phone and my laptop. I've also got backup batteries for items like light meters and microphones. After tonight's wedding, I'll come home and do it all over again before tomorrow's wedding.

We take so much time to charge the batteries for the items that make our lives easier, but we so often neglect recharging ourselves. Can I take an evening off? Probably not... I've got a few things to do. How about a weekend? Are you crazy? I've got waaaay to much to do. Vacation? Get real.

I know that Belinda and I have both been draining our batteries faster than they can recharge. This fall, after wedding and senior photo season, I think we're due for a little break. Where do you go to recharge?

Regularly Scheduled Programming

2011-08-13T10:34:00.000-06:00

Oh my, it appears I've been a slacker. It's not like I don't have a few good reasons. I've been a pretty busy guy! You understand, right?

Next week, you'll be returned to your regularly scheduled programming, er... blogging. On the schedule for the next few months I've got at least 5 wedding posts, lots of high school seniors, a few family shoots, reviews of new tech toys, some randomness and I'm finally wrapping up my Better Photos... Now! series. I might even sprinkle in a few events!

See you soon!

Randomness - Writing Stuff Down

2011-08-01T07:14:00.001-06:00

Writing Stuff Down

If you're like most people I know, you write lists. Maybe it's a to-do list, a grocery list, or just a list of things that are on your mind so that you don't forget them. I do the same thing. Some things, though, I never write down. For me, goals and dreams typically remain in my head. It's not that I don't have them... I just don't write them down.

I'm not sure what keeps me from writing them down. Maybe it makes them more real when they're written down. Maybe when they're written down someone else might see them. Whatever the reason, I just don't do it. Or, should I say, I never used to.

About a year ago I heard about the Day Zero Project. Essentially, it's a project where you try to accomplish 101 goals in 1001 days. The neat thing about it is that it's an entire community, so you can see how other people are doing on their goals and what kind of goals they have. If you're having a hard time coming up with 101 goals you can even see what the most popular goals are!

On a whim, I decided to try to come up with 101 goals for myself. It was tough, but I did it. I worked on them, I tracked them and I made progress. Then the site went down. For good. I hadn't written the goals anywhere else, so although I felt a sense of relief at not having the responsibility of finishing all 101 goals, I also felt a bit of disappointment knowing that I'd never see how well I did on my goals.

A strange thing happened, though. I remembered a bunch of my goals... and I kept working on them. Apparently most of my goals weren't really that important to me, but a few of them were. You want to know what made them stick with me, what made them real goals instead of something that could be dismissed or forgotten about? The fact that I wrote them down.

When you write something down it becomes real. It ceases to exist as just a thought and takes on a life of it's own. It doesn't mean it's going to happen, but it does give it a better chance of happening.

If you want to start a list of your own, I just noticed that the Day Zero Project site is back online. My list of 101 goals is even still there! Now that I've had a few months without it, though, I'm not sure if I want to use it. I know what my real goals are and I'm working towards them every day.

Don't Rely On Photoshop - Better Photos... Now!

2011-07-29T08:29:00.001-06:00

When it comes to photography, it seems that there are two different schools of thought about getting your photos right in-camera. This couldn't have been more apparent after hearing a few different photographers speak at different events a few months ago. One photographer believes it's all about the moment and missing a moment while you try to get a perfect exposure just isn't worth it. Another photographer believes that getting the exposure perfect in-camera is the only way to shoot. Regardless of where you fall on this topic, you should probably try to get your photos as close to perfect in-camera as possible (by anticipating the moment if necessary). Although photo editing programs can work wonders with RAW files, you'll save yourself lots of time and probably get better results if you just get a proper exposure the first time.

When you properly expose an image, everything is balanced. Shadows are dark but still retain detail. Highlights are bright but not blown out. Skin looks normal, colors are saturated and contrast isn't too strong.

When you over or underexpose an image and try to fix it after the fact, shadows can start to show noise and run to deep black with no detail. Highlights can be completely blown out with no recoverable detail. Contrast gets much stronger than normal.

Of course, there's always a little wiggle room. You can be off by 1/2-stop without any real issues. In a scene without a huge dynamic range you can probably even be off by around 1-stop and get a great looking image. Any more than 1-stop and your results may or may not be acceptable.

There are always going to be photos that are under or overexposed. Maybe a moment caught you off guard and your settings weren't perfect. Maybe you just metered incorrectly and didn't nail the exposure. It happens. The less often it happens, though, the better your overall images will be.

Here are a few quick examples from a recent wedding that illustrate the importance of getting the exposure correct in-camera.

Here's a photo that was incorrectly exposed.

While it's possible to recover lots of the information, the highlights
are blown out beyond recovery and the image
doesn't look very good.

Here's an image captured under the same conditions that was properly exposed in-camera. Much better...

Read all of my DSLR tips here.

Randomness - Who's Right?

2011-07-25T07:06:00.000-06:00

Who's Right?

I could hear the disgust in his voice. "No cheese?" "No, just the lunchmeat." "Okaaayyy." (that's how I spell OK when it's said with a fair amount of uncertainty... just an FYI)

I decided to stop by a different store the other day on my way home. Normally, I buy some lunchmeat from the deli counter and get asked if I want cheese. I usually say no. No big deal. I guess the new deli guy finds it quite offensive to have to even ask if you want cheese, let alone even consider a sandwich without it. He didn't say so, but I could tell just by the sound of his voice that the thought of a cheese-less sandwich made him lose his appetite.

This got me to thinking about the old saying that "the customer is always right". While that's certainly up for debate, when you provide a service or sell a product, you might not share the same tastes or needs as your customers, but they're the ones spending their money so you might want to give them what they ask for.

Now, as someone who creates for a living, there are a few different things at play here. First, I should be attracting clients who like my style, which will keep any conflicts of interest to a minimum. Second, there is my "artistic integrity", or things that I will or won't put my name on. Third, there are the wants and needs of my clients. Put them all together and you can see where there might be some problems from time to time.

Just as a sandwich maker might shudder at the thought of a cheese-less sandwich, I might shudder at the thought of taking a photo of a shirtless guy with a mustache and a mullet... in a seductive pose. But, just as the sandwich maker might not like the sandwich he's making, he's not paying for it and he's not eating it. If I had a photo session that was going great and Mr. Mustache said, "Hey, just one more photo.", I don't think I'd argue. I'd snap the photo, give it to him with the rest of the photos he orders and move on.

Although your personal tastes might not perfectly match those of your clients, they're still your clients. Treat them with respect and give them what they want (within reason, of course). In the end, everyone will be happy.

Randomness - The Future

2011-07-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

The Future

No one knows what their future holds. No one can control where they end up. There's no menu from which you can choose your destiny and no secret formula to get you where you want to be.

Today, or tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, a chance encounter might change your future. It might have happened yesterday and you just don't know it yet. Again, you don't have any control over when these things happen.

What you do have control over is your chances of success (or failure). Although you can't control where you ultimately end up, you can control your direction by choosing which path you decide to take. Although you can't control all of your encounters or what happens afterwards, you can control the frequency and quality of your encounters.

Every day you have the opportunity to give your destiny gentle nudges in the direction you want it to go. By getting out and meeting new people, you nudge it. By nurturing your contacts, you nudge it. By creating and contributing and participating and communicating, you nudge it.

Nothing is a sure thing. No one can be 100% certain of what their future holds. But, by knowing where you want to end up and heading in that direction you'll get close. Sure, you might get sidetracked or even completely turned around for a while, but if you keep moving, keep looking forward, each step you take will get you closer to your goal and hopefully the people you've met along the way will help get you where you want to go.

Film Is Not Dead

2011-07-21T06:56:00.003-06:00

If you're a fan of film, you've probably heard the phrase "film is not dead". Although digital has all but replaced film for most purposes, there remains a small percentage of photographers who still use film. While I'm not ready to trade in my digital gear, I did do a photo shoot and used a few different types of film cameras. Not everything was a success, but I did get some results that I'm happy with.

I just picked up an Epson V500 scanner (which you can expect a review of in the near future) and started scanning in some of my negatives. So far, with the exception of Polaroids, all of my film work has been on medium format 120 film. I've used my Yashica-D TLR and Holga, which has an insert that changes the images from a square format to a more traditional portrait format. Here are a few images that I scanned in today:

You might also remember my Senior Photo Sneak Peek with Kristina last week where I mentioned I shot some film as well as digital. Here are a few from that shoot:

I am very encouraged with these results and plan on shooting more film in the near future. Once I do, I'll be sure to share the results!

C & R - Denver Wedding Photography

2011-07-14T06:45:00.001-06:00

When Karina Heneghan asked me to help her photograph a wedding at a castle, I knew I was in for a treat. Dunafon Castle is located outside of Morrison, CO and is absolutely beautiful! It was the perfect setting for C & R’s intimate wedding.

Here are a few bonus photos. While Karina was photographing the bride and groom, the bridal party was just standing around in some beautiful light. I took the opportunity to grab these portraits.

Tech Tuesday - Polaroid 230

2011-07-12T08:17:00.000-06:00

I am a technology junkie. I'll admit it. When I see a new gadget or gizmo that can do something I've never seen before, I'm usually impressed. What's even more impressive is to see something you've never seen before from a camera that's 40 years old.

My first experience with a Polaroid camera that used pack film was while I was assisting Rachael Grace Photography while she photographed a wedding. Rachael does wedding photography a little differently. In addition to digital, she uses lots of film, including Polaroid pack film.

I had never seen or used Polaroid pack film. My previous experience with Polaroids was limited to my SX-70. I still haven't gotten stellar results from it (although that is kind of the point, I suppose), so my hopes for her Polaroid 420 were not high.

The way pack film works, you take a photo which exposes the film. You then pull the film through some rollers, which spreads a developer over the film. You wait a few minutes, peel off the photo from the exposed film and you have a photo.

When she shot her first photo, she handed it to me to time and then peel. After 2 minutes, I peeled the photo away from the paper with tempered expectations. What I saw when I peeled away that photo just amazed me! It had color and lots of it! The colors were correct! It was actually a good photo!

I knew I had to get one for myself, so I came straight home, tracked one down and before long I was taking photos with my own Polaroid pack film camera. There was a bit of an experimental period and a learning curve. Some photos came out very dark while others came out looking great. Eventually, though, I got it right (or at least pretty close).

I can't wait to start using this camera with some of my clients. It's not entirely predictable and isn't perfect, but that's part of what makes it so fun to use. If you've got one of these and are interested in learning more about the camera, keep an eye out for a follow up blog post where I'll go over a few tricks I've learned that helped me get better photos.

This was taken in full sun in downtown Denver.

Even in the shade with a longer exposure you can get good results.

This was taken with my new Polaroid 350 with a close-up lens attachment.

Kristina - Senior Photo Sneak Peek

2011-07-11T16:36:00.000-06:00

Here's a sneak peek at a few photos from Kristina's senior portrait session. Denver got hammered by storms this day but up north we got pretty lucky with the weather. I shot a lot of film on this shoot, so I can't wait to share some of those photos with you! Oh, and not all the photos are so serious... we got some smiles as well!

Randomness - Random Things Photographers Do

2011-07-11T06:08:00.000-06:00

Random Things Photographers Do

I'm normally a pretty reserved person, but put someone in front of me and a camera in my hand and I become a different person. There's something about the need for creation that trumps the need for preserving my dignity. Need an example?

The other day I was playing with my Polaroid SX-70. I was trying some new film and wanted to shoot a photo at night. We were down the by Denver Art Museum and I knew it was going to be a long exposure, so I placed the camera on the ground. In order to see what I was taking a picture of, I had to lay on the ground as well. So, down I went. After composing the photo I pressed the shutter button and waited... and waited... and waited. I think it was a 15-second exposure. And I was laying flat on my stomach. On the ground. With people walking by. Normal me would be saying, "Get up! Everyone thinks you're weird!" Photographer me says, "They'd better not get in my way. This is going to be a great photo." I'm not sure if it was a great photo, but I like it. See it here.

Other things I've done include standing on just about anything that's convenient just to be a little taller, including chairs, benches, walls, handrails. I've even climbed a chain-link fence and held on with one hand while holding the camera with my other hand! Climbing into bushes to get a better shot? Done it. Stand in the street and hope I don't get hit by oncoming traffic? Done that too. Walk backwards down a rocky dirt hiking trail in the foothills while photographing a couple? Yup.

Don't even get me started on making noises. Whether it's getting the attention of a young child, a pet or just a group of people, I'm always amazed at the noises I make. Hand gestures? Leg gestures? Jump around full-body gestures? While making noises? Been there, done that. At least no one ever takes photos of me doing this stuff.

So, what have you done for your profession that you wouldn't normally do in your daily life?

Laurie and Jonathan - Boulder Engagement Photos

2011-07-07T07:37:00.000-06:00

Jonathan was the cute guy who lived across the street from Laurie. Laurie was the jogger who timed her runs just right to catch Jonathan when he was outside. It wasn't long before he was building Sooners snowmen in her driveway and she was painting big red "N"s in his.

Fast forward to this year when Jonathan told Laurie that he was going to take her skiing for her birthday, so she needed to get some time off of work. On her birthday, instead of heading to the slopes Jonathan surprised Laurie with a vacation to Mexico! It was there that he proposed and she said yes.

The first time we tried to meet for their engagement session was a gloomy, rainy day. We rescheduled for a week later and I am so glad it worked out. The weather was absolutely perfect and the light was amazing! Laurie and Jonathan wanted to meet up at the Homestead trail near Boulder for their photos. I hadn't ever been there before (although I had hiked a trail that connects to it), but I will definitely be going back. What a beautiful location!

Laurie and Jonathan, I can't wait to photograph your wedding in September. You are both such real, genuine people I think that your wedding is going to be something truly special. Thank you for the great photos!

Children's Colorado Hospital Giddy-Up Gala - Denver Event Photography

2011-07-06T10:18:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph the Giddy-Up Gala with Love∙n∙Joy Photography. The Giddy-Up Gala is a fundraising event put on by the Children's Colorado Hospital Foundation. It was held on a beautiful Colorado evening at Crooked Willow Farms. Other than knowing that the location was beautiful, the only other things I knew about the evening were that Little Big Town would be performing, I'd see more than a few pairs of awesome cowboy boots and there would be a contest to guess the weight of a pig.

It turned out to be a fun-filled evening! There was boot shining, whiskey tasting, cigar sampling and marshmallow toasting. There was a silent auction and a live auction (with some pretty nice items to be had). There was blueberry pie and flower-filled boots. Most importantly, there was an entire community of people who were helping to raise money for children. You couldn't ask for a better evening! I'd highly recommend you attend next year's Giddy-Up Gala. Need a little more convincing? Just take a look at what you missed this year!

I want to give a huge thank you to Tess from Love∙n∙Joy for asking me to photograph this event with her. She's just too much fun to work with. You can read her take on the evening here.

P & A - Denver Wedding Photographer

2011-06-27T06:45:00.015-06:00

Last month I helped Karina Heneghan photograph this beautiful Indian wedding. I had never even been to an Indian wedding, let alone photograph one, so I was grateful that Karina asked me to help her out. What a wonderful experience! Although it lasted for 3 days, I was only able to help photograph two of the days, so please enjoy some of the details from P & A’s wedding.

You can view more of my wedding work by visiting the wedding photography gallery on my site.

You can also see a video of this wedding that was shot by the talented Kyle Hodge here:

Video from Kyle Hodge on Vimeo.

10 Years of Awesome Love

2011-06-23T07:12:00.001-06:00

It's hard to believe that 10 years ago, on a hot summer day in Pueblo, CO, Belinda and I stood in front of friends and family and said "I do". Although it seems like it was only yesterday, when I think about all of the moments, hours and days that we've enjoyed together, I start to wonder how we've done so much together in only 10 years.

We've been on multi-day road trips across the country. We've relaxed on beautiful beaches and swam with exotic sea creatures. We've climbed rocky 14ers, hiked to secluded alpine lakes, scrambled on Utah slickrock and trekked through redwood forests. We've eaten at some amazing restaurants, met some fabulous people and been to some incredible concerts. She's indulged my geeky tendencies (fountain pen convention in Chicago geeky enough for you?) and I've indulged her affliction for all things sparkly (she made it pretty clear that her 10 year anniversary gift would be quite sparkly).

Although we've had a lot of fun together, marriage is about more than having fun. She's been my biggest supporter when it comes to my career. When I have questions or doubts, she's there to guide me back to my path. When I have moments of success, she's there to congratulate me and then push me towards bigger things. I do the same for her and her career. We wouldn't have made it this far if we didn't both support and believe in each other and what we do.

Before we got married we were best friends and I'm happy to say that after 10 years of marriage we still are. I still make her laugh and she still makes me feel like the luckiest guy in the world. We have frequent coffee shop dates, just like we did in high school. We still hold hands when we walk and snuggle with each other on the couch when we watch a movie. Most importantly, we still dream. We dream about the next year, the next 10 years, the next 50 years. Our first 10 years of marriage have been amazing... I can't wait to see what the next 10 years hold in store for us.

If you didn't get your fill of sappy lovey blog posts yet, you can also read all about our first date.

M & J - Denver Wedding Photography

2011-06-22T06:44:00.007-06:00

A few months ago I was fortunate enough to help Karina Heneghan photograph M & J’s wedding in Evergreen, CO. Since I was mainly responsible for capturing details and moments during this beautiful wedding, I won’t say much and get right to the photos.

M & J were kind enough to let me capture a quick portrait of each of them.

Some of the photos that Karina and I took were featured on the Magnet Street Weddings site!

To see more of my wedding work, please visit the wedding photography gallery on my site.

Tech Tuesday - What's Your Backup Strategy: Part 2

2011-06-21T06:45:00.001-06:00

Let's talk data backup strategies. Not interested? You should be. If you read last week's blog post, you should be at least a little worried about backing up your data and developing a strategy to protect it from many different disaster scenarios. Today I'm going to tell you what my new backup strategy is. Please, keep in mind that this is what works for me, but it might not be what works for you. I'm offering this as a starting point so that you can consider if you need more or less protection.

Since I am a photographer, protecting my digital images is a top priority. I tried to consider a few different scenarios when devising my backup plan. I think that I came up with a good compromise between safety and sanity. I'm confident my images will be safe, but I don't have quadruple layers of protection and redundancy (OK, maybe I do, but no more than quadruple!).

Here are a few of the things that I considered and had to work into my backup strategy:

Images should be immediately backed up once they are uploaded to my computer.
An archive of all of my images should be kept off site.
My Lightroom develop settings for every session should be backed up.
Final images should be backed up in full-resolution.

So, what did I come up with? I'll tell you.

I'll always have 3 "active" external hard drives. Two (HD1 and HD2) will be hooked up to my computer. The third (an exact copy of HD2) will be kept at an off-site location.
Once I upload photos to my computer's hard drive, Lightroom automatically makes a backup to HD1.
SyncBack SE will continuously monitor my computer's hard drive and will mirror any changes to HD2.

As soon as I upload photos to my computer, they exist on three different hard drives (plus the memory cards until I format them)

SyncBack will also back up my Lightroom Catalog every day to both HD1 and HD2.

That means it will exist on three different hard drives at all times

Once I'm done editing photos, I will export the photos as a Lightroom Catalog and burn it to a DVD for archiving.

This means I have all of the RAW files plus my edits in one place. Technically I could put that DVD into any computer with Lightroom installed and it would be no different than editing them on my computer.

I'll also export the images as full-resolution JPGs and upload them to my Smug Mug site, where I can download them from anywhere I have internet access.
Every week or two I'll swap out HD2 with the copy that's kept at the off-site location and make sure they're both synced.

As you can see, there is a bit of redundancy here, but since most of it is automated, it's not really much of a hassle. Once I'm done editing a photo shoot, I'll have a copy of the edited photos on my computer's hard drive, two copies on external hard drives, one copy on a DVD and a copy of all edited JPGs in cloud storage. I think this is going to work!

If you have any questions about what I'm doing or why I did something, feel free to leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer you right away. I hope this has inspired you to rethink your backup strategy. Regardless of if your data is professional or personal, you'd better back it up. If it's not backed up, one of these days it's going to be gone for good.

Sneak Preview - A Few Weddings

2011-06-16T11:52:00.000-06:00

For those of you who think I've been slacking and not shooting or posting any weddings, your wait is over! I had been holding on to these images from weddings that I've been a second shooter at to give the main shooter a chance to post photos. Get ready for some exciting posts in the next few weeks! Here are a few previews of what you can expect:

Bridal Fashion - Denver Fashion and Wedding Photography

2011-06-15T09:19:00.000-06:00

It seems like ages ago that I shot some bridal fashion photos for a few different Denver wedding vendors, but I'm only just now sharing them with you here on the blog. Why the delay? I had to wait until the magazine I was shooting them for was published (I just love saying that)!

When Natalee Moldenhauer with Natalee M Designs asked me to be her photographer for an upcoming feature in Herlife Magazine I immediately said yes! I had worked with her a few times in the past (for her spread in CRAVE Denver and also in my personal bridal fashion shoot) and knew that she did beautiful work.

Fortunately, we had beautiful weather and the crab apples were in full bloom. Natalee trusted me enough to give me control over the look of all of the photos, which was both very exciting but also somewhat stressful. I could be as creative as I wanted, but the photos had better work for Natalee and Herlife! Since we had an entire day to shoot and access to the entire building and grounds of the Wellshire Inn, lack of options was not an excuse!

At the end of the day we had shot inside and outside, driven golf carts all over the place, climbed in trees, and had a ton of fun! All of the models were great to work with and really worked hard to give Natalee what she wanted. It was hard to just sit on these images for the last few months and not show them off, but I think it was worth the wait. I hope you think so too!

Headpieces: Natalee Moldenhauer with Natalee M Designs
Flowers: Natalee M Designs
Gowns: ECO-Bridal Gowns and Marie Margot Bridal Couture
Hair: Katie of Scarlet Salon
Makeup: Allison of Scarlet Salon
Location: Wellshire Inn
Models: Lori Auguste, Lori Baird, Becky Klatt and Tracy Shellooe Donna Baldwin Talent

You can see more photos from the shoot in the June issue of Herlife (see it online here).

Tech Tuesday - What's Your Backup Strategy: Part 1

2011-06-14T08:29:00.000-06:00

We live in a digital world, from the cameras we use to the hard drives we store our photos on. Unfortunately, digital fails. We've all heard it before: it's not if your hard drive is going to fail, but when. What's your backup strategy?

First, let's discuss why you need a backup strategy. We already know that hardware fails. What happens if lightning zaps your computer? How about fire or flood? Theft? Virus? User error? There are so many different ways you can lose your data it's not even funny. Then there's the scenario where you don't lose your data, but you can't access it either? What happens if the hard drive with your operating system dies? All of your data is safe, you just can't access it.

So now that you have an idea of why you might want to start thinking about a backup strategy, let's talk about what a backup strategy might include. A successful backup strategy should include all of these features:

It constantly backs up your data
It's easy to use
It's accessible
It's redundant.

How about a real-world example? Let's say you just photographed a wedding. You import the photos to your computer and they automatically get backed up to an external hard drive. That was easy. Now if one hard drive crashes the photos aren't lost. You spend the next week editing the photos so that they're perfect. The bride is going to love them! Oops, your hard drive just crashed. "No worries! I have them backed up on this external hard drive!" Unfortunately, you didn't back up any of your edits, so now you're starting over from scratch. After another week of editing, you have the photos ready again and all of the edits are backed up to your external hard drive. Nothing can go wrong now. Except that your backup is sitting about 2 feet away from your main drive. You better hope your house doesn't burn down! Maybe you should move your backup to an offsite location?

I hope that you are at least a little scared by now. Will your hard drive fail today? Tomorrow? Next week? Probably not. But it will fail. You don't know when, which is what makes it extra-scary.

Next week I'll be posting Part 2 of this article, detailing my specific backup strategy. Until then, I hope you think about your current backup strategy, how well it's working for you and what you want to change. I am currently re-evaluating my strategy and will be reviewing it from the ground up.

Keep in mind, I'm a photographer, not an IT guy. If you don't like my strategy or what I'm saying here, feel free to ignore it or send suggestions my way! And please... if you're really serious about backing up irreplaceable data, do more research than just reading what I have to say.

Love the Beast - A Car Movie That's About More Than Cars

2011-06-08T14:40:00.001-06:00

Anyone who knows me from high school knows that I'm a car guy. Back then, I drove a variety of classic cars. My first car was a 1966 Dodge Dart. Then I upgraded to a 1968 Ford Galaxy, which had a bigger engine and fewer doors. Finally, I ended up with a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner, a real muscle car. All of my friends drove similar cars: Mustangs, Novas, Camaros and Corvettes. We were car guys.

In a way I still am. Sure, I don't drive a muscle car. I haven't had grease-stained fingers for years. I can't look at a nut and tell you what size of wrench it takes anymore. Get me near a classic car, though, and I'm suddenly in a different place. The lines of the metal speak to me. The smell of the interior, the exhaust and the garage bring back memories. The chrome and leather and wood of the interior put me back behind the wheel.

When I first heard of this documentary about Eric Bana's car that he's owned since high school I was immediately interested. I mean, he gets the car of his dreams in high school, goes on to become a movie star, yet he still owns the same car he bought in high school? And now he races it? Yeah, it went right into my Netflix queue.

Ultimately, it's a movie about Eric and cars and racing. It documents his history with the car and his relationship with his childhood friends who have always helped him work on the car. It documents his passion for driving and for racing. It culminates with him racing in the same race that first made him fall in love with his particular model of car.

Mixed in with all of the cars and racing are the relationships that have formed over the years. There's Eric's relationship with his friends and his father. There's Eric's relationship with his car. There's his father's relationship with his car. Dr. Phil talks about what's going on here from a psychological point of view. Jay Leno talks about how he's never sold a car that he's owned because of the relationship he has with every single one.

In the end, it's a documentary that's about a lot more than cars and racing. It's about relationships, both with cars and with people. Eric said something that really made an impression on me. He said that the car was he and his friends' campfire. It was something they gathered around while they talked, something that brought them together. I really liked this analogy.

Most car movies aren't really considered sentimental, but I have to admit, I teared up at the end of this one. I don't know why it got to me but it really stirred something inside of me. I'm not inspired like I was after I watched It Might Get Loud, but this movie definitely made me feel. It didn't make me feel like I wanted to go out and drive fast cars (OK, maybe it did just a little bit). Instead, it made me feel something that I've lost, something that I once knew and had forgotten. It also made me feel fortunate for having had the experiences with cars that I've had in the past.

I really enjoyed this documentary. Even if you're not a car person, I'd still recommend it. It's entertaining, funny, touching and has some great guest appearances. It might even touch you in an unexpected way like it did me.

Here's my 1969 Roadrunner. It was loud, fast and a few different colors.

Here's my 1968 Galaxy. We measured it once. It was over 19 feet long... and was only a 2-door.
It's also the first car I ever did burnouts in.

Brittany and Jeff - Denver Wedding Photography

2011-06-06T07:40:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of helping Tess from Love•n•Joy Photography photograph a wedding just outside of Denver in Littleton. I just love helping other photographers photograph weddings because it gives me a chance to focus on the details and look for expressions or moments that can help compliment the main photographer's photos. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the day...

Here's Tess in wedding mode: one part business, one part fun, all parts awesome!

Don't Delete Photos - Better Photos... Now!

2011-06-03T11:08:00.000-06:00

If you ever photograph in natural light or changing lighting conditions (think of a wedding where you can quickly move from shooting inside of a church to outside in the sun), you'll eventually get a good photo that is severely under or overexposed because you didn't change your camera settings quickly enough (you are shooting on manual, right?). Don't delete that photo! If you're shooting RAW, you'd be surprised at what you can do with a little post processing.

Of course, shooting a poorly exposed photo isn't the only issue you might have. Maybe your subject moved and you got some motion blur. Maybe your focus didn't lock where you expected and you got an out of focus photo. Maybe a dog ran in front of the camera. Maybe it was just a test photo. All of these are very real possibilities and, although they might not have given you the image you were expecting, you might just be happy with the results anyway.

I've also heard stories that deleting photos in-camera can mess up the formatting on the card and, on rare occasions, corrupt other photos. While the odds of this happening are pretty small (I don't personally know anyone this has ever happened to), if there's a chance it might happen at an important event like a wedding, it's probably not worth deleting a few photos just to free up a bit of extra space.

Here's an example of an overexposed photo before and after processing.

And a few more recent wedding photos that illustrate my point:

This was just a test photo before Payal's portrait. She was talking to her brother when I took this.

Again, this was a test photo while the group was messing around.

Someone else's flash fired at the same time I took this photo. For some this is a ruined photo, for others it's beautiful.

Read all of my DSLR tips here.

Congratulations Veronica and Luke!

2011-06-01T18:01:00.000-06:00

You might remember Veronica and Luke’s engagement photos from a few months ago. Their wedding was this past weekend in California. Although I wasn’t there to photograph it, from what I saw on Facebook it was a beautiful wedding!

Congratulations Veronica and Luke! This is definitely the start of something good…

Don't Use Live View - Better Photos.. Now!

2011-05-27T09:51:00.000-06:00

If you're fairly new to using a DSLR, you're probably more comfortable using the live view option than you are putting your eye up to the viewfinder. If I can make a small suggestion... don't use live view! Use the viewfinder. Why? Read on to find out.

A DSLR is heavier than a point and shoot. A lot heavier. When you look through the viewfinder, you're actually using your face to steady the camera. A steady camera gives sharper photos. If you're using live view, you have to hold the camera out away from your body. With a heavy camera like a DSLR, it can be very hard to hold it steady when it's not right next to your body (or pressed up against your face), which can result in soft photos.

Another reason to not use live view is that there's generally a lag between when you press the shutter button and when the camera takes a photo. Because of the way DSLRs operate, there is no way to get rid of this lag. Shutter lag is bad. Even though it may only be a split-second, it's still enough to miss the perfect expression, the best focus or that butterfly that just flew away. By looking through the viewfinder, your camera is always ready to shoot and capture the exact moment you want to capture.

Of course, there's always going to be circumstances where live view is a great option to have. If you're holding your camera up above your head to get a shot, it's usually better to use live view so that you can see what you're shooting rather than shooting blind. It's also a great option to have when shooting group photos so that your head isn't behind a camera while you're trying to direct a bunch of people.

As with everything, live view is fine when used in moderation and under the right circumstances. The sooner you get comfortable with putting your eye up to the viewfinder, the sooner you'll start getting better photos!

Read all of my DSLR tips here.

High School Senior Portrait Fundraiser

2011-05-26T08:24:00.000-06:00

If you’re going to be a high school senior, need Senior Portraits and want to support Colorado MESA then I’ve got a great deal for you! I’ll be donating 20% of every dollar spent on Senior Portrait sessions and any associated print purchases through June 30 to Colorado MESA..

Colorado MESA is a non profit organization that supports math (M), engineering (E), science (S) and achievement (A) in middle schools and high schools. It is designed to encourage minority and female students to prepare themselves for a college education and to major in mathematics, engineering or science. I know many people who have been involved in MESA and can say with confidence that it's a great organization (and you don't think I'd be donating to them if they didn't deserve it, do you?).

So, if you're in the market for some Senior Portraits and want to support a good cause, please contact me soon. I'm only donating from any sessions and purchases made before June 30, so it's definitely a limited time offer! See you soon!

You can see more of my Senior Portraits here.

Tech Tuesday - Photoflex Heavy Duty Backdrop Kit

2011-05-24T09:32:00.000-06:00

When I purchased the Photoflex Heavy Duty Backdrop Kit I wasn't sure how much I'd actually use it in my photography. I figured I'd pull it out once in a while for a few events, maybe a wedding photobooth here and there, but I didn't think I'd use it very often. As it turns out, I don't use it at every shoot (that would just be ridiculous), but it does get a fair amount of use. Plus, just knowing that I have it when I need it is great.

So, let's get down to some details. I'm not going to give you measurements and all that info (which you can find here), but I will give you a quick rundown of what's included. You get two large stands (that just happen to double as light stands, which is pretty awesome), a collapsible crossbar and a canvas carrying case that everything fits in. You can fit a few extras in the case if you'd like. I keep a few spring clips in there so I always have some for my rolls of seamless paper.

In my experience, this is a very sturdy backdrop stand. I've had the stands extended up to almost their full height and haven't worried about it's stability. I've also had very drunk people around it and it hasn't so much as wobbled. OK, maybe it wobbled a bit when they fell through the paper, but that's kind of extreme example.

It's very easy to set up and tear down. Granted, it's always easier and faster with two people, but I've done it myself many times. The collapsible crossbar doesn't restrict you to any particular size of backdrop, so I've used both small and large rolls of seamless as well as any variety of fabric backdrops. Did I mention that both of the support stands can be used as light stands? When you purchase this you're basically getting two additional tall, sturdy light stands!

Do I have any complaints? Of course. One of the reasons this kit is so sturdy is because of it's footprint. This is not a system that's made for small spaces! I usually figure I need an additional 2 feet on each side just for the stands, which means that if I'm using a 107" roll of paper, I need a space that's at least 13' wide!

Really, though, that's about it. I have mostly praise for this kit. It's easy to transport, easy to setup (especially with help), versatile and sturdy. It might cost a bit more than some other kits, but it will last and, if you assume you're getting a few extra light stands when you purchase it, is actually really cheap!

This is the moment before the guy fell through the paper... and the backdrop stands survived!

It also works for smaller groups or individual headshots.

Here's a photo from a few weeks ago that shows the stands almost fully extended.

This piece of equipment was huge!
With a little work and my mad Photoshop skillz we had a product photo.

Start A Project – Better Photos… Now!

2011-05-20T07:09:00.000-06:00

Have you ever wanted to push yourself outside of your photography comfort zone but weren’t sure where to start? One of the best places is to start a photography project where you take a photo every single day. The most popular type of this project is usually called a 365, meaning you take a photo every day for a year. Think a year sounds a little too intimidating? Try taking a photo every day for a month or even just a week. You’ll quickly find that taking a photo for 7 days straight is harder than you’d think.

If the point of taking on a project like this is to push yourself and your creativity, you need to do just that. You can’t just take a photo of your cat or a houseplant every day and call it good. You’ll need to constantly find new subjects and locations to keep things fresh.

Some people choose to do a self-portrait every day. Some people try to create a theme to shoot around. I’m sure different things work for different people, so don’t get hung up on a theme. If something isn’t working for you, change it up. Just keep taking photos!

If you followed my previous advice and took a peek around Flickr, you’ve probably seen people discussing their 365s. Flickr is a great resource for ideas and support when you’re trying a 365 of your own. Somehow, the knowledge that other people are going through the same thing as you (not enough time, lack of ideas or inspiration, missing a day or two) can be a great relief! Read through other people’s posts and find a group that you feel at home in and will want to visit once in a while.

At the end of a year, you’ll be amazed at what you’ve photographed and how much you’ve grown as a photographer. My own 365 documented my growth as a photographer and, looking back, I am so glad that I did it. From my first studio session to my first wedding, family trips and fun vacations, successful experiments and dismal failures it’s all documented with a photo from every day. If you’d like, you can view all of my photos here (or you can just go straight to the good stuff and view my favorites).

Here are a few photos that I never would have taken if it weren't for my 365:

Read all of my DSLR tips here.

Gabby - Denver High School Senior

2011-05-19T09:44:00.000-06:00

A few months ago I met up with Gabby in Denver to for a quick Senior Photo shoot. We got some great portraits in this mini-session. I can't wait to see what kind of photos we get from the full session this summer! Expect to see more soon...

Lisa – Denver Family Photography

2011-05-18T07:38:00.002-06:00

This photo session had been a long time coming. Lisa won a portrait package that I had donated to a silent auction last year, but due to conflicting schedules, vacations and even a move, we weren’t able to get our schedules to work out until last week. Fortunately, it was worth the wait!

Lisa decided to schedule her portrait session around the time her daughter, Maia, was graduating from CU-Boulder. As an added bonus, her mother, Natalie was in town for the graduation, so we were able to capture 3 generations of women in these photos.

Because of Maia’s graduation from CU, we decided to roam around CU's campus while capturing photos. I've shot photos at CU before and think it's a wonderful location for some photos in Boulder. We had great weather with light cloud cover and just a bit of wind. With all of the buildings, when the sun came out or the wind blew a little too hard we were able to find refuge and keep taking photos.

After spending the afternoon with Lisa, Maia, Natalie and Jameson (Maia's dog) I couldn't wait to get home and take a look at the photos. I wasn't disappointed with the results. Here are some of my favorites from the day.

Tech Tuesdays - Different Views In Blogger

2011-05-17T21:17:00.000-06:00

I know it's been a while since I've written a good Tech Tuesdays post and today isn't really going to change the trend, but I just ran across something that I think is too cool not to share. It should be useful for any type of blog that you read, photography related or not.

I use Google Chrome and was browsing the different extensions that are available for it when I came across a Blogger extension. Apparently Blogger has lots of technology under it's hood that's not readily available. One of the neatest options I found is the ability to change the way you view a blog's content. It's pretty hard to explain, so I'll just leave it up to you to click through these links and see what I mean.

Flipcard: http://johnbosleyphotography.blogspot.com/view/flipcard
Mosaic: http://johnbosleyphotography.blogspot.com/view/mosaic
Sidebar: http://johnbosleyphotography.blogspot.com/view/sidebar
Snapshot: http://johnbosleyphotography.blogspot.com/view/snapshot
Timeslide: http://johnbosleyphotography.blogspot.com/view/timeslide

Just an FYI, the extension that I was using when I discovered these is called Blogger Dynamic Views. I'm not sure if it's available for other browsers or not, but it wouldn't hurt to check! If not, as long as you're viewing a Blogger blog you can just add the "/view/(view you like best)" to the end of the URL to see your favorite blog in a whole new way!

Tech Tuesday - Composing for the Crop

2011-05-10T08:47:00.000-06:00

We've all been there... We take an amazing image, the client loves it and wants to order a print. Unfortunately, the size they want to order requires cropping the image. What to do? What part of this image do you leave out? Although you'll never really escape this dilemma, you can minimize how often you're confronted with it by composing for the crop.

It's really just a matter of being familiar with the size of images your camera creates and popular crops that clients might request. I know that if I want to print an 8x10 image from one of my photos I'll need to crop a fair amount from the top and/or bottom.

After having to make too many hard decisions as to what I'd have to crop (Top of head or hand on hip? Head or feet?), I decided I'd better start leaving myself some wiggle room. Now I routinely shoot with some empty top and bottom space in most of my photos. I still find myself shooting tight at every shoot, but for as many tight photos I get I try to shoot just as many "loose" that can be cropped without losing anything vital.

If it's really that easy to just leave a little extra space around your subjects when you shoot, why not shoot that way all the time? The primary reason for me is that the closer you get to your subject, the more defocused your background gets. That extra foot or so of distance between me and my subject can make a huge difference to the look of the background. Another reason is just habit. When you get into the habit of creating the image you want to see in the viewfinder, it's really hard to change your style and create an image you wouldn't typically create.

Now, I know what some of you might be thinking: "I'm not going to compromise my artistic integrity by not taking the perfect photo in-camera." That's fine. I respect that. You're going to have to decide whether you want to crop your perfect photos or not sell any prints.

What if you don't want to have to make that decision? Just display your images digitally where they don't have to be cropped. Or, sell prints that are sized to accommodate the popular digital formats. Instead of ordering an 8x10 and cropping, order an 8x12 and don't crop! The only tough thing about this is finding frames to fit your prints.

In the end, it's up to you to decide how you want to shoot and if you want to change your style or not, but always be aware of the consequences. There is no perfect solution. You can frame properly and crop, you can frame loose and have a more defined background, you can not print your images or you can print them in sizes that are harder to frame but don't require cropping. Good luck!

Here are a few images to illustrate what I'm talking about:

In these images I left enough room for me to crop an 8x10 and still show Lexie's hands and chains. Notice how much extra background I get in the image.

In these images I composed in-camera pretty much the way I wanted the image to look. See what happens when I crop for an 8x10? I lose her hands and chains.