However, unlike our last portirat session, My heart was a little heavy during this shoot. Khione and Hailey are Chanie’s beloved furry babies and tragically, Khione has cancer. She has quickly developed a lump on her forehead, which you can see in some of the photos. Chanie has an undetermined amount of time left with her and wanted to have photos to remember this time in their lives when Khione is still full of life. My heart goes out to Chanie and her family and I hope the time they have left with Khione is full of happy moments like these.

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Ryan and Tiffany are such wonderful parents and I always love the time I get to spend with them. Tiffany really wanted to have this year’s family portraits taken outdoors with the fall colors. Chautauqua Park in Boulder is one of my favorite places to photograph and it was the perfect setting to let Parker run free and see all of the puppies that were headed up the hiking trail. Thank you Ryan and Tiffany! I look forward to seeing the little girl that Parker is becoming and spending more time with your family!

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My husband and I have known Jess and Shawn for a few years now and were so thrilled when they wanted to purchase our First-Year Package! Jess is literally going to have their sweet baby boy any day now! It is such a humbling honor to be entrusted with their most precious of memories. Thank you both! I have no doubt that you two will make wonderful, fun and down-to-earth parents. Your son is so lucky to have you both! I am so excited and can’t wait to meet the little man and take his newborn photos!

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I met Janeil and her Dad over coffee a few weeks ago. When we met, Janeil wanted something “different” for her senior portraits and told me that one of her favorite places was Estes Park. We decided that a sunset portrait session up in Rocky Mountain National Park would be perfect!

I had such a wonderful time getting to know Janeil! She is such a sweet, smart and beautiful young woman!  I loved spending the afternoon with her and talking about her plans for the future. I’m so pleased that the weather worked perfectly to make Janeil’s portraits so special and that I was able to capture this moment in her life where ANYTHING is possible! Have a wonderful and fun senior year Janeil!

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I think my heart has been stolen by this little guy! When Sadie contacted us to schedule photos of her new baby boy, I was over the moon with excitement. Just a few weeks ago, I photographed David and Sadie’s maternity photos. Needless to say, I was absolutely thrilled to get to meet him.

Rumi made my heart melt with his little features, big eyes and  a head full of dark hair! He was such a perfect angel during this shoot. Apparently, it’s a really tough, exhausting job being so new so we only go one photo of Rumi with only one eye open. They are a beautiful shade of blue. We are so grateful and excited to have the opportunity to photograph Rumi throughout the year and watch him grow with our “First Year” photo package. Thank you David and Sadie for letting us meet your sweet angel! We can’t wait to do this again in October!

Jeff and Deanna were married at Fox Hollow Golf Course in Lakewood. This is one of our most memorable weddings. The passion between Jeff and Deanna was infectious. The amazing love and support from their families made us dream of the future and of having a close family of our own.

My favorite moment from the wedding was when Deanna’s family got up to dance with her. They formed a circle and danced, holding each other with tears and huge smiles on their faces. There was so much passion, emotion and happiness on this day that it has touched us forever.

It is amazing how time flies and how quickly life changes. Nearly a year ago we were photographing Jeff and Deanna’s wedding. Today, I get to meet Connor, Jeff and Deanna’s first-born son. This is why we love what we do. The chance to meet amazing people and to share their journey is humbling and so incredibly rewarding. Thank you Deanna and Jeff for sharing your lives with us! I can’t wait to meet Connor!

Tara and Greg were married at the Spruce Mountain Guest Ranch. This amazing venue was absolutely perfect for this mountain climbing, bluegrass loving couple!

Tara and Greg are some of the most kind and laid-back people that I have ever met. I have known them for a few years now, but while being their personal paparazzi for a day, I felt like I was seeing them in a new light. The love between them was so apparent and infectious. I have honestly never seen a couple that giddily happy at the altar. It truly warmed my heart and had me smiling all day.

Thank you both for sharing your wedding day and making us a part of it.  We are honored and wish you both the same joy and happiness you felt on this day – always!

I can’t even begin to describe the feelings that I have for my niece.

I never really considered myself a “kid” person. Sure, I liked kids and all and even really enjoyed holding babies, but until a few years ago, I wasn’t even 100% sure that I wanted to have children. I grew up helping to raise my siblings and felt such a sense of freedom when I went to college that having or wanting children was the furthest thing from my heart. For the first time I felt like I was free to worry about only myself and my aspirations.

When I met my niece and held her for the first time, I had the wind knocked out of me. When I took a big breath, it felt like I had breathed in for the very first time. I felt my heart stretch and grow in ways that I never imagined possible before. I had never felt this kind of love before and I was hooked forever.

My sister and her husband live in San Diego so I only get to see my niece a few times a year. However, one of the highlights of my day is the text message pictures of her that my mom and sister send me. I love watching her grow and see her personality emerge just a little more each day through photographs.

My niece came for a visit recently and after a hard day of playing with her two aunties, it was time for a  bath.  These pictures represent my fondest memory of my niece to date. She is so full of passion, confidence, fire and pure joy. I hope and wish these things for her always. I will always remember and cherish this day and be ever thankful that I had my camera with me.

- Jess

I am so excited about this project and the first cupcake portrait session with my baby niece. We had so much fun playing at the park and eating cupcakes. There was  a bit of a cupcake meltdown in the middle of the shoot but once Breanna could run free and fully exert her sugar high, she was one little,  happy cupcake diva! I will be posting more photos from bath time and more info about my mom’s cupcake shop, including some pictures of my work in the store very soon! Until then, be sure to stop by Sweet Peaks Cupcakery by Ed’s Cantina in Estes Park to see more of our work and to get a cupcake!