Please Vote!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I want to make this blog more valuable to you. I'm sure that you are very interested in my life (that was said with a bit of sarcasm) but I know that there are other things that interest you and that would benefit you. So please take a second to vote in the poll and leave a comment. Thanks for taking the time, I really appreciate it.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to everyone! Jessica and I carved pumpkins with my family last night and we had a great time. We are going to stay home tonight and pass out candy to all the trick-or-treaters (while I try not to eat too much of the candy.) Here are the pumpkins that we carved last night. Have a great day.

The World Series!

Me, Jessica, my friend Jon and my sister-in-law Heather went to the first World Series game ever at Coors Field last night; and even though they lost it was such an incredible experience. I hope that the Rockies will be back in the World Series another year, but you just never know; so we were so fortunate to have this opportunity. It really was an awesome experience, I have been to many baseball games before, but the atmosphere last night was like nothing I have ever experienced. It was electric. Everyone was cheering, everyone was excited and we were all there witnessing history. So I hope that they can win tonight and extend the series, but if they don't it will still be the most memorable season for the Colorado Rockies.

It was, of course, an extravagant introduction; which included fireworks, balloons and the largest American Flag I have ever seen.


Jon on the left, me and Jessica in the middle, Heather on the right.

"Love Is The Killer App"

I just finished reading an incredible book that I think can benefit anyone in any job. The title of the book is "Love is the Killer App" written by Tim Sanders. He says the business world is changing, and the most important thing you can have today is love. He says that it is so important to build your knowledge and then SHARE your knowledge with anyone who can benefit from it. He talks about becoming what he calls a "lovecat," and describes the importance of sharing your intangibles with your "bizpartners." Our intangibles are..."our knowledge, our network, and our compassion."

He gives numerous examples proving how this philosophy can be successful. Most people believe that business in general is cut-throat, and that you should never share your "secrets." Tim Sanders believes the opposite, he believes it is through sharing that you will really become successful.

Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down, I enjoyed reading it and I have enjoyed using his lessons in my own life. Thanks Tim!

Welllll...

That wasn't the best start to a World Series, probably not what the Rockies had in mind. I think they are going to play much better on Thursday, and even the series at 1 game a piece.

Please don't hate me...

As many of you know I am a Rockies fan, and I have been extremely excited about their trip to the World Series. I have already bought two hats, and if they win the World Series than I will have to buy a third. I spent almost 2 hours on Monday trying to buy tickets, only to find out that the site had crashed.

So I tried again on Tuesday, just like the other millions of fans around the world. I had no expectations that I would be able to get tickets; but I was definitely going to try. So I sat at my computer for 2.5 straight hours; and I am happy to say that I got some tickets. Although I must have been the luckiest Rockies fan in the world on Tuesday because I was actually able to get tickets to all 3 games in Denver; needless to say my family will be attending the World Series. I'm sorry if you tried to get tickets and were unsuccessful, but I promise I will cheer as loud as I can. GO ROCKIES!

Jen and Scott

Wow! Jessica and I had an amazing time with Jen and Scott on Saturday shooting their engagement photos. We have been so lucky to have such wonderful couples come into our lives, and Jen and Scott are no different. They were so much fun (and so easy) to photograph and the four of us get along so well. Their wedding is next June and I'm serious when I say we can't wait.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THEIR SLIDESHOW

(It is definitely worth it, and has a slightly different look than our other slideshows. Leave a comment and let us know what you think.)



We had 80 degree weather on Saturday when we took the pictures, and the next day we had 35 degrees and snow; definitely Colorado weather in October.

Happy Birthday

My dad, both of my sisters and my father-in-law all celebrate their birthdays in October so I wanted to wish them all a happy birthday. We went out to dinner tonight to celebrate my dad and one of my sister's birthday. We had a great night and we had a lot of laughs.

That is me in the middle, my sister Sara to my right (her birthday was a few weeks ago) my mom on my left, Jess is on the right hand side of the picture, my dad on the left hand side (his birthday was two days ago.) My sister Chrissy in the back (her birthday is tomorrow) and her boyfriend Juan.

Albert Einstein

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

This is one of my favorite quotes, it is so simple but so true. I try to think about this when I get into a rut, and remind myself to think of something new or different. I can't expect new things to happen from old thinking. Sometimes we get so set in our ways that we can't look outside of ourselves to try something new. Or we are so afraid of trying something new that we never do.

Some Pictures...

I know I have been talking a lot about baseball, but the Rockies are on a historic run right now and if they win tonight they are in the World Series.
But I digress...

We did a Trash The Dress Shoot a few weeks ago with some awesome photographers here in Colorado and we had so much fun. I had a slideshow up a few weeks ago but I wanted to post some actual pictures for everyone to see.

This whole idea of "trashing the dress" is kind of a new one, and may sound strange when you first hear of it. Although I think it can be a very fun and relaxed photo shoot. Crystal, who was the model for our shoot but also recently married, said it was "liberating."

If this is something you might be interested in, we can definitely talk about it. I hope you enjoy some of the images from the day...

1 more win...

...and we are in the World Series!

I promise I will get some non-baseball related items on the blog this week; but I am just so excited about the Rockies.

2 wins in a row...

...and counting. GO ROCKIES!

Let's Go Rockies!

The Rockies start their series against the Diamondbacks tonight, and if they win the series it is on to the World Series. I have been a Rockies fan since their inception, and when Eric Young hit a home run in the first ever at bat in Denver, I was hooked. However the Rockies have struggled for the last 12 years, and I never thought I would be able to say "if the Rockies win 4 more games they will be in the world series." But tonight I CAN say that, and I am excited. So GO ROCKIES!

That is my Wild Card hat that I bought, and this week's Sports Illustrated has the Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis on the cover.




On another note, I have a bunch of things to blog about in the coming days; so check back.

I love teaching.

Yesterday Jessica and I had the opportunity to share some of our knowledge with a great group of people at the Lookout Mountain Nature Center. It was such an honor to see so many people come out to hear what we had to say. I gave a small presentation about some basic camera terms and showed some of my own pictures. Then we went outside and took some pictures, and talked more about cameras. I love teaching and sharing and it is definitely something that I will do more of in the future. I would really like to teach a half day class where we can spend more time taking pictures.

I think everyone benefited from the class, I know I did. Thanks again to the Nature Center staff for allowing us to teach this program, and thank you so much to everyone who attended.

Here are a few pictures that Jessica took...

Adding Value...

I have learned so much this year and I am so grateful to the people who have helped me throughout this journey. There have been great photographers who have inspired me, authors who have shared their knowledge through their writing, and most importantly the people close to me; my family and friends.

Since I have received so much help and inspiration from so many people I want to begin returning the favor. I have heard the phrase "adding value" used often, and I want to be able to add value to this blog. I want people to come and read this, not just to keep up on my life, but also to benefit and gain knowledge. This is also the direction that I want to take my business, I want to be able to add value to people's lives.

So what exactly does that look like? Well I'm not entirely sure yet, and that is where you come in. Please let me know what it is that will benefit you. Do you want photography tips, do you want me to talk about the things I have learned while in business, do you want me to talk about books or articles I have read? Of course I will still be posting slideshows and images, I definitely want to share our wedding experiences with everyone. And I will also be keeping people up to date on my and Jessica's life.

So thank you to everyone who has been reading, it is my goal to make your commitment to reading this blog even more worthwhile.

We trashed a dress!

Yesterday Jessica and I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and shoot with some great photographers in the Denver area. I think it is so important to get to know other photographers in the area and form some great relationships with them. So we all got together near Confluence Park in Downtown Denver and did what is known as a trash the dress shoot. If you haven't heard of this before, basically the bride does things with her dress she wouldn't dare do before the wedding. You will see what I am talking about in the slideshow, but we had so much fun.

A huge thanks to everyone who attended and I am so excited about starting some great friendships with everyone. A special thanks to our models: Crystal and Moses were our bride and groom and they did a wonderful job. Chris and Kat also modeled for us and gave a very edgy look.

I also want to thank Erin Cady from Art and Soul Photography in Glenwood Springs, CO. She found all of our models (Crystal is her assistant) got some amazing bouquets and really made the day happen. Here is a glimpse of what our afternoon consisted of...

This is my 99th post, so obviously my next one will be 100 and I am trying to think of some interesting things to do. So check back in a few days for my 100th post.

Bottom of the thirteenth...Are you kidding me!?

I am really almost speechless, WOW! Probably the best baseball game I have ever watched...definitely the best game I have ever watched. It is so awesome to see a team come together, fight through so much, and then come back in the bottom of the thirteenth inning to win. I just hope they can keep it going and beat the Padres. If you call me on Wednesday from 1-4 p.m. I may not answer because I will be watching the Rockies game. Talk to you soon.