CU Boulder Graduation Photographer

Graduation photos for Mohktar! He came to Colorado from Saudi Arabia without ever visiting Colorado. He earned his degree, an award for an organization that he helped run at CU and did all the classic Colorado things. He skied 40 days this past season even though the snowpack was one of the lowest ever. He made the most of his 4 years and is already back home in Saudi Arabia. These photos at Chautauqua were perfect to commemorate his time in Colorado.

If you need graduation photos, send me an email below!

Miami in May

My first trip to Miami was to celebrate one of my best friends having a baby. Amber and her husband Nick toured me around to the places they went when they were growing up in Miami. First we went to Wynwood, which they told me is completely different from how it used to be years ago. The food and murals were incredible.

The next day, we woke up early for sunrise at South Beach. We swam and walked along the ocean front path before it got too hot outside. We saw a cute black cat hiding in the leaves on our way back.

After the beach, we walked along Ocean Road to see the old buildings. We stopped at a cuban restaurant for tostadas and coffee. The palm trees and colorful buildings were beautiful.

After our walk, we drove down to Key Biscayne, then back up and through Coral Gables. The huge trees amazed me each time I saw one. So we pulled over a few times so I could take photos. After our day of exploring, Amber took me to get empanadas, maltin and a chicha drink before we went shopping to get food for the baby shower.

Finally, the baby shower! It was perfect. I had to take some photos of Amber outside in her yellow dress matching the scenery so well. I can’t wait to go back to meet her baby and see more of Miami <3

Cherry Blossoms in Boulder

Spring time came and went a little sooner this year with the warm weather. It feels like summer has already begun. Each year, I let myself remember the ephemerality of life through the seasons, especially ones that pass quickly and colors that fade.

Self Portraits

Annual Self Portrait Challenge with Kas

Day 1: Shoot wide - I’ve always been drawn to these leading lines near my garage and never thought of it as an interesting place for a photo until this challenge began. That’s one of my favorite parts of these challenges. I see my surroundings with a fresh eye and am able to see beauty and inspiration in the less obvious things. This prompt helped me to have more appreciation for my neighborhood and my home.

Day 2: Sacred Space - This prompt was meant to showcase a special place. I chose my altar that is a constant work in progress. It changes and grows with me through seasons. I come here to pull oracle cards and meditate about things I want to feel and work through. Often times, I catch myself thinking I “shouldn’t” light these candles because I only have a few and I love how they look. But lighting them for seemingly no reason reminds me that there are no rules, that I’ll lose everything one day when I die and each day I’m alive is actually the special occasion.

Day 3: Shoot from Above - I took some time to think about how I wanted to take these photos today. I started out on the staircase and made a few images I like quickly, but didn’t feel like they were anything new or challenging to me. So I went in my basement and saw a bright spot of light that caught my attention. Getting up to adjust my settings, check images and lay back down in the right place took a long time haha but it was a fun process to get the focus and framing right after many tries.

Day 4: Create Textures and Layers - I initially thought about using flowers or plants in the foreground to serve as a layer and texture, but I realized that I often do this in photos I take of others already. I wanted a new concept, so I decided to work with the blur of my color guard flag and some of my hula hoops. I have been wanting to flow with these things more lately and decided this was the perfect reason to.

Day 5: Up Close - make an image of your face that fills up the frame.

I woke up early for work and to be able to create some portraits in the sun before the end of the day. I took these photos in my yard and loved hearing the birds chirp and the warm sun on my face. I usually don’t like seeing my face in direct, harsh light, but I wanted a less traditional angle for this photo. After seeing the images, I noticed blemishes and things that are more concealed in soft light. I chose not to edit anything out. It makes me feel more human when I see images of people online that look like me and look real- blemishes, wrinkles and all.

Red Rocks Trading Post Wedding Photographer - Colorado

Hannah and Kent’s gorgeous, fall wedding at Red Rocks Trading Post in Morrison, Colorado.

(second shot for Judy at The Iris Photography)

The Trading Post is a beautiful wedding spot in Colorado to see the views, red rocks and enioy a unique space. This area is for ceremonies and getting ready areas. This space has a capacity for 100 guests. There are views of the huge rocks all around, trees and mountains in the distance that anyone would love to see, especially out of town guests like the ones from this wedding who came in from Texas to celebrate.

After the ceremony, we moved to The Rock Room for cocktail hour and the reception. This space has a capacity for 152 people. There is space inside for a band or DJ, a small cocktail bar and the outdoor patio that has room for all guests plus tables and extra items like a fire pit for a s’mores station! There are also gorgeous views from here of the mountains where we even saw some deer in the distance.

The day ended with a bubble exit into the Upper North lot at Red Rocks and was a fun send off for these two and their out of town guests.

Places to visit in New Orleans

New Orleans in February is a great time of year to visit since the weather is more mild.

For this trip, there was quite a fluctuation in the temperatures each day. Upon arriving, it was about 85 degrees and 2 days later it was 50 degrees and windy! We stayed in the Prince Conti Hotel near Bourbon street since we were attending a wedding over the weekend.

We couldn’t wait to get oysters and all of the good food here, so we went to Acme Oyster House for lunch when we arrived.

I like to look for unique or funny things around new places I visit. The neon signs and odd things around the city kept catching my eye. A discarded, croissant, a table balancing on an empty shooter and more. We also wandered to the riverwalk to see the Holocaust memorial and other sculptures there.

We continued walking around the french quarter, visiting shops, listening to music and enjoying the food. Leftover beads from Mardi Gras were everywhere, but in an intentional way- draped over railings outside of homes, placed on bikes and sometimes left on a curb. Even though Mardi Gras had passed, there were still marching bands playing and marching through the streets on the Friday and Saturday of our trip.

We also visited a neighborhood that was a 10 minute drive outside of downtown New Orleans. The Bayou Saint John neighborhood is a beautiful place to walk and see a lot of colorful houses. It’s also near the Saint Louis Cemetery No. 3 which is free to enter and has a large cemetery to wander. I always love seeing cemeteries and the different styles of gravestones and ways that the dead are honored and remembered. We stopped near the Cabrini High School which has beautiful trees and statues outside.

The next photos are from our walk around Bayou Saint John neighborhood where we stopped on our way back from the cemetery. The art and details on homes, the sidewalks, the parks were all gorgeous and colorful. People sitting on their porches even waved and said hello as we walked by. Everyone we met seemed happy to share about their lives in New Orleans. I could sense the pride everyone has for this city and the people in it.

I went for a walk as the sun was setting after the weather got cooler on Sunday evening. I walked near the cathedral and Jackson Square while documenting doors and neon signs that usually had people or cars in front of them. Because it was a Sunday evening, it wasn’t busy and I was able to take photos that had diffferent perspectives than when the city was busier.

On our final day visiting, we took a trip to the WWII museum. We walked there from our hotel and spent 3 or 4 hours inside the museum. The layout of the museum is organized, yet extensive. Along the way there and back, I enjoyed taking photos of the busy intersections and architecture around. I love seeing the low sun in sea level places, so even the sunset inside of the airport was beautiful.