Ray and Amanda

Last week I spent some time with Ray and Amanda at Webster Lake in Northglenn, Colorado. While discussing wedding details, we also took a few engagement pictures. I thought they were a cute couple and can't wait to photograph their wedding on June 8. Congratulations Ray and Amanda!

City Park

Yesterday a friend of mine and I took our chances at City Park late in the afternoon to get some images. I say that we took our chances because of the tornadoes up north and Denver was under watch until 8 pm. I met Lisa (name has been changed) a year ago in October. This was the time that I moved to Denver and started spending more time with young adults involved with the Denver Archdiocese. Lisa had just moved to Colorado from Florida and she was looking to start a new life. Her background is in vocal, so she is hoping to be able to start working shows in the greater Denver area.

These images were inspired by an idea I had for my portfolio. Lisa happened to have the dress and the time to help make this come to life! I found exactly what I was looking for in these images. Enjoy!

Portraits of Donna

This week Donna Fryer and I went over to Washington Park to take her portraits. There was a lot going on while we were there. The park was active, but we were still able to take great portraits. I was attempting to capture Donna's peaceful spirit in nature.

Boulder Dinner Theatre: Will Rogers Follies

I spent a lot of time in Boulder, Colorado this weekend attempting to tackle a few assignments. One assignment within an assignment, was photographing the Boulder Dinner Theatre's "The Will Rogers Follies." I had the opportunity to experience the show with all of the other guests while photographing images for my portfolio. Here are a few of my favorites. For more information go to www.theatreinboulder.com.

Paint Mines Park, Colorado

This weekend has been full of adventures and today was the end of my travels for the week. I joined the Art Institute group for a trip to the Paint Mines Park in El Paso County, Colorado. We started out in Elbert, Colorado venturing in the small town atmosphere looking at the historical buildings. Then we continued on our trip to the Paint Mines Park. The weather was cold, windy and at times it was sleeting. Although the weather was not at its best today, the park was amazing. If you've never been, the park is a small canyon with walls of brightly colored layers of clay. We started at the top where we could see the rocks from above, but than we made our way into the canyon. As explorers with camera's and sketch pads we felt the need to look at every corner of the park and we all found that the park was one big maze leading to new areas of the park and dead ends. We weren't the only artists in the park as we also ran into a couple other photographers. A small portion of us were rock hounds that found several gypsum crystals to share with everyone. We ended our day with a big meal from one of the local restaurants and spending time sharing our experience with one another.

Biking the Platte

Something I started last year was biking the Platte River from 88th and Colorado to Confluence Park in Denver. This year one of my oldest friends, Yvette Martin, joined me in making the trip from Thornton to Denver. We had a great time! I am a recreational biker and enjoy biking with others that don't mind riding and taking breaks. Yvette was a great traveling companion because we able to catch up on our lives as well as get outside to enjoy the sunshine and some exercise. Yvette has been in Rochester, Minnesota for the past ten years studying to a doctor, but after graduation this summer she will begin her internship in Denver for a year. Then she will be moving to complete her internship and her study.

Spring Has Sprung

The night before I had gone to a PUG meeting, which is a meeting for photographers to get together and discuss different topics. The speaker last night was the owner of Heisel Photo and reminded us to think about why we were interested in photography in the first place. This was a great reminder of what I love most about photography. When I started out, I used to always walk with my camera and take my camera everywhere documenting moments in time as they were. After talking about this, I was inspired to go out with my camera and walk again. For fun!

As I was taking my daily walk, it was nice to see all the May flowers along each sidewalk in my neighborhood. Today was cool, but being able to see iris' and tulips popping up was what I needed today.

Garden of the Gods

I've been a little slow at posting for my blog, but last month I took a little drive to Garden of the Gods. It was one of those beautiful sunny Sundays that brought people out of their homes for a picnic, a drive, a walk and a sit in the park. It was a great day for getting out. In the past, my drives used to consist of me taking pictures of the landscape but lately I've been attempting to add more human element to my images. The people are a little small, but they're there.

Sunday at Cheeseman Park

Sundays are my day for adventure and this weekend I spent the day at Cheeseman Park in Denver with a good friend of mine. We had intentions of biking the Platte River, but it just didn't work out for us, so instead of biking we walked around the neighborhood and ended up at Cheeseman Park for a couple of hours. It was really nice sitting under a tree, talking and being able to take in and capture a moment in time. I love warm spring days like yesterday.

Time with Dad

Since April 1st this year, I've been spending a lot of time with my dad. We first started out with taking photos for my portfolio, but as the month progressed I continued helping him restore his bathroom. As most people know, I'm a sucker for adventures, so restoring a bathroom is my cup of tea. There was one day where we took the opportunity to enjoy a sunny day together on the porch. I was reshooting my father on our porch for my portfolio and than later on we enjoyed the day with a couple of beers, my dad's guitar, and my camera. These are the simple moments that I enjoy the most and have always loved. I grew up in the small town of Firestone, Colorado, which has recently made its way on a Colorado map. When I was in high school, I spent a lot of time on that porch with family and many of my friends. We would spend time together talking and watching the cars roll by. I know that 1995 was not that long ago, but as fast as the world moves it seems ages ago. I sure miss sitting on the porch and eating sunflower seeds like I used to, but I love that we still have the porch and I love that its still a place to gather.

Something else about my dad is that he is a musician who has played for himself on the front porch, but has recently started sharing his talents with audiences in northern Colorado. He will be playing in Firestone, CO for the Relay for Life Race on June 21. Check out his music on his myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/alherrera.