Penny O…The Blog

Finally I am getting to post more work from late last year ! I’m trying to be a better blogger this year….

Liz and Kory are from LA and they got married here in Denver at the Tears Mcfarlane house at Cheeseman Park. I have to say that they, and their families, were awesome.The night before the wedding I did some shots at the hotel where she and the wedding party were staying to photograph them getting some henna tattoos done. It was nice to hang out and shoot in such a fun and casual atmosphere and really set a nice tone for the rest of the events. The wedding itself was, in my opinion, just about perfect and my second shooter Trish was perfect to work with.

Late summer weddings are so wonderful….and I wish Liz and Kory every happiness….

Sometimes I get so busy with client sessions, and with life in general, that I find it hard to get out there and take photographs of just stuff. On the way to shoot a wedding in Durango last year my second shooter, jason, and I were able to stop off and get some shots of an abandoned power plant we found. I had always wanted to do some shooting in a abandoned location like this. I also got a few fun shots in Durango when we weren’t “working”.  It is on my resolution list for this new year to make more time to do more personal work…hopefully I’ll be able to fulfill that resolution!

We had a good laugh about this one- selling “tapes”… gotta love it! Sometimes I miss the days of making mix tapes….

a fridge from one of the best breakfast diners ever!

so, this was a strangle little hole in the pavement inside the building… and down below was a kids backpack. I don’t even want to know….

I’ve come to realize over the last two years that one of my favorite photography sessions to do is high-school seniors. Who knows, maybe its because when I was in high-school things were very stressful and not so fun, as I’m sure it was for many of us And hanging around these cool teens makes it seem a little better… And maybe its because these seniors are fun, and are so open minded to the sessions and come with alot of humor, personality and hope and excitement for the future. Its also fun to see the interaction between them and their parents, if the parents are there for the session. I remember being on that edge- between “kid” and adult and getting ready to go into the world. And you can see the excitement and pride, and anxiety for the future sometimes too, in the parents.

Heres a sampling of some of the sessions I did in 2011 for the 2012 senior class….

While I may not be the worst blogger in the world, I certainly could do a lot better! Sheesh- a month since my last post….

Hope this finds you all well for the holidays

So, anyone that knows me knows that I love vintage – pretty much anything vintage, and almost any time period. But, I have to say the the 40′s, 50′s and 60′s hold their own special place when it comes to fashion and sentiment. A while back I was asked to do a baking themed pin-up shoot for one of my brides to be. We couldn’t find the right vintage themed kitchen so we actually just broke down and used mine. With a few ornamental touches, the right hair, makeup and wardrobe and some tinting and cross processing in Photoshop and we got a pretty neat vintage effect.

Cupcakes anyone?

Fun Fact: Hair and makeup courtesy my sister- Rosie!

So, Sara and Brian have got to be two of the coolest, laid back people I’ve ever worked with. They’re both sweet and kind, world traveled and very charismatic. I’m sure I probably gushed about them already when I blogged their engagement pics too!

A couple months back they had their wedding at a ranch outside of Durango. I’d never been to that area of the state before and I loved it! My friend and second shooter, Jason, and I drove down and stayed for the weekend of the wedding. I love road trips and it was so great to get away, see a new place and shoot a beautiful wedding. The grey clouds and lightning cleared away just before the ceremony and it was really just a fabulous day. Both Jason and I had a blast working with Sara and Brian and their wonderful friends and family and everyone made us feel so welcome.

And I have to say- I think this wedding took the cake with the best reception toast and speech. At one point I was choking up and my eyes were watering so much that i had to hide behind my camera for a solid few minutes. Its so nice to be around that much love and emotion and it was a true reminder of how much I love my job. Of course, with people, settings and such displays of love like this wedding had it never feels like a job at all.

Oh, and you gotta love a girl who forgoes wearing her heels at the ceremony for a pair of soft moccasin boots instead!

Congrats Sara and Brian and thanks so much for the opportunity of a wonderful weekend getaway!

This summer Jason, my trusty friend and second shooter, and I went up to Bailey, CO to shoot Ashley and Justin’s wedding. It was at a beautifully quaint riverside cabin resort complete with old swings, rusty tractors and tons of unique charm. I love old rusty things from days gone by so this place was right up my alley. The riverside next to the ceremony site was quiet and beautiful and I remember it smelled so good up there too. I love shooting weddings at places like this, of which Colorado has an abundance of… even though I’m working and there is a lot of activity, places like this lend a calm and relaxation that I think really helps set a right mood for everyone. Congrats to Ashley and Justin on their beautiful day!

Wow, a month since my last blog post… not to be cliche, but where did the time go? Business is still booming this year and cameras, lenses, photoshop and emails get the priority right now.  But, I really want to get back to being regular with my photo blog… and to start that off I am featuring some images from a shoot I did last month for my sister, my niece and twin nephews. Needless to say I think they are so beautiful and I have to admit that having a photographer in the family has offered the kids a chance to get pretty camera friendly as well. I don’t really need to tell them to do anything in particular- they just do it on their own now and look absolutely darling doing it. I love shooting my family because it is the perfect blend of things that I love the most in the world…and “Uncle Charlie”, my husband, was also along for a few of the shots so that made it even better. We found some great locations, including an old abandoned house just north of downtown that served as a perfect backdrop.

One of the projects I worked on over this summer was the cd cover for Denver area band Papa Juke’s newest release, “Out of the Blues“. As with most artistic endeavors, in this case cd covers, it was a bit of a labor of love on all sides. I’ve come to learn that when it comes to details and style, musicians are as attentive to (pretty much obsessed with) detail as I am at times. And rightly they should be. All that time spent in the studio, writing, performing and building a following needs to be honored by getting that cover as right as they can get it.

I love doing this kind of work. It not only involves photography, but also graphic design, layout and fonts and text – all of which I love. For this CD, two shoots were involved. The first was promo pics of the band, and the second was with the model who graced the cover ( actually my beautiful friend Laura who set me up with the whole project ) and the wonderful blue Bel Air. The Bel Air actually wasn’t even  running and was parked in an alley. But Photoshop fortunately lets you work around inconveniences like that.

I love the way this cd cover came out, namely the actual cover itself. I love the expression on Laura’s face and the way the sky radiates behind her. The expression was Laura’s magic, the radiating sky was all Photoshop  and some stock photography of a sky picture I had taken about two years ago. The band, Christine, Mad Dog, Dan and Doc were so fun to work with and I have to say that upon hearing this cd once I got my copy- this bunch is good! I mean, I really really love the cd.

To quote from their site: “Papa Juke is the originator of Juke, a contemporary stew of blues that they serve up hot. The recipe for Juke calls for pouring out some soulful blues and then stirring in a spoonful of swing, a fistful of rock, a bucket of boogie, a slice of country, a ladle of Latin, a pinch of reggae, a splash of Cajun and a generous dollop of old school R & B.  Add a big squirt of funk with a dash of jazz and then sprinkle in liberally some hot gospel.  Let it cook for a few hours over a hot jam.  Juke has been known to cure the blues, dismiss a hangover and even bring together long lost lovers”.

Whatever you want to call it, it’s just awesome and after hearing the cd I am even more excited that I got to be a small part of its creation. Papa Juke competed in the International Blues Challenge this year and made it to the final Colorado competition which is this Sunday at the Buffalo Rose in Golden. I’m hoping to be there to see them play….

Recently I got to work with CP with a shoot to commemorate her birthday. Not only is she beautiful, but she’s very humble, almost shy about it, which makes her even more beautiful. We did some basic studio set-ups and then had a little fun going for a vintage lady detective feel. Seeing as I love working with studio lighting, and love doing a bit with costumes and props and I love shooting pretty girls, ( although who doesn’t really ) this shoot was a fun one for me for sure!

Last month Missy and Jared had a small intimate ceremony up in Beaver Creek. They had a beautiful room at the Westin and the ceremony was on the private patio of their room. It rained on the way up there, but fortunately the rain stopped in time for the ceremony. They were both so gracious and sweet and looked so gorgeous. It was such a pleasure to be a part of everything. Mountain weddings in Colorado are just so awesome….