Bella's Float Wraps

Bella's float wraps arrived and they look fantastic. This is a brand new way to present pictures and we're getting a lot of compliments on the samples displayed in the studio. Each image literally "floats" off the wall and several pictures can be arranged side-by-side to make a cool story board or one picture can be printed on several panels to create a mosaic. — Sean

Christmas photographed with an iPhone

We just returned from Christmas vacation and went back to work. But I wanted to share a few vacation photographs from our trip. Whenever we're visiting family I bring my camera. Even more important though, I have to use it when the moment arises! I didn't want to be lugging my camera around on this trip. So I used my iPhone instead. Two of these images were made with my iPhone. Can you guess which ones? The first picture is a photograph of Grandma and Grandpa Cayton and Aunt Cathryn after a sleigh ride in the winterland town of Leavenworth, Washington on Christmas Eve. The second is a photograph of Abby in her ballerina outfit that Aunt Cathryn gave her for Christmas. Abby is infatuated with the Nutcracker Ballet and as soon as she put it on she wanted to be Claire for Christmas. (Guess this means we need to enroll her in ballet...) Below is a photograph of Harper sharing a secret with his grandfather. We had a great time and we hope to see Grandma and Grandpa when the baby arrives in February. — Sean

December Family Sittings

Last weekend we met for a second round of family sittings for our favorite clients. The weather was suspect and getting worse as the weekend progressed but we managed by photographing a couple of families at their homes and making regular trips to the Dogtooth Coffee for hot cocoa. We photographed six families over the course of the weekend. A tip of the hat to those who braved the weather with me and Cathy:) Click here to see a brief slide show of family photographs from Saturday and Sunday. Thanks to everyone who joined us, it was great to see you and hopefully we will do more pictures of your beautiful families soon! — Sean

November Family Sittings

Last weekend we did a marathon session of family sittings for our favorite clients. We had a great turnout and good weather. We photographed five families over the course of the weekend. We met at Monument Valley Park and found all sorts of backdrops. We also found the jungle gym and the swing set. Click here to see a brief slide show of family photographs from last Saturday and Sunday. Thanks to everyone who joined us, it was great to see you and hopefully we will do more pictures of your beautiful families soon! — Sean

Fall portraits of Abby and Harper

Last week we took Abby and Harper on a walk to check out the fall colors that are turning here in Colorado Springs. I brought my camera to take some portraits of the kids. A nice fall afternoon is a great time to photograph children. They are discoverers and a change in the leaves leaves plenty to discover:) I try to do these mini-portrait sessions with my kids at least once every couple of months. Anyone with children can practice this same type of portrait photography on their own. The recipe for success? Let your kids be themselves. Our walk went around the block and by the time we got back, I had several nice frames. These I like the best. They show their personalities and their expressions are priceless. Today happens to be a perfect day to take a walk with your kids and don't forget to bring your camera. Happy shooting! — Sean

Colorado Springs Family Sitting — Judith, Cliff, Carter and Kate

I spent a recent afternoon with my friends Judith and Cliff and their two children Carter and Kate. We went to the Rockledge Ranch to explore and to take some pictures. It's always hard for children to have their photograph taken by a stranger. The real trick to making good child portraits is to allow them to be themselves and to be ready for it! (TIP: Try this with your own family and see if pictures of your children don't improve) By the end of our time together, Kate was a lot more comfortable and relaxed. I love this mother-daughter picture that happened all by itself at the end of our session. As you can see (below) Carter had no problems with having his picture taken and he warmed up to me instantly:) — Sean

Michelle and Family

I met the Michelle and her family for a photo session right before our vacation to NH. We arranged to meet at Rock Ledge Ranch on Sunday morning and we expected to have the whole place to ourselves. But there was a large private function going on and all my favorite spots had tables and chairs in addition to the pine trees. No matter though, I found a bunch of new favorite spots! I love this photo of Michelle and her husband in the scrub oaks and the other of their grandson in the tall grasses. — Cathy

Baby Brynn, 9 months old

I photographed 9-month-old-Brynn and her family earlier this week. I've been photographing her since she was born, you can see her past photo sessions here. I also photographed her brother Declan and we created a great book. See the book and photos here. I've always been very pleased with the photos from my sessions with Brynn and Declan, but this time was even better, this time I began photographing before 8 am. I know, it's early, but it was worth it! Brynn was so awake and ready for her day! Her expressions were priceless! —Cathy

Vigil Family Sitting - Take II

A couple of weeks ago I posted photographs from the Vigil family sitting. Last week I photographed the second Vigil family. There are two Vigil brothers married to two best friends and they have four children each. This time I met the second set of Vigils at The Colorado College campus. We had a great time. I love this image of father Isaac with his kids. And this picture of the children running through the frame gives you an idea of just how crazy and wonderful their family is:) — Sean

Jack and his twin sisters

Here's an adorable photograph from a recent family sitting. This is Jack, 4, with his twin sisters, Caroline, left, and Ellie, 2 1/2. I caught this picture as they were getting ready to take a picture with their parents. Behind me was their cousin Gabe playing with his Dad and that brought a smile to their faces. — Sean

Vigil Family Sitting

Each year I photograph the Vigil's for their Christmas card and each year it seems like their family gets a little bigger:) They're always fun to photograph, although it can be tough getting everyone to look in one place at the same time. This year we traveled to the Garden of the Gods and spent some time in the park. I had a blast! I love this picture of Sophia with the rest of the family behind her. I also like this shot of Nicholas... the explorer. Thomas had a hard time giving us a real smile, so Dad threw him up in the air a couple of times and that seemed to do the trick:)- Sean

Cousins Nick and Emma and Judson

We've been photographing a lot of family sittings lately. Last weekend I photographed two families, one family traveled from Italy to visit the other. They spent the week here. Judson got to spend some quality time with his cousins Nick and Emma and Nick and Emma got to see Colorado for the first time. We went over to Rockledge Ranch to make some family pictures. The kids had a great time together and I know in a few years they will look back on these photographs and reminisce about how much fun they had! — Sean

Mara, Kyle and family

Mara and Kyle met me at the playground in Monument Valley Park for their family photo session Saturday afternoon. They brought both kiddos…Gannon (5 years old) and Turner (3 months old). Gannon barely held still long enough for the shutter to release, but we managed do something creative that let him get his energy out. They are planning on using the images for holiday gifts. Just a reminder, reserve your own family session before November 15th and the first 20 holiday cards are on us. — Cathy

Just in time for fall colors: Family Photos

You may have seen our advertisement in the Colorado Springs Independent. Just a quick note here. With the fall colors arriving, now is the perfect time for family photos. Book before November 15th and the first 20 holiday cards are on us. Appointment times are limited. E-mail or call to schedule your family sitting today! — Sean

Surya's maternity photos, part 1

Our good friend and fellow photographer Surya is expecting her second child in September. And even though there's a new baby on the way, she wanted to remember the other babes in her life, husband Drew and two-and-half year old Tanner. So instead of setting up the black back drop by a large window we took her shoot out of doors. Don't worry though…I'll post more photos of Surya's one on one time with the camera in a few days! —Cathy

Cox Family Sitting

Tonight I photographed the Cox family for their Christmas card. A few years ago, I photographed Surya and Drew's wedding at Hillside Gardens. We've stayed close ever since and now they have little Tanner running around and flirting with Abby:) We had a blast making pictures and enjoying pizza afterwards. You might have seen Surya at a wedding or two. She's passionate about photography and works now as a second photographer with us. — Sean