Natural Light

So Gaven and I were hanging out this morning and there was this wonderful light coming in through the window. I think it was a combination of an overcast sky and the reflection off the snow. My gear was out because I had a wedding last night, so I seized the moment. It's the first time I've shot more of a point and shoot snapshot of him in a while. Felt good. I used a 50mm macro lens that rarely comes out of the bag. . . think I need to start trying to use it more.

Congratulations Nathan & Lindsay

Nathan and Lindsay were married Saturday November 24th, 2007 at the Rocky Mountain Lodge in Cascade, Colorado. It was and extremely intimate celebration with family and very close friends. The bride and groom spent several days at the lodge with their families celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. We had a wonderful time shooting their event. It was a truly heartfelt ceremony officiated by the groom's father. We wish Nathan and Lindsay the best of luck.

New Additions

A few weeks ago I got an email from Seth and Sara telling me that they were in need of some family pictures because they had just had a baby. I had shot their wedding a few summers ago and was honored when they contacted me to photograph their new baby girl. A few minutes after Sara and I worked out the details over the phone, she ended up calling me right back. She said that her mom wanted in on that action. Everyone was to be home for Thanksgiving, so they wanted to take advantage. The weather didn't allow for the outdoor shoot we had originally planned on, but we made it work at Mom's house. We had a great time making these images. The babies were pretty cooperative given their ages. It's always nice to see past clients again for happy occasions.

Gaven Tests the Merchandise

Chris and I took Gaven to Babies R Us today to try out some different exercisers. He found one that I think he's going to ask Santa for.

Family Time

We photographed some family/engagement portraits last weekend for Kevin and Shalah. We will be photographing their wedding ceremony this coming May at the Briarhurst Manor in Manitou Springs. We got some really great images from the shoot. The weather was a bit chilly but no one seemed to mind.

Congratulations Chad and Tammy

Chad and Tammy were married in a an intimate ceremony at the Craftwood Inn in Manitou Springs. The wedding was on October 20th, 2007. I apologize to the couple for this late post, I just haven't had much free time lately and of course the blog is the first thing to suffer. I want to thank Walt Palmer for helping me out with this one. I called him in a panic the morning of this event because . . . well . . . I'll just say that I learned that cameras don't bounce that day. Walt came right over and backed me up, as well calmed me down. We had a lot of fun because the couple was just wonderful to work with. All of their guests were great as well. We wish them all the happiness in the world.

Herman Munster Represent

So I love carving pumpkins, but every year I wait far too long to purchase pumpkins for myself and the boys. This year was no exception. Everyone was out because I waited until Halloween day. Chris and I remembered a church that was selling pumpkins so we picked the boys up from school and headed there. The three of us picked out our pumpkins and asked how much. Apparently church pumpkins come at a premium. Three pumpkins were $26. Yes. $26 for three pumpkins. I thought churches supposed to be non-profits. . .

Happy Halloween

Hope that everyone had a great Halloween. I know a good time was had by all at our house. Yes, Gaven had two different costumes. Why you might ask. That's just how we roll, and the fact that stuff only fits for a very short period of time. I'd have to say that my favorite trick or treater of the evening had to be the one who must shave more often than I do. He had the ever classic hoodie and a pillow case costume. The reason he stands out is because after I gave him candy he responded with " 'Preciate it yo." Classic.

Just wanted to share some more smiles and a little talking from Gaven.

Fun with Photoshop

I have never really been a big fan of photoshop in general. Trust me, I couldn't do my job without it, but I've never really had any desire to do much more than the basics with it. I use it to correct things that need correcting, but don't really spend a lot of time trying to "manufacture" images. My theory has always been to try and just get it right in the camera. As far as manipulation of images was concerned, I pretty much have stuck to color correction, spot removal, black and white conversion, and for laying out designs for advertisements or wedding albums. That's about it. For some reason yesterday I made a bit of a departure and actually truly manipulated images for my upcoming Take 7 show. Not sure why. I guess I have always had a problem with using the program to spend hours upon hours of time to essentially "polish turds." I'm kind of rambling at this point. . . I guess the point is that it can be ok if it adds to the image? I don't know. I just thought this turned out really well. Of course I could be biased based on the subject matter. . .

Satellite Party Rocked

This week I was able to go up to the Gothic Theater in Denver to see the band Satellite Party. This band is the latest project from legendary frontman Perry Farrell. Perry was formerly in the bands Jane's Addiction (one of my all time favorites) and Porno For Pyros. He is also the founder of the Lollapalooza Festival which forever changed the concert industry. My friend Carl Restivo is the bass player for Satellite Party. Carl and I were classmates at NYU where I used to go see his then band IZ play at legendary spots in NYC like CBGB's and the Pyramid Club. What's weird about the entire situation, is that when I knew Carl in NYC, his band used to do a cover of the Jane's Addiction song, "Mountain Song." I asked Carl if it was surreal to now be playing in a band with Perry. . . of course he said yes. I want to thank Carl for hooking me and my friends up with tickets to the show and taking the time to hang with us before and after. All the other guys in the band were super nice as well as the guys in the opening act, Mink. I wasn't familiar with them, but was really impressed. You can check all of them out via their Myspace pages:

Satellite Party, Carl Restivo, & Mink

The Broncos are currently 2-0. I would like to state for the record that this may have something to do with their newest and cutest fan. . .

Congratulations Mike & Sonja

Mike and Sonia were married on Saturday September 8th, 2007 at the Briarhurst Manor in Manitou Springs, Colorado. They had an absolutely beatufiul day to exchange their vows outdoors. The ceremony was followed by lunch and dancing to a live Jazz band. The couple was great to work with and had so much fun with their pictures. We always a love a couple that is willing to get a little dirty.

Congratulations Zak & Sonia

Sonia and Zak were married on Sunday September 2nd, 2007 at the Briarhurst Manor in Manitou Springs, Colorado. They had a beautiful outdoor ceremony followed by dinner and dancing with family and friends (a lot of family and friends.) In all the times I have shot at the Briarhurst I don't think I've ever seen so many tables set up.

Gaven Smiles

Go Rockies!

Chris and I decided to take all the boys up to Denver for the Rockies game on Labor Day. We had a really great time. Fortunately I remembered to bring our family digital camera. Unfortunately, I forgot to put a memory card in it, so the only pictures that we got of Logen and Gaven's first big league game were from my Blackberry. Oh well. The Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants without the help of their star slugger Barry Bonds whom per his usual did not play a day game. . . might have something to do with track marks showing up in the sun . . .

So Gaven is Freaking Huge, Right?

I just had to put this picture from a few days ago up to let you see how big he's getting. Freaking adorable too, right?

The Magic Word is "Squirrel"

Chris and I had the pleasure of shooting engagement pictures for Mark and Meredith this week in Monument Valley Park. I had met the couple this past winter when Meredith was the Maid of Honor at another wedding I shot. A little while later we met again at the Independent's Best of 2006 party, where we discovered that three of us all had a fondness for the artwork of Sheppard Fairey. (Please click here if not familiar with his work.) Anyway, the couple got engaged and immediately called me for some engagement pictures. Meredith asked if it was weird that they wanted their dog in some of the pictures. I told her that considering Chris and decided where to get married based on whether or not our dog could be in the wedding, we didn't think that it was weird at all. So their dog Duke was an excellent subject and looked right at the camera as long as Chris or I shouted "squirrel" at just the right moment. It was a great time and we look forward to shooting their wedding if they decide to have it here in Colorado.

Congratulations Kevin & Susan

Kevin and Susan were married in an intimate ceremony on August 26th, 2007 in Cheyenne Canyon in Colorado Springs. I have known Susan's son for many years and her nephew was one of the groomsman in my own wedding. That means that one of them would have probably referred her to me for the wedding right? Wrong, it took Susan and I quite some time on the phone to realize who each other was. Very funny situation. Anyway, the couple shared a beautiful ceremony with family and friends followed by a rocking reception at South Side Johnnie's.

Congratulations Lori & Preston

Lori and Preston were married August 11th, 2007 at Sunrise United Methodist Church. The couple had known each other for years and it showed. I think they had the most guests that I had ever seen at a wedding and everyone just seemed to love them. Chris and I really enjoyed there carefree attitudes when it came to gathering their images. The two of them were up for anything we suggested. More to come. . .

Chad and Tammy

A few weeks ago Chris and I headed to the Craftwood Inn in Manitou Springs to shoot engagement pictures for Chad and Tammy. They are planning an October wedding at the Craftwood, so the location only made sense. I apologize for just getting to these now, but I have just been buried with work as well as caring for a new baby. There just doesn't seem to be enough time. Chad and Tammy were great fun to work with and we look forward to shooting their wedding.

Baby Gaven Video

Sonia & Mike

I had a great time shooting some engagemnet photos for Sonia and Mike this past Sunday. I met the couple and their motorcycle down at Monument Valley Park for the shoot. Chris and I will be shooting their wedding this September 8th at The Briahurst Manor in Manitou Springs. When Chris and I met with this couple initially, there was an immediate rapport. They are the type of clients that we (pardon the pun) "clicked" with immediately. If the fun we had at their engagement shoot is any indication of the wedding, it is going to be a great time. Cant' wait guys.

Congratulations Chris & Holly

Chris and Holly were married this past Saturday July 21st, 2007 at The Lodge on the campus of UCCS in Colorado Springs. It was beatuiful day for the outdoor ceremony that went off without a hitch. Chris and I have known Holly for several years and were honored to be a part of her wedding day. Special thanks to Ryan at Black Forest Photography for coming out and giving us a hand with the shoot. It was our first on since Baby Gaven's arrival, so Ryan's assistance was greatly appreciated. More images to come. . .

Introductions

Just took the time to get some more images of Gaven and the family posted. Most are from the hospital and the first 24 hours or so of his life. Check them out here.

Gaven Allen Mann

Our sweet little boy has arrived. Gaven was born Wednsday July 11th, 2007 at 1:11 a.m. He weighed 6lbs 9ozs and was 20 inches long. We all came home this afternoon and all are doing well. A little rest is the only plan for now. I promise to have more images up in the next few days. We'll keep you all posted. . .

Congratulations Gene & Amy

Gene and Amy were married in an evening ceremony on June 30th, 2007 at the Briarhurst Manor in Manitou Springs, Colorado. This couple was great. They actually had to use the minister from the other wedding going on at the Briarhurst that evening. Long story short, the minister for whatever reason didn't show up on time and they went with plan B. The couple took it in stride and didn't seemed phased one bit by the last minute substitution. The fill in minister handled the ceremony like a champ and everything went great. The reception was MC'd by Rob from Blue Moon Entertainment whose wife had given birth to a baby boy about twenty four hours earlier. He was the consummate professional who even stepped in to help me with organizing formals because my wife, Chris, wasn't feeling up to a shoot. I would recommend Blue Moon to anyone. I have worked with all of their DJs and they are all great. To see a few more of Gene and Amy's images please click here.

Congratulations Robert & Mindy

Robert and Mindy were married June 22nd, 2007 at the Black Forest Bed & Breakfast in Black Forest CO. I apologize for taking so long to get this posted, just been busy preparing for the baby. Robert and Mindy had one of the most heartfelt ceremonies that I have ever photographed. I found myself laughing as well as holding back tears throughout. They were surrounded by family and close friends who were all very nice and cooperative. There was a little rain after the ceremony, but it cleared up in plenty of time to allow us to get the rest of their images.

The Best Baby Shower Ever

So we celebrated Baby Gaven's impending arrival in crazy style on Sunday June 10th. I think that a good time was definitely had by all. Many thanks to all of you kind folks that shared this wonderful day with us, and many thanks for all the wonderful gifts that we received. I will get formal thank you's out to everyone with Gaven's birth announcements. I want to give extra special thank yous to Randy Rodriguez and his DJ Johnathan Star for handling the entertainment. They were awesome and really made the event unique. Much love to the entire at Oscar's for all their help and wonderful service. Also I want to give some love to Walt from Walt Palmer Photography and Ryan & Becky from Black Forest Photography for handling the shutter clicks.

Please check out a bunch of the images from that day by clicking here.

Again, many thanks to all. We'll keep you posted. . .

Congratulations Jeff & Kris

Jeff and Kris were married in an intimate ceremony surround by family and close friends at Fox Run Park in Black Forest, Colorado. We were extremely fortunate that the couple decided to get most of their photography done early, being that heavy rain started at the tail end of their ceremony. I've always heard that rain on your wedding day is good luck; if that's truly the case then this couple should be good to go forever. Everyone weathered the storm like champs and in no way let it ruin their beautiful day.

Congratulations Jeremy & Terry

Jeremy and Terry were married on June 7th, 2007 at the Briarhurst Manor in Manitou Springs, Colorado. They were originally set to share their vows outdoors, but the weather wasn't very cooperative. The ceremony was moved inside and went off without a hitch. The couple didn't seem to care less about the change; they just wanted to be married. The ceremony was followed by a wonderful evening of dinner and dancing.

Baby should take baths, not showers.

This Sunday Christy and I will be having our not so traditional "baby shower." We think of it as a really great excuse to get together with all of our friends and celebrate before we get insanely busy with a new baby. It is a co-ed event complete with games (including the drinking kind), food, and live entertainment. Our friend Randy Rodriguez will be performing. You just have to see Randy to fully appreciate his sheer awesomeness. Check him out at www.RandySinatra.com

Click on the image above to read the particulars and feel free to stop by and kick with us. Special thanks to Phil and the rest of the Oscar's crew for letting us throw our bash in their fine establishment. See you there!

P.S. Let me explain the Adidas on the invite. Christy and I were married wearing the ever classic Adidas Superstars. This stemmed from the fact that I proposed to Chris with the ring tied between the laces of a pair of pink and white Superstars. This stemmed from Chris one time saying to me "I want to get married in pink Adidas." So it only seemed fitting that our baby rock his own set of Superstars as early as possible. Got it?

Congratulations Aaron & Trisha

We had the best time photographing the wedding of Aaron and Trisha on Staurday June 2nd, 2007. They were awesome. They had a beautiful ceremony at the absolutely stunning Glen Eyrie Castle. This couple was so much fun. I think the hot pink boa pretty much says it all. Eventhough it rained quite a bit keeping us from getting as much outdoor shooting done as we would have liked to, the couple took it all in stride. They were so pleasant and cooperative, and I think that their attitudes really comes through in the images.

Congratulations to Tory and Tarin

Tory and Tarin were pronounced husband and wife in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at the Garden of the Gods Club on Saturday May 26th, 2007. They had plenty of friends and family on hand to help celebrate their wedding. I want to thank JK Schofield and Lise Hunt for helping me out on the coverage of the ceremony and formals. They were a great help to me being that Chris was unable to shoot. I wish Tory and Tarin the best of luck and thank them for choosing me to document their big day.

To see more click here

Congratulations To Chris & Nicole

Chris and Nicole were married at St. Peter's Church in Monument, CO on April 21st, 2007, The wedding was followed by a reception at Paragon in Colorado Springs. We were honored to kick off this years wedding season by photographing the wedding. To view some more images from their big day, please click here.

Introducing Gaven Allen Mann

So I'm finally getting around to posting an ultrasound of our latest addition. Christy swears that he has my nose. I think girls have a better predisposition for reading ultrasounds. I guess we'll see in July.

Fat Tuesday at Oscar's

The owner of Oscar's Tejon Street, had me down to photograph their Fat Tuesday celebration last week. I must say that a good time was had by all. It was definitely the place to be for Mardi Gras partying. The owner, Phil, says that Fat Tuesday is his biggest night of the year; complete with a special all Cajun menu. Beads were flying, beers were flowing. Jake Loggins Band was also on hand to supply the tunes. To see more from the party click here.

Dance Always Work

So this is a picture of our friend Toshi taken at our wedding. Chris and I both knew Toshi independently from Chris' job at the bank and my former job at the photo lab. When she found out that we were getting married, Toshi insisted that she do some traditional Japanese dances at our wedding. We were honored, so Toshi performed two different dances at our reception. They were beautiful and we truly felt honored that Toshi would share her art and culture with all of us. A while later Chris found out that the second dance (bottom image) was a fertility dance. Chris told Toshi that we had no need for that and that we had taken means to avoid any pregnancy. Toshi said it didn't matter and that because of her dance we would be having another child. Fast forward to a few days ago when Chris happens to talk to Toshi on the phone. Toshi finds out that Chris is pregnant and tells her "See, dance always work. Two years." Our second anniversary was in September and Chris became pregnant in October. Not bad right? Then Toshi says, "You have a little boy." Turns out Toshi was right again. We had just found that we were having a boy. "Dance always bring boy, sometimes girl, but for you a boy." Call it coincidence, but I'm sold. Toshi's dance beat out modern science and was accurate to within a month. We told her she should start a business for people having trouble having kids. Thanks to Barry Brown and Walt Palmer for the images. You can click on them to enlarge.

The Next Mrs. Colorado?

Yesterday I had the honor of shooting a portfolio of images for Jennifer to use in her quest to become Mrs. Colorado. I met Jennifer and her husband Ronnie a couple of years ago when they hired me to photograph their wedding. A few weeks ago I got a call from Jennifer telling me that she needed images for her entry into this years Mrs. Colorado pagent. It always makes us feel good to get repeat business. Next up we have a full family portrait session planned to get more images for her entry. To see more from the shoot please click here.

Congratulations Sonia & Zak

We had the opportunity to do engagement photos for Sonia and Zak at last Sunday's West Side Love Story bridal show. We felt that the show was very successful and were glad to have the opportunity to meet with so many future brides and grooms. We will be honored to photograph Sonia and Zak's wedding this coming September at The Briarhurst Manor. To see more of their images, please click here

click on image to enlarge

Bridal Show This Weekend

The Independent photographers Network is sponsoring a bridal show this this Sunday. If you know anyone that is getting married soon please pass on this information. The event is not the typical bridal show in that we are using six different venues and a very limited number of hand picked vendors. Each of the venues will be set up as if there is a wedding actually going on. Limousine transportation will be provided from the Briarhurst Manor. We will also be providing free engagement portrait sittings at The Briarhurst, The Cliff House, and The Craftwood Inn.

Please visit http://www.ipnoc.net/ for more info

The Mighty Mos Dog Wishes Everyone a Happy New Year