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We Create Your Family’s Heirlooms
Durango Photographers: Fun, Funky, and Fabulous Weddings, Families, Seniors, Commercial, and Boudoir. Visit the information pages for Weddings & Portraits for tips on your sessions. We are a wife and husband team in the Durango CO area We would love to be your photographer preserving memories for you and your future generations. This is a privilege we don’t take lightly. Photography is an art that takes many years of study and practice, so only trust your precious memories to professional photographers.
Emergency Family Portraits
My husband and I are Durango CO Photographers where the mountains are high, the snow is plentiful, and the grass is green (at least during the summer).
I received a phone call from Elisha who wanted to have photographs taken of her family, which includes her boyfriend Steven, and their son Yuri. They live 3 hrs away from us, but wanted to do the session the next day and were more than willing to make the drive. You see, their son was due to have surgery the day after the session to correct the shape of his forehead and they wanted photos of him before. I was more than willing to get them set up.
They like to watch tv together, with Yuri being a screamer, and Steven laughing all the time, that might be difficult. Elisha is the calming effect on the family. Elisha like to bake and read, while Steven like to play on line games and listen to music. This is the first time they’ve had a family portrait taken.
We went to three different locations so they would have lots of variety in their portraits. They love them.
Yuri was a very cooperative baby.
They wanted to sit on these rocks even though they were covered in snow and ice. They’re sitting on a coat and plastic garbage bag that I brought for that purpose.
Elisha, Steven, and Yuri sitting on rocks by the riverBy the last stop on our photo journey, Elisha and Steven had both gotten cold enough to put their coats on – and it was cold outside.
Family Portraits in the Snow
First, I want to note that this session took place before the coronavirus outbreak.
Lisa hired Ken and I, who are photographers in Durango CO, to photograph her family who came here from Texas to ski and enjoy the scenery. They rented a condo at Purgatory Ski Area where they could ski right out their back door. We took some photos at that location when other people weren’t coming down the hill.
Michael, the dad, and Lisa raise cattle and love spending time with their family. The two boys like to hang out with their girlfriends, or play basketball and baseball. They do a lot of sporting events and, of course, all of them love to ski.
This is a blended family. Lisa is the mother to Tyler, Michael is the father of Gage, and the Laniston is the daughter of both of them. Laniston does not like to have her picture taken at all. I had to make lots of animal noises and even that didn’t get her to smile. But she’s so cute.
Laniston is the boss of the family, and she loves playing with her baby dolls. She’s obsessed with the movie Dumbo. So, I tried acting like an elephant, and even that didn’t get a smile. Luckily, she’s even cute when not smiling.
Lisa also likes to Cricut, which I had to google because I never heard of that. For all you other uninformed people, it’s a crafting machine that cuts things like felt, vinyl, leather, and other materials to be used in home crafting.
We went to another location where there is a frozen lake, and a view of Engineer Mountain, which is pretty famous in these parts.
We did portraits of the family members separately as well as together at this location. Both of these boys are 15 yrs old, so it’s like having a built in buddy.
I suggested the whole family have a snowball fight, but the two boys are the only ones who got into it. So much fun!
Beautiful Fall Weddings
Heather and Robert live in Durango CO and hired Ken and I, to capture their wedding and reception. The wedding was held in an open area in the mountains with gorgeous fall colors as a backdrop.
You’ll notice that their officiant is dressed as Father Guido Sarducci from Saturday Night Live. His “service” was hysterical. Couples getting married in Colorado don’t really need an officiant, so anybody can provide this service. Couples can also marry themselves – just read their vows to each other and sign the marriage license.
A little peeping through the fall leaves at the wedding ceremony.
Robert proposed to Heather on 3.30.19 on the 18th hole at the Hidden Valley Golf Course. They both love golfing, so that was perfect for the proposal.
We got all of their family and friends together at the ceremony site for a portrait with the yellow aspen leaves in the background.
Before the wedding ceremony, we did some photos of Heather and Robert. I told him to whisper something sexy into her ear so she would laugh. They wouldn’t tell me what he said – haha.
Then I told them to walk towards me, and she got a little crazy. I think she was getting ready to sing The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Music.
Do you like the way they’re showing off their rings?
They look pretty cool with their sunglasses, right?
After leaving the wedding ceremony site, we stopped on the way back into Durango by a pond with a lovely background.
Once we arrived in Durango, they danced in the street.
They wanted a photo with the statue of horses in front of the Durango Train Station.
We then went to a local park with a gazebo and placed them on the steps to show off her ring.
They had the reception at their home. We captured their first dance and then they changed into street clothes to have fun with their friends and family.
We had another beautiful couple from Australia hire us for their wedding, and we fell in love with the Outback setting. Here’s an image from the shoot:
Let me know if you need a photographer for a wedding, family portrait, high school senior portrait, or boudoir.