We had an absolutely wonderful time as a family enjoying a small town celebration on the 4th of July in Durango, Colorado.  There was so much going on that day throughout the town that we could hardly decide what to do.  We finally went out to eat, watched the parade, went to the street dance and listened to music, then watched fireworks from downtown.  It was definitely a spectacular fireworks display too.  By far the best Durango has put on…ever.  Nice job Durango!  We were very impressed.

FOR THE FULL POST ON OUR TIME ON THE 4TH, GO HERE.

Daniel documented our day of fun as a family.

♥ heidi & daniel

Blu is THE fabulous clothing boutique in Durango, Colorado.

This was a shoot for their website portfolio and marketing materials.  It also showcased the gorgeous Nina and the generations of her family members and their style.

It was fun to work on this with Nina and her Blu girls.   She has created a lifestyle following and it is perfect for Durango as she brings a world-traveler vantage point to her boutique.  She and her team always showcase beautiful Blu-girls around the world in their athletic and fun endeavors.

Nina is a giver of style, her passion, and her time.  She also participates in Richard Branson’s  Virgin Unite.

Blu’s philosophy says it all:

“We are small town fashionistas bringing chic style to the mountains. Contemporary fashion is our trend.  Premium denim is our obsession.  We play outside.  We give back through charity.  And we do all this with a glass of wine in hand.  Our store is located in the heart of Durango, Colorado and offers only the best for our Blu girls.”

♥ heidi

Durango Colorado Photographer

While I catch up on blog posts from family sessions from last year through now, I will also be posting snippets of recent sessions and our life.

Over Memorial weekend, Durango is in full swing with the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic along with loads of fun things to do for families.

We decided to take the girls to the carnival and it was a blast.

We had so much fun and Daniel documented the girls and I having fun.

All images by Daniel Chowen.

Love.

A Durango Colorado family photographer.

Yay! I am finally getting back to catching up on the blog from where I left off last Summer!  I have a lot to catch you up on to say the least.

We have a new logo and wedding website and the wedding season has started along with everything turning green outside! I love it!

I wanted to start by saying hi and how I am excited to make the time to post sessions on here again.

As an artist, I also wanted to express my feelings on how I document families to ensure that all my future clients know what they are getting into with me with real expectations on photographing their family.  I want nothing more than to photograph people and the love they share and that want me to capture their real interactions.  That is what makes me love this job so much.  I want clients I connect with that get what I do for them.  I have to say that I do have the absolute BEST clients and am so incredibly grateful for all my past clients.  Without them, this journey would not be possible.  These images would not be possible.  I am still always in awe that families let me come into their lives and document them.  It is a huge huge honor.  The time I spend with them all will be with my always and a part of my life as well. That is truly special to me.

In this world of fast and mass communication and everyone wanting things now and not fully taking the time to read or grasp what is in front of them, I feel some things get lost in translation. I wanted to explain a little of what I do to capture images for clients based on what I do as an artist.  I often get asked by a potential client “I want the feel of that image you took” or “I want what they have in that image or session you took of that family, can you do that with my family?”  and I tell them that I don’t create the love that is behind the images I capture.  I don’t create the sweet and tender moments that take place between a family or that loving moment when the mom and dad kiss each other or hug their kids and have the best emotion on their faces or when siblings hug, love and play together; my clients do all that themselves. I can nudge or say to do something, like kiss or hug, but if there is not a piece of real raw emotion or a wanting to show it, I cannot capture it.  I don’t make those emotions suddenly appear in someone or a family. I CAPTURE it and PHOTOGRAPH the love and raw emotion a family already has and expresses in front of my lens.  I cannot make the love, touch or caress that a person gives come off as real and full of emotion if it is given in its truest form.  It has to be raw and in the moment for me to document it. Yes, I assist in creating a game plan for what to do in terms of the session and I can tell you to kiss one another or to jump for joy, but I cannot make a family show love, joy, happiness and meaningful glances if they are not expressed in a real manner.   Those feelings are created by the clients I am photographing and caught by me through the photographs I take.  I cannot express how much a client should want to be photographed and want me to document their life in an honest and emotional manner so that I can fully do my job.  My clients are just amazing people that want to be photographed.  I love that my clients are real families.  The ones where not everything is perfect.  Not everything goes as planned.  Kids get cranky or weather is not up to par so we wing it.  Not everything is posed perfectly. But real life.  I want to capture the real touches, glances, hugs, laughter, crying and, of course, fun.  I want to capture the real hugs, the long glances, the sweet kisses and the way you would truly hold, talk to and interact with your loved ones.  Otherwise I would just get a fake version of the real you and that does not make for real images for you or me.  Real moments have stories behind them and that is what I capture in a photograph.

So, come to the session ready to show who your family is and the love, life and fun you have together!! I look forward to all the meaningful moments you want me to document of your family.

Colorado family photographer.

♥ heidi

**Do not copy/save any images on this blog or website.  Thank you.**

DURANGO COLORADO BASED FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER

 Durango Colorado Family Photographer

There is nothing better than love.  The unconditional love that one can have when a child is brought into your life is unmatched.  Little ~T~ is just so sweet.  I had the pleasure of documenting him a little after his gotcha day and then again later in the year for holiday photos (*coming to the blog soon*).  We just spent some time playing and going to a few of their favorite places to play.  The immense love that this family has is just amazing.  I adore this family so very much and look forward to seeing him grow up! I am honored to know so many people that have adopted and I am in awe of their limitless love.  It is so inspiring.  Here are just a few of my favorites.

♥ heidi

**Do not copy/save any images on this blog or website.  Thank you.**