This Weekend: Couples Retreat

This weekend is all about couples for Picture Your World Photography!

Tomorrow during the early evening, I will be photographing Donna and her newly web husband Greg during my first ever portrait session held in the snow. My readers may remember that Donna was the winner of a free photo session drawing held in November when I reached 400 Facebook fans. A crazy holiday season caused some cancellations, but Donna and I were finally able to sync our schedules with Mother Nature so we could shoot not far after a fresh new snow. I'm thinking lots of cuddling, snowball fights and laughter! The massive storm that has swept the nation has given us the perfect opportunity for a Winter Wonderland type of setup at one of my favorite locations. Here's a shot of Donna and her blended family another photographer shot in 2009 at another wintry venue:



Then Sunday morning, I will be hosting my first Steamy Couples session -- think boudoir meets engagement! The idea became clearer for me this past week when I photographed two young couples during a Valentine's Day-themed Meetup with the Digital Photography Lighting Basics Workshops. They told me they had been searching for a photographer who was willing to allow them to pose more sensually, and it wasn't long before we had a meeting of the minds and a shared vision. Unfortunately, we only had about five minutes to quickly try out some shots before the studio closed, but I think the results were great and more than enough fodder to get us interested in setting up a private shoot for later:

Shelena and George


Shelbi and Steve:


We've talked about possibly using my two-seater soaking tub to create some sexy shots with bubbles and implied nudity. I would love to be able to start offering this as a regular service, and definitely as a special promotion for V-Day (Valentine's Day).

A New Studio Home for Picture Your World Photography

On Friday, I will sign a contract to be one of the photographers participating in a new Denver co-op called Xposure Photography Studios! I'm very excited about this decision because I think it shows that my company is continuing to grow and prosper.

I have been mulling over the idea for a long time now since I started hearing client concerns about being allergic to the dog hair I have in my house. Despite my best efforts, dog hair seems to be like cigarette smoke -- it just gets everywhere no matter how you try to isolate it. My basement studio in my home has always been a doggie free area from the days when I used to rent out an apartment down there. But even then, clients allergic to the dander would start to sneeze and get teary, red eyes within 30 minutes of shooting and would not be able to make it through a full two hour session without suffering. So I began my search for a studio space that I might be able to rent out.

I have had great experiences with the North Denver Photographers Studio as well as the Studios at Southland. But I have decided to try out Xposure first because of its central Denver location not far from the well-known Santa Fe Arts District and because of it's extraordinary introductory price of just $55 a month for six hours of studio time.

I visited the site last Friday and met up with organizer Karen Aguirre who also hosts numerous Meetup shootouts for photographers looking to broaden their portfolios. As I toured the facilities, Karen and I spoke about her own background as a special events photographer and my growing specialty in the same kind of coverage. The Xposure studio is well suited for family photos, senior portraits, portfolio work, commercial product photography and many other types of photography. It also includes a classroom space as well as a presentation area for showing clients your products. Karen will feature participating photographers' work once a month or so on the studios extensive gallery wall space. And the studio has access to models, and offers it's members a chance to promote their work through inclusion in the Blush Magazine Online. Xposure is now available to anyone who wants to become a member. Check it out at 1200 West Misissippi, Denver, CO 80223 (east side entrance only)
East side entrance only.

I will still be working in my home studio -- especially for playing with new equipment. But it feels good to finally have a commercial address for my business. Thank you to all my clients for their continued support of Picture Your World Photography.

Get the Job Done: Downtown engagement session

This Saturday I will be shooting an engagement session with Gina and her fiancee Vachon tomorrow afternoon! I'm very excited about this opportunity to work with Gina because even though she already had plans for someone to shoot her wedding, she still booked me to photograph her e-session. And that will provide exceptional exposure for my studio because she intends to send out the photos with her invitations and thank you notes!

I will be shooting the couple in downtown Denver, near Civic Center Park and a few other key places near the 16th Street Mall that I've been scoping out for a few months.

Here are samples of some of my favorite e-session portraits:

Harriet and Peter


Adrian and Sherif


Kim and Mike


Jessaca and Nate


Krista and Scott


Then on Sunday, I will be attending a Valentine's Day themed Digital Photography Lighting Basics Workshops with Bill Murphy, one of my favorite photography instructors/ This will be my second year attending one of Bill's high key sessions, and I hope I will be able to use some of the images to update my boudoir portfolio.

Here are some photos I shot at last year's meetup:

An Aside: Best compliment ever!

Helen Richardson/The Denver Post: Alic Nemirovskiy bakes fresh rye bread at The Bagel Store on South Monaco Parkway.

Today I got an amazing compliment from an equally amazing photographer that really helped it hit home for me just how far I've come. I ran into Helen Richardson today, a staff photographer from The Denver Post and someone who's work I've admired for many years. She told me that she was talking about me to other staff photographers, saying namely that she thought I was probably making more money at photographer than they were! After assuring her that wasn't the case since I'm not full time, it sunk in that this celebrated photojournalist had been talking about ME...to the rest of her colleagues who are equally fantastic photojournalists!!!!

Helen is interested in doing more freelance photography herself outside of her day job at the Post. You can find some of her most recent published work here. She asked me about my pricing structure and what kind of work I do outside of my normal full time job at the Denver Post. She took the time to look at my work on my website and was amazed that I had done so much shooting!

I can't tell you how much this five minute interaction brightened my day and encouraged me to keep going. This will be my fourth year as a freelance photographer, and I know I've come such a long way and still have much more to learn. I think many of my print colleagues at the newspaper thought photography might be a passing phase, especially since the joke is most print journalists long to be a photographer and most photographers long to be a print journalist. But this was not just a hobby for me. Photography has become an integral part of my life and my camera is just as much an extension of me as my pen is when I'm interviewing sources or writing an article. To have someone of Helen's caliber notice my work and compliment me on it was amazing, generous and just plain cool! It's always fun for me to be able to "talk shop" with Denver Post staff photographers and totally understand what's being said or done.... and not just be faking it! I can't wait to see what new stuff I learn this year, and thanks Helen for your kind words and support.

Get the Job Done: First Special Event Assignment of the year!

I'm excited to be kicking off 2011 with my first special event assignment, a company awards banquet for Eaton Metal Products Co. at Denver's prestigious Brown Palace Hotel. Eaton fabricates a vast line of steel plate product including heat exchanges, reactors, storage tanks and heavy weldments.



The grand, expansive atrium and lobby with a sweeping staircase offers unlimited spots for the numerous group shots I've been asked to shoot. I have a few ideas for the group shots that I hope will work.



Yesterday I checked out Ellyngton's, the restaurant where the awards banquet and dinner will be held, so I could see what kind of lighting I and my second shooter Jason Peckovitch of Illusive Dreams Photography will be working with. A row of windows surrounding the restaurant should bring in some great natural light until the day gives way to evening. Wish Jason and I success!

Rest in Peace: Cristal Newell

This post has been a long time coming. But I couldn't find the words until the pain wasn't so fresh. I'm crying even as I write it, but the tears are healing instead of being filled with anger, confusion and all the emotions that overwhelm when someone you love suddenly dies.

My friend Cristal Newell passed away in September 2010. She and her husband Marcus were wheeling their 4x4 Jeep on a Colorado trail when a freak accident forced their rig over a cliff. Cristal, who was behind the wheel, was thrown and perished. Marcus himself nearly died when he ran down the cliff trying to reach her. Cristal was 33, the mother of Tristan and Liam and the owner of Mile High Mutts, the doggy daycare where I've been taking my dogs to socialize and play for nearly six years.



I can remember meeting Cristal when I wrote an article in the Denver Post about the numerous dog daycare centers that were popping up all over the Front Range. Out of the many owners I spoke with and centers I visited, there was something about Cristal's no nonsense approach that made her seem more real to me. I knew I could trust my dogs with her, my beloved Isis and Raina who were just about three months old when I started taking them to Cristal's center. Over the years, we became friends. She was the first person I turned to when something would happen with my dogs and her calm demeanor always kept the fears of this new doggie mommy in check. One of the last emails I received from her was a "OH NO YOU DIDN'T" retort when I told her I had gotten a third dog. She said I was crazy, but she already knew that, and I know she also understood my desire to want to rescue a dog because I still felt guilty about purchasing the other two at a pet store.

Cristal was hilarious, definitely one of my homegirls, and was always aware when I would come into the daycare downtrodden, probably upset over yet another dating relationship that bit the dust. When one of my bosses knitted a scarve and hat, I bought it knowing it would be perfect for Cristal because it would make her blue eyes sparkle even more than they naturally did. I felt honored when she told me it was her favorite and she would come to work wearing it.



A couple years later when I started my photography, Cristal and I bartered a month worth of free daycare for some free family portraits. My fans might recognize this photo of Cristal and her family that graces my business logo. There's was one of the first family portrait sessions I ever had, and it was great!



When I learned of Cristal's passing, it would be those photos that would help start the healing process for me and so many of her friends and family. I had given Cristal and Marcus a CD with all the images, but the CD couldn't be found. So I uploaded all the images to my website and gave the link to all her loved ones so they could download the images for free whenever they wanted. It was amazing to see my photos in such a different light....as a source of relief and good memories in a time of sorrow. It really just impressed upon me that photographers aren't just shooting pictures, we are creating histories, a record of people's lives. Cristal was so alive and lovely in those photos and that's exactly how people wanted to remember her, smiling and happy with the people she loved the most.





Her family honored me even more when they printed out the images and included them in a collage that people could view during Cristal's funeral. People were coming up to me and saying "thank you...I can't tell you how much those photos helped me." They helped us connect and grieve together.

To all of my photography colleagues, please never forget the power of your imagery. Not just to win awards or the accolades of peers, but to be evidence that someone lived. Marcus has this photo of his family framed and hung near the door of the Mile High Mutts daycare center. Every time I drop off my dogs, I stop and caress this photo. I love you Cristal, rest now my friend.

Congratulations to Patience and Jack!

I'm pleased to announce Patience and Jack, one of my wedded couples, are now the proud parents of their first child! Daughter Isabel was born a healthy 8 pounds 6oz. I photographed Patience and Jack's wedding at about the same time last year and had plans to complete some maternity photos for the couple as well, but illness and the busy holiday season prevented that. Now I hope to have the joy of shooting some newborn and family portraits of the newest Reuter family member. I am honored to be able to capture such wonderful and intimate moments in the lifetime of one family and look forward to memorializing more.