Dee Anna + Travis {Beloved}
I met Dee Anna earlier this year and we became instant friends. She’s bubbly and kind, and has lots of ideas of how to make our community and city even better. She began an organization which raises support and money for a scholariship to one woman in our community who is a local small-business owner. See more about this great community of people at Women with Hatitudes. She is passionate about what she does, and she’s passionate about Travis. And as you may see in these photographs, he’s pretty happy about being with her, too 
I’m so looking forward to photographing (and celebrating!) their wedding day later this summer!
“I was first attracted to his innocence and sweet nature. Travis doesn’t have a mean bone in his body and to me, that is sexy!”
“Travis and I are still spontaneous and love adventure! We enjoy all of the same things and go out of our comfort zone for each other. I ride scary dirt bikes and he goes to my events. We complete each other…but not in a corny way! I can be myself around him”.
“She’s always there to support me in whatever I venture into”.
Heartfelt.
I’ve been telling myself I need to start posting more of my work again…and thought this would be a good occasion to begin. Last night I got to photograph my second wedding of the season. It was a quaint back-yard wedding with the most beautiful detail and an even more beautiful bride. The evening was so heartfelt and I believe everyone there could feel the love and joy that Danielle and Russ have for each other. I will write more when I share the whole story…but for now, here’s a sneak peek of the gorgeous couple.
a Portrait {of a city}
Colorado Spring, Colorado.
Dan and I came out here in the summer of 2006 with the intent to stay for one year…
And here we are, almost seven years later, eleven places of residence, multiple jobs (for the both of us!) and an amazing community of people that we’ve come to call FAMILY.
We are so grateful and although we never intended to make Colorado Springs our city (and still aren’t always sure about it…)
Here we are.
More Portraits {of a city} to come.
the HOME project #3 : Yvonne + Zoe
I met Yvonne just this past weekend thanks to Erica, who sent her my way!
One of the coolest things about being a photographer is the privilege of getting to meet new people in their own spaces, and getting a glimpse into their lives, personality, and what is important to them. I love that! And I’m grateful for the opportunity of meeting Yvonne and her sweet companion, Zoe.
“Home is where, alone or with friends/family,
I feel whole,
at peace,
comfortable in my skin,
and can easily express my true self…
Zoe is the root of home: unconditional love and acceptance.
Being present is all that is required to feel good”.
I really enjoyed meeting Yvonne and Zoe, and getting a little glimpse into their lives. Yvonne has some really fun stories of adventures she’s been on and we laughed about some of her experiences while on a solo bike trip around Spain! Thanks, Yvonne, for trusting me to capture your authenticity and beauty!
Also, check out Shun-Luoi’s HOME project with our friend Yemi here!
one image + one thought.
Just a thought for tonight…
This is one image from my trip to Kauai. Looking forward to sharing more photos soon.
the HOME project #2: Dan
Welcome back!
I mentioned in my previous Home project post that I was going to make sure I interviewed people I did not know…to get me out of my comfort zone. Well, since I interviewed a complete stranger last time, I decided it might be ok to interview someone very close to me. So I interviewed my husband, Dan.
Something interesting about us is that in our six years of living in Colorado, we have lived in 10 different places!! Sometimes I worry that future landlords (or our adoption agency) will think that we are really bad tenants or criminals of some sort…but the truth is, there has usually been some odd and/or legitimate reason that we’ve had to move. There was the one time that we just wanted to get a puppy…
(Beans…you were worth it!)
Another time we moved to ‘save money’, another time because the owners wanted to sell the house, and another time that we needed an extra bedroom for our home-study. Ahh..we have our reasons, but to many people we probably just look completely insane.
(we left out a few…but here’s a quick sampling of our lovely abodes in the last six years)
CLICK HERE TO WATCH OUR VIDEO…
We didn’t get around to ALL the places we’ve lived..but at least you get the idea. And, YES…we did live in a shed, but we called it “the cottage” and basically slept there and lived in Craig and Wend’y house most of the time…they’re awesome.
With that strange ‘home’ history that we have together, I thought it might be interesting to ask Dan what Home means to him…
“Growing up, home was a safe place for me. There were always people around, there was always something to do… I know not everyone has that”
If you know Dan or his family well, you know that he is 1 of 10 kids!!! 1 of 10!
So from my perspective…I can see why Dan loves to have an ‘open-door policy’ at our house. He’s used to having lots of people around, lots of action. He’s also one of the most welcoming people on the planet. And many of our friends know that they’re always welcome to come over…and they’ll most likely end up having dinner or hanging out all night. I love that about Dan. And I also love that for him, home is more than a specific place or a physical house, it is more-so the idea of a place to create or be in community. It’s been such a gift to me!
So…if you’re in the neighborhood, come on by! If you don’t mind the chaos, you can stay and I’ll make you some coffee and Dan will make the cookies
Also, click on over to see Shun-Luoi’s HOME project for this week!
Date Night: Beloved and Fondue!
I have an idea for the perfect gift for your favorite girl (or guy) for Valentine’s Day!
I’m partnering up with the amazing Mona Lisa Fondue Restaurant in Manitou Springs for the perfect DATE NIGHT.
The DATE NIGHT package includes a $100 gift card to spend on cheese, chocolates, and a delicious meal at the Mona Lisa.
You also get to experience a one hour BELOVED photo shoot. Click on the link to read a bit more about what that entails…but in brief, a Beloved shoot is more than a time of taking pictures. It is a series of invitations for you and your beloved to remember specific things about your relationship, to talk about meaningful moments, to explore dreams, and to be reminded of the things that drew you to one another in the first place. One of my lovely beloved clients said this about their time;
“We experienced a connection and intimacy that we now count as one of the top five moments of our (15 years of) marriage…I wish for everyone I know and love to experience a Beloved Session”.
Along with an hour session of experiencing the joy and depth of Beloved, you will receive an online gallery of edited images for viewing, a disk of 25 images to print and share as you would like, and your favorite image printed as a 16×20 fine art print.
After you purchase this DATE NIGHT gift, you may use it for Valentine’s Day…or any time between now and April 13th, 2013. You may want to plan ahead if you want to get reservations for Valentine’s Day at the Mona…it will be packed! It might also be really fun to schedule the Beloved Session and dinner in the same evening but you don’t have to…it’s up to you!
To purchase this gift, please contact Abby Mortenson (me!) at 719-510-4995 // loverootsphotography@gmail.com
I can’t wait to experience a Beloved Session with you!
