Portraits

Spring Break (Day 4)

Our final day in Colorado was spent on rock. We climbed most of the day, soaking up the sunshine and our last of the mountain air for a bit. 

The morning started out a bit brisk, as the cliffs around us blocked the sun for quite a while. Despite the lack of sun in the morning, the area we were in all day (The Pool Wall, Alcove Area) offered some really nice, mostly easy climbing. It was a great place to just hunker down and set up camp for the day as we worked our way through some routes. 

Eventually the sun did creep down into our little area, and quickly warmed us up. For the rest of the day we were climbing in t-shirts, which was a bit unexpected for March. It was a welcome treat though, especially on our last day. However, it did make leaving that much more difficult.

Scott was able to go into teacher mode that afternoon (something he is extremely good at), and taught both the other guys some new tricks/techniques. As usual with climbing, I think everyone came away with something new learned, either a skill or just something about themselves (as in my case). That is one of the things about climbing that I absolutely love; every time I climb I learn something. It may not be something monumental or significantly life changing, but I almost always walk away at the end of the day with a fresh perspective on something. 

This post officially wraps up the spring break series for now, unfortunately (at least unfortunately for me). I still have film I need to send off and develop/scan, so more images may be coming down the road. But, for the time being, there will be no more beautiful mountains featured here on my blog. I do have some projects in the works (or at least planned), so be sure to check back soon to see what I'm up to!

Christmas in Spearfish (Part 6)

Now that my thesis show is over, I finally have had some time to finish up images from Christmas!

We had planned on leaving December 30th, but that morning the car refused to start. After Scott and my brother suffered through the below zero temperatures while trying to get it started for nearly half a day, which involved a new battery, multiple sets of jumper cables, and a space heater, we ended up having it towed to the dealership in town. They found that the starter needed to be replaced, and so we opted to just leave the next morning and instead spent the rest of the day lounging with my family. I took advantage of it and pulled out my camera to grab some images of my nephews as they wrestled and ran around. 

That is (finally) it for the images from our Christmas trip. Stay tuned for photographs of my thesis installation up next! 

Christmas in Spearfish (Part 3)

This Christmas was perfect. We woke up while it was still dark, but as it got light we were able to see the snow coming down heavily outside, just like a snow globe. When I picture my ideal Christmas, this was it. Plus, Christmas morning is so much better with little nephews around. The excitement they have is absolutely contagious, and you can't help but smile as they scream with joy while ripping off wrapping paper to discover what is insideAfter opening presents and eating too many waffles with whipped cream, we went for a walk in the snow with the boys, which may have been the highlight of the day for me.


Tabitha + Meagan {Proposal}

This post is long overdue, but the end of the semester had me running around like a chicken with my head cut off. 

I always get excited when friends ask me to be involved in important events. Not quite a month ago one such friend, Tabitha, approached me about the possibility of hiring me for a special event. She was going to propose to her girlfriend, Meagan, and wanted me there to document it! Needless to say, I was on board. The plan was to get some of their friends together to take part in a Canvas and Cork event at Straight Upp Creative Studios. If you haven't heard of these types of events before, essentially you book a room and an instructor, and they walk your small group through painting an image all while you drink wine/beer that you bring with. The two of them had gone on a date there previously, and Tabitha thought it would be a great place to propose since they loved it so much the first time. Since I had met Meagan before, we decided that I would be there under the ruse of promotional materials for Straight Upp. Tabitha and I met at the studio a few days before the big night to work out final details, and she painted the canvas that would be used for the proposal. 

The night of, I showed up halfway through the painting process and wandered around taking "promotional" pictures. They all kept on painting, laughing, and drinking their wine, and Meagan didn't have a clue (or so she says) about what was going to happen. When they finished their paintings they all went up front to take a group shot, which gave someone the chance to switch out Tabitha's wine glass painting for the proposal one. After the group shot they headed back to the room, where Tabitha got down on one knee in front of her painting, and popped the question! Meagan said yes, which resulted in tears of joy, champagne, and lots of smiles and laughter. It was an incredible night, and I am so glad I was asked to play a part in it.

Congratulations Meagan and Tabitha!!

The DePriests

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going out to shoot some family photographs of the DePriest family. I have been babysitting these amazing kiddos since this fall and have come to completely adore the family. Unfortunately, as a result of being a military family, they are moving in just a few short days and so this was really my last chance to spend some time with them. Even though it was a quick shoot, I am so glad I was able to grab some images for them before they head off on their next adventure!