I photographed Erin’s first baby as an infant, and a did a photo shoot of her 2nd pregnancy, and several family shoots in-between. Needless to say I was thrilled when Erin was in town with her four children and called me to capture her children’s smiles. We shot these photos at Lumina Gallery. We had the entire place to ourselves and had fun playing on by the sculptures.
Trail’s End in Angel Fire, NM is a perfect VRBO home for a family vacation! This log home is large and spacious with rocking chairs adorning the front porch. Outdoors the house is surrounded with the natural beauty of mountain life: wildflowers, stunning views, a beautiful fence, tall grass, and gorgeous light.
Although the fire season tried to steal our mountain views, the smoke only added to the silhouettes and light. We experienced a quick rain and captured that magic in our photos too.
Deanna and Wyatt were stuck in New Mexico when the entire country shut down due to Covid in May of 2020. Forced into backcountry camping, these two to completely fell in love with Carson National Forest and the beauty of northern New Mexico. They decided to travel back to Taos this summer to discover some new places and revisit some places that were closed the first time they came through. And that’s when Wyatt proposed to Deanna…and the wedding planning began, for a New Mexico wedding! This destination wedding will take place at Shady Brook in Taos Canyon in July of 2022!
We shot some pics at the future wedding site at Shady Brook, and with the sign that welcomed them to their future wedding venue. Afterwards we popped over to a nearby campground and had a great hike up to the popular cave of Taos Canyon. The trail was quiet and cool and the forest was lusciously green after the six weeks of recent monsoons.
Congratulations to Deanna and Wyatt and cheers to their upcoming New Mexico wedding!
This family came to the mountains of New Mexico to enjoy the wilderness and escape the Texas heat! This family vacation in Red River consisted of pony rides, biking, climbing, go carts, hiking, fishing, and a family photo shoot for upcoming Christmas cards! Although the kids wanted to be really silly, we talked them into some sweet smiles by promising some goofy photos too. Here’s to family vacations and having fun and capturing all of that in your memorable family photos.
These deadheads and dog-lovers came up from Albuquerque to Taos to escape the heat and get married with their favorite people and canines! Keri and Robert wanted a simple wedding and it was absolutely perfect. Keri made her own headband out of wildflowers and they wore their Keen shoes, perfect for hiking to our spot that overlooks the Rio Grande on the west rim of the Taos gorge. The “dog of honor” and “best dog” were so well behaved and did so well in their family photo. Congratulations to this bride and groom and their little wedding get-away in the Sangre de Cristo mountains!
Allie and Stephen had wonderful wedding plans to get married in Banff, Canada with a ton of family and friends. And like so many weddings, these two had to “pivot” and refigure their plans due to coronavirus. After much searching and thinking and deciding and confirming and then some more deciding and pivoting, the engaged couple decided on a sweet little private ceremony with just their dog and parents, in the mountains of Taos, NM. The wind was wild on what was otherwise a perfect July evening. The light was so present and giving. This couple had fun, and laughed and cried and enjoyed every windy minute of their wedding elopement.
Here’s to merry weddings and laughable moments. And here’s to knowing that plans never go exactly as planned, so just roll with it. Many congratulations to Allie and Stephen!
For their 20 year celebration, Cyndi and Jorge renewed their wedding vows on the banks of the Rio Grande in Arroyo Hondo, northern New Mexico. The historic John Dunn Bridge is a beautiful background as it proudly sits over the Big River. This bridge was built in the 1930’s and was the only way to travel into Taos County from the western side of the gorge. Cyndi and Jorge brought their best-dog to stand with them and the ceremony was performed by Dan Jones of Embracing Ceremony. This private vow renewal was done early in the morning as this is a popular local swimming hangout in the afternoon.
Monica and George were married at the Angel Fire Overlook which is part of the Angel Fire Resort in Angel Fire, New Mexico. This local couple who live 24 miles down the road in Taos, NM, had their closest friends and family all come stay at the Angel Fire Resort for the night. The wedding ceremony was under a warm July sunshine and took place as soon as their Model T chugged up the mountain. The views of the mountain and the little Village of Angel Fire were clear and beautiful in the backgrounds. The altar was decorated with a artistic elk skull which symbolizes the couples’ love for hunting that they share. The wedding colors were blush and navy blue and the reception was held indoors at the resort. We stepped outdoors at sunset for a few quick romantic shots of the newlyweds. Congratulations to this wonderful bride and groom!!
Some families have annual family photo sessions to document how much their family changes each year; this is one of those families! I’ve been photographing this family for four years, since little Joni was a baby! These girls KNOW me and it’s taken a lot of anxiety out of family pictures since everyone feels so comfortable and knows what to expect from year to year. Family photo sessions usually only take about 45 minutes and we get some precious memories that last forever and ever. Capture your family photo for your Christmas cards or to update your framed photos around your home and grandma’s house too! Now booking for summer shoots and fall foliage sessions too!
These brides came all the way from Portland, Oregon to be married in this magical little mountain town! Both lovers of Taos and the outdoors, the wedding ceremony was under the cottonwoods in the late afternoon. Small and intimate, this wedding was both Christian and Jewish and the Ketubah was signed! The tiny reception was complete with a cake cutting and nearly a cake stabbing!
The Call family is one big family! All five of the individual familiescame from five different states to meet up in Angel Fire, New Mexico for an extended family vacation! These travelers literally took planes, trains, and automobiles to make it out to this little mountain town. The 14 children and 10 adults all stayed in one rental home together and were ready when I arrived. Although we at times there was chaos, we captured some great photos and made precious memories for this huge family.
The Class of 2021… This is the class of high school students who missed in-person learning at the end of their junior year, only to endure zoom-classes for most of their senior year. With in-person classes finally resuming in April of 2021, this class of kids had mere weeks of high school time together, under masks, socially distanced, to learn and thrive before saying goodbye.
This class of Cottonwood Classical seniors were lucky enough to walk at graduation. They walked, with masks, across the stage, elbow-bumping their educators before receiving the diploma. Despite the insanity and chaos, they did it.
So here’s to the Class of 2021, who proved their resilience and ingenuity during a difficult and poignant time. You did it. Good luck in the future and congratulations!
This small wedding group came here from Texas! We took a little walk out to the best spot overlooking the Rio Grande gorge and bridge. The wind made herself known as she whipped around, only to make beautiful formations with Mackenzie’s dress. The paper flower bouquet was made from Harry Potter book pages and names like “Dumbledore” and “Potter” adorned the buds. Steven and Mackenzie were comfy in their “wedding boots” and had a special ceremony with crowns made with leaves. Popular officiant, Dan Jones, wrote a beautiful ceremony and every single guest cried. Congratulations to these Texans on their destination wedding to Taos, NM!
These women are awesome. Not only are they newlyweds expecting their first baby, they are sentimental, brilliant, and funny! Their wedding included their six favorite people in the whole world, standing in a semicircle around them. Officiant Dan Jones wrote the most beautiful ceremony that encapsulated the nature and emotions that surrounded the brides and their guests (there wasn’t a dry eye in the group). After the intimate wedding ceremony, Hacienda del Sol hosted a mini reception serving wedding cake and local champagne. Kelsey and April cut their wedding cake and toasted to their future. We walked around and captured a few shots with the brides and their moms. The awesome ring picture shows that April’s ring was too small for her swollen ring finger as it’s on her pinky…her pregnant belly shows in the background of that one.
Congratulations to this new partnership of wife and wife, and to the new baby that will be completing this couple in August. Happily ever after in Taos!
SpiriTaos is private property that is owned by wedding officiant, Dan Jones. This gorgeous spot has Taos Mountain as the exquisite backdrop for private wedding ceremonies. Have I mentioned that Dan is a professional landscaper and gardener? SpiriTaos was already gorgeous but has been getting a facelift these past eight months, and although it’s not complete yet, Toni and Steven were able to enjoy their wedding with the grassy meadows and beautiful views. The sun sets perfectly for a stunning golden hour light on the faces while still capturing Taos Mountain in the background. I can’t wait until this venue is completed, it’s one of the most perfect wedding venues in Taos.
New Mexico is known for it’s gorgeous sunshine and warm spring days. But not every outdoor wedding in New Mexico can be planned in advance and still have perfect weather on the day of the celebration! Stephanie and Trevor happened to get a cloudy, somewhat cool and breezy, April wedding day in the mountains of Taos. And it was perfect. The clouds set a dramatic mood along with Stephanie’s hat and Trevor’s purple tie. The horse across the street was out and about because of the cool temperatures. The gardens at SpiriTaos, still in hibernation but beautiful with earth tones and mountain views. Congratulations to this couple and their happily ever after that will be full of sunshine, no matter the weather.
This is totally the traditional “little cabin in the woods” and I feel like “little bunny foo-foo” should be hoping by. Ha! I photographed the inside and outside of this cabin for a realtor who needed Real Estate photography for her airbnb listing. We took pictures in every angle, and of every nook and cranny. Professional photos help people rent out their short-term rentals or sell their home listing. We can take photos of your cabin, campsite, home, business, or trailer any time, whether your are there or not. Some people decorate their homes with fresh flowers or even have their pets present for extra “awww” factor.
These portraits are of my mom and dad!! It was less than seven degrees out, which is the coldest weather I’ve ever shot my camera in. My camera (Canon, of course) worked perfectly and I was wearing a parka so I was fine, it was my parents who really had to suffer (thank goodness I work fast and we took less than ten photos)! The snowfall the day before provided us with beautiful backgrounds and high contrast as the wood on the house and the dark evergreens were covered with snow.
The Enchanted Circle is a 80 mile scenic-byway that circles through Northern New Mexico. The rural beauty of this area is exquisite as it’s dotted with old mining towns, camping areas, forest and mountains, lakes, canyons, and meadows. Cara and Jim love tiny breweries and seek them out, this is their hobby! When they discovered Comanche Creek Brewery, they were certain that it would be the site of their New Mexico elopement which happened last month! Their December, pandemic elopement, was our last elopement package in 2020. It was a gorgeous morning in late December and there was not a cloud in the perfect blue sky. A fresh blanket of snow and the seven degree temperature definitely reminded us that it was wintertime! True to form, Dan Jones of Embracing Ceremony officiated a gorgeous ceremony that encapsulated how this couple met and beauty of the mountains and snow around us. A wedding to remember and a thought: there is nothing like a New Mexico wedding!!
Traditionally, the wedding used to happened before the baby was born. In current times, babies are born when they are born, and a wedding is planned when it’s best for the couple and kid(s)! There are reasons to have your baby at your wedding (because omg cuteness) and there are reasons that you may not want to have your baby at your wedding (jet lag, nap and eating schedules, etc). This baby did her very best on mom and dad’s outdoor, December, pandemic wedding.
