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Hello! I'm a Colorado Springs wedding photographer and portrait photographer. I travel all over the country to document the
important moments in people's lives. My blog showcases some of my favorite photos of my clients and adventures. I update this
blog several times a week, so please visit frequently to see my latest images.
April 28, 2009
Sarah, Brad, and Isaac
Colorado Springs
April 24, 2009
You might remember the photos that I posted from my friend Sarah’s first ultrasound a couple months ago. She and Brad are expecting their second child, and they’ve invited me to share in the experiences of seeing their little one growing. It’s truly an honor to be there when they see the baby.
I took these photos like a fly on the wall, with just a couple fast lenses and no flash. I love these photos because they are 100% candid and so full of love and emotion. Thank you very much, Sarah and Brad, for asking me to be there with you.
You can learn more about Laura Luckett, their midwife, here: http://www.babysbreathmidwifery.com
More photos from their ultrasound appointment
Categories: All posts, portraits
Tags: maternity, my friends
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April 27, 2009
Melting snow on cherry blossoms
Manitou Springs, Colorado
April 27, 2009
I woke up this morning to discover our yard covered in snow. My first reaction was to groan and lament that springtime should have arrived by now. It’s almost May, after all! Then I realized that Colorado’s version of springtime is here, and I need to appreciate its own beauty. Later in the day, as the snow was melting, I grabbed my macro lens to photograph the cherry trees in our yard. I feel revived now.
A couple more
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Tags: colorado
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April 26, 2009
Carla Starkie, jazz singer-songwriter
Colorado Springs
April 26, 2009
This morning I met Carla Starkie for a sunrise photo shoot for her new CD cover. Carla is a jazz singer-songwriter here in Colorado Springs, who is recording a new CD with her band. She envisioned photos in front of rosy sunrise, so we arrived before 6am to be there when the sun came up. Despite today’s forecast for sunshine, the sky was entirely overcast and foggy, with no visible sunrise at all!
Fortunately Carla was flexible, and we decided to feature the morning fog instead of the morning sunshine. I loved the soft blue mist that surrounded the trees. I don’t usually wake up early enough to see these wonderful colors and light.
You can learn more about the lovely and talented Carla and hear some of her music here: http://carlasongs.com
If you live near Colorado Springs, check her CD launch parties at Nosh on June 16 and June 21!
Watch as daylight arrives
Categories: All posts, portraits
Tags: colorado springs, musicians, portraits
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April 25, 2009
Nate and me, under a Space Shuttle
Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum
Chantilly, Virginia
April 2009
A couple weeks ago Mike and I met up with my friend Sarah to take her wonderful kids, Nate and Anna, to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. This museum, which is part of the Smithsonian, is an enormous hangar next to Dulles aiport. It’s filled with airplanes, helicopter, and spacecraft, and is a total visual spectacle. Sarah, the kids, and I all enjoyed it, but I think Mike was most excited by the place! It’s a really cool place to take a family on a rainy day.
More photos of our day at the museum
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Tags: my friends, personal photos, travel
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April 22, 2009
Springtime in Virginia
Netherlands Carillon
Arlington, Virginia
April, 2009
When we were in Virginia, Mike and I spent an afternoon walking around the Iwo Jima and the tulip gardens at the Netherlands Carillon. Before we moved to Colorado, I lived in Arlington for four years, and this was my favorite spot. I’d come to the Carillon with a book, and look out over the DC monuments while listening to the bell concerts. Because the Carillon was a gift from the Netherlands, each spring there are beautiful Dutch tulips in bloom.
More photos from the Carillon
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Tags: dc, my pets, personal photos, travel, virginia
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April 20, 2009
An upside-down Kelly, with her daughters Kayla and Kira
Old Town Alexandria, Virginia
April, 2009
Kelly and I used to work together in Virginia as instructional designers for an education company. I knew that her daughters Kayla and Kira are brilliant dancers and gymnasts, but I didn’t know that Kelly could get right into the mix with them! As you can tell by this photo, these ladies are fun. I had a great time wandering around the waterfront in Old Town with this beautiful family. Thanks, Kelly, Kayla, and Kira!
People often tell me how much fun they’ve had at photo sessions with me, and I love to hear that. I want to document the fun times that families have together, rather than just capture what a person looks like. I hope that when Kayla and Kira are grown up someday, they’ll look back on these photos and remember what a great time they had together that day.
More portraits of their family
Categories: All posts, portraits
Tags: children, families, portraits, virginia
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April 17, 2009
Maggie and Heather
Reston, Virginia
April, 2009
This is the fourth time that I’ve photographed Heather and Paul’s family, and I absolutely love to see their kids grow up over the years. The first time I photographed them, Heather was pregnant with Maggie, and I’ve seen her grow from a newborn to her current four and a half years. Her brother Jack is now a tall and precocious seven year old.
This time Heather had an idea that I thought was fantastic: she invited her good friend Carol and Carol’s kids to have a dual family portrait session. Carol and Heather were roommates at the University of Virginia, and now they live near each other in Reston and are the godmothers to each other’s kids. It was so much fun to photograph the friendships between the two women and all the kids.
More photos of the two families
Categories: All posts, portraits
Tags: children, families, portraits, virginia
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April 15, 2009
I’m excited to be featured in Photo District News this month! PDN is a highly respected magazine for professional photographers, so it’s quite an honor to be published in it. They interviewed me for an article about same sex weddings, and published three of my photos of Diana and Michaele’s wedding. I was especially happy to see my photos printed next to images by my friend Ryan Brenizer, a photographer in New York.
Here’s an excerpt from the article:
Now a growing cadre of photographers, frequently driven by a strong sense of social justice, is actively marketing to gay clients. The photographers are counting on a growing acceptance of same-sex marriage around the country to help drive demand in the gay wedding industry.
Among them is photographer Charlotte Geary of Manitou Springs, Colorado, who shot her first same-sex wedding for a lesbian couple in 2006.
“I was a little dismayed when they told me several photographers had turned them down [because] they were lesbians,” Geary says. “I’m in the business of documenting love and relationships, and I don’t feel like anyone should be denied that.”
Still, Geary worried about how the decision could affect her business. Manitou Springs is a suburb of Colorado Springs, which is a socially conservative military town. But she decided to stand up for her beliefs, and treat the job like any other wedding. She posted pictures on her blog afterwards, and to her surprise, she got a flood of positive comments.
“Lots of people want to see a photographer who isn’t afraid. People want to see love in all shapes and sizes,” Geary says. “After that, I realized I didn’t have to be shy. Business didn’t slow down at all.”
On the other hand, Geary’s decision didn’t draw a flood of same-sex wedding work, either. She shot her second gay wedding last fall, and has another booked for this year. Gay wedding jobs turn out to be sporadic, even for photographers chasing that work in the northeast, where the states that recognize gay marriage are concentrated. Clearly, same sex wedding photography is a niche in development.
Thanks very much to PDN for including me in this article about an important topic. If you’d like to read the rest of the article, you can find PDN at Barnes and Noble or Borders stores around the country.
Edited to add:
You can read the entire article and see the photos here: http://digg.com/u119Wn
Categories: All posts, weddings
Tags: commitment ceremonies, news, publications, same sex weddings, weddings
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WWII reenactors at the Scottsville Museum
Scottsville, Virginia
April, 2009
My mother is the president of the Scottsville Museum in Virginia, which is a local history museum near Charlottesville. My whole family contributes to the museum. My father designs exhibits, gives presentations, and does general maintenance on the building and its grounds. Mike contributes his technology skills by helping with the website and presentations. I use my instructional design background to create the exhibit posters each year. My mom does, well, almost everything else for this museum.
Last week the museum had its annual exhibit opening celebration. Mike and I traveled in from Colorado for it, and lots of people attended to see the latest exhibit about Scottsville’s contributions to the second World War. Congrats on a great exhibit, Mom!
More photos from the exhibit opening
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Tags: my family, virginia, volunteering
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April 13, 2009
Katherine and Ben
Silver Spring, Maryland
April, 2009
I met up with Katherine, Judd, and Ben in downtown Silver Spring for their family portraits. I first met them two years ago, when I took their portraits around the time of Ben’s first birthday. Now Ben is almost three and preparing to be a big brother to the baby girl they’re expecting in June.
Katherine chose Ellsworth Avenue in downtown Silver Spring for their photos. I love taking portraits in urban settings, because of the variety of backgrounds, textures, and lighting. I took all these photos with existing light only; the city provided all the shadows and diffusion that I needed.
Thanks, Katherine, Judd, and Ben! I look forward to meeting your little girl next time!
More photos of Katherine, Judd, and Ben
Categories: All posts, portraits
Tags: children, families, maryland, maternity, portraits
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April 10, 2009
My mom, standing on the front porch of our friends’ farmhouse
Scottsville, Virginia
April, 2009
Last weekend, we reached our road trip destination of Virginia. My mom is the president of the Scottsville Museum, in a town outside Charlottesville, and they opened their latest exhibit on Sunday. After the exhibit opening, my family spent the evening at our friend Gwynne’s farm. I’ll post photos of the museum event later, but for now, here are some photos of the farm and our evening watching the sun set over the rolling Virginia hills. Again, most of these photos were taken with my Canon G10 pocket camera. I love that little camera!
More photos from a Virginia farm
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Tags: friends, my family, my pets, personal photos, travel, virginia
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April 9, 2009
Me and Ally at the UVA Rotunda
Charlottesville, VA
April, 2009
I took Mike and Ally to my college last weekend! I love this photo of Ally and me on the steps of the Rotunda. I went to the University of Virginia for a BA in psychology (1996) and an MEd in instructional technology (2001), and loved my time there. We stopped by UVA for a couple hours on Saturday afternoon and watched the students enjoying the 75-degree sunshine.
UVA is a gorgeous school with colonial architecture and gardens that are full of flowers this time of year. I just took a few photos with my point-and-shoot while we were there — after all, I’ve photographed all these spots many times over the years. At one point in the mid-90s, the guy at my photo lab joked that I was always photographing the same buildings!
More photos of UVA
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Tags: my pets, personal photos, travel, virginia
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April 8, 2009
The Duckmaster at the Peabody Hotel
Memphis, Tennessee
April, 2009
Last week we drove through Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee. This photo shows the hilarious Duckmaster at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. The hotel has a large fountain in the lobby, where five ducks spend each day lounging. Every evening, the Duckmaster leads them from the fountain and up an elevator to their bedroom. Hundreds of enthusiastic tourists snap photos as the ducks stroll down the red carpet. In other words, it’s exactly the kind of wacky Americana I was hoping to encounter on this road trip.
I’ve wanted to go to Dodge City, Kansas since the Grizwolds got shot at a saloon on their way to Wallyworld, but it turned out to be much less interesting than I’d hoped. I should have taken photos in Oklahoma and Arkansas, but I was too busy car-dancing. Downtown Little Rock was a particularly fun place to walk around.
We spent a couple hours exploring Memphis one afternoon. We walked around Beale Street and the neighboring areas before heading east toward Nashville. Nashville was one of the best parts of our trip; we loved the lively bars, attractive streets, and friendly atmosphere.
More photos from our road trip
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Tags: my pets, personal photos, travel
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Rocky Ford, Colorado
March, 2009
Last week Mike, Ally, and I went on a road trip from Colorado to Virginia. Our first stop was Rocky Ford, Colorado, a small town in the plains, about two hours southeast of Colorado Springs. My dad’s grandfather grew up in Rocky Ford. My dad recalls his Granddaddy’s love of Colorado and stories of Rocky Ford, where his family had grown cantaloupes for a living. I never met my great-grandfather, but he’s important to me because he was such an big influence in my dad’s life.
Today Rocky Ford appears to be in decline, with more boarded-up windows than open storefronts. It was a pleasant town, but we had to imagine what it must have been like during its busier era at the turn of last century.
More photos from Rocky Ford
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Tags: colorado, personal photos, travel
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April 2, 2009
Mike, Ally, and I are on a road trip this week. We’re cruising around, navigating as we go, with no particular itinerary in mind. The funny thing is that we’re doing 100% of our planning by iPhone. We’ve used no paper map, GPS car gadget, or guide book. We just get in the car each day, ask the iPhone where we are, and figure out where to go next.
Right now we’re in Tennessee, about halfway between Memphis and Nashville. I’m not taking many photos, but I’ll post some on on blog next week. In the meanwhile, you can follow our progress on my Facebook or on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/charlottegeary
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