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.
I’ve noticed that lots of people have been coming to my site while searching for place card ideas for weddings. Place cards are one of the first things that guests encounter at a reception, so they are a great way to introduce a design theme and make a first impression. They are also one of the few personalized items that your guests will receive, so it’s nice to put some thought into them. I’ve seen such fun and creative place cards over the years, and thought it would be a good Wedding Ideas post. Enjoy!
Morgan and Chad
Garden of the Gods
Colorado Springs
March 7, 2010
Morgan and Chad have been friends since middle school, and are finally getting married later this year. I love stories like that! We wandered the Garden of the Gods yesterday and enjoyed the mild, springlike weather. Thanks, Morgan and Chad, and I hope you’ll love your destination wedding!
The Tubbs Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer
Frisco, Colorado
March 6, 2010
Yesterday I photographed this fun and inspiring charity snowshoe race with Kay Beaton. The Tubbs Romp to Stomp is a Susan G. Komen event sponsored by Tubbs snowshoes, where racers ran or walked around the Nordic Center in Frisco, Colorado. About 2,200 racers turned up in pink clothing, costumes, wigs, or tutus, and raised over $80,000 for breast cancer research.
All day I alternated between laughter and tears. What a brilliant way to raise money for charity and to show support for those affected by cancer. Also I want to take a moment to say for my millionth time that I love Colorado. It was such a great day yesterday.
Brad, Brandy, and newborn Brent
Colorado Springs
March 2, 2010
Brent was born Tuesday afternoon and greeted by his adoring parents and brother. I was honored to be there to document their first few moments with him. Brent is a healthy, eight-pound little sweetheart who is just 15 months younger than his big brother. I hope the two boys will grow up to be playmates and close friends throughout life.
Thank you so much, Brandy, for asking me to be there to photograph his birth. I know how important photography is to you, so I’m thrilled that you love the photos. I hope that someday they will also be treasured by Brent and his own children.
Here’s a slideshow with the complete story:
Birth has become one of my favorite things to photograph. Few things in life involve such profound and beautiful emotions. I’d love to be able to photograph more births, so if you know someone who might be interested, please let them know about me. If you’d like to see the other two births I’ve photographed, you can find them here: Colorado Springs birth photography
Aaron and Jenna
Garden of the Gods
Colorado Springs
February 28, 2010
On Sunday I photographed Jenna and Aaron at the Siamese Twins rock formation in the Garden of the Gods. They are getting married next spring and wanted their engagement portraits to feature the beautiful landscape of their new hometown of Colorado Springs. Unfortunately Aaron will be deployed overseas later this month. It was such a pleasure for me to to take these photos for them before they have to be separated for a year. I hope the time goes by quickly, Jenna and Aaron!
I’m looking for a skilled and fun second shooter to work with me for the 2010 wedding season. This is a position for an experienced photographer.
Requirements:
1. Must live near Colorado Springs or Denver.
2. Must have professional Canon or Nikon camera equipment with fast lenses.
3. Must have a strong portfolio of photos of people, including both candids and portraits.
4. Must be able to commit to wedding dates many weeks in advance.
5. Must be able to work without my guidance during a wedding day. (This is not an apprenticeship.)
6. Must be able to work hard under physically-demanding conditions.
7. Must be fun, patient, friendly, positive, open-minded, energetic, and dependable.
8. Must love weddings.
I’d pay well for your time, and I’d permit you to use the photos in your portfolios and websites.
If you are interested, please email me at charlotte@charlottegeary.com. Please tell me about your experience, goals, style of photography, and personality. Please include a link to your portfolio.
Thanks!
EDITED TO ADD (3/5/10):
Wow, thank you for all the excellent responses! I really appreciate all the emails I’ve received! I will need several more days to sort through everything, so I will get back to you all next week. Thanks for your patience.
Molly and Robby dogsledding
Breckenridge, Colorado
February 25, 2010
Here’s the final set of our family vacation photos! This last set includes pictures from our dogsledding adventure with Good Times Adventures in Breckenridge. We had such a great time together last week. I wish we could do it all over again.
These photos are by Molly, me, and my mom. Thanks for all the wonderful pictures, Mom and Molly! And thanks to all of you for coming out to visit us. It meant so much to Mike and me to have you here. Come back soon!
My niece Kenna, and my nephews Timmy and Robby
Breckenridge, Colorado
February 24, 2010
Here is the second set of our photos from last week’s family vacation! After a day in the Colorado Springs area, my family spent four days in Breckenridge. The nine of us rented a huge condo right across the street from a ski lift. We spent our days playing in the snow, and the evenings playing Wii with the kids. The highlight of the week was teaching the kids to ski. I guess technically we didn’t really “teach” them — we just stood them up at the top of a green slope, and let go. It was beyond adorable to see them on skis, especially my two-year-old nephew, Timmy.
Here are several photos of the adorable mini-skiers! All pictures are by me, my mom, and my sister-in-law, Molly.
My niece, Kenna
Manitou Springs, Colorado
February 21, 2010
This past week was my family’s vacation here in Colorado’s winter wonderland. My parents and my brother and his family came from Virginia, and it was the first time my niece and nephews had visited Colorado. We had such a wonderful time together. I wish the week didn’t have to be over already.
The nine of us spent most of the week skiing in Breckenridge, but first we explored Manitou Springs and the Garden of the Gods. I’ll post skiing photos sometime tomorrow, so stay tuned for more cuteness.
All photos are by me, my mother, or my sister-in-law Molly. Thanks for the great pictures, Mom and Molly!
Kenna and me
Breckenridge, Colorado
February 24, 2010
This is the week that I’ve been waiting for all winter! My entire family came out to Colorado to visit us! My parents, brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew are all here with me and Mike, which is the first time we’ve all been in Colorado together. We are spending several days in Breckenridge and teaching the kids to ski. It’s every bit as fantastic as I’d hoped it would be.
Here’s a photo of me with my six-year-old niece, Kenna, on a ski lift this morning. Stay tuned for many more photos!
It’s a question that couples ask me all the time: “Should we see each other before the wedding?” My answer is always, “It’s up to you.”
About half the couples that I photograph choose to have a private meeting before the ceremony. They arrange a time and location to see each other, and I photograph their reactions when they see each other for the first time that day. This meeting has become known as the “first look.” After they’ve had a few private minutes together, we begin the posed portrait session.
Tradition states that the groom should not see the bride before the ceremony. The problem is that this tradition was established before wedding photography became part of the process. Now couples are faced with a choice: follow tradition, or devote more time to photos?
I truly want you to have the type of wedding that is important to you, so I don’t have a preference which option you take. My style is primarily photojournalistic, so my goal is to document real events as they happen, and I don’t require a lot of time for posing. I will work with whatever amount of time you give me, but the more time you schedule for posed photos, the more you will have when it’s all over.
There are a few things to consider as you make this decision:
Your schedule
I tell my clients that I typically need a minimum of an hour for posed photos: 15 minutes for family, 15 minutes for wedding party, and 30 minutes for the couple. I encourage people to schedule more time than that whenever possible.
If your dinner starts an hour after the ceremony ends, that won’t be enough time for an hour of photos. You also need to plan for time to sign the marriage license, greet people after the ceremony, travel to the reception site, bustle the gown, and freshen up before entering the reception. An hour and a half is usually a better choice for time between the ceremony and reception, and even more time is needed in certain cases.
If your schedule won’t permit 1.5 hours before the start of the reception, I strongly encourage you to plan for some of your photos before the ceremony.
The sunlight
If your ceremony takes place near sunset, there will not be much light available for photos afterward. I can provide portrait lighting, but I won’t be able to illuminate mountain scenery or other aspects of the location that might be important to you. In this situation, I recommend that you take your portraits before the ceremony.
If your ceremony takes place in the middle of the afternoon, though, the sunlight could be harsh and bright beforehand. In this situation, you could be better off scheduling portraits afterward, when the late afternoon sunlight is softer. If you would like to see each other before the ceremony, we could plan the group portraits before the wedding, and plan the couple portraits for afterward.
Your family
If you have family members who are older or handicapped, often it’s most appropriate to take the group portraits immediately after the ceremony. If we schedule family photos beforehand, they will have to arrive at least an hour early and spend a lot of time sitting and waiting.
Your guests
If you take your posed photos before the ceremony, you will have more time to spend with your guests during the cocktail hour. You will also have more photos of your guests, because I will be able to photograph them during this time instead of taking posed photos elsewhere.
If you decide to schedule your posed photos during the cocktail hour, please don’t worry about neglecting your guests. It is a party for them as well as you, and they will be happy to spend this time chatting with friends and family that they haven’t seen in a while. Guests understand that the wedding party usually takes photos during the cocktail hour, and they don’t expect the bride and groom to entertain them during this time.
Your nerves
The hours before the wedding can be stressful for lots of people. If you know that you are calmer and happier in the arms of your bride- or groom-to-be, you will probably have more fun on your wedding day if you spend it together. On my own wedding day, I was a bundle of anxiety until I got to see Mike before the ceremony. He put his arms around me, and I was happy for the rest of the day.
On the other hand, if you think you’ll be a bundle of nerves until you say “I do,” then you might not look comfortable and relaxed in pre-wedding portraits. Waiting until afterward could be a better choice. This point often applies to mothers, too — some mothers of the bride are stressed before the ceremony, so consider whether your mom might prefer to wait until afterward for the family photos.
The types of photos that you want to have
Several of my photos of brides and grooms are posed, even if they don’t look set up. If you want a variety of romantic, artistic photos of the two of you, you must plan sufficient time to take them. If you schedule the bare minimum of photo time, I won’t have an opportunity to create the same kinds of portraits for you that I have for other couples.
Years down the road, you will love to look at beautiful portraits of the two of you. These are the photos that you will frame, and that your children and grandchildren will love to look at someday. Please make sure that you plan enough time to take the photos that will become family heirlooms.
Amy, Matt, and baby Hunter
Littleton, Colorado
February 13, 2010
I photographed Amy and Matt’s wedding in 2007, and I was thrilled when they asked me this year to photograph their new baby. Four-month-old Hunter is gorgeous and full of personality, just as I would expect from any child of Matt and Amy. Congratulations, you guys!
I know that I still haven’t answered everyone’s questions yet, sorry! Here are some answers to people’s questions about how I shoot. Thanks for all the great ideas, guys!
Wait asks:
I want to know… what is your favorite moment to shoot at a wedding?
At the end of the ceremony, I follow the couple after they walk down the aisle. After they walk around a corner out of sight of their guests, there is usually a moment of shock and elation as they realize that they just got married. All of a sudden the formalities are over and it becomes real. It’s usually a few seconds of raw emotion, and easily my favorite moment of the day. I feel especially grateful that I am often the only person to witness it.
sixpenny_book asks:
I would like to know how you get such crisp landscape photos. Mine always seem to be a bit washed out or “misty” looking and I’m wondering what setting I need to adjust to get a great landscape photo. Thanks! Love the blog!
The secret to great landscape photos (and photos of all other kinds, too) is the light. There are usually two times of day when I’m interested in taking landscape photos: just after sunrise, and just before sunset. Mid-day light creates that washed-out look. When the sun is low in the sky, colors are more vivid, shadows are more dimensional, and the contrast is higher.
Another point to consider is that digital photos tend to look a bit flat straight out of the camera. You might want to check your photos’ levels or curves in Photoshop, to see if you can add contrast in post-production.
Lolareina asks:
How many pictures total do you usually end up shooting for a portrait session? A wedding (including getting ready, ceremony and reception)?
I’ll typically take several hundred photos at a portrait session, and a couple thousand during a wedding day.
Michelle asks:
How many photos do you normally show to a couple? i know it can depend upon the wedding, but just an average?
My final set of proofs is typically 700 for a wedding, and 75 for a portrait session.
Lolareina asks:
What’s the most recent picture you’ve taken that, when chimping or going through them on your computer, you get that rush because it’s The Shot?
This one. Traci was holding her daughter for the first time. The moment was perfect. I was so happy that I captured it just right.
Lolareina asks:
Have you ever had any outrageous requests?
Not really, but I do try to present my style and personality clearly before someone chooses to hire me. I think most people that I work with have read my blog and know what to expect from me, so it works out great. The only times I’ve had difficulties have been rare occasions when brides have hired me because I’m just what they’re looking for, but their mothers have different ideas of what wedding photography should be. In situations like that, I smile, do what I’m asked, and then move on to something else. I’ve never been asked to do anything really weird, though! I have some funny stories, but you’ll have to buy me a latte to hear them.
Dawntreader90 asks:
Do you try to frame your shots or do you take a hundred fast shots and some come out spectacularly? I’ve seen some photographers take pictures where they are snapping what sounds like a hundred shots or more a minute. Not that there’s no value in doing it that way, especially for fast-action shoots. but it seems like if a person always take pictures that way, something decent is bound to come of it sooner or later even if it was 1 shot in 10,000.
Both. I frame my shots very carefully, and I take hundreds of fast shots. You are assuming that it’s an either/or situation, but I very much disagree. Every picture I take involves thoughtful consideration of exposure, composition, and lighting. I am photographing real events that occur very quickly, and it’s my job not to miss important moments. I am also expected to make people look good in the process. I choose to take multiple frames of many moments, so that I can delete unflattering expressions and make sure that I don’t miss the crucial expression. I can always delete duplicates later, but if I miss an important moment, I can never recreate it.
oh_so_luscious asks:
Do you have any tutorials you recommend for picture tips and tricks?
Michelle asks:
Do you have any sort of timeline that you like to keep throughout the day?
Definitely! My husband jokes that I operate with military precision during a wedding day.
Several weeks before a wedding, I ask the couple for a detailed timeline of the wedding day, along with their photo request list. I combine that information to create my photography schedule. As I prepare this schedule, I advise the couple on the amount of posed group photos we can fit into the time they have allotted. If we won’t have enough time for everything they want, I help them choose additional times for pictures, or I give suggestions to help them cut down their photo request list. The couple approves the photography schedule before the wedding day, so they know what to expect from me with the timeline they have available.
When the wedding day arrives, I do not have to rely on the couple for any guidance. I know where I need to be, what pictures I need to take, and what will be happening next.
Michelle asks:
What is your take on first looks? yay, nay? a must?
This is a great question that couples ask all the time! I think it’s a tough decision for a lot of people. My short answer is that it entirely depends on the couple and their own priorities. I’m happy to work with any schedule that I am given, but I’ll make it clear to the couple what photos they can expect with the schedule they have chosen. I’m going to write a whole post on this topic, so stay tuned!
Here’s a pretty snow picture from my archive, in support of my friends and family on the east coast who have been buried alive this weekend. After you dig yourselves out and curl up under four blankets to read blogs by candlelight, think of me here in 50-degree, sunny Colorado. Yes, I’m taunting a little. Yes, you can come visit.
Now is a great opportunity for a photo tip. When taking photographs of snow, keep in mind that your camera is designed to expose photographs with an average tone of middle gray. If a scene is dark, it will brighten the photo to middle gray. If a scene is bright (like snow), it will darken the photo to middle gray. So if you are taking snow photographs this weekend, you might notice that your camera is creating dark photographs. That’s normal and part of the camera’s job.
Your job as the photographer is to tell the camera that the photo is supposed to be mostly white, not middle gray. To do that, you’ll need to set the camera to overexpose by a stop or two. You can probably find that in your camera settings as +1 or +2.
Mike and me
Breckenridge, Colorado
February 1, 2010
I love living in a state that is full of fun things to do in every season of the year. Last weekend we went to Breckenridge and stayed for a couple days. Friends of ours from Colorado Springs were there, too, so it was great to have dinner with a big group of friends at the brew pub Sunday night, and then ski all day Monday.
After five years of living in Colorado, I’m getting pretty good at this skiing thing. I love to rush down hills that used to scare me when we first moved here. I’m still a slow and cautious skier compared to most people, but I like to think of myself as a badass daredevil. At least my fitness is pretty good, because I didn’t get tired nearly as quickly as I used to. Now I can’t wait to go back next week!
On a random note, I discovered Monday that if you type “breck” into an iPhone, it auto-corrects it to “Breckinridge.” That would be really cool, if it wasn’t spelled wrong. Technology is funny.
My lovely Janie is turning eleven this spring, but she’s still a playful, cuddly, and happy kitty. She loves to sit on the back of the couch behind me, and rest her paws on my shoulder.
If you’ve ever met Janie, you know that she’s a cat of, uh, substantial girth. The poor kitty is a little big-boned. Just like most people, Janie’s most flattering angle is from above.
I love walking into a wedding reception and discovering how the couple has chosen to decorate it. How will the tables be set? How will the color theme be used? How will the overall feel of the reception reflect the couple’s personality? Here are some reception room photos for you to enjoy!
Traci with Ellie, moments after her birth
Colorado Springs
January 28, 2010
Eloise Marie entered the world at 10:02 on Thursday morning, and I’m profoundly honored to have been there to witness it. Her parents are Traci and Nic Turchin, talented wedding photographers here in Colorado Springs. I was thrilled when Traci asked me to photograph the birth. It’s always a compliment to be chosen by a fellow photographer, but I was particularly touched by Traci’s request to be there for her family’s first moments with her daughter. Thank you, Traci and Nic, for trusting me to document such emotional and powerful moments. I hope these photos will always be meaningful to you and Ellie.
Traci and Nic left for the hospital around 6:30am on Thursday morning. A snowstorm with low visibility made their drive last three times longer than usual, and by the time they arrived at the hospital, Traci’s labor was well underway. She used a hypnosis application on her iPhone to calm her through her contractions. Her husband Nic and his sister stayed by her side the whole time. After the baby was born, big brother Will arrived with gifts and kisses for his baby sister.
Birth is beautiful. Even during her most agonizing pain, Traci was surrounded by people who love her. I couldn’t help but cry to see such beauty. When she finally saw her baby, Traci’s joy filled the whole room. When Nic held his daughter for the first time, I had a vision of the two of them dancing at her wedding years from now. I was overwhelmed with the realization that I was documenting the first moments of that special relationship.
I love birth photography. If you or someone you know is having a baby in the Colorado Springs area, I’d love to be able to photograph the baby’s first moments. Please contact me at charlotte@charlottegeary.com if you’re interested.
Traci and Nic with their newborn daughter, Ellie
Colorado Springs
January 28, 2010
Congratulations to Traci and Nic! Ellie is gorgeous! I was thrilled and honored that they asked me to photograph the birth of their baby, who finally arrived this morning. I will need a few more days to edit their photos, but in the meanwhile I wanted to post a preview of what’s to come.
Last month I asked people to send me questions that they’d like me to answer, and I didn’t get a chance to answer all of them during the holidays. Sorry, guys! You can find my answers to questions about photography equipment HERE. Today I’ll answer questions about post-production.
Foob asks:
Do you have any tips for post processing & what do you do to archive your images? (Mine are all over the place & I shoot no where near as frequently as you do.)
My best tip is to get it right in the camera as often as possible, and reduce the need for post-processing. If you shoot with good light and correct exposures, you won’t need to do much to the files. To help keep my photos consistent, I shoot in raw format and batch process photos in Lightroom 2.0. Raw processing enables me to correct white balance accurately and consistently, and if I do make technical errors in exposure, raw files are much easier to correct than jpegs.
My archive system is a series of hard drives. My hard drives run in parallel, so whenever I copy files to a drive, they are automatically updated in a mirror drive. I also store all my clients’ photos online at smugmug.com, which has unlimited uploads for only $150 per year. I keep a final version of everything on DVDs, just in case.
The file structure in my hard drives is based on date. I keep separate folders for each year, and within each year folder, I keep client folders that are also based on date. Here’s my naming structure for client folders:
2009-01-20 Jane and John Smith
2009-02-14 Betty and Barney Rubble
2009-02-25 Lois and Peter Griffin
With this naming structure, files are automatically sorted chronologically, and I can always find what I need. I also use this structure for my personal photos.
Lolareina asks:
1. Do you outsource your edits, or do you personally edit your shoots?
2. How do you decide when to keep a photo full-color versus in black and white?
1. I personally edit my own photos, but this year I plan to start outsourcing my raw processing during my busy summer season. Editing takes up so much time! I haven’t yet decided which company I will use. I’d love any recommendations!
2. I tend to prefer color photographs most of the time, because I see the world in color and I photograph my own view of the world. The photos I present in black and white are often ones in which the color detracts from my intended message. Emotional photos are often more powerful in black and white. Moments that occur in cluttered spaces have more clarity and impact in black and white. Usually, though, I just look at a photo and know instinctively whether I want to convert it to b/w. I wish I had more of a process to describe, but I just know it when I see it.
Isabella from Armenia asks:
Do you edit your photos yourself? If you do, what software do you use, and how much time on average do you spend on the editing process?
I do usually edit the photos myself. It takes me about 3-4 days to edit a wedding shoot, which I do in three steps:
1. Download files and choose the keepers. I use PhotoMechanic for this step. It loads files very quickly and is the fastest way I’ve found to sort through tons of enormous raw files. At this stage, I also sort the photos chronologically and rename them. I use the naming structure YYYYMMDD_# (e.g. 20091225_001)
2. Process the raw files in Adobe Lightroom. Lightroom enables me to batch process a series of photos to keep colors and exposures consistent. I also go through each photo individually to make any necessary adjustments in exposure, contrast, color, and cropping. I use Lightroom to convert the edited raw files to jpegs.
3. Choose photos for my blog and/or portfolio, and edit their jpegs in Adobe Photoshop. I typically choose about 50 photos from each wedding to put on my blog, and each of those photos is adjusted in Photoshop before I post them. I will remove blemishes, clone out distracting elements in the background, and run actions that add a little more “pop” to each photo. Then I prepare web-sized files and blog them. Meanwwhile, I upload all the complete set of high-resolution files to a web gallery for my clients and their guests. I back up my files in multiple locations, and start getting ready for the next fabulous wedding.
Kwanalicious says
Hi, I’ve been watching your work for quite some time and I really admire all the beautiful things you’ve been able to capture. I was wondering what kind of post-processing (if any) you do, and if so, what programs do you use? And what’s your general method for post-processing (do you edit colors first, sharpen last, etc.)? Thanks!
I really do minimal post-processing, at least compared to many other photographers. I prefer a natural look to my photos, without too much influence by Photoshop. I try to avoid processing trends, because I worry that trends will look very outdated in just a few years. Instead, I focus on clean, well-lit photos with just enough contrast and vibrance to give them a little pop.
I do use Photoshop actions to enhance some of my photos, but I try not to make them look like they have had actions applied to them. My favorite actions are by Jeff Ascough and Totally Rad Actions. I use them in moderation, and to be honest, I only use a few of the actions that are available in each of those sets.
My general method for post-processing is outlined above. When I’m working with my raw files in Lightroom, I typically edit color balance first. I find that shifts in color can lead to shifts in exposure, so I adjust exposure second. Then I take care of any other edits that I might need to do, such as adding contrast or vibrance. I export the raw files as jpegs, which I then adjust in Photoshop if necessary. I don’t sharpen the photo proofs at all, but I do sharpen files for the web or for custom print orders. I like to know exactly what size a photo will be viewed before I sharpen it.
I hope this is helpful! If you have any questions that you’d like me to answer over the next few weeks, please comment here or email me at charlotte@charlottegeary.com. I’ll be happy to help if I can!
