Golden engagement | Margaret & Patrick

Margaret and Patrick know how to laugh, they have some great stories and best of all they like good beer. They grow hops for Colorado Native in their yard for crying out loud. That's didication. 

Patrick is also a golfer so it's safe to say we get along just fine.

Sunday evening we ventured up to Golden to make a few photos and managed to drink a few beers along the way. I hadn't been to Golden in forever and never had the chance to shoot up there so I have to give some kudos to Margaret who took the initiative to find a location off the beaten path.

 We had such a good time that it had to be after 10pm when we finally headed home.

From what I hear, their September wedding has the makings of a geat party and that means there will be great photos to be had which is something to look forward to.

Miracles on Ice 2012 Day 5

First off, thanks for your patience with the lack of updates. I switched servers last week and ran into a few glitches in the process but everything is finally good to go.

The final day of the camp is always filled with anticipation as the kids just want to don a brand new Colorado Avalanche jersey and take the ice for the big game. They've come a long way in a short period of time by that point and I had a great time documenting them along the way.

My favorite moment was experiencing 30+ kids bursting into laughter at some of the images from the week that I was able to show on the bigscreen after lunch on Friday afternoon. All of the kids see me out there shooting throughout the week but I don't think they realize exactly what I'm doing. Getting to show them the week that was, makes it all worth it for me.

What is usually a goalfest, this year's game was held to low scoring thanks to some great goaltending. Adding goalies to the mix was a first this year and I think that most of the kids enjoyed putting on the pads and stuffing a few of their friends.

Miracles on Ice 2012 Day 4

When life hands you lemons, use a flash.

The occasional wrinkle in the day's schedule meant that practice was being held in the poorly lit adjacent Joy Burns Arena instead of Magness. I'm spoiled and used to using a set of strobes in a big, gorgeous arena but instead on Thursday, I had to use some creativity to produce something compelling in the typical community ice rink.

I'll be honnest, it stumped me for a little while. I did what I could in the morning and early afternoon session but there wasn't much happening. For the third session of the day I just brought a wide angle and my flash to try and apply what has become a staple look that I use at weddings.

What I hadn't noticed was the great pattern that the lights made in the cieling. There aren't any Photoshop tricks here, just overpowering the ambient light with my flash makes almost everything fall to black.

Great pictures are made when luck meets preparation

Take that awfly lit ice rink.

Miracles on Ice 2012 Day 3

Wednesday morning I boarded the struggle bus to camp.

After nine holes of golf and two sets of tennis the night before I think that I was literally too tired to over think things. I seem to put myself in the right place at the right time and shot the moments that happened in front of me.

I changed up what gear that I used for the day, as I've done all week, so it forced me to see different pictures.

It's great to see how far these kids have come in three days. Their stories in the classroom are interesting to say the least, as evident by Gary's face above. Their attitudes are fantastic and their progress on the ice is really starting to show.

The last two days will fly by but I'm sure the moments are just getting started.

Miracles on Ice 2012 Day 2

Tuesday was a grind for me visually. I sound like a broken record but it's tough to make images that I'm pleased with day after day of camp, year after year.

Thankfully a portion of the arena stands were partially removed and it exposed the sunlight hitting the translucent loading dock screen. I used that to make a somewhat mediocre silhouette as one of the kids skated by, framed by a pair of fork lifts.

Though, it's different and that in itself is a win for the day.

Miracles on Ice 2012 Day 1

It's that time of the year again when I give a little bit back to some amazing kids and learn so much from them in five days.

Miracles on Ice camp brings together a group of underprivledged kids from the University of Denver's Bridge Project and, in one short week, teaches them the skills they need to play hockey. Most of the kids have never skated on a sheet of ice before and by the end of the week their faces light up after they score a goal in the big game.

Each day includes hockey with dry land training, reading, writing, meals and inspirational speakers to keep them busy non-stop.

The camp is in its sixth year and I've been with them since the inception so it goes without saying that finding a unique angle or image is a challenge. The kids themselves are the X-factor and keep me on my toes for great moments throughout the week.

It's always a challenge but an extremely rewarding.

Check back daily for photos throughout the week.