Jordan and Elmarie welcomed baby Jett into the world just about 3 weeks ago. His arrival was highly anticipated, being the first son, grandchild, and nephew to his parents and many loving family members and friends; and though he made his entrance a few days later than expected, it just meant more pent up snuggles and kisses to be smooched on his precious, baby smelling, buttery soft, olivey skin. 

He has his mother’s mouth and his father’s hair-line.  

Sigh.  I love babies.

Thank you Jordan and Elmarie for letting me be a small part of this journey with you, not only as a photographer but as a friend. 

Congratulations on the arrival your perfect little boy.

As I plan to endear myself to all things that speak of summer in the coming days, I can often be found sitting in front of a window, staring out at the great green foliage, making plans for picnics and pool days.  The colors of summer have already long been a companion though, as you can see in the following photos from late March!  But with life whirling by, I’ve been amiss in keeping the world updated on my lovely sister Bekah’s inspired musical project, The Blameless, and the album print shoot we did several weeks ago.  Now that the album is recorded, designed and being printed, I have express permission to share some of the photos from this series.

These photos, though as I said were taken in March, remind me of summer.  They are full of the life, color, humor and exquisite grace that many call Bekah Wagner.  Her album is full of the same and I hope you’ll mark your calendars to purchase it on June 12^th.  Until then, let the color and Joy of summer, shown here, inspire you to turn on your favorite song (mine is currently any off of this album) and soak up some sunshine.

Find out more about Bekah’s upcoming album at www.bekahwagner.com 

See Bekah’s writing session HERE! 

See Bekah in the studio HERE! 

See Bekah in an intimate house show HERE!

Finally, see the making of The Blameless HERE!

If you have a journey you’d like to capture to film, please contact us!  We’d love to collaborate.  

As it so often does, May has descended on our family with its typical force of frenzied schedules and dreaded life change.  Because of this, I apologize for my absence of late. 

Over the last 10 days our family has been mourning the loss of Drew’s beloved Grandmother.  He came home yesterday from time in Buffalo, NY with family celebrating her memory, life and legacy.  She was a lovely and precious woman whose love for Jesus makes her passing full of peace and joy for many those she left behind.  It can truly be said that she is in a better place, for which we are all grateful. 

Since Henry and I could not join Drew and his family, we took a few days off to be in the Springs with my family as we prepare to celebrate my little brother’s recent graduation from High School, as well as his departure to the USAF Special Forces in just two weeks.  Time with him is precious now so I’ve been neglecting my work of late to soak up these last moments with my courageous ‘baby’ brother.

With all the heartache of change, even when change is good, May will also bring some gorgeous weddings, some babies, a photography conference, styled photo shoots, a bit of travel, and the beginning of an exciting personal photo project on our family blog. That means more posts soon, so please keep checking in AND thinking of me as you makes plans to capture the summer fun ahead for each of your beautiful families. 

The quote I began with, from one of my all time favorite books, reminds me that there is light that can penetrate even the darkest moments of sadness and change, creating a longing for something more joyful and adventurous. Personally, I often need a physical reminder, so I close with images from one of Henry and I’s recent adventures, hunting for dandelions and sunshine.  I brought some film along, something I like to do but rarely share here.  I hope these inspire you to spend some time in nature this week.  Nothing will inspire your life and art more then a bit of fresh air.

These photos were minimally edited or color corrected (except the very last one.)  The greens were that green and it was all really this beautiful.  No digital help needed.  I’m definitely going to blow some of these up for our home.

If you’d like to see more photos from our trip to San Fran you can check out our family blog HERE!

This time around, we caught up over cozy afternoon, in their cozy and gorgeous home, celebrating Auggie and Lisa’s 25^th wedding anniversary, several BIG birthdays for the kids, and Augustine’s imminent High School graduation.  It’s a big year for this family and I’m honored to celebrate with them, as a friend and photographer. 

All my love Mendoza family.  I can’t wait for a summer of BBQ’s and Flea Markets with you all!

“ Love is anterior to life,

Posterior to death,

Initial to creation, and

The exponent of breath.”

This is the kind of love I was honored to witness working with Jeremy and Kasi on their wedding day.  Their love was obviously the kind that produces joy and laughter, not only in each other, but also in their family and friends.  It was built on a foundation of patience, making the wedding day even more extravagantly lovely to watch. 

Let’s just say that these two breathed their love for each other all day on their wedding day.  I’m sure that they will continue to create love for the rest of their lives.  

The bride writing her vows.

A very emotional At First Sight.

The moments before walking down the aisle.

The Bride & Groom exited the Chapel into the most beautiful sun set...I obviously couldn't resist photographing the the intimate celebration.

Beautiful details.

PARTY!

Yes, they cut the cake with a saber.  

It's Caitlin & I, sneaking in a picture before this gorgeous night came to a close.

All Photos & Events took place at The Pinery, Colorado Springs, CO

A special thanks as always to my amazing 2nd shooter, Caitlin, who is my second pair of eyes and who helps me be in two places at once.  I owe her credit for some of the celebration and detail shots here. :)

I’ve thought so much about this day and all the things I want to say to express the emotions overflowing in my heart.  I could talk about Henry and Drew and our journey as a family for hours and days and weeks.  The heart of that talk though would be that I consider myself beyond blessed and lucky to know Henry James.  Not only has he caught onto life and it’s adventures so quickly this year, he has a veracity for adventure and a curiosity that never ends, both of which I hope he will never loose site of.  He is pure boy.  He is pure cuteness.  He is pure joy.  He is ticklish like his Mom and he says ‘Dada’ exclusively.  His laugh is easy and contagious.  He is overly friendly and a bit of a flirt.  He loves all things electronic and will definitely be a child of the 21^st century. 

As you can see from the photos below, he loves the camera, and a good thing too since his Mom has taken an obscene number of photos since the day he was born.  If for no other reason, I’m blessed to be photographer so I could witness, capture and preserve these precious moments, of a precious life, in my precious family. 

Happy Birthday Henry James.  I love you with all my heart.

{2 Seconds Old}

{1 Day Old}

{2 Weeks Old}

{1 Month Old}

{2 Months Old}

{3 Months Old}

{4 Months Old}

{5 Months Old}

{6 Months Old}

{7 Months Old}

{8 Months Old}

{9 Months Old}

{10 Months Old}

{11 Months Old}

{1 Year Old Today!}

Instead, I leave you with this great photography inspiration my bro-in-law sent me over the weekend.  I wish I was tech savvy enough to try this but I love the combination of old and new, and the photos have an amazing sharpness. Thanks to Jason Bognacki and his Today's Tomorrow Tumblr for the beautiful inspiration.  Check him out for other great photos from this series and more details about this very cool project.

I'll be back next week with some personal reminiscent photos from the last year and a {BRAND NEW } gorgeous spring wedding. 

Don't be a stranger! 

Meet our new friends, Jordan, Elmarie and Baby Bendinelli! Drew and I have really enjoyed getting to know this sweet couple over the last few months and when they invited me into their home to capture this exciting time for their growing family, I was honored and so excited!

Elmarie and I planned this shoot around a few key things: beautiful light, bright color blocking and accents (a design aesthetic close to Elmarie’s heart,) and some subtle odes to Elmarie’s homeland of South Africa. I think the photos will speak for themselves about the beauty of this family and this season in their lives.

With another great weekend behind me, I face a daunting week with optimism, energy {at least I will after a few more cups of coffee,} and the sweet memories of time with my boys, something that always invigorates me.  There is just nothing like family time.  We guard it jealously around here, which is why when the lovely Doran Family asked me to come on over to their home to capture their family Saturday morning rituals, I was honored to be peeking in on such a treasured time.

Drew and I have known the Eric and Emily for five years already!  Eric was a roommate of Drew’s in college and Emily lived next door.  The good old college times ruled back then and little did we know that five years later we would all be married with babies.  Little Ember just turned one at the beginning of the year and Eric and Emily wanted to capture this special time.  I had so so much fun, driving early to their home up north, everything covered in snow from the previous day’s blizzard, and arriving just in time to help wake up Ember from her morning slumber.  There were snuggles, games, books, breakfast and a little snowy adventure.  I couldn’t be happier with how these turned out and my prayer is that these opportunities will come my way more and more as I feel like I really shine in this style of photography.  Emily had some very sweet things to say about the shoot as well:

“Rachael.  I am astounded at how simple and beautiful the photos are.  I am so pleased at how you were really able to capture our family in how we are with each other every day.  I can’t express to you how much we appreciate having such beautiful artwork for our home and to document our lives.  It was very important for us to remember how we are in this very moment.  How we spent our days.  How we looked in the morning or going for a walk.  How we interacted with our daughter and each other as a new family, as new parents.  I really feel like these photographs are exactly what we were looking for…I can’t stop looking at them.  We’re in love.”

Her words made me cry and still do as I feel profoundly thankful for the opportunity and the friendship that’s being re-sparked through this process.

So enjoy this {very long } series on a cold Monday morning.  And take some time to plan a day with family and those you love this week.

{If you'd like more information of booking a SIMPLE SESSION for your family or loved ones, please contact me! }