Family Portrait

Day in the Life: Leaving the Mid Mod Nest

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I have often day dreamed about visiting friends who live in far away places. Jet setting to visit a new local and enjoy the company of my good friends. My “Those I Love” personal project was born from these dreams.
I have been lucky enough to reconnect with several friends lately, one of which I didn’t photograph! We met after the sun went down, that is my excuse… and really, I get shy about asking for a photo. I am keenly aware that people aren’t super happy to be in front of the camera… especially when the idea is sprung on them. So I leave my camera in its bag, and kick myself later that I didn’t get even one photo of my friend (who lives in Mexico City).
But a few months ago I reached out to our good friends in the Bay Area who had mentioned wanting photographs in their Eichler home. A day in the life. Their son is about to leave the nest so we made it happen.
While there I felt like I was photographing my own family. Being a bit intrusive, but no one seemed to mind. It helps that I’ve been photographing them since we met 8 years ago. Being able to focus on their family and their dynamic the entire weekend was such a blessing and so much fun. I really feel like I created an important body of work… if only for them.  Here is a link to their whole session, if you care to see.

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One of the main features of an Eichler home are the mahogany paneled walls throughout, along with floor to ceiling windows allowing for amazing light.

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Expression and gesture.

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Eichler homes more often than not boast an atrium that can be seen from every common space in the house. So many windows. The cats love the atrium.

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The orange exterior door leads to the atrium. If you haven’t walked through an Eichler, you need to. They are pretty amazing. Just stay away from any with stucco… a stucco exterior is not original would probably not hold the original details inside.

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I joined in on family dinner. William suggested I get it from above. He’s a pretty great photographer and I can’t wait to see what he does in the next few years.

Wish You Were Here: Still Raining

It has been raining for what seems like forever.  We have had a few hours reprieve between downpours the last couple of days and I am hoping for no rain tonight.  Zach and I are heading to Red Rocks for the Decemberist, Spoon and Courtney Barnett show.  We don’t want to be wet.

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Spend a lot of time indoors with two boys and indoor soccer becomes a tradition.
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Electronic devices under the fort.

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This boy had several weeks of sick days. He keeps getting wheat somehow. Not good.

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With the bowl and the kitten. She is so helpful.

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Thank goodness for the kitten. When brother is down for a few days and the rain is pounding down, sometimes all he’s got is the kitty.

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Rainwater at its finest

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When he’s sick with wheat intake, it is 3 days until he begins to feel well enough to eat and move.

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In the morning

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Saturday morning strut

Products: Coffee Table, a proof

Isn’t a coffee table book just a big person’s picture book? I love illustrated children’s books, some of the art blows me away, not to mention the rhythm and rhyme. I have a few coffee table books, two I purchased last year. I should share them with you here.  Both are amazing.  I need more.
This summer I photographed this little family. These kids are lucky to have two amazing matriarchs in their lives. The past couple days I’ve worked on this album proof, remembering all the personalities raging and crashing into each other.
I hope mom gets a minute this weekend to take a look and hopefully give me an ok.
When I photograph a Documentary Session, this book is included.
Wanna see what it looks like on a coffee table?  Gimme a couple weeks and it’ll be here.
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Family Portrait Session: Testosterone

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Yep. That’s right. Until Jen showed up it was just 3 dudes. I told them I was feeling a bit off photographing just dudes. But we got to know each other a bit and I think once that happened, the normal flow began. This was their best rocker pose:
Awesomeness, then…
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… “man, is this ever gonna END!?”
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But I’m jumping ahead. Those were taken closer to the end of our glorious time together.  The boathouse is where we met and where we began.

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Then Jen came and showed them how it’s done.  She’s an old pro, having been in front of my camera last year.  Can I say how much I love these two together?  and of course the Colorado sky was in full effect.  It threatened to rain on us, but we stuck it out… this being our rescheduled-because-of-rain session.  Besides, bad weather is the most beautiful… unless it really is raining cats and dogs, then it’s typically miserable and super dark.

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Documentary Session: At Moe’s

I have been photographing this family for a few years now… maybe 5? Not every year, but once the braces come on (or off) or the smile or height changes. The parents look pretty much the same, while the kids have grown up a whole lot.
This time ’round the goal was to tell a story. Have some fun at home and head to Moe’s BBQ where we all love to eat.This is a Documentary Session. If you haven’t noticed, I switched up my pricing and if you head over you’ll see that I offer a Documentary Session along with a Portrait Session and several other specialized sessions. Documentary photography, to me, is a cross between photojournalism with its minimal direction and story telling and art with a concept in mind and smiles not required. It’s a show-me-what-you-love kind of session.
When I arrived this print on their wall greeted me. This was the first portrait I took of the kids and is mounted on foamcore and put directly on the wall. Super simple. The key to make this sort of presentation work is size. It’s gotta take up a good amount of space on the wall:
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We started at home and this porch had the best light and cutest swing
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Then it began to rain. It rained almost every day this summer.

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At Moe’s
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At the Gothic I was excited to see Future Islands on the billboard. Oh, and that was the day I realized the Aquabats were coming to the Gothic. Ezra asked if we could have the Aquabats play in our backyard last summer. I tried all my contacts, which were pretty reliable (thanks Heather!) but their schedule would only allow a house party after their evening show at the Gothic. Too late.
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www.stacieannsmith.com #DenverPhotographer #UrbanFamilyPhotographer #GothicTheater

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