artistic authentic wedding photography

artistic authentic wedding photography

2015 in review

I’m not sure if it's that we become more aware of the world as we get older or we really are in a time when things are much darker and uncertain on a global scale. With all the headline felonies, religious persecution, poverty and injustice in 2015 it’s hard not to grieve over the threatening darkness that covers the peace and freedom we all seek and expect. Yet, as I sit here looking out the window during this still, winter evening I rest as the snow so silently covers all things sitting peacefully. I look through these images of all the love we’ve seen this year and know that despite the darkness, there is nothing that can truly steal joy.

 Photographing weddings is quite satiating for curious observers like Matt and myself. We have front row seats to what is one of the most significant days of someone’s life. We’ve taken nearly a hundred thousand photographs in 2015 and have whittled the collection down to 136 moments to feature. It’s interesting to see which images we impulsively share in our year wrap up. We’ve never been the type to spend most of our time helping you remember posed images, trends, details or photos that only show what was happening on the outside. Emotion in its artistic expression has always been one of our favorite things to photograph. This year we've refined those skills and are proud to share a set of artistic, authentic wedding photography that is some of our best.

It's an honor to use all these wonderful people to tell you about happiness and authenticity. I’m featuring over thirty couples, mainly based or rooted in Denver. Most couples are similar in age, demographic and style. Though I can see many of them being friends with each other, every couple is so beautifully unique and their stories reflect their personhood and relationship so accurately.

A very special thank you to everyone we photographed this year for sharing so much of yourselves. The impact that you have on us is great. Despite the headlines and uncertainty, life is good.

Thanks for the significant reminder of that.

artistic wedding photographers

artistic wedding photographers

Family Photos. Couple's portraits. Detail shots. Story Telling. Candid Photography. Emotive, personal imagery. There are many unique focal points of a wedding. As photographers, we approach weddings concentrated on photographing every facet that allows the visual story to be told with authenticity. At Selah, our weddings are seen with a lens of real, moving photographs from an artists perspective. We specialize in an artistic photojournalistic style  - within that - couple's direct us on how they would like their photos of be focused. This wedding, we were focused on being

artistic wedding photographers.

The couple sought out an artistic wedding photographer to document their day and we were so honored to be the one's be entrusted with the commission.

Chip and Christine's families beautifully and intimately joined as one. Chip is an avid astronomy buff and it was only appropriate that the ceremony was held at the observatory down the street from their home. The ceremony was small, it was the couple, their four children and two close friends who married them. Every piece of the day was knit to suit their personalities. From the wine, to the personalized music, to the star gazing and the "enjoy a treat...after dinner" sign, the day celebrated the things the family loves most in life.

artistic family photographers in denver

 The family wanted to get a unique, album-coveresk photo for their musical, art-loving family. They thought I would think the request was a bit odd, however, they couldn't have found a photographer that would love making these images more than I. If we would have had time, I could have spent all day taking creative family photos. 

Thank you Chip, Christine and family for inviting me to be a part of your wedding day. The honor is mine.

A special thank you to Veronica who joined me all the way from Nebraska to second shoot.

best engagement photos

Best engagement photos | how to get yours

With all the details and decisions involved in planning a wedding, why would anyone just wing it with the engagement photos? Believe it or not, there are some things you can and should consider when doing and engagement shoot. As a great example of that, we should view Yen and Adam, who did everything right.

1. Be photogenic.

I'm not telling you to be pretty -  be photogenic. Being pleasing to the camera begins with authenticity. When meeting with a 2015 Bride and groom recently, the groom made a comment about how everyone in my book was attractive - and that they weren't quite like them. I noted how I never shoot models, everyone walks in to a shoot on the same page. I believe everyone is photogenic and as Yen and Adam can show you, it's really their inner beauty that making them look so stunning in these photos. Their poise, confidence, relationship  and that sparkle in their eyes are just a few of the things that make these images some of the best engagement photos. Don't think "selfies"; think "this is a moment with the person I love".

2. Incorporate meaningful pieces in your wardrobe.

Wondering what to wear for your engagement session? I often recommend couples go to their closets before they go shopping. Wear something that is special to you. Put on your go-to outfit that you always feel great in. Wear something that will tell a story in fifty years. Yen has several pieces she wore, including one of her wedding dresses that is both sentimental and unique. Their wardrobe is more then simply a trendy outfit they recently purchased.

3. Be up for anything.

Photographing in the snow looks romantic and all - but actually doing it is a lot colder and more uncomfortable than these photos show. Yen and Adam really fought to get relaxed and forget about the cold to bring out these amazing snowy engagement photographs. While photographing inside of Union Station, I told them we just would run outside and do a few images. After seeing how beautiful it was I asked them to stick it out longer despite the cold. They did. Obviously, it was worth it.

4. This is fun.

Let's be honest, at first, being photographed can be an uncomfortable thing.  If you prepare well, it doesn't have to be. Spare the time you would spend warming up to the camera and prepare yourself to have a lot of fun. You get to dress up, have someone tell you how great you look for an hour and do something really special with your fiancé. Make a night of it. Get drinks before and go out to a nice dinner after.

5. Why do engagement photos?

best engagement photos in the snow

Ah. "We'll have enough pictures of us at the wedding", you may think. "What will we do with the engagement photos?" This is a real thought and concern for many couples. Why even take engagement photos? I argue that if you have amazing engagement photos like these, the possibilities are endless. No, you may not want a huge close-up photo of you smiling at the camera to hang on your walls forever. If you have meaningful, artistic engagement photos like these - hanging the images on your wall forever is a pleasure. To get the best engagement photos - keep in mind that not all photographers are the same. Look for the best engagement photographer to tell your story. These photos will last forever. You're creating an heirloom. 

best engagement photos

stylized engagement photos

Yen and Adam's photos were taken at the newly remodeled Union Station. As an engagement photographer Downtown Denver, this is one of the best spots to photograph. We live in such a great city.

Destination wedding photographer in Colorado

Destination wedding photographer in Colorado

for Ryan and Alysha

Somewhere at the base of the Rocky Mountains between Aspen and Telluride is a small vineyard town with homegrown restaurants, struggling wifi, and a name that's difficult to spell. For some, the beauty may not be worth the distance you are from "the grid", but for Colorado natives, Ryan and Alysha, a small farmhouse in Paonia, Colorado was the perfect setting for their dream wedding. As a destination wedding photographer in Colorado, we've seen many unique weddings and venues -  but none quite like this.

Coming from Denver but each having a penchant for fine taste, Ryan and Alysha put together what was easily one of the best weddings we have ever experienced. With old books, straw bale benches, and fences struggling to retain their paint, the "FRESH AND WYLD"  farmhouse adorned simple and authentic all over the wedding itself; and for Ryan and Alysha, authenticity was important. Our love for wedding photojournalism relished thanks to this couple's personality and openness.

These two are the kind of people who greet everybody with hugs, who include their families in the ceremony, and who kiss each other and giggle between ever click of the camera. They are the kind of folks who are not afraid to show emotion as vows are being read, nor the kind who feels at all timid on the dance floor. For Ryan and Alysha, authenticity is natural and inevitable. They are two beautiful and fun people, and thus invited their families and friends of that ilk. Perhaps our opinion of their friends is biased because we had met several of them shooting another favorite wedding in Puerto Rico a couple years back. However, as the events of the day turned into toasts, videos, and campfires, our estimations of their coolness were continuously vindicated.

Apart from how enjoyable and friendly the bride and groom were, we also took some amazing pictures. Paonia is a beautiful place and has moved its way up into our "favorite locations of all time" list. Then again, our opinions may be biased here as well because we got to experience with such amazing people. Every smile was genuine. Ryan and Alysha's wedding was a victory for humanity. We were happy to be a part of it.

How do you get great wedding photos like these? 

Lessons from Ryan and Alysha

• Let there be nothing that can ruin your day
• Plan well, delegate and experience your wedding
• Lose track of the camera, be yourselves
• Express your feelings, laugh loudly
• Realize how beautiful this day is and experience it fully
• Be up for anything

colorado wedding pictures

un posed wedding photos

wedding photojournalist

destination wedding photographer in colorado

Would you like to see more? View Ryan and Alysha's extended wedding preview below.

A non-traditional destination wedding photographer

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A non-traditional destination wedding photographer

for Bobby and Melissa -  at St. Thomas

Bobby and Melissa (based in Boulder) may just be among the coolest people we have ever met. Therefore, it is not surprising that the weekend wedding celebration they put together was also one of the coolest weddings we have ever attended. It was definitely one of the most unique, and probably one of the most fun as well. This is officially our first wedding where the pictures are worth one thousand adjectives, because we're falling short with words. By being a non-traditional destination wedding photographer we've been gifted to work allowed us to work with people like this and have so many stories to tell. We have not stopped telling the story of this wedding since returning, but the abbreviated version goes like this:

After a few hours on the airplane

We landed on the warm island of St. Thomas, of the US Virgin Islands. Quick nap, squeeze in a little snorkel, then we're off to the open-air bar by the sea, where Melissa's brother, Jesse, is playing live music with his friends. Mel's mom, Sue, was the gregarious host of that party, making everyone feel invited as well as keeping the dance floor vibrant. With around 50 wedding guests in attendance, there was a lot of emotion to capture; especially when Jesse forced his sister to accompany them in a surprise performance. The following day we I found myself in the downward facing dog photographing the Bride's Yoga Session as they practiced to the soundtrack of the sea.

"They wanted nothing to do with a traditional wedding"

I remember when I first talked with Melissa about her wedding upon inquiring. She told me they waited so long to get married because to be honest, they wanted nothing to do with the traditional wedding. They wanted their wedding to be about their love, friends, and nothing more. The theme for the wedding was "fun" and the attire was "reflecting light." The guests had been at St. Thomas all week prepping for the headlining event, Bobby and Melissa's vow exchange at sunset on a sailboat.

Late Saturday afternoon we found ourselves depositing our shoes into a barrel and signing the manifest of a local sailboat. As everyone enjoyed themselves on the ride, our captain drove us to the calm and beautiful waters of "Christmas Bay" (where Columbus once spent Christmas) in order to conduct the actual ceremony. The wedding officiant, once again Melissa's mother, did a wonderful job in leading the two through vows and various readings one would expect and hope for at a wedding. What nobody was expecting however, was for the parents of both bride and groom to break into an original song of blessing for the couple, sung to the tune of Leonard Cohen's "Alleluia", during which Melissa dropped the most endearing "F Bomb" ever heard in a wedding ceremony.

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The reception was nothing like a traditional reception.

The party afterwards was in the trees near the coastline. Featuring some great dance music, great food and libation, and an amazing hand-made disco ball by Jesse. It was a party so festive that local islanders ventured over to join in the fun.

This wedding did take place in an incredibly unique location, we love being wedding photographers that travel to unique weddings. But what really made it a wonderful experience was the people themselves. We find that amazing people tend to congregate with other amazing people, and it truly was our pleasure to take part in this group - with all the laughter, joy, pride, and love elicited from family and friends. We'll leave it up to you to read the faces and figure out which is which. We can't thank Bobby and Melissa enough for letting us into their lives and share their friendships during such a memorable event. Being a non-traditional destination wedding photographer, you allowed us to be in complete bliss at your wedding. People like you deeply remind us of how much we love our job.

engagement-photography-denver

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Engagement photography Denver

For Ross and Kiki

"This is us." Ross and Kiki told me as they hopped on their bicycle built for two, strapped goggles on their dog and rode around the RINO art district after drinking some wine at the Infinite Monkey Theorem in Denver.

Their ideal engagement photos

When asking the two what their ideal engagement photos would look like they shared who they were and how much their love and relationship meant to them - how it was different. We talked about creating images to authentically represent their passion for each other.

Artistic photos that truly show who you are - this is the best kind of engagement photography Denver.

The result? Personal artwork.

A set of romantic engagement photographs for couple that wants these moments to be in their lives forever. We finished the session with the images below that I have started the blog posting with. As the sun was setting at City Park we used unique lighting techniques to render art pieces of Ross and Kiki's love for one another.

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[flo_button url="http://selah.dev/gallery/engagement-photography-1/" style="blue" size="large" type="round" target="_self"]  Our engagement photo gallery [/flo_button]

home engagement shoot

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home engagement shoot

An engagement session at home

I'm all about documenting couples in a way that matters. Lifestyle engagement photography is an approach towards photographing that tells a story far greater than what you looked like holding hands prior to being married. Yes, it's great to have an engagement photo or two to set on your mantle and show the world how great you look. However, I want the pictures to be more than that.

making your engagement photos you

Can we make these matter 50 years from now? Alec, Megan and Shaemus were all on the same page as I. Their home engagement shoot took place on a normal Saturday afternoon. “This is where we spend most of our time,” Alec and Megan said, as we sat drinking their favorite brews in the backyard at the table they made. "I love it when he does that," Alec laughed as he saw me photographing Shaemus rolling on his back. "I was wearing this yellow scarf on our first date," Megan shared.

Natural engagement photographs

Photographing personality and life as it is, is indeed one of my favorite things to do. There are many reasons behind why I love it - most importantly I imagine families looking back at these photos 50 year from now - and I think they'll matter. Thanks for sharing yourselves Alec and Megan. We can't wait for the wedding. [/flo_one_third] [flo_one_third_last padding="20px 20px 20px 20px" class="" ]

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Castle wedding in Colorado

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Castle wedding in Colorado

for Jeremy and Zofia - their unique Colorado wedding

When one of my favorite Denver wedding planners, Cielle, laid out her recommended photographers' business cards to Zofia, she immediately grabbed my card and said "I want this one." It took me all of a minute in meeting with Zofia to be certain that we would be a great fit too.

This kind, gracious, creative and unique couple celebrated their wedding at a unique Colorado venue, Cherokee Castle and a private residence. Their small and intimate Colorado wedding was infused with their heritage, personality and vision. We were so happy to be a part of this day. So happy!

I found myself clapping behind my computer several times upon grabbing the images for this preview. Zofia and Jeremy, we love you.

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