Dreamtime Images » Weddings

Wedding Photography Album :: Pictobooks Fantasie Series :: Hillary and Brian

Dreamtime Images — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:21:11 +0000

Just a real short post here — Pictobooks has just released an album series called the Fantasie Series, a two-toned series of books where you can select different album materials and have them sewn together to have a multi-colored cover. The company just decided to feature Hillary and Brian’s album as an example of the series. Here’s a pic — I think it turned out super cool.

Amber & Issam – Destination wedding photography in Baltimore

Dreamtime Images — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:01:32 +0000

Just wrapped up Amber and Issam’s wedding at the Tremonts Grand in downtown Baltimore, which was super fun. I hadn’t ever been to the city, and was surprised to see rockers and metal heads, hundreds of them, all over the place. I couldn’t figure it out — maybe it’s just the way they roll in Maryland?? — until we were out on the street shooting some couples portraits. Some rocker girls stopped to snap some shots of the couple, and then a whole bunch more stopped and congratulated them. We started chatting and I discovered that it was Maryland Deathfest VIII and that people were coming from all over the world to see bands with names like Circle of Dead Children and Putrescence. Hahaha! So… I asked if the group would get into a picture, they said sure, and I said they had to rock out. “F yeah,” they said, and rock out they did. Then we went back into The Grand, which is just one of the classiest places ever, and danced the night away. Amber, Issam: a huge congrats to you. You two have such wonderful chemistry and you were so much fun to photograph. It was an honor!

Dreamtime featured in StyleMePretty!

Dreamtime Images — Thu, 06 May 2010 22:19:12 +0000

Nicole and Zach’s awesome wedding from last summer just appeared on Style Me Pretty, one of the coolest wedding blogs on the planet. Here’s the link: http://www.stylemepretty.com/2010/05/05/aspen-wedding-by-dreamtime-images/. Nicole, Zach and the team boogied hard, definitely earning a spot on the reception all star list. Big shout out to Pam at Sapphire Celebrations, The Little Nell, Sashae Floral Arts, and Classic Cakes of Aspen for the great planning, gorgeous venue, and awesome flowers and cake.

Dreamtime wins a 2010 Bride’s Choice Award!

Dreamtime Images — Mon, 03 May 2010 22:36:11 +0000

I just found out that Dreamtime was listed as a winner in the 2010 Brides’ Choice Awards at weddingwire.com. Pretty cool!

Meet Bernd, another Associate

Dreamtime Images — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 04:33:02 +0000

Here’s another post as promised introducing some of the faces behind Dreamtime Images. Meet Bernd, another of our associate photographers. He started shooting with the studio last year, and spent the summer capturing weddings throughout the Colorado Rockies. I’ve known Bernd for about 6 years and love his images. Like myself, he’s an avid outdoorsman and his love of nature truly influences his style. Aside from a wedding photographer, Bernd is an accomplished international mountaineering guide and has climbed some of the highest peaks in the world. He’s available for associate bookings throughout California, Colorado and the Caribbean. Without further ado, meet Bernd and a few of his favorite shots! You can see more of his portfolio by visiting Dreamtime Images, clicking on the ABOUT tab, and scrolling down to his link.

Hi, my name is Bernd. I am motivated by meeting with happy people, seeing beautiful details and being in some of the most amazing locations. What my style? I can’t sum it up but I do notice that I have developed it over the years. I favor natural light and a natural journalistic approach for sure. I also like a lens choice close to what we see with our eyes. I believe that helps to create timeless images.

The last some years have flown by, they really have, in so many ways. Three years ago I became a father. That now tops my identity as family man, climber, guide and photographer.

Randomness: I love fresh air before going to bed. Better yet, I love sleeping in the fresh air. The most injuries I’ve had in a row is 5, and all in the last 6 months — and all on one side and descending: shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, heel! What, my little toe next? Legos: I play with them long after my son has gone to bed. Food: I’m lactose intolerant but refuse to stop eating milk chocolate.

Here are a few of my favorite images.

This first picture has a pleasing simplicity to me. I like the calm mood and also the 3-dimensionality. Time and sound seem totally absent.

This second shot was taken at Colorado National Monument. The setting, the strong winds and the sweet personality of these two people makes this image one of my favorites to look at and remember. The rush of proximity to a sheer, immense drop-off and gusts of wind from a thunderstorm in combination with the height of emotion of their wedding really comes through in this shot.

I love the calm and closeness in this shot black and white. To me, there is a very pleasing feeling of certainty and warmth. I keep studying the photo for all the detail.

When I climb, my actions come naturally but I can’t re-live and remember the hard work and focus. This might be why I enjoy revisiting a place as much as seeing new ones. This shot from climbing in the Karakorum marks a milestone for me. It’s around 8,000 meters above sea level — that’s 26,000 feet! It’s also where I met my wife.

These last two shots are among my favorites as well. In the shot of my son, I like the softness of the water, the bright colors and rim-light and the reflection on his face. We all love puddles, don’t we? I also like the image on the right. There’s nothing more elemental than nature. I remember breathing the cold and moist air when I shot this, and the fog made the place seem endless. Two things make this a clear favorite: black & white film and the natural motif. This one is printed big and on my wall.

I always receive rave reviews from my clients who’ve chosen Bernd to shoot their big day. People absolutely love him photographing their wedding. People find his calm and reassuring demeanor to be relaxing, and that results in photographs with lots of true personality.

Estes Park – Engagement Photography – Tracy and John

Dreamtime Images — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:29:01 +0000

Tracy and John are getting married later in the year, so we headed up to Lumpy Ridge and Lilly Lake in Estes Park to shoot their engagement session the other day. I’d just returned from a 6 month trip through New Zealand and Australia, so it was really cool to be home and hang out with these guys as they played in the snow. Their laughter is infectious, and I am convinced the wedding is going to be so much fun. I don’t think they know how to not laugh. Congrats, guys, I can’t wait for the wedding.

New WPJA Award Winner

Dreamtime Images — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:02:14 +0000

The latest WPJA contest results were just announced the other day, and I found that this image placed in the Trash the Dress portrait category. I had a lot of fun with the shots from this series — I took them last year in the Mexican Riviera Maya in Tulum, at Todd and Malissa’s wedding. We actually go to go into a cenote and shoot in a huge underground river. Wow! I brought along my underwater housing and snorkeled around shooting these two. Totally fun.

Meet Chris, one of our Associate Photographers

Dreamtime Images — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:55:09 +0000

As promised, I’m going to introduce some new faces behind the scenes. We’ll start with Chris, one of our Associate Photographers. I met Chris about 6 years ago in California. He’s an avid outdoor nut and also one of the funniest people I know — and both these qualities wind up in his photographs. When he’s not shooting weddings, he’s working as a mountain guide and taking pictures of climbing and outdoor sports. He spent January guiding Aconcagua, an Argentinian peak that rises up to almost 23,000 feet, and then toured south shooting the mountains of Patagonia. Check out his portfolio by visiting Dreamtime Images, clicking on the ABOUT tab, and scrolling down to his link.

What follows is a brief introductory bio and some of his favorite shots.

First, his self portrait. A few months ago in New Zealand I checked my email and found this ridiculous photo in my inbox. The big winter surf swells were just hitting California, and Chris wasn’t there to partake. I guess he got a little jealous, so he swept a few feet of snow off a rickety hand rail 15 feet off the deck and had at it. I couldn’t stop laughing.

Chris writes:

Stepping into photography as a full-time professional has been a process that started when I was 14. Black and white photography classes in school opened my eyes to a world of technique, timing and creativity. I remember watching chemical mysteries unfold in tubs of smelly fluids. Some pictures I eagerly waited for, watching for the first signs of shadow and highlights. But every so often I would watch an amazing image unfold that I didn’t recognize, a picture that I hardly remembered taking. The joy of taking pictures didn’t end when the camera went back into the bag.

A camera was within reach during all of my life-changing adventures. The first time I went rock climbing. A year studying music in Kathmandu. A sojourn in Sweden studying international human rights law. Travels in Africa, the Mediterranean and Scandanavia were all documented. Whether I am hanging from the side of a cliff waiting for a climber to lean a little to the left, setting up a tripod moments before a sunset turns orange, or holding my breath in anticipation of a bride and groom’s first kiss, the excitement of capturing life’s moments is nothing short of an adventure.

As I’ve said many times before, Jeremy and Johanna’s wedding (above) was a highlight of my summer. From campfires with marshmallows to side-cramping laughter fests, these two threw a party that reminded me of what it means to find your soul-mate. Jeremy’s smile is that of someone truly in love. What could be better than that?

This picture reminds me that some photographs can move. Sarah and Mark had a wedding in a category of its own. The reception started with an improv show and ended with some of the most hilarious dancing I’ve seen. And right before it all began, I caught the two of them realizing that their lives had just changed in a big, wonderful way.

The thing about weddings is that there’s just crazy love flying around everywhere. When Lizzy and her Dad had their moment on the dance floor, it was clear that they share a father-daughter bond unlike any other.

I never planned on taking this picture. I got together with Megan and Peter to do an engagement shoot, and we laughed more in those few hours than I ever expected. Peter got an idea, Megan refined it and I shot it. I still crack up every time I look at this picture. These two are awesome!

I want to make a mega-huge-monster-sized print of this and hang it on the wall. When I’m not taking pictures of weddings, I go ice climbing. Not only do I love the cool colors and tree textures in this, it also happens to be a picture of the best ice climber in the world.

This picture was taken right before I was attacked by an angry elk. Must have been something I said. Sometimes you have to remember that no matter what happens… keep taking pictures!

On Christmas Day I offered to document a holiday meal for the homeless at the Rock Bottom Foundation. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure who would want their picture taken and who would not. As it turned out, most people didn’t mind. In fact, one man in particular wanted his photo taken as much as possible. He introduced himself as “Disco Willie” and told me that he was going to do a headstand. I’d just arrived, and I wasn’t expecting to have people doing gymnastics — but the next thing I know, I’m looking at an upside down Disco Willie, arms outstretched, no hat. A definite favorite.

Jumping for Joy Down Under

Dreamtime Images — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 06:43:52 +0000

Happy Holidays everyone!

I’m writing this note from the West Coast of New Zealand, where I’m traveling at the moment in pursuit of beautiful light, great imagery, and an endless summer. It’s been a fun trip so far, and I’m excited to see what’ll happen next. Before I start the busy 2010 wedding season, I’m headed to Australia, Tasmania and Tonga, three places I’ve never been but have always dreamed of visiting.

2009 has been a wild, wild ride. It’s taken me across continents and oceans, and I’ve photographed almost everything imaginable: climbing in France; coral reefs off the coast of Venezuela; landscapes in New Zealand; and weddings in the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, California wine country, and as far away as Norway. Back in September I added up the days my car had sat at the Denver International Airport parking lot, and was startled to discover the total: nearly 18 weeks. That means I was shooting out of state for about half of the first 9 months of the year. In October I shot weddings in Colorado and California, and climbing in both Zion National Park and Yosemite, and in November I flew to New Zealand. Despite being on the road, I’ve kept busy with new bookings and album designs — and as a cool side note, JenLos’ book, from their Virgin Islands wedding, was picked by Kambara USA as a sample album that the company will bring to trade shows around the country.

It’s been humbling to win awards from the WPJA, it’s been fun to see my shots for Sigma Photo show up in magazine advertisements around the world, and it’s been exciting to grow my studio with the addition of associate photographers (in two different states) and a production manager. Expect to see profiles of Bernd and Chris in upcoming blog posts — we are currently booking them weddings in both California and Colorado, and they do an absolutely rocking job. Both of them have seen it all: Bernd shot a wedding in Vail this year with a reception so bumping that the smoke alarms went off and the Fire Department came, while Chris just recently shot an elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park in the middle of a whiteout. Party on! You’ll love these guys.

I’ve had more fun behind the lens in 2009 than in any other year of my life. It’s been awesome to see the resurgence of break dancing, and I’ve been downright impressed with the all-star partying I’ve encountered at this year’s receptions. Resisting the urge to boogie has been a challenge, especially after watching people bust out award-winning worms, aerial stalls, head spins, and every other dance move invented in the last 40 years. I have realized that I need to learn to break dance. Can someone teach me? It’s also been cool to reconnect with past clients, learn about their lives, and even see their new babies. I love this job.

I’ll try to get a best-of-2009 post up soon, and maybe I’ll put up a few shots of my winter adventure so far. Meanwhile, here’s a shot of me jumping for joy somewhere in countryside in New Zealand, courtesy of Rannveig Aamodt.

Last but not least, please excuse me if I don’t respond to emails immediately. There’s a day or two lag time here, as cell reception is spotty.

New WPJA Contest Winner

Dreamtime Images — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:00:59 +0000

High five!

The Wedding Photojournalist Association’s 2nd quarter contest results are now out, and this fun shot just placed in the Kids Being Kids category. Hillarious kid!