orange and cherry blossom wedding

Barry#86 | Danae#22 This wedding showed me that no matter how many times I photograph the same location, there are no two weddings that are the same. This is the fourth time I have photographed a wedding ceremony in the lovely town of Seward. I was concerned that I would begin to give repetitive imagery. As I resist doing the same things twice, I keep finding spots more unique every time.

I present to you a preview of unique wedding images taken at this orange wedding in Seward, Nebraska. This couple invited 900 people to the wedding. Thankfully, their final attendance was around 500 and there was enough food and seats for all their guests. The temperature was a record high for the 9th of April—86 degrees. The warmth brought the peak of newness as green colors and blossoms arrived for the couple's union. The symbolism was divinely appropriate.

open air wedding photobooth

 

And the award for...

Excessive users/may regret taking these photos in the morning: Alex, Marcus and Markus

Idea that everyone had to try: Sticking their heads through the curtain

Most glad to see back: Leah's parents

Fresh and Funny: "Who wore it best?" Leah, Jill and Kimmy

Best Prop Usage: "Duck-billed party hat" Whitney

Huh?: "EEP" by Andy

Best of Photo booth (ever?): "We're pregnant" by Whitney and Dayton

Photo booth MVP: Dayton

Can anyone tell that these folks have done the photo booth before? They get better every time. If you are looking for a fun and memorable game or activity for your Denver wedding reception, let these images tell you about our open-air, interactive photo booth.

country engagement session

Jamie | Dustin

Jamie, Dustin and I met at Cottonmill Park in Kearney, Nebraska, last Sunday to document their engagement. After about 15 minutes of shooting Dustin said, "I was confused when Jamie brought two outfits for me...I thought we only needed on for the paper." The area was surrounded by trees, paths, a lake and new sprouts of green. The couple's personality fit right in with the location. At one point Jamie said, "This is us."

The wedding will be happening in the booming town of Taylor, Nebraska, this summer. I'm sure it will be quite the party.

photojournalistic fine art wedding | denver

Scott | Teagan

Photojournalistic, fine art, poetic and full of feeling.

Upon finishing this set of artistic, storytelling wedding images, I found myself pushing my chair back, smiling in delight and in my office clapping by myself. I am so pleased to present these frozen moments that successfully tell a story which is saturated with feeling and meaning—pictures that transfer the joy and prove life's goodness.

Our favorite things about this wedding?

-Rachel, the beautiful maid of honor who doubles as Selah's favorite graphic designer on staff. She and Teagan made the little details of the day including the cloth flowers and hair pieces.

-The reception took place in the Rococo Theater downtown Lincoln. The historic theater houses elegance, class and history. This was one of the most unique and personal receptions I have witnessed. From the personalized songs for the wedding party to the survivor game to the video grams, this celebration was about the happy couple and everyone who has been a part of their journey.

- The sparrow theme—traced across the women's jewelry—was taken from Matthew 10:29-31: "Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to Him than a whole flock of sparrows."

-Books served as centerpieces and other details, which provided insight into the couple's interests, and it also served as a great backdrop for the photographs.

-Ruby Begonia's—Whintey's favorite vintage store—was around the corner from the reception venue. I am thankful that the wedding wasn't earlier in the day, otherwise Whitney's diner break would have taken place at Ruby's.

-Ruben—the Tex Mex groomsman who will always love us and NEVER returns phone calls.

Scott and Teagan's wedding day was truly a celebration of a love story. We are so thankful to have been a part of this experience with you both.

If you plan on watching the video, make sure you have time. I just watched it ten times in a row. This one's kind of addicting.

I know for a fact that this fine group of viewers has some linguistically gifted folks. Don't leave us without sharing your thoughts. Tell everyone what you think on Selah's Google page. Share the love.

i fell in love with the holga

"Are you sure you want these?" the woman at the camera store asked me as she was glancing over my film. The negatives were all dark and faded; I could hardly say, "I'm sure," fast enough for me to run to my office and drool over these untold images.

They are full of delightful mistakes. It appears as if I loaded the film wrong. This "mistake" adds a pile of interest to these unpredictable Holga images. Most of the film frames are exposed with two different images which create wonderful lines and intriguing compositions. The modern, abstract photographs are such a wall statement that any art lover would love to hang on their wall.

I've never loved making mistakes as much as I did with this roll of film. Compelling, impulsive fine art photography that is fresh and exciting. Inhale.

custom wedding photographer | matt . leah

Matt | Leah

"You came because life is good. Life is so good you want someone to photograph it, to memorialize it for the rest of time so you can always remember how good it was..." -Matt

I find myself continuously telling people why I think photography is significant, but there is nothing quite as strong as someone telling me why they think it is important.

Matt, Leah and I have been brainstorming ideas on how to package and document their story for the last month. We focused on doing a custom, stylized post-wedding session that pushes for fresh, individualistic and unique imagery. Successful? Indeed. The images are filled with pictures of open hearts, anticipation, connection, memory, color, light and trust, along with images of Leah laughing at Matt's jokes only because she loves him. All this is the "what's important" that Matt is talking about.

Want to see more? Have no fear, there is a Part II. Matt and Leah's musical inspiration shoot will be posted soon.

This set of images is taken at the House of Commons. A lovely little tea shop that the couple frequents. THEY HAVE GRAPE JELLY NOW!

This next set of images was taken at Benders, which is the spot that a long wait in a line met the two and sparked the beginning of a forever relationship.

Allow me to team up with the shameless promoters of the H is O. Check out these folks on Saturday at Larimer. My experience is speaking to you Denver...It's totally worth it. In case you don't get this from the clip, they are a band. It's a concert.

denver band photography | no fair fights

[flo_image_text image_url="http://selah.dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/band_photographer0061.jpg" img_position="left" img_width="50" ] No Fair Fights is a local Denver band on their way to the top. I was so excited to try out some of my "too strange for a wedding" ideas on these guys. Their urban album cover-like images turned out to be very fresh, edgy and unique. This is much attributed to their willingness to give anything a try. The musicians have several shows coming up, one of which they are showcasing the public debut of their new album The Sound of Burning Bridges. I was fortunate to receive a pre-released copy and highly recommend checking them out. Check out more band photography at our sister site

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This is Collin. How do I know Collin? Great question. One wintery evening we literally "ran in to" each other. His name isn't "Collin Wreck" in my phone because his last name is wreck. He said his band was looking for a photographer while I was trying to think of how I can charge them enough to pay off my deductable.

After this I told the guys that they needed to try and act like they weren't having fun fighting. I guess guys think this is fun? Girls would be crying and talking about it within the first couple of minutes.

No Fair Fights--Thanks for the opportunity. I think this is the start of something great.

couples photography | colorado

I had the privilege of  being this lovely couple's photographer downtown Denver. Flagship REI is a great place to photograph husbands and wives that are looking for a little bit of everything. I photograph couples here often, and I am always up for the challenge of finding something new and different. Between the late afternoon sun, bright smiles, stunning eyes and some sweet spots of light, we documented some great natural and artistic images.

This photo shoot was one of my Tamron 90 mm macro lens' first sessions. The prime telephoto lens is looking like it is going be a great portrait lens and a much needed macro addition to my collection of equipment.

fine art engagement | non-traditional | denver

Jeff | Angie Upon asking Jeff and Angie what their ideal engagement photos would look like, they responded by giving me these words:  color, natural and vintage. Without even looking at them through the lens, I immediately knew these images would be some of my favorites. Every time I have genuine permission for creative freedom within a photo shoot, I am increasingly full of new discoveries. As a couple's photographer I am constantly looking for fresh ideas and this set of images is nothing short of custom art.

As I was keywording the meta data for these photographs, I was using words such as non-traditional, fine art, unique, creative, genuine, emotive, journalistic and vintage. Then I just started coding "I love these pictures." I'm not sure that "I love these pictures" will do much for the search engines, but the experts tell you to tag the photos with something that makes sense. The key words describe everything I am passionate about photographing in a couple.

Angie and Jeff are so great. Angie has a degree in some form of peace...If only I knew that major existed when I was getting my undergrad degree. There are so many unique and wonderful character traits alongside this couple's gentle and intimate relationship.  These are some of my favorite engagement photos to date. I am so excited to be a part of their vintage Boulder wedding.

This is a custom made ring with a stone that the couple found themselves. It is engraved with leaves around the band to give it an earthy feel.

Don't let all of those thoughts pile up. Share the love. Tell us what you think on Google.

street photography | study of color | indonesia

These images are long due for a post. One of my favorite people in the world  teaches in an Indonesian school. I was able to go and spend some time with her and experience life in this different world. I have yet to put many words to this experience...except maybe in regards to my awe of creation and the sameness in vivid difference.

This post is a documentation of Indonesia captured through digital, HDR and time lapse photography. I have hopes of doing a gallery showing with some of the images. Stay in tune for that.

Upon looking back at some of the writing I did during this experience, I pulled out some interesting thoughts. -I often wonder if I like traveling so much because I can tell everyone about it later on. -God you made all these people too, huh? -Now I am the one being observed. I am the one who looks so different. -It's unbelievable...yet still there is more. -The lighting above the clouds is fantastic

hungry are the poor of heart tranced in the beat of an invisible god.

starved to receive favor for good things they've done.

empty bent regressing what nothing has become.

barefoot and needy in pursuit of their false god.

the reality of a dream

In a recent interview with the ISPWP, I said, "The way I see has been shaped by everything I have learned and experienced." The more I embrace that, the more significant all those things I have experienced becomes. I recently was conversing with a local musician. Our conversation led me to share with him about my dream job:  photographing bands. The past week has left me understanding the beginning of that dream, as well as a compelling drive to not let dreams sit dormant. I get this from my dad. When I was a child, my dad & I would drive 2 miles an hour by  300 empty and weed covered acres of pasture. He would say, "That would be an awesome place for a concert." One of the best and most lethal gifts I have inherited from my dad is my ability to act despite odds. One of our favorite verses says that God laughs at odds, no matter how big the hope, lofty the dream or infinitely immeasurable the task God can do it and infinitely more.

After years of those slow drives across our land, it soon became a venue for Nebraska's largest music festival featuring some of the best national talent in America, as well as a home for a unique windmill collection. It was a place where thousands of people located to an unincorporated town three hours from an airport. A pile of lofty odds became reality.

I purchased my first camera toward the end of the festival's existence. I made myself a media pass and sat on the edge of the stage photographing legends of the country and rock industry. It almost makes me sick to think of all the access I had which could have handed me over to my "dream job." Out of the thousands of concerts that happened literally in my backyard, I documented maybe 20.

So I sit here shuffling through images, remembering where I came from and what I have seen.  I've got a notepad filled with ideas on how to make my dream a reality. Life is short and anything is possible.

The Second Wind Ranch houses nearly 80 standing windmills and has hopes of being the world's largest collection of standing windmills.

Poison

Big and Rich

Keith Urban

Peter Frampton

Creedence Clearwater Revistied-CCR

Ariel image of Comstock. This is a stock image.

Brooks and Dunn--accompanied by Jess, her Micky Mouse glasses and me doning a hair beard. "'I've never seen anyone wear their hair like that,' said Brooks."

On the right, Kirk Cameron--best known for his acting on Growing Pains. The bearded man, Travis--- best known for being the Comstock employee that was hated by security :) The girl--That's Casey-- I mean me, best known for the large sign that I made in the north beer tent saying, "Warning! Undercover Cops on Dudy!"

Keith Urban, one of the best performers I have ever seen.

I guess you can see that we weren't too star-struck. My brother and I thought it would be appropriate to wear mullet wigs when we met Kenny Rogers.

Comstock Festivals have been in and out of activity for the past few years. The downturn of the economy took a hit upon the entertainment business. As these images show, things are falling apart. The images evoke a lot of emotion for me. They show the honesty and fragility that we have on earth, the truth that things come and go.

Though the hope is lofty and the task lacks practicality, there is a crew investing in Comstock's revival for 2011. One of the certainties I have learned from my dad is that nothing is impossible.

winter engagement photos

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winter engagement photos | Denver, CO

Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall - each season brings its own personality to an engagement photography session in Denver, Colorado. The engagement photographs in Denver during the different seasons produce distinct moods, but none supersede the other; they simply carry their own unique look. Yet, through the changing backgrounds of the seasons, our engagement photographer packages remain the same. Since it is February, we will focus on the winter season. When we talk about winter engagement photos there is a misconception that they may not be as exciting as the other seasons. But, an aspect we emphasize at Selah Photography is your engagement photography attire. For wintry, snowy engagement photographs, one might don a patterned chic winter coat and scarf while the other opts for more solid colors. [/flo_image_text]

[flo_image_text image_url="http://selah.dev/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/unposed-engagement-photos00013.jpg" img_position="right" img_width="40" ] During each session we strongly encourage interaction between our couples. The best thing to do when it is cold outside is to approach our time together with a positive attitude. We love it when the couples have fun together amid the snow. It makes our winter engagement photography session a playful and enjoyable time...and it will actually warm you up too. The colors that remain during the winter months seem to shine more vibrantly. They add interest to the photographs by bringing together two contrasting elements:  the cold snow on the ground and the bright, warm sun. These together produce beautiful images.

Thinking your photos will have a little snow? Check out this

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It is our desire to incorporate our photojournalistic and artistic style into every session regardless of the season, and our winter engagement photo ideas remain captivating. Bundle up and let's take some photos.

fine art photos | holga exploration

It seems as if I just ran across a new road of photography that may open up a world of exploration to my work. It took me six months to use up my first role of film during my holga exploration...I'm thinking it won't take me nearly as long to roll through them in the future. I'm very interested in the spontaneous and unpredictable effect.  This fascinating emotion that is evoked in the soft, leaky and grain filled image is going to lead to some epic imagery. Many of the shots below are overlaid with structural imagery within the camera. The photos have slight dodging and burning done in PS.

Featured on Wedding Blog | Boulder Wedding

Check out this review of Selah, a Denver photographer along with a feature of a Boulder vintage wedding held at Hotel Boulderado. These are some of the best wedding photos alongside of one of my favorite couples Katie and Paul. Enjoy!

"She is all about making art of her photos, not just the stock formal shots. I treasure every single photograph I got from her....I had family and friends tell me that they were the coolest wedding photos they had ever seen. I would recommend her as a photographer in a heartbeat" - Katie

Katie and Paul's Vintage Boulder Wedding Story is featured on Style Unveild.

Couple's artistic engagement photos

Andy | Angela Every once in a while I get so excited about a documentation that I put everything off to edit it...today was one of those days. Yesterday afternoon Andy, Angela and I met downtown Denver to artistically document their connection. Major props to the couple for their clothing and color choices. The urban environment had limitless venues to enhance their style. Andy and Angela will be exchanging vows within 2011 at their photography themed wedding. You both are wonderful--I'm so excited to document your union.

While you are sitting there piling up a bunch of thoughts---Share the love!  Review Selah on Google or Yelp

To view more of this lovely couple's images click the video above...or just click play for some background music.

Interview with Denver Photographer

"My best photography happens when I am allow myself to be present and feel what is going on. Listening as a photographer requires much more than observing the picture. As a photojournalistic photographer, your heart has to be open too."To view Jackie's full interview dicussing Non-Traditional Wedding Photography, click the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers Blog.

Denver Fashion Headshots

Upon fufilling an order for one of the models I photographed at a Denver Fashion Agency, I found myself pulling out some of my favorite fashion portraits from 2010. I love head shots. There is so much aesthetic interest in the shape and color of people's faces. These are all such beautiful people. The below images are taken with Nikon's D700 along with my trusty Nikkor 50 mm 1.4 lens. The fashion portraits are either lit naturally or by Elinchroms Ranger pack which was used to illuminate the subjects in cooperation with Elinchrom's Rotalux Softbox.

unique winter wedding photographs

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unique winter wedding photographs

Matt | Becca

Matt and Becca committed the rest of their lives to each other on New Year's Eve 2010. The Colorado wedding in seven degree weather didn't  put any sort of freeze on their winter wedding day. Matt & Becca are one of those couples who exudes so much joy and anticipation that you can't help but be equally as excited about their union. I have photographed many of the couple's attendees prior to Matt and Becca's wedding. I typically tell clients, "The more we know you the more we can do for you." I believe that statement reigns true after this wedding. We were able to capture some genuine, photojournalistic moments. If only I could post all of the photos for everyone to preview.

Ever wonder what would happen if it snowed on your engagement photos?

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Everyone always wonders what it is that guys do in order to prepare for the wedding. Here, they in the most loving way are quoting Braveheart:  "They can take our lives but they can't take our freedom!"

This is the first time Matt and Becca saw each other.

This is the first time everyone else saw Matt and Becca see each other :)

It was freezing outside. Being able to see your breath is an excellent way to affirm that. It maybe wasn't necessary for me to make the groomsman do this for over a minute, but the goal was to find some good expressions. I believe this image was taken right after I made a joke that went the wrong way.

These are the hands of my favorite organist in the world. Paul and I have been a part of approximately 6-8 weddings together, and it is always a treat.

Though it was freezing outside, Matt and Becca's sparkler exit was a unique and epic send off.

Found below is a time lapse video of the dancing at Matt & Becca's wedding. Matt of Amore DJ Entertainment is one of the best, most professional and caring DJs I have worked with. This video showcases a bit of the energy that his services facilitate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5dRm8mTyVY

Keep clicking through the blog. The next two posts feature Matt and Becca's photo booth along with a tribute to Matt's groomsman.

Please tell us your thoughts. Review us on Yelp or Google

candid wedding photo booth

New Year's Eve Photo Booth | Best of 2010 It would only make sense that the year's best photo booth would occur on the last day of 2010. Here's to another great year. An open air photo booth is a great opportunity to feature your friends at their greatest. These images can make for great thank you gifts and possibly some great black-male.

fun groomsman portraits

A Tribute to Matt's groomsman It's freezing...yet the best day of this best friends life. All it takes is a group of best friends getting together to celebrate their brother...a few interactive prompts and you have yourself a set of character filled groomsman photographs. They kind that the guys would be proud to hang on their wall. The kind of photographs that will help you to remember the things you love about these guys.

It has been a joy to photograph this group of boys at recent weddings. The more I photograph them the more ridiculous they get, which makes them worthy of their own blog post. Cheers to Matt and your wedding party. These images get better every time.