J. Nelson Photography’s Photolife

Dave and Megan were married at Mt. Vernon Country Club on November 1st. Dave was the 1st person I met on my 1st day of college, and a great friend every day after.  We were honored to be there for their wedding day! Congrats to my old friend and our new friend, we are so happy you found each other!

Megan is the bride we love to shoot, expressive and having fun!

So happy.

We set up the Photo Corner, and got unique shots as always!

You may remember the post in April when Annie was born, already so beautiful and happy. We were fortunate enough to photograph her again on one of Vail’s last warm fall days. It was very bright and sunny, and Annie was more interested in eating leaves and playing with her dog than paying attention to us. But that makes for some great photos! Thanks once again to Maggie and John for letting us photograph your wonderful Annie!

Speights had to join in, she knows how photogenic she is!

Those eyes!

I had the pleasure of photographing David and Sandra’s wedding in April of last year, and now they have their beautiful little daughter Rowan. The whole family, including big brother Cody, are headed to Sandra’s native Switzerland for the holidays, so we took advantage of the great fall weather we’ve been having to do some family portraits at their home in Broomfield.

So curious!

Rowan and her Daddy!

Rowan and her Mommy!

Rowan and her big brother!

Rowan and Marley!

Thank you for letting me share another day with your family!!

Jon and Liz live in Edwards, work in Vail, and love being in the mountains. I met Jon a few years ago when we were both working at the ski school at Golden Peak, and he was someone you could always count on to smile and say hello. I am so happy he met Liz, and that they have decided to share their infectious smiles with each other for the rest of their lives!

A more glorious high country afternoon is hard to find!

Thanks Liz and Jon! We can’t wait for your wedding next year!

We have been lucky enough to photograph quite a few weddings at Piney Lake this season, but there is no way to tire of it, or the amazing couples that have picked it for their wedding. Brian and Cathy were married there on a nice fall afternoon, surrounded by a small and special group of family and friends.  Another of our talented second shooters, Preston Utley, shot their wedding with his unique style!

You couldn’t help but feel the love.

Cheers to Cathy and Brian, our first couple to get in the canoes!

The cupcake garden.

Laughing Bones at their best.

There were two other couples at their wedding who also have trusted us with their wedding days….what a great group of friends! Congrats Brian and Cathy!

James and Dewi were referred to us by Megan and Dave, whose wedding is coming up in just a few weeks! We met up with James and Dewi only once before their wedding at Bethany Lutheran Church, but we knew they were going to be very fun to work with. They are so happy to be spending their days together, and this just radiates out of every photo taken. Their wedding couldn’t have been on a prettier fall day in Denver. Nate and I were shooting in Red Sky, so one of our very talented third shooters, Shane Macomber, shot the wedding, and did an amazing job.

Dewi looked gorgeous, and so happy.

Dewi’s family lovingly gave her away.

A little tilt shift by Shane.

Beautiful scenery for portraits at The Cherry Hills Country Club.

A real dance party.

Congratulations Dewi and James!!

Brad and Emily contacted us after seeing our work at Todd and Jess’ wedding last year, and we’re always stoked to have referrals!  I think most couples have the temptation to get a little crazy with the size of their wedding, but Brad and Emily wanted the perfect small scale affair. With a great group of friends and family, and stunning location, and a super fun reception, I think that they made the right choice.

They held the ceremony and reception at Red Sky Ranch, about 20 minutes west of Vail in Wolcott. Red Sky has that incredible combination of views and cozy luxury, and fortunately for everyone, plenty of room to get out of the rain! We got a true Colorado thunderstorm just after the ceremony so the portraits had to be cut a little bit short while the rain fell sideways. Still, the couple got a ridiculous rainbow and perfect weather the rest of the evening.

The crowd was down to dance and there was plenty of room to set up the PhotoCorner, so people were having a hoot. So many thanks to Brad and Emily for letting us be a big part of your day!

What’s a limo ride without Champagne?

Happy guy on the way.

After the rain.

Such a beautiful rainbow…the upside of getting rained on!

PhotoCorner fun.

Thanks guys!

Matt and Jessica are into fun, and having lots of it. They had a truly fabulous late summer afternoon for their wedding at Piney River Ranch, still one of our favorite places to shoot. These guys were all about the details.  When you combine cowboy boots, sunshine, the awesome Little Hercules, you’re apt to have a blast.  This was a totally unique celebration for Matt and Jessica. as well as all their loving family and friends.  What great day!

True Rocky Mountain beauties.

Jessica wore a dress over 60 years old, she looked outstanding!

Big, joyous smiles were in order all day.

This little guy definitely won best dressed!

Jessica’s super fun reception dress.

Matt is extremely talented, he even had a chance to jam with the guys from Little Hercules!

It doesn’t get more beautiful. Congratulations Matt and Jessica!

We met Mike and Kristi while shooting an amazing east coast wedding for Garret and Kristy (okay, for clarity sake, I’ll only refer to one Kristi from now on).  These guys are a big part of the mountain community up in Vail, and own the Bookworm of Edwards. Considering the fact that they know seemingly everyone in the valley, they did a really good job of keeping the wedding reasonably sized and still super fun.

Locals are a usually a hoot to work with and Mike and Kristi were no exception.  They were down for anything and I think that their personalities really came through in their shots.

Mike and Kristi spend tons of time on the hill, so they wanted to head up the Vista Bahn and get some portraits at the top on Vail, which is always okay with us.  It’s cool to see the mountain from the lifts during the summer!

It was incredibly beautiful at the top of the mountain

Lot’s of sun over the weekend!

Kristi’s details were amazing, and she did everything herself.

We’ve been playing with some slower shutter speeds during the reception to show motion, and I like how this one turned out.

Getting down.

Ben is my good friend Kendra’s older brother, we met him when Nate and I shot her wedding.  He and his wonderful girlfriend Kelsey live in D.C., but are getting married in Allenspark in November, and I had the absolute pleasure of taking their engagement photos a few weekends back here in Boulder.  We have been spoiled by some outstanding sessions lately, and this afternoon was no different.  Ben and Kelsey are happy and in love, and very fun to boot.  I can’t wait for the wedding!

Thanks Ben and Kelsey for making my job so fun!