"I thought of something I wanted to pass along... for what it is worth... Before I went on a trip once... someone told me two things:

1) During a moment while you are away, when you feel particularly happy, particularly reflective and particularly ALIVE (key word here!)... take a photo. Just look straight ahead and take a photo! Just for you...and on your return put it in a frame and put it somewhere where you will see it daily...so you can be reminded of those feelings, thoughts...and they never die... and live on and continue to encourage/inspire you to live the life you want.
2) That same night (or whenever you can that day- or even that very moment)...journal a letter to yourself... and talk about your perspective, thoughts, life, how it feels to feel so happy and alive...

And when you are back, tuck that letter behind the picture in the frame.

I did this... and I loved it! It was just for me, me, me! And no one else knew when they looked at the photo what it all encapsulated... but was such a good reminder to continue to strive for this... "

I'll never forget that Saturday morning last summer when Matt and I came to a point where it was time to make some tough decisions about life. We were 8 days from closing on our dream house. It was a beautiful old Victorian home in the Platt Park neighborhood of Denver. It was 6 blocks from our studio. There was the sweetest little park just right down the block. Every time I drove by it I could just see Story there - not just now - but when she was 2, 4, 6 and beyond. This was the American Dream...the picture perfect house where all of the dreams we saw on TV were supposed to happen to our family too. But was it OUR dream or the American Dream?

Matt and I have never really fit the mold. We've tried to at many points in our life but the reality of it is that the mold doesn't work well for us. We quickly grow tired of the norm and desire a life filled with hope and passions for experiences beyond what society tells us is normal or reasonable...

We were 8 days from closing when we decided that we were chasing the wrong dream. Not a bad dream at all...just the wrong one for us. While I wish that I could be the person that has a picture perfect house with the picture perfect organized family...it wasn't our dream-it was the dream I was SUPPOSED to want.

So on June 29th, 2009 we changed the course of our life. With lots of tears and doubt, we sat on the edge of our bed that morning and committed to making our life about the experiences and people we share it with. We committed to buying a less expensive house in a less expensive neighborhood and would put the money we saved per year into what we deemed more important like experiences and things that are meaningful to us. We decided to change the context in which we would live in hopes of somehow, in some way, we too could change our part of the world. We decided that for the next five years until Story hits school age - our family would take two months out of the year to live in another part of the world. We didn't know how we were going to do it. We didn't know where it would take us - but we knew it was a decision that would make us grow as a family, as parents, as business owners and artists.

And so it began...the saving for the trip...the doubts...the secret drivebys that I made past our "dream house" wondering if we had made the right decision as i worked my way home to our little box of a house...the excitement...the planning...the looks people got on their faces thinking we were crazy...But - like we've always tried to do - even in the face of doubt and funny looks - we MOVED FORWARD and listened to our hearts.

And so, that brings us to now. We are 8 days away from leaving to live in the US Virgin Islands for the next two months. We will be living on a 500 acre island off the coast of St. Thomas in a semi-permanent tent structure with our 1 year old daughter Story. Our hosts will be Deb and Paul, an adventurous expat couple that sailed the world for 2 years when their daughter was just 2 months old - and that was over twenty years ago. And within those canvas walls in the Virgin Islands our dream will comt to life one day at a time.

I hope that we get to love on Story to the point she gets sick of us. I hope to walk her around in circles as long as her little one year old body desires. I hope to have long conversations with Matty long into the warm Caribbean night with bottles of wine talking about life and what we want to come of it. I hope to have time to be creative and fill up my cup with new found energy to create imagery that impacts people. I want to step away from the context in which we presently live to gain a greater clarity about the things we are doing right, the things we can improve on and the things I have not even yet imagined in both our business and beyond. I want to think clearly and without the restraints and distractions our daily lives put on us. I want to put my phone down and stop checking it by the minute. But mostly, I just want to be. Be available. Be happy. Be a dreamer. Be creative. Be PRESENT.

And so, in my other dream...it is a photo I have in my head of our family. Matt, Story and I are all walking down a road in a jungle of some kind. It's a dirt road and there isn't a single car in sight. Story is swinging slightly as we walk. You can tell she is happy even though you can't see her face. We are a world away yet all together. All growing. That is my dream. It's the dream we chose.

If you'd like to join us on our adventure...we'll be keeping a family blog. It won't be perfect but we hope to share our insights on life and business, our homesickness and our happiness. And of course, photos. Lot's of photos. Here is a link to the blog...Two Months in a Tent...we don't have much on it yet - but we'll really start using it once we arrive on the island mid March.

Here's to living with lizards and chasing sunshine,

Jenna

A note to our awesome clients!!!

I know you know we are going - but just so you know again - we picked the only tents in the Caribbean with internet access. (You didn't really think I could live in the true wilderness did you?) And my phone will be fully functional and I will be available to you as always. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any reason whatsoever. I'm here and I want to talk to you! We will be operating business as normal - just from a different latitude and longitude for a bit...Katie will be in Europe through the month of March and will have intermittent access to email but you can always call me on my cell as well! Katie will also be sharing her incredible trip with us as she can get me updates to post...but gosh am I going to miss her!

You guys are the BEST!!!

I actually had the great honor of photographing Mary's wedding that Heather planned and designed - and had to include a few images from her August wedding below. Mary is a 6 chick out of Atlanta - and if you are planning a Southern wedding in Georgia...she's your girl! I just adore her and the rest of their talented FUN team! Table 6 spans the country from Florida to Colorado with offices across the country - so cool!

Congrats to all of you at Table 6 Productions - I am so continually amazed by the talent we have here in Colorado! We are so lucky to have such an amazing industry to be a part of!

Jenna

Just moments after they wed...

Congrats Erin and Chris - I hope you are having the most amazing time away!

Jenna

Happy day!

Jenna

"In the end, nothing we do or say in this lifetime will matter as much as the way we have loved one another."

{ Daphne Rose Kingma }

Smiles to all of you today!

Katie

Have a great one today - we are off to do taxes (oh the things we'd rather do)!

all of us

This weekend was a big one at the Walker household. You see - it was the weekend that all of Story's biggest fans came together to officially celebrate her first big year with us! This was our first big celebration in our new house that we've been in for just under a month - and I'm so glad that THIS - her first birthday- was our first big memory in our new life in a new (very old) house.

GiGi (Grandma Gayle) made the most beautiful cake - a family recipe Carrot Cake and the EXACT same cake that Matty had for his birthday many years ago...Lots of candles to celebrate too!

And of course, when there are 3 photographers in the family - we HAD to schedule a pre-party photo shoot. Sorry Story - that also is just beginning ;) Ashley of Table 6 Productions sent us the most beautiful Anthropologie dress for Story's big day. You are one little lucky girl Story - and thank god for Ashley's style to save our Story from what I might have found on clearance somewhere! ;)

The other side of the birthday camera....

And the PARRRTAAAAY!

Story Rose - welcome officially to your second year...we promise to make it a good one for you and celebrate you often!

Love,

Happy Friday!

Katie

Dear Story -

Well, it's 10:11am on Saturday, Januaray 30, 2010 and you are fast asleep on the floor of a Winter Park condo we've rented for the weekend to celebrate you. The fire is crackling and my heart is equally as warm. You see, in twenty six minutes it will mark the first year of your life. The most beautiful year of our life. It feels like almost yesterday when they said you were a sweet little girl. I'll never forget the look your dad had in his eyes when he saw you for the first time and he got to hold you for the first time. I've never seen such pure joy and love all in one. I'll never forget when I got to hold you for the first time. I was kind of scared to be honest. I mean, being your mom is a huge responsibility and I had never been a mom before. But, as I held you and the minutes went by andndash; I knew that we fit perfectly together. And we always will.

And so today on your very first birthday we let you eat cake for breakfast. I think it will be a new birthday rule in our house andndash; cake for breakfast, and lunch, and dinnerandhellip;I hope that you eat cake for breakfast often in life. Life is sweet andndash; if you let it be. Happy Birthday Story!!

love mom

(and here are a few recent fam shots on film ;) happy saturday!)

Like any big event, there are so many details that come into place on that one day. Timelines, places to be, tables to be set, programs to be handed out...and on the image-creation end - we are working to take it all in, making sure we've captured all the details, the overall feel, the decore. We make sure we are in the right places at the right time and ask ourselves if we have created work filled with variety and creativity. We examine the environment, look for that perfect light, organize family and friends, embrace the weather. A million and one thoughts are going through our heads at any one moment - many of these thoughts surrounding the technical aspects, yes.

BUT experience has taught me that our best work comes in times when we allow our cameras to become an extension of ourselves - when we do take it personally. This is when the true spirit of the day shines through. For all of this, we are always amazed by YOU - our clients. You are our greatest advocates and we are forever changed by the spirit of your lives and the relationships you nurture. You let us into your lives. You make it personal for us.

This past August, I was lucky enough to document Andrew and Sarah's big day. From the moment I met them, I felt we were kindred spirits on many levels. They live with open hearts and have such a strong sense of family - all of this making their wedding one of those days that stops you, moves you to the point of tears. I have a special place in my heart for Sarah's relationship with her mom - they are best friends. You see it in every action, every holding back of tears, every proud glance, and subtle embrace.

These are the moments - up close, raw, authentic - these are the moments that forever change my understanding of our work, of what we do, of what it means - and more than anything, how lucky we are to photograph your very best day.

Wheresoever you go, I hope you approach it as an extension of yourself. We are all professionals in one field or another, but our greatest work - the work of our lives - comes when we let ourselves break through the technicalities, the clutter, the expectations and we find our own voice. Your clients will thank you. And your life's story will too.

Thank you to the Martin and Stettner families - on our journey together, you remind me just how important connection is. You remind me that the sum of our work's reward is in knowing and connecting with those whose paths we cross. And that is what we will always take with us.

Here's to all of you!

Katie

It is a quiet Monday morning here in Denver. My coffee cup is full. My calendar is more quiet than it was just a few weeks ago. For all intents and purposes, this is the 'off-season.' A time to recollect, think about where the last year has taken us and what sort of possibilities the year ahead will hold. It is the time of year for big thinking, big dreaming, some time to play - all of these things, yes. BUT more than that, it is the time of year when we find ourselves feeling more grateful than ever. Nostalgia kicks in when the clock slows down and we start to realize just how LUCKY we are to be doing what we do. How LUCKY we are to meet so many dynamic couples - whose lives span a million and one interests and adventures. Each of you is different than the last, each of you brings something new to the table, each of you inspires us in new ways.

If our blog were reflective of our gratitude, we might be in trouble...because the truth of the matter is that we long for more time to say more meaningful things to more of you. We're working on that one - and if there were ever a time, what better than now. Thank you to all of you who made 2009 more beautiful than ever - you are the reason we love doing what we do.

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to travel out to Bucks County Pennsylvania for Yvonne and Kevin's farmstead wedding. Bucks County is a charming little spot just outside of Philadelphia - the land of covered bridges, old stone fences and more history than you'd know what to do with. Yvonne and Kevin were married on their property - Marsh Gibbons Farms - in a joyful day chalk full of playful personalities. Yvonne and Kevin, without a doubt, exude the type of spirited bliss that is nothing short of contagious.

On to their big day! Home...

Pre-ceremony musings.

The ceremony site.

Stolen moments of Kevin and his Dad during the cocktail hour. These make my heart happy.

Yvonne and Kevin gave each of their guests a jar of homemade honey - straight from their property.

Yvonne's Dad has a heart of gold. I love the sense of new family here.

If you want to see a party get moving, hire an 80s band - I have yet to see this fail! The Nerds were amazing!

A first - Yvonne and Kevin hired an artist to paint during the reception. Guests (and myself) loved watching the progression of his art throughout the evening.

Stolen moments. We talk a lot about how unique weddings are in that here is a group of people that will likely never be in the same room again. The day represents an amazing collective of all the people that mean the most to you. And the moments that sneak themselves into that collective are nothing short of beautiful.

Congratulations Yvonne and Kevin! Thank you for sharing your joy with us.

Here's wishing all of you a beautiful start to 2010. We look forward to sharing the journey with you.

lots of love,

Katie

Above: Julie and Andre's holiday card with the words that mean the most to them this year. I couldn't say it better myself - and they couldn't believe and live this more.

We are busy as elves this week with so many amazing things going out the door for our kids photography business, treeSwing Kids! I love this time of year! Pictured above: E and E! They have been our clients for 4 years now - and there is nothing greater than seeing them grow into little people through the years.

Much love!

Jenna

Wow. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I can't help but wonder where the time has gone. As we have bounced from season to season, deadline to deadline, to-do lists to shopping lists, we have never forgotten the amazing clients who take the journey with us. And so, at a time of year when wedding season is wrapping up, I find myself especially nostalgic for each and every one of you who have - in some form or another - come into our lives, stopped us in our tracks, and have shared your deep love for life and each other with us...for every moment, every bit of laughter, every joyful tear we are grateful.

We have so many weddings and portrait sessions to share with you and look forward to doing so in the coming months. I am so excited to peek back to August and share with you Kelly and David's Denver wedding. They are the type of people that you are immediately drawn to upon first meeting. They have a type of endearment for one another that exudes a sweet bliss. They sit high on cloud 9 - you can see it in every glance and every action. In short, these two are a perfect pair.

Kelly and David were married in David's parents' backyard with a reception to follow at the Brown Palace. The stunning ceremony site was rivaled only by the stunning decore (and of course, Miss Kelly herself!). A big thanks to the ladies over at Plum Sage for the gorgeous floral and Kara at PickMe Events for her tireless dedication in coordinating the big day. Now on to the fun!

Kelly's make-up by the uber-talented Jessica Shineyda of the the Face Lab. If you are getting married in 2010 - call her!

Loved loved loved Kelly's Romona Keveza gown.

Ceremony anticipation - she is just stunning.

Post-ceremony bliss!

My favorite of the day.

I was so amazed by all of their guests - both family and friends showed true joy for the couple.

Ahhh - true indicators of a dance well-danced!

Kelly and David - Thank you for sharing your big day with us. I am so amazed by your way with each other and your big hearts for the people in your lives. You make what we do so very special and for that, I am grateful.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Katie

The rest of this shoot will be completed next week and we will feature it in the month or so to come as the film negs make their way back to the studio.

Here's to a great weekend!

Jenna