james christianson - the blog

Lindsey & Kirk - wedding

it was a warm and sunny  California afternoon as i drove up to Lindsey's house to see her just getting back from the spa where she was having her hair done.  she greeted me with a relaxed "Hey Coach," (i was her high school volleyball coach and she can't break the habit of calling me coach).  Lindsey was so relaxed and  just radiated happy energy...i knew it would be a good day. 

i found Kirk tossing his hair at the Mission Inn Hotel.  he stopped, looked up at me in the mirror and this great boyish grin broke out on his face...i knew it would be a good day.

i always love my job.  photographing amazing people in amazing places is great, but it is even more gratifying when i can sense the connection between the bride and groom.  i don't know how to describe it, but watching a couple through the lens of a camera provides a very intimate view into a couples relationship...and Lindsey and Kirk have this very tangible love and I am so happy for them.  Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your incredible day.  you have no idea how special it was for me.  blessings on your marriage. 

a lot of my favorites below.

Lindsey getting ready.

Kirk's dad helps with the cuff links

Lindsey has such great style.

the girls were all so close.  i love this shot of them from above.

i literally fell to my knees in my rush to capture this shot of Lindsey and her Mom walking down the hall.   

Lindsey shares a moment with her Dad right before the ceremony.

the St. Francis Chapel located at the Mission Inn Hotel is incredibly beautiful...but sooo dark to photograph in...i think we did okay.

i love this shot of them jumping on the bed in the honey moon suite.

they had the "presidential lounge" at the hotel and i thought it would be a perfect spot for all the guys.

sexy.

i photographed them all the way until they left to go to their room, but they wouldn't let me on the elevator!  : )

thanks again for such an amazing day!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SLIDESHOW OF THEIR WEDDING.

Jo & Will

last week i was out in california shooting a great wedding at a private home in redlands, ca.  it was a perfect sunny california day and this photographer from colorado was having a hard time dealing with the heat.  Jo (the bride) helped me out by telling me to shoot in flip flops, which cooled me down considerably.  Jo and Will first met in high school but didn't really connect until a couple of years ago.  this couple is amazingly strong together.  they have come through a lot of difficulties recently and it is clear that their experiences have only brought them closer.  their love and devotion is easy to see and i am so happy they found each other.  this wedding was great.  with a decadent candy and cake reception...they even had smores!  here's a few of my favorite from the day.

Jo as such killer eyes.

i loved the dress with these amazing front doors.

i loved this look on the flower girls face.

look at the fun these two have just being with each other.

Jo right before the ceremony began.

coreen & chris wedding

imagine a couple.  this is a couple that you just want to be around all the time, (you know the ones).  they are so down to earth and just love life.  they are different then everyone else.  they have their own sense of being, their own sense of style, they don't care what other people are doing or wearing or saying, they just are who they are and you love them for it.   they are gracious and kind, generous and sincere, (you know the ones).  imagine that couple.  do you have them in your mind's eye?  that picture you have in your head probably looks like some of the photos below, it's a picture of Chris and Coreen.  they were married this last saturday up at Estes Park, Colorado at The Stanley Hotel.  the ceremony was beautiful, the families were great and the party was incredible, what fun people.  oh, and the live band they had was incredible.  if you want a live band for your wedding, look no further than Moments Notice they are an agency that truly has some top notch musicians like Jerry Barnett, Michael C and Jessica Ahmed.  all i can say is wow!  here are some of my favorite photos from the day.  i got a little carried away with selecting photos so there is quite a few.  thanks coreen and chris and congratulations.

a quick word about the car.  cool.  they had a rolls royce that i used quite a bit for photos as you will see, but it was a lot of fun to work with.

every bride should be as relaxed and have as much fun as coreen did.  the entire day reflected her spirit.

the light was so amazing in these trees i had to take them out and photograph them in the middle of the reception...i think it was worth the short interuption.

the last photo is a picture of the first dance.  they had been taking dance lessons for months and had this great dance routine all choreographed out.

sara & trask wedding

this past friday i had the opportunity to work with two of the most amazing families.  sara and trask have such amazing support, you could just feel the love all day.  the day was filled with laughter and tears and could not have been more beautiful.  sara and trask were married at Our Lady of Loreto in Parker, Co. the church was so incredible with huge wooden beams that were lighted so beautifully.  thank you sara and trask for allowing me to be a part of this important day. 

sara looking elegant and beautiful

trask looks out the window to watch guests arrive.

the lace on sara's dress was so beautiful

the father of the bride waits patiently to give his daughter away.

such a sweet moment.

kenneth and sherry...still so in love.

happy new year - 2007

another year has flown by and we have been so blessed.  we have a new baby boy on the way, we are healthy and happy, we live in a nice home in arguably one of the most beautiful states in the usa...colorado.  we have so much to be thankful for.

i am not typically a person that is big on new year's resolutions, but this year i thought i would try to make a bit of a change in my life.  so i have a themed resolution for the year of 2007.  DISCIPLINE.  i could use a lot of it in my life.  i would like to be more disciplined in my organization, in my exercise routine, in my worship life, in the way i run my business, in many facets of my life i could use more discipline.  i thought if i publicly announced my resolution, i might be more apt to be disciplined and actually follow through.  so there it is...i am now committed.

the big news recently is that i have launched a new website.  i am grateful to the team at blu domain for creating such amazing websites!  you guys truly are amazing.  be sure and check out their website here:  Blu Domain 

finally, for my first post of 2007, i wanted to share my latest wedding.  paul and brenna were married november 18 in cabo san lucas, mexico.  they planned a beautiful wedding that went so smoothly.  paul and brenna were two of the most relaxed bride and groom that i have had the opportunity to photograph.  they were gracious and composed throughout and so fun to shoot with some great ideas of their own for some of the images.  brenna, even managed to stay calm with the hem of her dress coming unraveled moments before the wedding, posing for a few shots while her dress was hemmed.  with their style and natural good looks it's easy to see why i have chosen this wedding to feature on my website.  i have posted a few (okay a lot) of photos here, but if you'd like to see the full wedding, click here www.jameschristianson.com and check out the "featured wedding" under the portfolio section.  paul and brenna, thanks again for a fun filled weekend.  may all of your families thrive in life and love this year.

a cool panoramic of the resort.

night shot of the entrance to the sheraton.

seeing eachother for the first time.

nice spot for a ceremony.

some fun beach shots

an incredibly romantic reception

paola & jeff ~ buena park, california

jeff and paola.  what beautiful people inside and out.  i shot this beautiful wedding last month in southern california.  it is rare that you find such open and genuine people, but jeff and paola are just that.  i could tell they got these qualities from their upbringing as their families were so friendly and welcoming.  these two were willing to just be free and play, which made for some great photos.  thanks guys for making this so much fun.  man i love this job.  here are some photos from the day.

the beautiful flower girl was gracious enough to allow me an impromptu portrait session.

paola & jeff ~ buena park, california