As 2011 comes to a close, food, tasty beverages and fun are on my mind — and I’m sure they are on yours, too. That’s why I chose to showcase local food blogger Kristen Mastre of Feasting Fort Collins and one of my favorite local restaurants, Austin’s American Grill in Old Town, for a year-end post. I covered the shoot for the November issue of Lydia’s Style Magazine, and it was great collaborating with these awesome local businesses.

To kick things off, the chef at Austin’s put together a great spread of beautiful, colorful food plates and beverages to serve as tasty props for the shoot. Kristen was fun and so easy to work with, and as a food blogger, felt right at home in a restaurant setting. Austin’s also gave us free range to shoot anywhere within the restaurant space, so we could be creative and try whatever we needed to make it work.

Best part of the shoot by far was the amazing level of seamless collaboration. In just one assignment I was able to work with three separate, awesome Fort Collins-based businesses, AND have fun while doing it.

Thanks to all the clients who worked with me in 2011, and here’s to an amazing 2012 for all of us!

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Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, I had a sweet opportunity to work with some top local athletes as part of the Annual NPC Fitness and Figure Competition (The Rocky). It was a blast shooting such fit folks, capturing their top physiques on film to document the amazing results of all their hard work.

This shoot put me and my lighting assistant to the test! We were tight on time (2.5 hours to shoot 4  people and a team picture) and needed to make sure the gym and equipment was rearranged in a way that would compliment each individual shoot. It was a creative challenge to arrange a photo-ready space on the fly, but it worked out great.

We also jumped between indoor and outdoor shots (switching from plugged in electricity to battery power), and had to set up and break down the lighting set ups for each person. Add to that coordinating all the photo shoots to make sure we were done on time so competitors stayed on schedule made it a true test of my time management skills!

Meet the Competitors

The highlight of the show for me was being able to take photos of some folks that placed in the competition, including “The Gym” owner Chris Williamson. Not only did he win 1st place in the Men’s Physique Overall, he also placed 1st in Men’s Physique 35-42, and placed second in Men’s Physique Open B. Pretty impressive.

Chris also trains a tight team of female members from “The Gym” called the “Miss Fits”, and some girls placed in the competition. He advised them on meal and workout plans, helping them get into top physical shape. One of the women he trained, Lisa Poole lost 60 pounds and was also featured on a 9News segment about the Mommy Makeover Challenge sponsored by the news channel. She took 10th in Bikini Novice C.

Fellow Miss Fit Kimberly Hall also placed 1st place in her class, Novice figure C, and earned 3rd place in Open Figure F.

One of the coolest contestant stories was Crystal Bragazzi, a former cop and cancer survivor who placed 12th place in Bikini Novice A and 7th in Bikini open B in her first show ever. Crystal not only endured chemo and radiation treatments, but after her cancer treatments and illness, she went back into the regular work world as a cop.

Over time she began to notice how she was slowly letting herself go and wasn’t feeling great about it. A couple of friends had started training at The Gym to get in shape, so she figured she would join in. Soon she had a new passion for getting healthy and in shape, and started working with Chris at The Gym as part of the Miss Fits. Now 25 pounds lighter and in fantastic shape, Crystal is excited to see where she can go next with her fitness goals.

Wrappin’ Up

This shoot was at the top of the list for me in terms of fun, challenge and passion. Any time I get to shoot a pictures focused on fitness it’s a thrill, and makes a hard, rushed work day fun and rewarding.

The folks featured in the photos were also blown away by how good they look. Now the moment in time when they look their absolute best is captured forever — and it feels pretty awesome to be part of it.

Image after the MORE!

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In between working photo shoots and tons of editing, it’s great to connect with other photographers and creative folks to play and talk shop. It offers us the opportunity to learn, share and build off of each others insights and experiences, and mixes up newbies with seasoned professionals.

One gorgeous fall afternoon in October, the Noco Pro Photo group spent Sunday up at Mishawaka. Awesome fall colors, the sound of the roaring river and plenty of sunshine — it was the perfect day to shoot outside.

We had models, make up artists, hair stylists — all the things we photogs need to do a high quality practice shoot and get better at our craft. Each photographer did a little of their own improv photo work to try new things, and it also gave the models an opportunity to get some professional shots with a bunch of different photographers in one afternoon. (A shout out to Julie Gallahue from NXT Model for getting some of the models for the shoot.)

For my shots I played with new lighting techniques and switched things up beyond my usual style. I also practiced with creating a different studio look and feel on location — something that is extremely important for consistency in unpredictable conditions and takes practice to trim down prep time and become efficient.

Overall it was awesome collaborating with the variety of creative talent and spending time playing in the Colorado woods. It definitely got my brain thinking of cool new shoot ideas.

If you want to know more about NocoPro Photo, we meet once a month officially on a Sunday for coffee and critique. We also plan fun mini-meetings during the month like talk beer and smack, as well as hosting classes (taught by me other members) and “challenge” shoots to help us all build technique. For more information check it out.

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Fort Collins is a very integrated, supportive community, which means I get great opportunities to use my passion for photography to benefit people and causes beyond myself.

In the beginning of October I was hired as a photographer to shoot the CSU Fashion Show to Benefit RamStrength, a local non-profit that provides financial assistance to cancer survivors in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado. Specifically, they provide financial assistance for basic needs, scholarships programs and services.

It was great to work with the CSU Fashion Show team for the 3rd year on multiple projects, and the event gave me a chance to stretch my skills in a new way.

Hosted in the Midtown Arts Center (formerly the Carousel Dinner Theatre), the runway was actually was just a typical theatre stage — a bit non-traditional for typical fashion shows. In some ways this was great because it gave me an opportunity to grab unique shots, but it was a bit more challenging with limited space to shoot in the front row, but it challenged me to be creative and think on my feet.

All clothes worn in the fashion shoot were donated by local stores, including Biyazzi, Tula, Soul mates, Prima Body Wear, and Satin Camisole & Designs. It was awesome to see other local businesses supporting such a great cause.

Overall, it felt fantastic to help out at the CSU Fashion Show and use my photography for a bigger purpose — to help and support local community members.

Images after the more! 

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There is no denying this summer was HOT out here in Colorado, and most afternoons I was out there shooting in 95 plus temps. What got me through on this particular shoot? Working with amazing, creative local talents like Kaitlyn Thomas of KaiT Designs, who is also a finalist in the Rising Star Design awards for 2011.

The designers scheduled models unexpectedly bailed almost last minute, so I called in a favor to some my model contacts to keep the shoot going on schedule. We started in the studio capturing great, colorful shots of her amazing fall line to use in the upcoming catalog. Then we took the shoot on the road to the CSU Environmental Learning Center to travel “down the rabbit hole”.

The theme for the outdoor shoot was Alice in Wonderland and the unforgettable white tea party. Our collaborative vision was high fashion mixed with edgy concepts to create a unique and fun contrast for the models and the clothes. It was great joining forces with Kaitlyn to use basic props and see how throwing a few things together in an odd way made a big creative impact.

The real trick was keeping the lighting in tact on a super hot day, as the sun poured down on all of us. The models hung in there to keep things authentic and natural, and Georgia and Rachel from Studio Pink did an amazing job with the hair and make-up to keep the models looking fresh.

One of the most awesome parts for me was getting to be creative outdoors, on the fly, and watching everyone come together to do their part to create an unforgettable stream of amazing photos. In any large production like this, it’s all about team work to get things to come together smoothly for a common goal. Oh yea, and it was awesomely fun.

Pictures after the jump.

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It’s been a busy summer but a fun one, and it’s about time I share photo evidence of my latest creative adventures. From mountain bikes races, to bikini models, to New West Fest, I had a blast shooting a little bit of everything. It’s just one of the many reasons I love what I do.

As the summer got warmer, swimsuit shoots were on the list. I collaborated with professional models Ali and Lana to add some amazing new pictures to their portfolios. The shoot in downtown Denver at The Gym was done on a day of record heat, as a big crowd gathered to gawk at these beautiful ladies and their exotic props of a Ferrari 360 and a Lotus Elise. I’m particularly pleased with the lighting accents in the shoot, which is tricky to capture in such bright overhead sunlight. (Details of this shoot and the lighting setups will be covered in a separate post later).

The Urban Assault Ride sponsored by New Belgium is one of the biggest bicycle scavenger hunts in the nation, and a great community event for Fort Collins. I loved watching these guys do their stuff to “win” big, and took some kickass photos to prove it. It was also awesome seeing community spirit combined with a little friendly competition.

On the mellow side of sports, I got to chill with golfers in the Budweiser Golf Tournament held at Pelican Lakes to capture a day of sun and holes-in-one. The tournament benefited the Folds of Honor foundation , and was called “Here’s to the Hero’s”. I covered the live auction, got the chance to shoot pictures of all the players during the awards ceremony, and the Broncos cheerleaders were on hand to give out prizes. A very well executed event for a great cause.

New West Fest was another great community event I was excited to be a part of, and I even got a surprise opportunity to do a “meet the band” photo session for the Tedeschi Trucks Band. It was a super fun weekend full of sweet music and great candid opportunities throughout the music festival.

And of course, no summer is complete without the senior photo round up. I had a great bunch of students roll through, and I’ve included some of my favorite photos in the mix. There is still little bit of time to get senior portraits done if you haven’t already, so just contact me to get on the schedule.

Check back soon for information on a cool upcoming photo event – the Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk. Yours truly was selected as a local event leader, and I’m super excited to be a part of this amazing event.

Gallery is after the jump.

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