Kristen Sloan Photography BlogIndependence Pass Colorado Hike above Linkins Lake
Posted on September 11, 2013
I love to walk and I love the mountains, so I am naturally drawn to hiking. I was recently inspired to photograph some panoramics by the rocky mountain landscape photographs taken by Scott Krebs. In addditon to being an amazing portrait photographer, Scott loves to take the time on hikes to document majestic natural scenes. He also happens to be a great hiking partner and was my companion on this hike.
With Photoshop’s merge to panorama feature, my brand new nikon D800, and a perfect sunny day, it was beyond easy to capture this hike above Linkins Lake near Independence Pass, Colorado. While post-processing these images, I kept my edits simple with just sharpening. The dynamic range of the D800 is simply amazing compared to my D700. I was able to maintain highlights in the clouds with details in the shaded areas of the mountains. I shot these images vertically at 24mm between F11-13 and merged to panorama in PS5.
Our day began with a drive from Breckenridge over Freemont Pass into Leadville, through Twin Lakes and over Indepedenence Pass. We parked at the Linkins Lake trailhead, and this was the view from the parking area. Not too shabby.
My brand spanking new Ariat hacienda cowgirl boots needed their photo taken in this gorgeous setting. Apres hike, we drove into Aspen for dinner at Wild Fig, where they were paired with jeans and a tee for their first official wearing. As my first pair of cowboy boots, this would be their birth announcement! 
Quickly we ascended above the parking lot, starting our hike at roughly 12,000 feet. Soon we were above treeline and within an hour we arrived at Linkins Lake. From the lake we continued on the trail, hiking past the old mining cabin and shaft.
Scott photographed me in a photo merge with his Nikon 85mm at 2.8 on his Fuji Xpro 1. This final image was created from 8 separate captures. I am impressed with the unbelievable depth and sharpness in this portrait.
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Denver Country Club Summer Bridal Portraits
Posted on September 8, 2013
Congratulations to Margo and Will who were married today at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church in Denver with their wedding reception held at Denver Country Club. A few weeks ago I photographed Margo’s bridal portrait at Denver Country Club and these images showcase how beautiful she was today on her wedding day. I am looking forward to posting images from this wedding weekend in the upcoming weeks. In the interim, please enjoy this session.
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St Pete Beach Treasure Island FL Sunset Family Portraits
Posted on August 11, 2013
My clients were vacationing at the Sirata Beach Resort in early August and contacted me to photograph a sunset family portrait. The Sirata Beach Resort and Conference Center is located in St. Pete Beach, the Sunset Capital of Florida.
For their sunset beach portrait session location, I selected the Treasure Island St Pete Beach public access which features a wide beach with lots of seagrass dunes and proximity to the beach.
CONTACT KRISTEN SLOAN TODAY TO SCHEDULE YOUR PORTRAIT SESSION OR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY CONSULTATION
Sarasota Bradenton Longboat Key Florida Sunset Beach Portraits
Posted on July 17, 2013
My clients planned their week vacation to Sarasota Bradenton’s Longboat Key Florida during July and contacted me after seeing my previous beach family portrait session on the Kristen Sloan Photography Blog. I selected this public beach location at the mid-point of the Key, which has great dunes, plenty of trees and beautiful sand.
With sunset at approximately 8:25Pm, we began photographing at about 7:00PM and we were blessed with soft filtered natural light courtesy of the clouds. I was nervous earlier in the week, as the west central coast of Florida had experienced several days of all day rain. Luckily the sun shone for us on this day!
I loved the outfits colors that they selected to wear, which really popped in the photographs and worked well with their hair and eye colors.
CONTACT KRISTEN SLOAN PHOTOGRAPHY TODAY TO SCHEDULE YOUR PORTRAIT SESSION OR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY CONSULTATION
Don Cesar Wedding on Saint Pete Beach Florida
Posted on June 17, 2013
My photographer friend James Zambon provided me with the opportunity to photograph a wedding with him at at the historic Don Cesar Hotel on St Pete Beach FL in late April. I love photographing weddings at historic hotels, with the Brown Palace Hotel and Hotel Teatro my former wedding favorites when I lived in Denver for 18 years. Now that I have moved to sunny St Petersburg Florida, I am beyond pleased that historic hotels like the Don Cesar and Vinoy exist as elegant wedding venues.
The Don Cesar aka”Pink Lady” opened in 1928 during the jazz age and some it more notable guests from that era include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Al Capone, Lou Gehrig and Franklin D. Roosevelt. With the recent popularity of the 2013 Great Gatsby film, I envision a Gatsby themed wedding hosted at the Don Cesar. I would love to be the photographer!
Katie and David planned a beautifully simple late April wedding at the Don Cesar where they were able to enjoy the hotels amenities and ideal location on St Pete Beach. I photographed Katie and her bridesmaids getting ready in her balcony suite. James met up and photographed the groom David and his groomsmen in the lobby bar, while I started photographing Katie and the girls in a pretty hallway on the 5th Floor ballroom level.
Katie and David’s ceremony was at 6:30PM in the central Courtyard of the hotel, allowing guests a great vantage of the hotel point to view and hear their vows. After the ceremony we photographed Katie and David on the beach, along with the bridal party. While the sunset was disappointing this evening, the soft natural light on the beach worked well for photos. Their cocktail hour, dinner and recepetion was held in the North Terrace Ballroom.
Working with James is a pleasure, and we had a great time photographing Katie and David’s wedding. We both have been photographing weddings for a number of years, and its nice to work with a professional who understands how to photographically tell of the story for our clients wedding day.
CONTACT KRISTEN SLOAN PHOTOGRAPHY TODAY TO CHECK HER AVAILABILITY FOR YOUR WEDDING OR PORTRAIT SESSION
Downtown Saint Petersburg FL Senior Portrait Session
Posted on June 15, 2013
Sometimes an overcast and slightly rainy summer afternoon allows for a great Senior portrait photo session.
I met Chloe’s dad, Lee last summer while visiting Scott in Calgary, Canada. Lee joined Scott on some outdoor adventures in Banff and Kananaskis, and I remember hearing about one memorable snowy hike to Ribbon Falls which involved a smart decision to turn around at the chains. A year later, Lee’s daughter Chloe needed her senior portraits taken, and I was thrilled that they liked my photography portfolio and hired me to photograph Chloe.
I was excited to meet and work with Chloe, and within minutes I knew we were going to have a great portrait session. In additional to her natural beauty, Chloe has an effervescent personality which lights up in front of the camera. She will be starting her first year of college in weeks, and her decision to study Hospitality Management suits her warm and confident presence.
After selecting outfits, we drove around downtown Saint Petersburg FL looking for ideal light and locations. Since it was an overcast day, I photographed the session with natural light and sometimes adding fill light from one SaberStrip on a light stand with a Nikon SB 800 inside.
Cherry Hills Colorado Wedding with an Elegant French Estate Inspired Pink Rose Theme
Posted on May 20, 2013
My clients hosted their wedding at their home in Cherry Hills, a community south of downtown Denver Colorado. The bride’s inspiration for the wedding theme and decor came from Sofia Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette. Various shades of pink, creams and pale blues were used throughout the French inspired wedding decor and flowers.
The entire estate was decorated with floral arrangements. Feather and rose topiaries were located at the driveway entrance to the home, rose pomander balls hung from the trees, and a white carriage was adorned with flowers and feathers in the front yard. The couples initials in gold were also hung from the trees.
The couple decided to have a daytime private ceremony with their immediate families and children in their rose garden. Their florist created a fabric lined canopy for the ceremony site, adorned with pink roses. Cream couches allowed family members to be comfortably seated during the morning ceremony. Lunch was catered and everyone was able to relax in the afternoon.
Guests arrived in the early evening, greeted by the Bride and Groom at the front foyer door. Guests walked through the main floor of the home to the cocktail hour, located on a stone patio. A massive fountain in the patio courtyard was decorated with flowers and handmade pillows to create a comfortable retreat for guests.
The Marie Antoinette theme continued during the Cocktail hour with passed for d’oeuvres and food stations with delicacies such as sautéed frogs leg. Three signature cocktails were designed and served by the couples favorite bartender, in addition to french wines and champagnes.
Guests walked off the patio to open tent in the Bride and Groom’s yard featuring long tables covered in blue raw silk. An elegant plated multi course meal was served under candlelight.
Guests favors from Laduree were shipped directly from France, and placed on the tables.
Saint Petersburg FL Warehouse Arts District Portraits of Tiago
Posted on May 14, 2013
Several times a year I join some fellow strobist photographers and local Tampa Bay models for an on location group photography session. I had met Tiago at a Museum of Fine Arts Saint Petersburg FL Erotic Art opening exhibition a few months prior and decided to invited him to model at our photo session in the Warehouse Arts District of Saint Petersburg, which covers a large area that runs from First Avenue North to Sixth Avenue South and 14th to 28th streets. Starting in 2000, with Saint Petersburg Clay Company, the district has attracted painters, glass blowers, ceramic artists, and metal workers who live and work in this industrial area of Saint Petersburg.
Tiago accepted and joined us at U562 Art Studios and Showroom, a gallery and working artist studio. We walked around the surrounding neighborhood and I spotted this blue pickup and last light in the sky.Working quickly, my assistant hand held one SaberStrip flash modifier for these shots, with my SB-800 inside triggered by a Radio Popper Jr. I shot my D700 with my Nikon 85mm lens at 2.8, ISO 200.
I love how Tiago’s clothes draw upon the blue pickup and then worked very well when I photographed him in front of glass artist Duncan McClellan’s studio doors. I spotted Duncan when we first arrived and he kindly offered for us to shoot in his studios gorgeous gated exterior garden. I thanked him for the generous offer but declined knowing that I had my eye on this door. I love how the light front the Saberstrip shadows the metal work on the door.
I strongly recommend visiting the Saint Petersburg Arts District during on of its Second Friday trolly tours. People can park at any of the stops and hop on the trolley, which will take them to about two dozen studios where art is made and sold.
CONTACT KRISTEN SLOAN TODAY TO SCHEDULE YOUR PORTRAIT SESSION
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