Paint Mines, Calhan CO {Bell Family}

Oh my goodness y'all! This was actually the first session I did here in Colorado and I am in LOVE with these images. (I'm a wee bit behind in my blogging, but it's coming, I promise!)

This park is absolutely gorgeous and honestly, if it wasn't 40 minutes outside of Colorado Springs, I may just shoot exclusively there! The golden light that came out after a quick 3 minutes of rain was phenomenal and we had such a good time exploring the Painted Salt Mines in Calhan for this family portrait session!

As we pulled into Calhan, the sky opened up...luckily this was before we hit monsoon season when it rained for hours and hours for days and days, so I texted the Bells, who were right behind me, not to stress...it was going to clear! And luckily, about 3 minutes after we arrived, it did. It just stopped. We chose to park at the overlook and walk down, versus having the kids hike about 1/2 mile through the grassy areas to get to the mines. It was an excellent choice, albeit a little slippery. With a little grown-up help and good tennis shoes for grip, with a quick change into FANTASTIC green heels for Mom we were ready to go!

We explored the rock / salt formations first and the kids were absolutely amazed. The colors, the scenery, the windmills in the background - it was just phenomenal! (Definitely nothing like it in Kansas, Tennessee or even Vermont where I've shot other clients!)  We decided to shoot a bit in the grass, with the mines in the background and got shots like this: Seriously...what is your Christmas card going to look like, because as I see it...they will win :D

We were careful to respect the park and stay off the formations - that way we ensure they are still around when our kid's kids come back to visit. Can we just talk about how adorable these kids are for just a minute?!?!

Because of the rain and clouds, we pretty much had our run of the place - and the light was unbeatable.  It was super cloudy for the first half of our session, but we were able to stretch the kids because they could run around and play in between sets! 

Will (3) wanted to chase rabbits, as there were a ton, so we went exploring into what I'll call the "grassland". While there weren't rock formations, the sun came out and was setting at just the right angle for the most amazing golden light. If you have ever wondered what photographers mean when they say "golden hour", this is it...it beautiful, soft light that just illuminates everyone soft and evenly. It usually happens about an 30 minutes or so before the sunsets and it's a magical time to take photos. I am in love with this set of images...

After that, we chased some more rabbit and laughed and giggled our way out of the park. (Pausing at the top to shoot the back side, as the sun had dropped enough for no squinting!) Will and I held hands and he picked me a flower. I seriously couldn't have asked for a better start to my shooting in Colorado. Bell Family...I just love y'all!

PS Jenna sells wine...and she'll even come to your house and do a tasting! (hence the new headshot below). If you enjoy a glass every once in awhile, give her a shout. I will be happy to pass along her contact info.