Operation Love ReUnited::Kailyn and Matt

Yesterday I had the joy and pleasure of photographing Kailyn and Matt for Operation Love Reunited. They were such a wonderful couple. Matt will be deploying to Afghanistan early next year, and they are expecting their first baby in July! Kailyn is convinced its a girl. I will be praying that God’s protection and love would pour over them during this time of difficult transition and change. It was a little chilly in Downtown Colorado Springs, but the sun was shining bright and it made for some beautiful afternoon photographs. The late fall sun was magnificent. I love this time of year in Colorado and I love being a portrait (and wedding) photographer. Take a look at a few of my favorites and be sure to leave some love for Matt and Kailyn. Make sure to tell them how much you appreciate their service to our country! I know I appreciate his willingness to serve and protect my freedoms. What a blessing they are.

Blessings,
Kristi Crosson
Colorado Wedding and Portrait Photographer
www.kristicrosson.com

Back to using this blog

I know I know. I have been absent from the blog world for a long time. I had switched my website to a blogsite, and am currently in the process of moving some of this content back over here. I needed simplicity. and for me, simple is a good clean website and blog. I can’t wait to share my work from the past year, and my work coming up. This is very exciting! So stay tuned for some updates, changes, and great photos!!

Blessings,
Kristi Crosson
Colorado Wedding and Portrait Photographer
www.kristicrosson.com

Justine & Berto Wedding:: Red Rocks Chapel:: Denver, CO

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of second shooting for Gretchen of Greta Dawn Photography. The bride, Justine, was gorgeous and radiant as she met her groom at the red Rocks Chapel in Denver to be married. Justine and Berto have been together for 10 years! Their family and friends and two adorable sons were there to celebrate with them as they tied the knot.

I always enjoy second shooting, and really appreciate Gretchen for asking me to come along. I had never photographed a wedding at Red Rocks in Denver, so it was exciting to be at a new venue. Here are some of my favorites from the big day. I hope you enjoy!

Blessings!

Kristi Crosson
Wedding Photographer
www.kristicrosson.com

My Thoughts on Beauty::Colorado and Destination Wedding Photographer

What is beauty? This question reminds me of an art class I took in college. The professor asked me “What is art?”. In reality the answers to either of these questions is somewhat subjective. I could say that art is Rembrandt but not Picasso; I could say that beauty is an image of a supermodel but not that of a grandmother with weathered hands or that the Colorado Rockies are beautiful but not the slums in a third world country.

As a woman, I have to say that I am fascinated by this idea of beauty. Beauty in the 16th century looks much different than it does today. I look at magazines and see gorgeous (and sometimes skinny!) women looking back, and somehow I just don’t compare. I find myself wondering how these magazines came to dictate what the world thinks is beautiful. And I realized that I have to find my source of self perception and self worth from a source that isn’t as fickle and changing as the media industry. I have to find that source in knowing that I am a beautiful creation of God.

So, let me ask again, what is beauty? I would argue that it’s YOU. You are beauty. You are a creation unlike anything else on Earth; something so wholly unique that not another copy was made. You are the best of its kind.

As a photographer I have the privilege of documenting love stories that turn into families that turn into generations. But my goal is to not only show what you look like, but to capture a piece of your soul, a piece of the most beautiful place within you. My desire is to show you that you are beauty.

I’m Kristi Crosson and I am redefining the face of beauty. Will you be next?

Oh, and here’s some oldies but goodies of a beautiful bride I photographed a couple of months after their wedding last year:

Lindsey and Stephen Got Married::Destination Wedding Photographer::Vail Colorado

Here is a quick sneak peek from yesterday’s gorgeous Vail Colorado Wedding. Lindsey and Stephen are an incredible couple. They were so much fun to work with. I really enjoyed being a part of your special day, thank you for allowing me the honor of capturing it for you. More details on this lovely Vail Wedding are to come, but for now, here’s a couple of the images from their day!

Kristi Crosson
Wedding Photographer
www.kristicrosson.com

Operation Love Reunited:: Colorado Springs, CO::Engaged and Deployed

Corey is currently serving in the US Army and is deployed to Iraq. Kim contacted me in May and asked if I could do an Operation Love Reunited session for them and their sons when he came home on break. I was more than happy to capture some images of them and can’t wait to share them with Kim when she comes by for her consultation appointment. Corey and Kim are currently engaged and are planning a possible cruise wedding sometime after Corey returns from Iraq. Kim’s son was the only one able to make it to the session, but I was able to capture some great images of the three of them, and some of Kim and Corey alone. They were fun to work with and although Corey doesn’t really like having his picture taken, he was a great sport! Here’s some of my favorites from the session.

Kim and Corey, I am praying for you both and your families as you prepare for marriage and while Corey is overseas!

-Kristi Crosson
Wedding Photographer
www.kristicrosson.com

Amy & Josh::Colorado Springs, CO::Wedding Photographer

Yesterday I had the joy of capturing wedding photos for my good friends Amy and Josh in Colorado Springs, CO. Amy looked radiant, gorgeous, and so amazing. Josh was certainly blessed with a beautiful wife. Although it was pretty hot outside, we were able to create some beautiful photos for them to remember their special day by. I have known Josh since he was probably about 13 years old. It’s funny to remember him as a young teenager and to see him grow into an incredible young man who is now married! And Amy I have only known for a couple of years, but I have enjoyed serving with her in ministry, and becoming her friend. The ceremony and reception took place at Gateway Church in Colorado Springs, CO. My second photographer was Scott Stebner from Denver, CO. I was so thankful to have the help during the wedding. Amy’s dress was from David’s Bridal, their cake was from Creative Cakes by Carol in Colorado Springs, hair and makeup were provided by Alpha Salon and DaySpa, and flowers were done by the bride. So here are a few of my favorites from their wedding. I can’t wait to share the rest with them. Amy and Josh, I pray that in the weeks, months, and years to come, you would grow more in love with each other and grow closer to God. You are both such a blessing to so many people and you deserve more joy than you could possibly imagine! I love you both.

Kristi Crosson
Colorado Springs Wedding Photographer
www.kristicrosson.com

Beloved by Kristi Crosson Photographers

As a photographer I have been blessed to be a witness to many beautiful moments in people’s lives. I have captured weddings, families, new babies, maternity, and more. Last week I was able to participate in a photographic experience unlike anything I have ever done. I was a witness to the most beautiful display of love between a married couple that I could have imagined. My friend Destiny and her husband Jorden acted as my test subjects for the Beloved sessions I will be offering starting in June. Beloved is a project, dream, experiential journey, started by a photographer by the name of Jesh de Rox. His vision is now being realized through photographers all over the world, including myself.

Beloved was my gift to Jorden and Destiny. You see, Jorden was in the US Army, and returned from serving in Iraq early this year. He had been away from his wife and child for over a year. Imagine not seeing the one you love for a day. Now multiply that by 365. They endured stress, fear, anger, frustration, and so much more as they were apart. Their marriage was strained almost to the breaking point when he returned. Thankfully, they were able to reconnect and begin working through the issues that came up during the deployment. I know that with God’s help, their marriage will flourish. Beloved for them was an opportunity to share that love and commitment with one another. It was an opportunity for them to laugh with one another, to cry with one another, and to just hold one another. It was an opportunity for them to remember why they got married in the first place, and to look to the future they will have together. I am so blessed to have been a part of this, and I want to thank Jorden and Destiny for trusting me enough to bare their souls during this session. It was; in a word; beautiful.

Destiny and Jorden, I pray many blessings on you, your marriage, and your children. May you always remember the love you have for one another.

Kristi Crosson
humbled photographer
www.kristicrosson.com

Workshop::Idaho Springs, CO::Pimp Your Holga

A Holga? What’s a holga? Okay, this was my thought when I heard that Andy and Angie Woods were going to be holding a workshop to “pimp my holga”..hmmm… So naturally, I googled “Holga” and discovered that it is a special kind of medium format camera that has many imperfections allowing for very interesting images to be captured. Its been a long time since I have used film, and I always wanted to shoot with medium format, so this was my opportunity.

I drove up to Idaho Springs, Colorado, a little mining mountain town off of I-70, and didn’t know exactly what to expect. Angie and Andy told us about the Holga, showed us how to load the film, etc, and we decorated (i.e. pimped) our Holgas, and then we talked a little about composition. The goal for the day was to get each of us out of our typical compositional box, and have us try something new or that we don’t use very often. My goal was to look for texture and leading lines. I like texture, but rarely look for it in when I do wedding photography and portrait photography. I think sometimes I just forget that there are other compositional elements besides the ones I use regularly. I get so wrapped up in shooting that I go to my “comfort zone”.

Well, I certainly got out of my comfort zone. I was shooting in film, so I didn’t get to see what my images looked like, so instead I practiced visualizing the image BEFORE I took a picture. What a concept. One that I tend to forget too often since switching to digital. But I think the final products are beautiful. And I look forward to shooting more film like this for some upcoming projects. What do you think?

-Kristi Crosson
Wedding Photographer
Holga User
www.kristicrosson.com

The Barenie Family::Operation Love ReUnited::Giving Back to our Military Families in Colorado Springs

I have been listed as a photographer with the organization called Operation Love ReUnited for about a year now. It’s kinda interesting how things come in waves, because until the beginning of this month no one had contacted me about it. I figured they didn’t like my work and chose someone else. No biggie. Well, since the beginning of April about 15 different families have contacted me. Unfortunately, I am only able to do one Operation Love ReUnited portrait session per month, and I had to say no to 12 of those families. The Barenie family was one of the first to contact me, and fortunately, we were able to complete their session by their deadline, and before my schedule got too crazy. I wanted to share a few images from their session.

I was truly honored to photograph this amazing couple and their two beautiful children, one of which is only 4 weeks old! I really appreciate the service that Mr.Barenie provides to me and my family in the military to protect my homeland and my freedoms, and the time that his family gives up for him to do so. If I didn’t say it already Barenie Family, THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart you are in my thoughts and prayers as you get ready to deploy, and I look forward to photographing you next year when you return!

Blessings!!
-Kristi Crosson
Photographer
www.kristicrosson.com