Happy fall to everybody! Can it really be that time of year already?

I will be holding a day of mini-sessions on October 9th. This is a great opportunity to get updated photos of your kids to use for holiday cards, holiday gift portraits, or some new portraits to hang on your walls. 

Here are the details: 

when: Saturday, October 9th, 9-530pm (weather date of October 16)
where: Fort Collins
how much: $75
 

includes:
~20-30 minutes of coverage for immediate family members
~Post-session custom image preparation with attention to each image.
~10-15 images presented to you in a private online gallery.
~access to all of my heirloom products, including custom designed press printed holiday cards

The holiday cards are fun and modern, personalized with your own photos and message, and are press printed on beautiful paper. The designs are in process and will be finalized soon.

I have already announced the mini sessions to past clients and they are almost filled, so if you’re interested, give me a call or email me right away!

rachel@rachelolsenphotography.com or 303.917.1849

Could it possibly have been another year? This amazing family is one of my favorites (because I am lucky enough to call Megh one of my besties!), but it is so hard for me to believe that another year has slipped by. Is that possible? 

Well, yes…in the chaos that is called “life”…I can see why a year slips by before our eyes, without us really noticing.  Honestly, I think that is why I love photography so much.  It forces me (us) to capture moments in the craziness of life, in order to document time and changes and evolutions.  Luckily, I think I will be able to see this amazing family though my lens year in and year out (hopefully- if you will have me!) in order to document all of the amazing transformations.

During our time together (which luckily included dinner sans children-sorry V) we laughed about kids… about how some love to pose (at the age of 3 1/2) and about others (at the age of 1+) have no interest in being in a family photo or looking at the camera, we reminisced about the days before kids…and how we really can’t remember them all too clearly, and we looked forward with excitement to all of the changes that lay ahead. 

I am SO incredibly lucky to have people like you in my life, to steer me through these mucky waters…because I don’t know how I’d do it without you. 

Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart -to all of those- who guide me through this uncharted territory called “parenting.”

This world is very small indeed.  I am continually amazed at how small it really is.  When Christy & Wade contacted me about their wedding in Cordillera this fall…who would have guessed that I would be shooting their engagement session in Minneapolis while I was out there visitng family AND who would have guessed that in of a city of roughly 390, 000 people…that Christy and Wade would live DIRECTLY behind my sister in law. 

Crazy, right? 

Well, that seems to be the way my life works…and I am so happy that it does, because it brings me in contact with some of the most incredible people. 

Thank you for spending the morning with me (despite the incredible humidity- we made it without rain!!) exploring Lake Harriet. 

I can’t wait for your beautiful wedding at Cordillera, and the one thing I can guarantee is that it won’t be as hot & humid up there :)! Best, Rachel

She’s here! And she is absolutley darling. You may recall these gorgeous parents from my recent maternity session in Boulder…now they have one beautiful little girl to call their own. 

I am so excited for the three of you to embark upon this awesome journey and I can’t wait to watch her grow!

Just in time to really learn what changing a diaper is all about, they also embarked upon another awesome adventure in diapering! Sadler is the Sales and Marketing Director at Thirsties.

 Thirsties is an incredible new way to think about cloth diapering.  Check out their site and see for yourself:

- how easy it can be

- how good you can feel about supporting a local home grown company

- how happy you will make the earth (and the future generations you are diapering) by not adding to the landfill

-and how cool your little one will look in these awesome diapers!

Congratulations guys! I couldn’t be happier for you!   Best, Rachel

Is there ever a better reason to bring the whole family together than the arrival of a new little one? 

Well, one more celebration -a 40th anniversary!!- added another major milestone to celebrate! 

Thank you so much for inviting me over to capture your extended family, the newest little girl and the amazing celebrationg of 40 years of love.  You have an INCREDIBLE family that you should be SO proud of!

(And thank you for driving your wonderful, completely refurbished, reason you met 40+ years ago…Ford Model A, up to Fort Collins for the photo shoot!)

We finally made it!  The weather cooperated with me (not the Haugos) and brought some rain so that the wheat harvest was delayed.

I have been dying to see harvest for 6 years…and this year we were able to time it right- and we were even able to ride in the combines!

Thank you SO much to the extended Haugo family for inviting us out to the farm and into the combines to witness the hard work that you put in each and every day.

It was an amazing experience for me, but I am also soooooo glad that our daughter loved it as much as I did. 

How about next year??? (You can put me to work!)

As you can see…there was so much joy exuded during this beautiful day.

Caroline & Cameron had an incredible wedding in Princeton New Jersey.  Since they met and fell in love while students at the prestigious Princeton University, what better place than the Princeton Campus to get married? Their joyous wedding took place in the amazing Princeton Chapel (which is a great misnomer- “chapel” hardly encapsulates the grandure of the cathedral that it is) and their reception was at the gorgeous Prospect House, also on campus.

Caroline got ready at the quintessential east coast inn, the Nassau Inn, across the street from Princeton.

We set up a “first look” outside of the Prospect House for Cameron to see Caroline for the first time.  I loved watching his face as she walked down the steps to greet him, and I love this encounter as he stepped back after kissing her to take in all of her beauty.



After the family formals in the garden we had time to take the bridal party out into campus for a few fun shots.

The architecture on the Princeton campus is amazing, while I love Colorado and all of it’s spendor, it was so fun to shoot in a totally new atmosphere.

And here is the “chapel.” What an incredible backdrop for a wonderful, heartfelt ceremony.

The reception was only steps away from the chapel. The Prospect House was the perfect venue for their fabulous celebration. 

As Caroline & Cameron wound down from one celebration and headed to the next (a great pool party two doors down from Einstein’s old house) we snapped a few final images on their walk back to the Nassau Inn.

Thank you so much for inviting me to be a witness to your wonderful day.  I am so glad that I get to continue to be a witness to your life as you grow old together. We can’t wait to hear about your adventures in New York City and beyond!   Best, Rachel

We lucked out again with a quick break in this somewhat odd weather for Colorado. (I can’t say I mind it, but we have had more rain than I remember for late July!)

But we had the perfect weather for Sabrina’s senior session. A bit overcast with sun streaming through the clouds. We couldn’t have planned it better. Thank you for being so much fun to work with and so easy going! And thanks for “enjoying the nature” with me.

I know that you will have a wonderful senior year ahead…and I can’t wait to hear where you are headed for school and what you will do in your life- I know that much success lies ahead with your organization & determination(and not to mention great personality)!

Thanks for spending the afternoon with me. Enjoy your senior year!!  Best, Rachel

We squeezed in these two sessions just before the weather rolled in!

Jordan’s mom warned me that it would be fast, but he was by far the quickest senior session!  Thanks for being such a great subject and for making my job so easy.  I hope that you have an incredible senior year!!



And since Jordan was so speedy…we were able to catch up with Tenshi and her mom.

Thank you for sharing a fun evening with me!   Wishing you the best, Rachel

I had a wonderful evening in Denver photographing this darling family.

You may remember these beautiful girls from last year…now they have a little brother to join in the fun. And check him out- he is a cutie!

They had a great idea to meet at their pool for some fun family portraits. 

And then we had to hit the pool!

Thank you for such a fun idea and a wonderful evening! Enjoy the few remaining days of summer.  Best, Rachel