Elle Kay Studios - Wyoming and Colorado Wedding Photographer

Jay and Chandra’s Wedding ~ July 13, 2010 ~ St. Alban’s Chapel

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:48:12 +0000

Jay and Chandra met in Qatar. She was a girl from Wyoming, serving in the National Guard. He was a boy from England, serving in the British Army. Who would’ve guessed that they would fall in love on foreign ground….let alone while in the millitary! They had an absolutely gorgeous wedding at St. Alban’s Chapel up in the Snowy Range Mountains. I was absolutely honored to capture their wedding (not to mention, I’m super excited to share these pictures!)

Chandra, you are absolutely stunning:

Chandra had to sit in the van to put her veil on because it was so windy! (Welcome to Wyoming)

Honestly, could there be a prettier ceremony site?

We were able to get some amazing formals with the incredible scenery all around us!

I am so excited about the shots I captured of Jay and Chandra. They are so in love and it shows!

Oh, yum! I’m food happy just looking at these pictures!

You can always count on the best man to tell an embarrassing story.

During the ceremony, Jay and Chandra poured sand into this vase to symbolize their two lives becoming one.

When it came time to cut the cake, Jay played nice…

But Chandra….

…did not.

Jay and Chandra with Paster Chad Halbach:

Lastly, I will leave you with one of my favorite pictures:

Jay and Chandra’s love for each other is so apparent. They are two really cool people that happened to find each other (like a needle in a haystack!) Congratulations and all the best wishes for your new life together!

Good Ol’ Cowboys

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 04:57:36 +0000

I was a busy, busy girl today. Starting with the pancake breakfast:

Then the farmer’s market:

The Ribeye Rodeo Grillin’ Contest:

TJ Casey (Cowboy Poet):

And last but not least….the PRCA Rodeo!

Lots and lots of trucks…

The rodeo started out with the bull riding (always a crowd favorite):

Sometimes I think the rodeo clowns have more guts that the riders. They’re either super brave…or super crazy! Maybe a little of both.

Then it was onto the cattle roping:

Then steer…wrestling?! The rules are as follows:

Next up was bareback riding…which is the equivalent craziness of bull riding…just with wild-eyed bucking broncos.

One horse was so riled up, he bucked all across the arena…and over the fence…and into the grand stands. After freeing himself of his rider, he ran across the parking lot and out through the gate. He ended up running about 2 miles south on US 287, where he was eventually wrangled. Can you find him in this picture? (Hint: Look for the swaying tail.)

I’m saving the best for last. This picture literally took my breath away when I first saw it.

It’s images like this that have really sparked my love of rodeo photography. I don’t want the rodeo to end! Luckily, I still have two days of absolute awesomeness left! =D

Jalapeños, carnival rides, and cattle roping, oh my!

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:54:21 +0000

And so continues my super awesome job as the official photographer of Laramie Jubilee Days. Today, the carnival opened, so I went to check it out before the Jalepeno Pepper Flaming Gorge eating contest. I will take more pictures of the carnival over the next couple of days (did someone say “night shots”?)
After a quick walk through the carnival, I made my way over to the Jalapeño Pepper Flaming Gorge eating contest. Whatever motivates someone to eat jalapeño peppers straight up is beyond me. It was like a scene out of Looney Tunes, with the red faces and steam coming out of their ears. Believe it or not, the winner didn’t even look phased.

The Laramie Fire Department was on hand, just in case things got too hot. =P

And the winner is….

After the contest, I traveled back out to the fairgrounds for the team roping competition. It really is amazing how fast horses can run…and how skilled the riders are! I’m jealous. But man, this was the first time that I totally felt like a city girl. I was astounded that there were horses everywhere! (And a little scared, feeling like the shortest one there.) I honestly think the horses outnumbered the people.

For those of you who don’t know about team roping (as if I’m the pro), here’s a run down of the rules. There are two people on each team (they don’t have to wear cowboy hats, but they do have to ride lightning fast horses). The cattle is kept in a starting gate, much like the Kentucky Derby. When the gate opens, they jet out of the gate. (And when I say jet, I don’t mean mosey. They book it across the arena.) The rider on the right uses their lasso to wrangle the cattle on the neck and then the rider on the left lassos the cattle’s back feet. And there you have it folks. (Although, I must say….it’s much much much much harder than that. These riders have amazing skill..and balance!)

I can’t believe that horse did not fall over:

Another amazing day at Laramie Jubilee Days! Tomorrow kicks off the first of three days of utter madness for me. There’s the pancake breakfast, the farmer’s market, the carnival, the grilling contest and the PRCA rodeo…just to name a few. I will be one busy girl! Check back for more updates. If you’re in Laramie, be sure to check out all the fun events happening this weekend. It’s gonna be fun!

Laramie Jubilee Days – Mr. T Extreme Bull Riding

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 04:57:35 +0000

The coolest thing about being the official photographer for Laramie Jubilee Days is the opportunity to go behind the scenes. I watch as the wranglers round up the bulls. I feel the excitement and nervousness as the riders get into game mode. The energy is intense. Here are some pictures from Mr. T Extreme Bull Riding (and when they say extreme, they mean extreme!!)

Laramie Jubilee Days ~ Junior Bull Riding

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:19:17 +0000

As the official photographer of Laramie Jubilee Days, I covered the Junior Bull Riding competition. It was so exciting! I was free to roam around, soaking in the nervous energy before the competition. These contestants have guts of steel. Honestly. Luckily, I spent my time on the other side of the pen. :)

Singing the national anthem:

Our very own Rodeo Clown, Jr.! He is so adorable!

There are different levels of competition. The older the participants, the scarier the animal. Make no mistake, these are no bah, bah kind of sheep. They break out of the pen at super quick speeds, making the kids hang on for dear life. It’s intense!

Bahhhh!

I will post highlights from Laramie Jubilee Days everyday this week and upcoming weekend. If you’re in Laramie, come on out! Tomorrow is Mr. T Extreme Bull Riding at the Albany County Fairgrounds. Yes! Extreme!!

Hit Me With Your Ring Shot!

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:54:38 +0000

Taken while freelensing. Nikon 50mm f/1.8 at f/11, 1/160, with speedlight, from above, on TTL. Yay! I’ll be expecting calls from Tiffany’s to do their ad campaigns…any day now.

I made it!!

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 22:02:46 +0000

My First Year in Wyoming

A year of laughs…

Some days we laugh. For no reason at all. Sometimes we may laugh because someone told a joke, or because we saw a funny movie. But other times, we laugh because we just enjoy being with one another.

The past year has cemented the idea that Tristan and I make a kick ass team. When one is weak, the other is a support. When one is sad, the other makes silly faces. Moving across the country with the idea and hopes that this would work out was truly risky. I haven’t looked back.

A year of tears…

To say that the transition from a urban area of 5 million+ to a small city of 27,000 was an easy one would be a complete and utter lie. I never really appreciated the comfort of convenience. In Pennsylvania, I had choices upon choices of any products my mind could dream up. (Don’t even get me started on produce…or in Wyoming’s case, lack of.) Not only did I have a Target, I had a choice of Targets. (Yes, two within 5 miles of each other.) It quite different to drive 50 miles if I want to shop anywhere other than Walmart.

Wyoming is known for having lots of wide open spaces. There’s a reason for that. Our first snowfall was in October and our last snow was late May (keep your fingers crossed). We’ve had wind, sub-zero temps, ice, and loads of unplowed streets. If it’s not 3rd Street or Grand Avenue (the two main streets in town), it’s not plowed. I learned quickly why so many people drive large vehicles. My car got stuck many times because of the snow, the ice and the extremely deep gutters.

A year of adventure…

Together, we traveled 2,395 miles from Exton, PA to Laramie, WY. We saw Niagara Falls, stopped in Toronto, and drove through the UP (Upper Pennisula of Michigan…our favorite!). We ate cheese curds in Wisconsin, rode the rides at Mall of America, and had our pictures taken with the presidents at Mount Rushmore.

In the last year, Tristan and I have gone camping in 40 mph winds (he woke up every half an hour by the wind pounding against the tent; I slept like a log and woke up to enjoy the sunrise.) We went snowboarding almost every weekend this winter (I’m actually getting good!) For our most recent adventure, we bought a rice cooker on impulse and have eated rice every day for the last week. Love it!

A year of fears…

Like the time Tristan was away for two weeks and I saw a spider walk across the floor and underneath the dresser. I slept with the light on for the next couple of days.

But most importantly, a year of joy…

Right before Tristan proposed, I had moment of extreme anticipation. Even though we had talked about getting married several times and I knew that he had the ring, my breath lightened and my heart quickened. My mind raced with thoughts of “This is actually it. This is THE moment. He’s going to propose!”

Tristan, thank you for a year of laughs and joy. Here’s hoping for 50 more!

Photo by our wonderful engagement photographer: Mandy Brown of Mandalay Images.

For the Love of Photography

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 03:13:14 +0000

As a photographer and an artist, I love to play, experiment, learn and improve. So, I decided to start a new series called “For the Love of Photography”, where I’ll post my adventures. Come along!

Happy 200,000!

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:45:20 +0000

My car beat 200,000! For some of you, this might not be a big deal…for others, this might mean it’s time to get a new car. For me, this means that my car is built to last. I have a love affair with my car. It was with me in Philadelphia when I went to Temple University. It drove with me into the Kensington neighborhood of North Philly, when I worked with inner city teens and taught them media literacy. (My car suffered a paint ball attack from that.) Whenever I drove to an interview and arrived an hour early because I hated the idea of being a minute late, my car sat with me at a local supermarket. And waited.

My car and I have been in the hustle and bustle of New York City and stranded on the interstate for 8 hours (in the smack dab middle of the night). We’ve driven cross country three times. She was there when I met the man I thought I was going to marry…and when I packed up my whole entire life to move to Wyoming and start a life with this man, she was there.

My car is my sanctuary. A zen garden of sorts. No matter what is going on outside, when I sit in my car, I am calm and happy. So, happy mileage day to my 1998 Toyota Camry, who I endearingly call Cam.

And here are some of our travels…

Happy June!

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:20:36 +0000

I want to make a list of goals for June. It has to be a list of things I’ll actually accomplish, however small. The idea is that feeling accomplished and being able to check things off the list will motivate me to accomplish other, more difficult tasks. The only issue I run across when coming up with a to do list is that June is already insanely busy. Every weekend is filled to the brim with things to do. Every weeknight is filled with things that didn’t get done over the weekend (you know, all the fun stuff like doing laundry, paying bills, etc).

And where does “Enjoy Being Engaged” fit into that list? It’s something I value highly, and I often feel engaged couples miss out. This is the time to enjoy being with each other and being in love. It’s time for adventure, mystique, and pure joy.

So, maybe my list for June should be about things that I want to do…rather than things that have to be done.

Goals for June:

- Visit a new town in Wyoming.
- Go for a hike.
- Spend an evening after work in the park.
- Bike to work.

I like that list. Short, simple, and easy to accomplish. Happy June! (Winter is finally over in Wyoming!!!!)