Maternity Photos at Lost Gulch Lookout & Standley Lake

Way back in early February, I met up with some old swim team friends Arianne and Clay, for their maternity photos (EEK!). We had all swam on North Jeffco Swimteam together during our childhood, and we all attended Ralston Valley High School Together. Clay and Arianne were high school sweethearts, so it's exciting to get to catch up with them later on in life and see how wonderfully they've grown together. We had initially decided to go to Rocky Mountain National Park for their session; however, due to the ice and snowy weather, we opted for closer locations, including Standley Lake, Chautauqua Park, and Lost Gulch Lookout.

When you have a fur baby as I do, I understand how important they are to you - they're family too! We met at Standley Lake so we could get a few comfortable pictures with their dog Rue. That way, we could manage and cliffy views of Lost Gulch without trying to maintain a dog and slipping on ice (it was a right call). I planned our timeline out, so when we arrived at Chautauqua park, we had shade cast by the flatirons to work and still enough time to drive up to the Lost Gulch Lookout before sunset. It was cold out - so Arianne did great given the conditions! We ended up getting a lovely soft cotton candy cloud sky with pastel blue, pink, and purple hues. The three locations made up creating beautiful diversity in the photos, and it was a fun alternative to RMNP.

Congratulations on the new member of your family! I am so excited for both of you!

If you're planning a winter photoshoot in 2020 or 2021, consider the following tips to make it comfortable:

• If you're wearing a dress, consider wearing nude colored leggings that you can find on Amazon. They're not expensive, and they photograph looking just like skin!

• If it's going to be cold out (like real cold), consider wearing some time of foundation or makeup to keep the color in your skin (that goes for guys too). Trust me on this; it makes a huge difference! Don't be embarrassed.

• Bring hand warmers! I love shoving them in my shoes and also warming my hands up with them. You can hide in your hands during certain poses. BAM!

• Wear shoes that you can move in and that you're comfortable in. Or at least bring an extra pair.

• If there's snow on the ground almost any color, you can wear pops, but white on white can look cool too!

• Don't be afraid to get in a snow fight!

Location:

Standley Lake, Westminster, Colorado

Lost Gulch Lookout, Boulder, Colorado

Photographer:

Cassandra Vagher Creative