The Colorado Springs Photographer

Relationships

Weddings are times of establishing new relationships as well as connecting and reconnecting with existing relationships.

The relationships present on your wedding day are some of the most important elements of the day.

I don't know how many times I've seen the mothers start to cry as we're doing their portraits with either their daughter or their son - before the ceremony! Rather than have the mom and child just look at the camera with the common deer-in-the-headlights look, we always have mom and child look at each other. Usually, they goof around for a bit, but, then the emotions start to run high! Tears come. We don't script it - it just happens.

That's what we like to capture.

Your day - as it unfolds. As it happens.

That's why this image of Chris with his grandmother is one of my all-time favorites! I love his expression and the emotion that goes with it.

In fact, you can view a sample slideshow from Chris & Kristen's wedding. This is about 25% of the final images they received.

I put everything I have into making your day fun and enjoyable, PLUS capturing some great images you'll cherish for a lifetime.

Thanks for reading.

-Tracy
The Colorado Springs Photographer

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him."
-1 John 4:9

Maintenance today

Today, Friday, July 20th, we will be doing some web maintenance to our web site, www.tracybookmanphotography.com.

The only affect will be to the client galleries. We will begin the maintenance at around 10am, and it should be completed around 2pm if all goes as expected.

During this time, all wedding and portrait web galleries will be unavailable for viewing, however, due to the inconvenience, an extra day will be added to everyone's expiration period for their gallery.

We apologize if this causes an inconvenience to anyone, and we thank you for your understanding and patience.

-Tracy
The Colorado Springs Photographer

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
Revelation 4:11

New Blog

For anyone who is interested, we have created a new, personal blog. Our business blog has tidbits about our business and our lives out here in the country, but the new one, America: Sin Nation, deals strictly with what we view as being the downgrade of the American culture.

Actually, it's not the culture that is downgrading, but Christendom - the church - as a whole that has lost its moral edge.

So, while "evil men... shall wax worse and worse," and we shouldn't expect anything different from them, it is surprising to see the church going to sleep and neglecting to call sin, "sin."

I know that these topics are not as light-hearted as our previous posts, but I believe that there are some drastic measures called for in light of these tumultuous times.

Thanks for reading.

Tracy
The Colorado Springs Photographer

"...it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time."
1 John 2:18

Heard the one about the victory...

...That the right-to-life camp is claiming in the recent "Partial Birth Abortion Ban?"

Well, guess what... It's all a joke.

There is no PBA ban.

It was 15 years in the making and supporters kicked in $250 MILLION dollars in donations, but the ruling doesn't ban anything. In fact, our 5 "conservative" justices only adjudicated new suggested procedures for wickedly and horrifically killing more babies.

Don't believe it? Check out the ruling for yourself.

Thanks for reading.

-Tracy
The Colorado Springs Photographer

"If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?"
Proverbs 24:11-12

The message every Christian youth needs to hear

Probably nobody reading this has ever even heard of Paul Washer. One day, I had logged on to a web site called Sermon Audio to download some classic sermons by Charles Spurgeon, and on the front page of the site was a headline that read, "SHOCKING YOUTH MESSAGE STUNS HEARERS - SO SHOCKING & BIBLICAL THE PREACHER WAS NEVER INVITED BACK." Well, this was so intriguing that I couldn't resist listening.

But, this is THE message that American youth within the Christian church need to hear today. They have been inundated with the message that if they just pray a little prayer, asking Jesus into their hearts, that they'll be saved.

What a departure from the truth of the Bible!

The message of the Bible is a hard message. It's not complex, but it is hard. It requires self-denial. It's not a joyless, unpleasant message, like the message of Islam, but it is not one of self-fulfillment and hedonism, which the contemporary Christian message is becoming.

So, this message from Paul Washer of HeartCry Missionary Society is hard-hitting. It is directed at professing Christians. It is not a message for non-Christians.

I could say, "I hope you enjoy it," but, instead, I hope it transforms your Christian walk and your relationship with the Lord.

-Tracy
The Colorado Springs Photographer

"And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be my disciple."
-Jesus
Luke 14:27

Red Rocks Canyon

What can I say about the way Sarah's Senior portraits turned out but, "Wow!"

We had several shooting locations all within a few hundred feet of each other, so we were able to get a good variety of portraits out of her session.

Sarah's mom, Brenda, says, "Well done. They were great Senior Portraits!"

This one is my favorite.

Have you been to Red Rocks Canyon before?  Not only is it a great place for family or Senior portraits, but it's a great place to hike and climb (with a permit). It encompasses an old quarry, so there are amazing cuts right through the hogback ridge there with these incredible "stair-steps" in the hillside. You have to see it to understand what I'm trying to describe.

It's a beautiful space and I'm glad that the city was able to preserve it as an open space and not turn it over to developers.

If you go, go in the morning or late afternoon. It gets HOT there. Then, let me know what you think of it.

Thanks for reading.

-Tracy
The Colorado Springs Photographer

Workin' hard!

July 3rd is my daughter's birthday. She just turned 6. For her birthday we went to the park to spend the day.

No, the cute little redhead in the photo is not my daughter. That would be my grand-niece.

Oh, man... It's hard to believe I'm a grand-something now. Does that make me a grand-uncle? Or is it a great-uncle? In any case, it means that my newphew is now a father, and my brother-in-law is now a grandpa! It also means that I'm getting that much closer to being a grandpa! Yikes!

Well, I certainly don't feel like a grandpa, or even close to being one.

Two weeks ago, at Chris and Kristen's wedding & reception, I walked 9 miles that day, and that was after a 3 mile run that morning before leaving for the wedding.

I gotta stay in shape and stay young. Most of my customers are almost or more than half my age. They certainly don't want  a slow dinosaur for a photographer.

So, to serve you better, I hike, walk, and run to stay healthy and in shape. When I photograph your wedding, or family, or Senior, I put everything I've got into it. I'm passionate about giving you an awesome experience, no matter what I'm photographing for you.

Especially at a wedding... Weddings are long days of running non-stop from the time I arrive to the time I leave. A man at Chris & Kristen's wedding told me that I'm the hardest-working wedding photographer he's ever seen.

Well, that may or may not be true, but I certainly do work hard for all my clients.

Thanks for reading.

-Great/Grand-Uncle Tracy
The Colorado Springs Photographer

"Prepare to meet thy God."
Amos 4:12