KDaly Photography >> Denver, Colorado Photographer

Kenzy Turns Three!

I love photographing Kenzy! She is not only flat out adorable, but she is so darn sweet. Every single thing we asked her to do, she did—with a smile. Her parents, Tim and Maggie, clearly know how to raise a delightful daughter. Take a look at this small sample of the photos I just shot for Kenzy’s third birthday milestone and you’ll understand why I love what I do. Thanks, Kenzy, for being such a perfect model!

I always ask my parents to choose an item of importance for their child to hold/wear/toss for birthday shoots. Not only did Kenzy have a special doll, but they had matching pj’s as well!

AND my new favorite park has a great wall to help keep an informal “growth chart” from year to year!

Happy Anniversary, Rick and Pat!

When John first contacted me about photographing his extended family outside of Idaho Springs, I had no idea that they were celebrating his parents’ 40th wedding anniversary (Rick and Pat look far too young to be married 40 years!) and that people would be coming in from all over the western United States. And they had no idea that it would SNOW every minute of their late April weekend. No problem! I had such a great time meeting and photographing everyone. (And I even left room in the parent/sibling photo to Photoshop in the one brother who could not make it to Colorado!) I loved their enthusiasm about trekking outside for a quick photo on the bridge. But the best part was taking photos of the 12 grandchildren outside; they were so cooperative and photogenic. Following is just a sample of the photos we captured. I am so glad I was invited to be a small part of this incredibly important weekend.

I love this photo because it was unplanned. Oh, to be looked at that way after 40 years! (And yes, those are snowflakes in the photos!)

Mallory and Her Big Sisters

I keep posting how much I love photographing Tonya and Josh’s girls. Of course, they keep having more little girls (three in 21 months), so it’s easy to sound a little repetitious. What is not at all repetitious is their personalities. Emma is the delightful oldest sister who knows exactly what she wants. And she loves nurturing her little sisters. Kaylee is all smiles and laughter and adventure. And Mallory just basks in her sisters’ antics and smiles constantly. They are such a joy to be around, in large part because Josh and Tonya are such amazing parents.

Even though this was Mallory’s six month photo shoot, I could never ignore her big sisters Emma and Kaylee!

On our way to the park, Emma made sure she walked all by herself.

Kaylee loves playing peek-a-boo.

My favorite shot of the day!

A Day at the Park

Nolan and I try to go to the park across the street every day the wind is not blowing too hard or snow hasn’t fallen. (And, yes, for those of you who don’t live in Denver, it did snow this week.) Although he is too young to climb and he wants to eat everything on the ground from the sand to every twig to semi-soft discarded gum, he loves this place. When his mom and I took him the other day, he practiced his walking and found joy in everything there. Life just keeps getting better and better! (And thanks, granddad, for the great shirt!)

Newest skill: Pointing. At everything. All day long. And he always knows EXACTLY what he wants you to pay attention to!

Even though this shot was taken at home, I had to include it. He loves carrying things in his mouth so he can crawl and walk without worries!

Eat, Spray, Love

Nolan loves to eat. And take baths. And stalk Saki the cat. And a few nights ago, he did it all.

Nolan at Nine Months

My daughter had a great idea when Nolan was born to photograph him in this baby blue bathrobe every month so we could chronicle his growth. I think we both believed we could stretch the project over 18 months if we had to. Now I’m wondering what we are going to do with the bathrobe when he hits a year–put the hood over his head so he can wear it like a cape? He is 97th percentile for height and just perfect. As you can see. I added the first photo (four days old!) at the bottom just for a comparison. Did I mention he was perfect?

Baby JR and Family in Stapleton

When I shot a maternity session for Cindy and Bob (and Baylor!) in January, I kept thinking how glad I was we had the chance to capture Cindy’s pregnancy before John Robert made his appearance. And, sure enough, he decided to arrive almost two weeks early, as he was born on February 3. And what a beautiful baby he is, and watching his big brother Baylor hug and kiss him is even better. Congratulations, Cindy and Bob, and thanks for letting me share this experience with you!

JR’s grandmother quilted this especially for him. It is stunning!

I love the way JR is looking up at his mother in this shot.

Cindy’s parents, Carolyn and Rudy, also came along for the shoot, and Carolyn asked me to take one photo showing both her and JR’s hands. I love the way he reached out for her in his sleep. And we had to play with the picture frame just for fun!

The Pregnancy Project

Karlyn and I started this project over a year ago when she was 16 weeks pregnant. I finally stitched together our favorite images and gave this photo to her for a Christmas gift, but (as Nolan empties the recycle bin under my feet as I write this) thought now would be a great time to think back on when he was so very, very tiny!

Baylor in Stapleton

Bob and Cindy are the most amazing couple. I was honored to shoot their wedding a few years ago, and every time our paths cross, I try to take at least one photo of the two of them. They take such obvious joy in each other’s company that I simply feel better every time I’m around them. And when their son Baylor was born, it made the photography that much better. Now that they are expecting JR any day now, we did a family shoot featuring a toddler who NEVER, ever stays still. I had such a great time and think I even lost weight chasing Baylor around my new, most favorite photo site for kids and photos. I can’t wait to meet Baylor’s little brother!

We started indoors, where Baylor was conserving his energy and allowed me to capture some shots of mom and dad.

Then we headed to the park, where he did not slow down for over an hour! (Note the wonders of Photoshop: when your active toddler accidentally rams heads with another friend at preschool two days before the shoot, that black eye doesn’t have to appear in every photo!)

Every so often, I would tell Cindy and Bob to join Baylor for a family shot; even then, he’s already looking for the next play area.

And at the end of a whirlwind trip around the park, there is nothing better than dad’s strong arms.

Thanks, Cindy and Bob, for a great time and a chance to reconnect with your adorable son.

Ashlin in Evergreen

Okay, I’m biased. As a grandparent, I take such joy in Nolan that I cannot believe my good luck. So when I had the opportunity to go to Joyce and John’s home in Evergreen because their daughter Lydia and son-in-law Bryan came home for Christmas with their darling baby Ashlin, I jumped at the chance. Ashlin was such a trouper as we changed her outfits, posed her outdoors with her family, watched her sleep, and then shot even more photos. I loved how her personality shined, especially as her dad talked to her. What a delightful experience this photo shoot was.

The first few photos show how her expressions changed within the space of less than a minute.