We're Moving!

If you haven't yet noticed, this Blogspot blog has been pretty quiet. It's not for lack of work. In fact, it's because I've been pretty busy. I'm in the process of updating my website and I also have a new blogsite! I'm going to keep this blog active for a while (until I can move everything over), but I didn't want you all to be left in the dark in the process.

Come on over and take a look around. :)

Courtney Z Photography

courtneyz.com/blog

info@courtneyz.com

10 on 10 - June 2015

We've been doing 10 on 10 for 2 years now! I can hardly believe it. Next month we have a some other GREAT photogs joining the group, which means we'll be going strong in the year to come, so stay tuned. Most of the current group will still be continuing to post as well, so don't worry, you won't miss out on some new found favorite photogs either.

For now, make sure to check out another month of fab posts from this year's 10 on 10ers.

CLB Creative

Shaw Photography

Anya Elise Photography

Button Media

Twinty Photography

Brittany Conner Photography

Now that you've done that, let's get into this month's 10 on 10. Not only did the project turn 2, my sweet, little niece Myra also turned 2. I can't believe how fast the last couple years have been, but we LOVE having her in our life. Nabil and I get to take her captive every other week for a night and it's so much fun to see how much she changes in only a few weeks. I also love watching her learn and explore the world. A real life black bear at the zoo = mind blown!

This past weekend, family got together and celebrated year two. Myra enjoyed ripping the wrapping paper, playing with play-dough, and eating the junk food.  And I enjoyed ...pretty much the same.

I can't get enough of that little polkadot belly! Cheers to many more nights out on the patio this summer :)

Remember to stay tuned next month. We have some great photogs joining the group.

Until next time...

10 on 10 - May 2015

This year we have had the 10th fall on some pretty fun days which gives me the opportunity to change my mind about what I'm going to post at the last minute and to find a new, fun 10 on 10 project the afternoon before it needs to be posted. Before we get to that though, make sure to check out the other 10 on 10ers listed below. They always have something good in store and some good eye candy.

Brittany Conner Photography

Button Media

Twinty Photography

CLB Creative

Shaw Photography

Anya Elise Photography

A few month's ago I posted 10 portraits of women in celebration of International Women's Day. For May's 10 on 10, I realized (this week) that the 10th is Mother's Day! It seems only fitting that I use this as a day to celebrate a few of the mothers around me.

Over the last 2-3 years I've been fortunate enough to have some great friends who have become even better moms. I've been lucky enough to watch their kids grow from little bean sprouts to wobbly nuggets of curiosity. Through that time, I can say that my understanding of knowing that it is difficult it is to be a mom has grown ten-fold, while simultaneously knowing that my understanding of life as a mom is close to zilch.

From what I can gather, motherhood is at the very least, life unexpected. Most days, it seems like you're just hoping you don't royally mess up the little being that came into the world nothing short of perfect. That's a lot of pressure! Which is why we have Mother's Day. Today is the day to thank your mom for caring about the amount of sleep you get, for worrying about the kind of dye that goes into those fruit chews, and for making sure you have sunblock on any uncovered skin on a hot sunny day, even when you're 28...

To all my mother family/friends/neighbors, thank you for all that you do. It's easy to see that no one loves you like your own mom. Know that while it may not be said often, us kidos really appreciate all the love that you put into giving us the best life possible. I can unequivocally say being my mom was/is not easy. I'm stubborn and have a strong rebellious streak (sorry mom), but I can also say that I got my best personality traits from the perseverance and love of my mom.

With all that being said, this month's post is documenting some of the moms in my life (and a few of the neighbors to my friend that were out in their yard). Thank you all for being a part of my last minute, mom appreciation 10 on 10 post, but more importantly, thank you for being your own best mom. I was pretty quick in taking most of these photos, but it was so fun to see five different women and see how much they love their kids and how much their kids love them back. It's instantaneous and unmistakable.

I'm wishing these five ladies and all the other moms out there the best Mother's Day. ...and if you haven't yet, use this as your reminder to call you mom and say 'I love you'.

Until next time...

10 on 10 - April 2015

Here we are again. Another 10 on 10! These are quickly becoming my favorite time to post because I've been trying to be a bit more intentional about what I post and how I photograph for the 10th. Before we get into that though, be sure to check out the other 10 on 10ers linked below:

Shaw Photography

Brittany Conner Photography

Twinty Photography

Anya Elise Photography

CLB Creative

To be totally honest, I didn't have anything for this post until today (which is now yesterday, the 9th). I knew it was coming, and usually I can capture something in my life throughout the month, but this past month, I have had a handful of projects and just wasn't able to get something together to use for a 10 on 10. So I broke out my camera the day before the post was due, and decided to start practicing some free-lensing.

For those that don't know, in short, free-lensing is when you hold a disconnected lens (from your camera body) in your non-shutter hand and clumsily attempt to focus. It isn't easy, but the effect can be fun, and it's good to get all this practicing done before using it at an actual paid shoot. Not all of these are done free-lensing, but that was my focus for this month's post. I was even able to convince my bff to let me practice on an actual human. She didn't know that meant her at first either.

Thanks for indulging a lady in her nerdy habits. Until next time. :)

10 on 10 - March 2015

Hello and welcome to another 10 on 10! Before we divulge into our celebration of International Women's Day, make sure to check out the other 10 on 10ers' links below:

Anya Elise Photography

CLB Creative

Shaw Photography

Twinty Photography

Brittany Conner Photography

Button Media

I actually had another group of photos already snapped, edited and ready to post prior to this past weekend. They are a beautiful group of photos from a sunset at the Oregon coast with the hubs and the pups. I love them because we had such a great day spending time with one another and the weather couldn't have been any better. But then, my sister inspired me to post something for a greater cause.

While visiting Syd in Denver over this last weekend, she mentioned that she wanted to celebrate International Women's Day (March 8th) by taking some photos of her and me in Wash Park. We thought it would be a fun way to commemorate the day, and in a way to celebrate I. am. woman. (That's a joke, sort of). After stewing over when and where to take the photos, I had the spark of inspiration to include other women in the photo project as well. We expanded our shoot from two subjects to ten.

Normally when I approach these type of shoots, I have to prepare myself to hear more no's that yes's. People tend to be a little thrown when a stranger asks to take their photo; and to be honest, hearing a lot of no's can get disheartening. But all of these ladies proved me wrong. It was really amazing to talk to these women and to have every single on of them be willing to let me take their photo to post on my blog in support and celebration of them! I didn't hear one no!

I want to be clear that the point of this project is to celebrate women. I love that there is a day created to bring awareness to the differences between men and women and shed some light on how life can often be more challenging to be born with two X chromosomes. I whole heartedly believe that this is an important and necessary discussion to have and will hopefully lead to more gender equality around the world; however for this post, I want to focus on celebrating the beauty of women inside and out. To see our differences and embrace our uniqueness.

So without further ado (I'm almost done rambling), here is this month's 10 on 10. Ten photos of fifteen beautiful women out and about in Denver.

Thank you so much to all fifteen women who agreed to be in my project and have themselves photographed by a stranger. You are all beautiful and made this post much better than ten photos of an (albeit gorgeous) Oregon sunset.

10 on 10 - Feb 2015

Happy 10th everyone! This time on the blog, I'm taking you all on a little trip to the Portland Zoo. I went there with one of my fave families and my favorite (almost) 2 year old little boy. Before we dive into that though, be sure to check out the other 10 on 10ers listed below:

Twinty Photography

Anya Elise Photography

Button Media

CLB Creative

Brittany Conner Photography

Shaw Photography

Welcome back. Now for some fun with the lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! But really, if you have never been to a zoo with a 2 year old, I highly recommend it. It will remind you how exciting it was to see an animal for the first time. The kind that you only learn about in books, so you know what they sound like, but now they are right there in front of you in real life! Everything was mind blowing. I loved it.

If you can't tell, I hang out with all my friends and family who have kids to get my fix.

By the end of the day, all of us were ready to crash. A fun-filled weekend day at the zoo. As always, thanks for letting me tag along on your family time Erickson family. :)

Until next time...