I’m leaving this blog behind and have started a new one!

Please refer to: http://www.heatherlilly.com/BLOG for all future posts.

I’ve transferred most posts over to the new blog, so please start commenting on there!

I am so thrilled to announce I achieved my goal of making the top five for Denver’s A-list, category: Best Photographer!

In fact, I received 4th place!

It’s been a long couple of months of waiting and asking for your votes, so I thank you VERY much for your support!

Without your votes, this wouldn’t be possible!

More importantly, I’m so ecstatic to hear great feedback from clients. It truly does my heart good to hear they are so happy with their experience with HL Concepts.

After a week of cold, rainy weather I was delighted it was a warm, sunny forecast for Sarah & Ben’s wedding day.

When I arrived at the Omni, Sarah’s beautiful bridesmaids and friends were helping her get ready.

Between all of the ladies, there was a ton of what I call “wedding carnage” – make-up and hair Heaven!

Here’s Sarah’s shoes – she spent the last month breaking them in and also got them stretched…. something I’d recommend!

Sarah’s dress is from Bea’s Bridal…

Over at Lionsgate, Sarah’s mom hung her dress up in the vintage-style bridal chamber.

I love this red phone. It’s so retro and bold.

Their flowers were by Broomfield Florist:

Happy Groom:

His self-defined machismo groomsmen:

Gorgeous Bride:

Her beautiful bridesmaids:

shoe & flowers (in case you are wondering: 26.2 is the distance for a marathon):

Everyone’s favorite part of the ceremony – KISSING!

Sarah & Ben’s reaction to their first kiss as husband and wife:

being announced Mr. & Mrs.:

some of my favorites:

Sarah LOVES this red phone booth (I do, too):

another favorite:

getting saucy…

night drama…

their wedding rings:

Food by Bread Winners:

Nancy Best make their wedding cake… 2 of their layers were Funfetti cake! yum!!

Sarah’s mom is Greek, so they incorporated this Greek tradition called Koufetta (almonds):

The most thoughtful guest book I’ve EVER seen! EACH of their guests had their own page, with their picture on it to sign…

their Sneak Peek Storyboard:

Sarah & Ben: Thank you so much for letting me capture your wedding day! It was a pleasure!

So which image(s) is your favorite & why? Please leave a comment below!

Enjoy!

If you are looking for an affordable, very easy to use e-mail newsletter system, you definitely need to try out Mad Mimi:

Make sure to click this link, so they know I sent you!

It’s been a great summer, full of weddings all over the great state of Colorado. During the last weekend of summer, Estes Park had beautiful, dry, sunny weather (followed by a week of COLD), so Kate and Phil really lucked out in the wedding weather department!

Kate & Phil got married at The Historic Crags Lodge in Estes Park, Colorado in front of 150 friends and family.

Here’s their sneak peek storyboard:

Kate and her bridesmaids had simply gorgeous flowers with perfect fall hues (flowers by Kim and Company):

wedding shoes & bridal bouquet:

during Kate & Phil’s meet-up moment before the ceremony:

Doesn’t Kate have a wonderful smile?!

Phil is pretty “cowboy” and this image makes me think of that:

Their beautiful cake was made by one of Kate’s bridesmaids, Libby:

So a little back-story on this next image: I have never seen anything like this at a wedding ceremony! Their wedding bands were tied to the ring bearer pillow and then they passed it around to EVERYONE so each guest could offer their own personal blessing to Kate and Phil. It was very symbolic…
The blonde bridesmaid on the right has passed the pillow on to the brunette bridesmaid in the middle – both are Kate’s sisters. I love the emotion of this one.

We all love this moment (“you may now kiss..”)

It was a great kiss!

Their DJ Chris (with Digital Entertainment Mobile DJ) did a great job of playing tasteful but super fun music during the reception keeping the majority of their guests dancing the night away. All that body heat warranted a quick trip outside to cool evening air for a night bride and groom portrait:

So which image is your favorite and why? Leave a unique comment about Kate & Phil’s wedding images below.
If Kate & Phil get 20+ comments, they will earn a 11×14 print!
In order for the comments to be approved, they MUST be about the images and they must be unique.

I had a great time getting to know a little bit about Becky & Colin during their engagement portraits.

Becky and Colin have been together for over ten years and are planning an island wedding for next year.

For their engagement portraits, they wanted a beautiful tree setting showing the turning colors of fall (so those colors would be in their Save the Date announcements).

A huge part of their life is their dogs Ollie and Bailey – and I can see why, they were both so sweet!

As you can see by their Jerseys, they are also hockey fans… Colin’s jersey being #66 Mario Lemieux from the Pittsburgh Penguins and Becky sporting a Chicago Blackhawks jersey.

Here’s their Sneak Peek Storyboard:

Which one is your favorite? If you leave a comment about Becky & Colin’s sneak peek storyboard and pictures, they can earn a 11×14 print!

BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on Becky & Colin’s storyboard (in this blog post), they will get a complimentary 11×14 PRINT from their engagement portraits!

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: In order for the comments to be approved, they need to be about the images/storyboard and they need to be unique.

McKenna attends Ranum High School in Denver, Colorado.

She has a huge heart for mission work in Mexico and plans to spend the year after high school graduation south of the border.

Doesn’t she have an infectious smile? McKenna’s mom is a hair stylist, so she had fresh highlights and perfect curls for her senior portraits.

Here’s McKenna’s sneak peek storyboard from her Senior Portraits (which one is your favorite & why?):

NEW BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on McKenna’s storyboard (in this blog post), McKenna will get a complimentary 11×14 PRINT from her senior portraits!
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: In order for the comments to be approved, they need to be about the images/storyboard and they need to be unique.

PS – I’m so excited: I have been nominated as one of Denver’s best photographers. My goal is to make the top 5! But I need YOUR vote! Please visit the A-List and cast your vote for HL Concepts! I know there’s some incredible talent out there, so I’m thrilled to be on the list!

Noe and Chris are getting married in Hawaii next August, which is where Noe’s family is from.

Since it’s about time to send out Save the Dates, they wanted to do their engagement portraits in September.

Chris’s sister, Meggan and I went to high school together. So it was a kick to see Meggan’s brother find his match!

Noe & Chris met in college and enjoy hiking, watching movies, working out and dancing.

This is their Sneak Peek Storyboard from their engagement portraits:

NEW BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on Noe & Chris’ storyboard and images (in this blog post), they will get one complimentary 11×14 PRINT from their portrait session!
In order for the comments to be approved, they need to be about the images/storyboard and they need to be unique.

PS – I have been nominated as one of Denver’s best photographers. My goal is to make the top 5! But I need YOUR vote! Please visit the A-List and cast your vote for HL Concepts! I know there’s some incredible talent out there, so I’m thrilled to be on the list!

Baby Jet (short for Jedidiah) lives in Erie. He’s about four months old (he’s a BIG boy) with gorgeous blue eyes and, from what I experienced, a very even-keel temperament.

My favorite approach for baby portraits is going to my client’s home and shooting in a natural setting with natural lighting – lifestyle portraits. That’s what we did for Jet’s portraits.

I can’t wait to post more baby Jet pictures. We did some in a bathroom, a basket, in his bedroom, their formal living room, and his parents’ bedroom.

Jet’s mom wanted me to capture Jet’s baby blue eyes because she’s guessing they will change to another color, just like his older siblings’ eyes.

This is Jet’s Sneak Peek Storyboard. All proofs will be posted in a private online gallery soon.

Jet’s big sister Leya was super sweet on her baby brother. I made her a sneak peek storyboard, too.

NEW BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on these storyboards and images (in this blog post), Jet’s mom will get one complimentary 11×14 PRINT from his portrait session!
In order for the comments to be approved, they need to be about the images/storyboard and they need to be unique.

PS – I have been nominated as one of Denver’s best photographers. My goal is to make the top 5! But I need YOUR vote! Please visit the A-List and cast your vote for HL Concepts! I know there’s some incredible talent out there, so I’m thrilled to be on the list!

Laura and Jason are so sweet on each other. Meeting each other in third grade, could have something to do with it! After 16 years of their love for one other growing, they tied the knot at The Red Lion Restaurant in Boulder, Colorado.

Jackie, from Flowers in Bloom, brought bright, amazing bouquets for Laura & her bridesmaids. She also made a custom hairpiece for Laura’s hair.

Laura and her bridesmaids went to Crave Salon for their up-dos.

Flowers in Bloom also made some stunning boutonnieres for Jason and the other gentlemen at their wedding.

Laura’s make-up, which lasted all night, was by Laura Biso, a MAC makeup artist.

Since Laura is a personal trainer, I knew she’d look amazing in any wedding gown – but her D’Anelli was so complimentary for her body.

Her “something old” was her grandma’s pearls, and she found these simple yet fantastic earrings at Target.

Laura’s shoes from Zappos complimented the details on the front and back of her D’Anelli gown.

The DJ from A+ Music was so friendly and professional. He did a great job of getting the dancers out on the dance floor.

Laura & Jason’s first-dance song was Better Together by Jack Johnson.

I don’t think any guest would argue with me when I say Laura & Jason’s families were not big into dancing – which was completely fine because of the incredible Booth 66 they commissioned.

Wait, another photographer? Well, they have a portable photo booth system that shoots out prints for every guest that enters it. This is all they do and they do it very well! I was so impressed, I plan to start offering Booth 66 as an add-on for the HL Concepts Signature Wedding package.

Laura and Jason, thank you for letting us witness and capture your beautiful wedding story.

Here’s their Sneak Peek Wedding Storyboard and “full-version” of those images:

Laura’s shoe details from Zappos:

Fortunate enough to have an equipment assistant (Devyn) for this wedding, she saw this photo op, as I was shooting Laura’s shoe details (below):

bride’s bouquet from Flowers in Bloom and bride’s shoes:

you may now kiss the bride…

bride & groom portraits:

time from some lovin’….

an artsy shot:

Red Lion has a pretty river/stream next to it:

wedding bands and smiles:

bride and groom moody night portrait (check out Laura’s sculpted arms!)

bride and groom dip kiss at night

NEW BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on Laura & Jason’s storyboard and images (in this blog post), they will get one complimentary 11×14 PRINT from their wedding images!
In order for the comments to be approved, they need to be about the images/storyboard and they need to be unique.

PS – I have been nominated as one of Denver’s best photographers. My goal is to make the top 5! But I need YOUR vote! Please visit the A-List and cast your vote for HL Concepts! I know there’s some incredible talent out there, so I’m thrilled to be on the list!

Delilah attends Ranum High School in Denver, Colorado.

She enjoys math and science and wants to attend college at CU Boulder to study pre-med.

In her spare time, she likes to hang out with friends and family, plays tennis and runs track (short distance).

She loves blue and orange (yes, she is a Bronco fan) and looks great in jewel-tone colors. Delilah has a sweet demeanor and is very smiley. The first thing I noticed about her are here amazing brown eyes.

I had a great time getting to know Delilah and her mom at our top-secret shooting location (somewhere in Colorado…).

Once I wrap up a senior portrait session, the first question I’m asked is “when do we get to see the proofs?” I always smile and say I download them immediately (because I’m excited to see them too!!) and hope to get an online gallery posted within 5 business days. Delilah and her mom were excited to hear that I also blog and Facebook a Sneak Peek as soon as possible – so here you go, enjoy!

NEW BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on Delilah’s storyboard and images (in this blog post), Delilah will get one complimentary 11×14 PRINT from her senior portrait images!
In order for the comments to be approved, they need to be about the images/storyboard and they need to be unique.

PS – I have been nominated as one of Denver’s best photographers. My goal is to make the top 5! But I need YOUR vote! Please visit the A-List and cast your vote for HL Concepts! I know there’s some incredible talent out there, so I’m thrilled to be on the list!

Heather & Jason got married at Black Canyon Inn in Estes Park, Colorado.

I love traveling to Estes Park for weddings, because from Erie it’s a relatively short drive to completely escape and immerse myself in a mountain-town environment. It’s quiet at night, the stars in the sky are so bright, and (in case you didn’t know) Estes Park has amazing salt water taffy! Walking in downtown Estes brings me back to childhood in an instant.

Less than a mile from downtown Estes Park is Black Canyon Inn. This wedding venue has breathtaking views in more than one vantage point. It’s no wonder Heather & Jason chose to get married there.

Heather & Jason’s wedding was intimate. Friends and family pooled together their talents for Heather’s hair, makeup, flowers, and music.

Their delicious cake was from Kim & Co., located in Estes.

What I’ll remember, every time I think of Heather & Jason’s wedding, is the moment in their ceremony when Jason pulled out a surprise ring for Heather. She tossed her head in the sky, laughing at this wonderful surprise. She had no idea she’d be getting a new ring or that Jason had been planning to give it to her all along.

I’ll also remember the rain during their ceremony. Exchanging vows and rings in the rain reminds me of a romantic movie.

If you are wondering how I took pictures in the rain, I was lucky enough to have an assistant with me to hold an umbrella over my cameras during the ceremony.

Heather and Jason, thank you for letting us witness and capture your beautiful wedding day!

Here’s there Sneak Peek Wedding Storyboard and some of my favorite images.

bride’s new ring (before she knew about it)

Heather’s shoes & flowers

the deck at Black Canyon Inn

Heather & Jason take pictures of their feet where ever they go, for special occasions, etc. So this was a special shot for them.

Black Canyon Inn had a little pond with an island in the middle of it. They were sitting on the bench on the island here.

the bridge

a pretty grassy area

they also have lots of enormous rocks | Heather & Jason kissing on the rock, showing off her bouquet

Jason kisses Heather on the forehead pretty regularly

NEW BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on Heather & Jason’s storyboard and images (in this blog post), they will get one complimentary 11×14 PRINT from their wedding images!
In order for the comments to be approved, they need to be about the images/storyboard and they need to be unique.

PS – I have been nominated as one of Denver’s best photographers. My goal is to make the top 5! But I need YOUR vote! Please visit the A-List and cast your vote for HL Concepts! I know there’s some incredible talent out there, so I’m thrilled to be on the list!

Raul attends Thornton High School in Thornton, Colorado.

He’s working hard to graduate early in December. Raul played football for Thornton High School, and his favorite colors are red, black and white.

I met Raul’s mom a little over three years ago networking. Rene is such a sweet, family-orientated mom. Whenever I’m around The Ramirez family, they are always so smiley and inviting.

Here’s Raul’s Sneak Peek Storyboard:

Also, a sentimental picture for any parents, Ruben, Raul & Ricardo.

NEW BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on Raul’s storyboard (in this blog post), Raul will get one FREE 11×14 PRINT from his senior portrait session!
In order for the comments to be approved, they need to be about the images/storyboard and they need to be unique.

PS – I’m so excited: I have been nominated as one of Denver’s best photographers. My goal is to make the top 5! But I need YOUR vote! Please visit the A-List and cast your vote for HL Concepts! I know there’s some incredible talent out there, so I’m thrilled to be on the list!

Cathy adopted Toby when he was an adult dog. The vet guessed he was about seven years old at the time. It’s so great Cathy came along to provide him with a good home.

Cathy says she and Toby used to take really long walks when she first adopted him and at age 16, Toby seems to still enjoy walks and exploring.

When Toby arrived at Studio Lilly, we walked with him around the block, so he could get used to the neighborhood.

Since Cathy knew Toby would do better in a private area, I did his pet portraits in Studio Lilly’s backyard.

Toby is a mixed breed – can you guess what he is? Regardless, he’s super cute with big dark eyes, tiny little teeth, fluffy fur, and an expressive tongue.

Here is Toby’s sneak peek storyboard from his pet portraits.

I’ll post all of Toby’s proofs in a private online gallery very soon!

NEW BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on Toby’s storyboard (in this blog post), Toby (and Cathy) will get a FREE 11×14 PRINT from Toby’s portraits! In order for the comments to be approved, they need to be about the images/storyboard and they need to be unique.

PS – I’m so excited: I have been nominated as one of Denver’s best photographers. My goal is to make the top 5! But I need YOUR vote! Please visit the A-List and cast your vote for HL Concepts! I know there’s some incredible talent out there, so I’m thrilled to be on the list!

Megan attends Ranum High School in Denver, Colorado.

I met Megan through Colorado Ridge Church in Westminster, Colorado.

Megan is a great student and has college plans after she graduates high school. She is also an athlete.

Megan brought some fantastic clothing options to her senior portraits. Her mom came too to help carry her clothes and manage wardrobe changes.

When I asked Megan what her favorite pose of the day was, she said it was the top-left image in her storyboard:

NEW BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on Megan’s storyboard (in this blog post), Megan will get a FREE 11×14 PRINT from her senior portraits! In order for the comments to be approved, they need to be about the images/storyboard and they need to be unique.

PS – I’m so excited: I have been nominated as one of Denver’s best photographers. My goal is to make the top 5! But I need YOUR vote! Please visit the A-List and cast your vote for HL Concepts! I know there’s some incredible talent out there, so I’m thrilled to be on the list!

Nick attends Skyline High School in Longmont, Colorado.

I shot his sister’s senior portraits a couple years ago – Shaundra’s portrait is still hanging in my office and everyone thinks her eyes were Photoshopped to be “that color of blue.” I always say, “you haven’t met Shaundra!”

Well Nick comes from the same bright-blue-eyed gene pool. While he’s a typical high school guy who isn’t necessarily thrilled with getting senior portraits done, we managed to capture lots of genuine smiles and have a fun time. (His mom and sister came along to hold his shirts and help out.)

Nick plays baseball and is a catcher for his team. They will go to Florida for Spring Break and train in the heat and practice pretty much year round to be ready for baseball season.

I hope his senior year is memorable, victorious, and a blast!

Here’s his sneak peek storyboard!

NEW BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on Nick’s storyboard (in this blog post), Nick will get a FREE 11×14 PRINT from his senior portraits! In order for the comments to be approved, they need to be about the images/storyboard and they need to be unique.

PS – I’m so excited: I have been nominated as one of Denver’s best photographers. My goal is to make the top 5! But I need YOUR vote! Please visit the A-List and cast your vote for HL Concepts! I know there’s some incredible talent out there, so I’m thrilled to be on the list!

I’m so excited: I have been nominated as one of Denver’s best local photographers.

Please visit the A-List and cast your vote for HL Concepts! I know there’s some incredible talent out there, so I’m thrilled to be on the list!

Anna Terry attends Northglenn High School in Northglenn, Colorado.

Anna is friends with Devyn (see Devyn’s senior portraits here). They met through Colorado Ridge Church located in Westminster, Colorado.

Anna is a super sweet, smiley young lady with fantastic bright blue eyes. She’s excited about college and plans to attend CU Boulder.

She loves the color blue and chose to have her senior portraits done at Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado partially because of the beautiful view.

Since school wasn’t in session yet, she brought along a couple friends – gotta maximize the rest of summer break and hang with friends as much as possible, right?

Anna prefers artsy shots, so a couple images in her storyboard are more traditional in color and the other two are more modern.

Anna, Devyn, and Kelsie, thanks for a fantastic time in Boulder!

NEW BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on Anna’s storyboard (in this blog post), Anna will get a FREE 11×14 PRINT from her senior portraits! The comments need to be about the images/storyboard and they need to be unique.

I get so excited when I get to photograph Lori’s daughters.

Lori and I met back in 2006 (networking) and she’s been my hair designer ever since. She used to own a hair salon in California and moved to Westminster, Colorado to live closer to her family. If you need a fantastic hair designer with 24+ years of experience, contact Lori Williams at Body & Sole Day Spa-Salon at 9140 Wadsworth Pkwy in Broomfield, CO.

So when I first met Krista & Faith, they were certainly adorable munchkins. Faith had blonde curly hair and Krista had straight, fiery red hair – both blue eyes.

Now they have grown into beautiful young girls. They just got new hair cuts (by their mom, of course) yesterday – all ready for back-to-school time. They both look so grown up!

Here’s a preview of their portrait session:

Krista’s fiery red hair is lighter this time of year from playing out in the summer-sunshine:

Faith’s baby curls are gone – so grown up:

Both girls together – I love this one, you can tell they are best buds:

NEW BLOG PROMO: If 20+ friends and family comment on these images (below this blog post), Lori will get a FREE 11×14 PRINT from Krista & Faith’s session! The comments will be approved for posting if they are about the images and also unique. Enjoy!

TJ attends Skyline High School in Longmont, Colorado. We did his senior portraits last week in and around Erie.

This high school senior is into cars, computers, friends, and sports – and he has plans to be a naval pilot someday.

Stayed tuned for pictures with his classic car – which wasn’t quite ready for it’s closeup yet (getting a new paint job).

Here’s TJ’s Sneak Peek Storyboard:

BLOG PROMO: If TJ gets 20+ unique comments from friends and family about his storyboard/images from his senior portraits on this blog post, he’ll earn one 11×14 print!

Over the weekend I had the pleasure to take family portraits for Matt, Kalisa and their twin girls.

Matt is cousins with one of my best friends Courtney. Since he’s a couple years older than me and Courtney, growing up I remember thinking Matt was super tall and looked just like his uncle Gary. Thanks to Facebook, I’ve been back in touch with The Extended Casseday family… An amazing clan – so loving, fun, and smiley.

Matt got Kalisa a gift card for family portraits a while back. They planned a summer-time session since they are both fans of nice weather.

Their twin girls are 18 months old. It makes me sooo happy that they scheduled a session to document this time in their girls’ lives. I realize that this age-group doesn’t sit still for very long and doesn’t like to pose for the camera. But who needs that?! They are so adorable just the way they are! (Their pink tutus are pretty cute, too.)

Here’s their Sneak Peek Storyboard from their family portraits:

NEW BLOG PROMO:
Friends and family: remember to comment below – if Matt, Kalisa & the girls get 20+ unique comments about their portraits on this blog post, they earn one free 11×14 print from their session.

We got married in June 2004. It took just a couple months before we knew we’d want a dog as soon as possible.

The day after my husband’s birthday, we drove to Brighton, to an amazing rescue called Lifeline Puppy Rescue to “check out the dogs’ personalities.”

When we got there, we saw a couple cute puppies – but when we went to play with them in the play pen, they weren’t very interactive.

My husband turned to the group of black lab mixes and pointed to the last girl. “What about her?”

We took her to the play pen and this 17 pound puppy stretched her paws up on my husband’s chest and licked his face. Her beautiful coral-colored eyes locked into his.

SOLD!

Five years later, we’d do it all again (oh and we did adopt a 2nd dog the following summer).

In honor of our dog Coral’s 5th birthday, I’m offering a Pet Portraiture Special for the month of August:

Just $75!
:: pre-session phone consultation to plan your amazing pet portrait session
:: portraits within 20 miles roundtrip of Studio Lilly in Erie (it’s best to do it in your own yard or in your home)
:: up to 90 minutes
:: unlimited poses
:: proofs posted in a password protected gallery 1-2 weeks after your session
:: 1-5×7 master-crafted print
:: all digital files and prints available at ala carte pricing

10% of profits will go to Lifeline Puppy Rescue in Brighton, Colorado (where we adopted Coral from)

R.S.V.P. Heather.Lilly@HLConcepts.biz