Salazar Photography Blog

Training Day with Craig Alexander

2011-11-24T07:56:00.000-08:00

As the year winds down, I can finally look back and show you some of the shoots I never had time to blog. (As it turns out, blogging just takes up too much time to do regularly like I used to.) Today's treat is a shoot I did for Inside Triathlon (a branch of Competitor Magazine). They did a video production called Training Day with Craig Alexander. It's an inside look at the then two-time World Champion, Craig "Crowie" Alexander, preparing for race day at Ironman Hawaii where he would go on to claim his third title. The mini-movie was published on the web, and can be viewed here.

I was brought on as the still photographer for the promotional shots they would use for the video. It was an amazing opportunity to see one of the world's finest athletes in top form, and discover what it takes to be the best.

The day began with a 110-mile training ride up in the mountains behind Boulder, Colorado. As Craig put it, it's a tough ride, but when this is your office, it's not a bad day's work.

Craig keeps good company: beside him is Mirinda Carfrae, and she was the defending World Champion coming into the race this year.

Here's what the years of training will do to your legs.

Most of the time, Crowie was all smiles...

...but sometimes he was strictly business.

I was part of a crew of four who followed Craig throughout the day. Bob Babbit, the founder of Competitor, stopped Craig a few times to interview him about how the day was going.

After the ride, it was a lonely run for Craig, with 12 mile repeats at 5:30 pace. Insane.

His face is a mask, but he was working to the limit here.

Back home, one of my favorite shots is just Craig sitting, zoning out, and taking in the day. He would go on to win the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii just a few weeks later. Congratulations, Crowie!

Studio Baby Portraits - Noah

2011-08-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

Being busy is a great thing, but I'm starting to think I need to hire an assistant just to do my blog posts. There are dozens of shoots I've been wanting to share, but haven't been able to because whenever I think I'm going to have time, I end up booked out for another shoot. Good for me, bad for you, my viewing public. Well, here's a small gallery of the adorable baby Noah. Enjoy!

The Caveman Cometh

2011-07-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago, I was privileged to get to photograph Conrad Stoltz, World Champion Xterra triathlete. Four time Champion, to be precise. And he's also won the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships, similar to Xterra. Basically, he's incredibly dominant any time he does a tri on a mountain bike. And he's a pretty fantastic time trialist as well, and hopes to compete in the Olympic Games in London in 2012.

I was retained to shoot him exclusively for Inside Triathlon magazine. But funny enough, on the day we were set to shoot, Conrad told us had hoped to do some dirt biking. Did I want to come along and shoot that? Basically, I'd be doing a drive through the most gorgeous mountain country in Colorado, and do some shooting along the way. Um ... yes, please! Yeah, it's a rough life, being a commercial photographer. But somebody has to do it. Check out the latest issue of Inside Tri for the full story.

Kristen & Rob's Wedding

2011-06-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

Shortly after the snowy engagement photos, we got to shoot Kristen and Rob's beautiful wedding. I absolutely LOVE IT when I can catch the groom getting all teary-eyed, and Rob was maybe the most emotional groom I've ever seen. It was ... AWESOME. We'll just let the photos speak for themselves.

Snowy Denver Engagement - in MAY

2011-05-10T06:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, this session was an awesome treat - let me set the scene. It's May, and Colorado is starting to get warm. The weather is still a bit brisk, with a forecast for possible showers. No problem, because cloudy skies are a treat for photographers - they help get rid of harsh sunlight shadows. So anyway, we go out with Kristen and Rob to grab some shots, and of course, they look beautiful. We're nearing the end of the engagement session, when the skies just OPEN UP out of nowhere, and little pellets of snow start falling everywhere! Seriously, it was like Dippin' Dots were coming out of the sky. It was absolutely freezing, and we didn't last too long, but we did get some stellar shots out of it. Great work, you two!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. These two look so natural together.

And their pooches seem to be happy about their engagement too!

So we are shooting this (you two look awesome by the way), when all of a sudden ...

... BAM! The snow really went from zero to blizzard in about 60 seconds.

Run for the hills!!!

How gorgeous is this? I love it.

Family Portraits in Phoenix

2011-05-03T05:50:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I got a special treat - a trip out to Phoenix for some warmer weather, and a rockin family portrait session! I left snowy Colorado (although it's warming up now), for the sunnier skies in Phoenix, Arizona. Harris is a father of four, and a grandfather many times over, and once a year, he gets the whole clan together for a week long vacation (sounds good to me)! It's a big group, twenty-two in all, and shooting a group that size is always a fun challenge. So many different personalities to capture, so much going on! Here are some of my favorites from the day. Enjoy!

The whole group, all together.

I'm pretty sure this one is gonna be a movie star, don't you think?

...and her cousin too! Love this shot!

It's not all girls though - there are some young guys too ...

... and some older guys, just as macho.

The adults got plenty of time to be silly too.

LOVE this one!!

Here's Harris and his wife, stealing a little portrait time with each other.

Chasing Dreams

2011-04-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

The image above was taken at the 2010 Ironman World Championship race in Kona, Hawaii. That's Australian Chris McCormack, on his way to a second World Title.

Those of you who follow this blog (yes, both of you) might have wondered why we had a sudden dropoff of posts in the last few months. Well, Nick has been a big fan of triathlon for over a decade, and has steered Salazar Photography in the direction of triathlon photography. He's shot for a variety of manufacturers and publications, and in the last several months, has had an enormous amount of work coming from that sector.

This blog was always meant to showcase non-commercial shoots - specifically, portraits and weddings. And for a good stretch now, there's been so much triathlon work that the portraits we *do* take haven't even gotten posted. We promise we'll get around to showing you the cute kids and nuptials you're craving. And if all the commercial work continues, we might have to show off a few of those shoots now and again.

January Mountain Wedding - Sarah & Peter

2011-01-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

You gotta love weddings in the mountains. This January, we got to celebrate with Sarah and Peter, the beautiful couple whose engagement session we captured last year. Sarah was a stunning bride (I'm a sucker for the half-down hairdo), and Peter was as happy a groom as I've ever seen. Their wedding was a classic fairy tale, and it was an honor for us to be their photographers. Thanks, you two, and congratulations!

Holiday Baby Portraits with Carter

2010-11-29T15:14:00.000-08:00

When Tim and Kellie walked in the front door of our studio with little Carter, I knew we had a winner. That kid just can't help but be cute. It was a joy to shoot these holiday portraits, which Tim and Kellie are going to use on their Christmas cards. They were a joy to shoot, and the pictures came out great. Merry Christmas!

Justin & Nyssa's Destination Wedding Photography

2010-11-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

We couldn't blog about their engagement and skip out on the Wedding, could we? Justin and Nyssa had their beautiful wedding ceremony tucked away in the small Texas town of Victoria. Justin is normally a smooth, calm, collected gentleman. But he told me that as he put his tux on, his hands started shaking. I'm sure he wouldn't want to be called "super cute" in that moment, but I'll let you be the judge. Their wedding was gorgeous, sweet, and emotional. We extend a huge and heart-felt congratulations to these two fine human beings. Cheers!

Downtown Denver Engagement Portraits: Justin and Nyssa

2010-10-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well, now I KNOW we're getting behind on the blog posts ... this engagement portrait session with Justin and Nyssa was way back in August, and we just shot their lovely wedding in Victoria, Texas. But before we post the images from the nuptials, we figured we'd show these ones off first. Justin and Nyssa are a joy to shoot. They're easygoing, easy to capture, and obviously they're adorable.

They wanted to go to Downtown Denver for their portraits, to grab a variety of urban landscape and soft nature shots. It's hard to notice the scenery though, when the couple is this cute. Thanks for the great session, guys, and we can't wait to show you the wedding photos.

Denver Maternity Portraits - Jamie and Greg

2010-09-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Maternity portraits are one of our favorite types of shoots to do. Expectant mothers are inexplicably happy to be in the studio, despite the general discomfort they are probably feeling as their little one grows and kicks a bit more each day. And the fathers-to-be are obviously growing too, preparing for their impending fatherhood. It's a beautiful thing to see, and Jamie and Greg were no exception. Their shoot was fun, lively, and turned into some beautiful photographs. Congrats, you two (three)!

Engagement Portraits with Sarah and Peter

2010-09-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the photographer's task is a challenging one -- to find unique angles, to get that artistic shot that encompasses a couple's true inner beauty, to see what no one else sees. And sometimes, that task is ridiculously easy. Or at least, it's made easy by the abundant and undeniable beauty that a couple's love seems to exude no matter WHAT you do.

Such was the case with Sarah and Peter, a newly engaged couple who look at each other each time as if for the first time. Yeah, that sounds really cheesy, but let me give you an example. It's so cute -- every time Sarah kisses Peter, he gets this surprised look like "Oh my gosh! A pretty girl just kissed me!" I think that, right there, is true love. It was truly an honor to shoot their engagement session, and I can't wait for the wedding. Thanks guys, and congratulations!

Destination Wedding Photography: Blythe and Zach

2010-08-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

This wedding has been a LONG time coming. Zach contacted us over two years ago to book his wedding photography, for his nuptials in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. We shot their engagement portraits way back in August of 2009, which turned out fantastic. To say that we were excited about this wedding would be an understatement. Blythe and Zach are so perfect for each other; they just seem to "fit" together, you know what I mean? Watching them get married was a real honor, and I think their photos really reflect the beauty of the day. Congratulations, you two, and thanks for the great wedding!

Outdoor Senior Portraits - Kali

2010-08-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

Kali just loves the look of an outdoor, urban environment. Especially where there's graffiti. So for her senior portraits, she scouted out locations in the Denver and Littleton areas that might have some cool outdoor textures. We ended up finding some pretty cool stuff, and I think it came through really well in her photos. Thanks for the session, Kali!

Probably my favorite of the day. I love the natural expression, and the undeniable Colorado beauty.

Another fave.

A sweet graffiti shot. We found this one by accident while walking around looking for shots.

Look at those eyes!

Littleton Senior Portraits - Brendan

2010-08-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

You know what the best part of shooting portraits in our home studio is? We can play music as loud as we want. When we shot Brendan's senior portraits, he let us know he's a big fan of Green Day. So, our photo shoot turned into a bit of a rock concert.

One of my favorite shots of the day. I love the white seamless lighting, and the natural pose. This one really seems like the real Brendan to me.

Of course, we didn't have any tunes during the outdoor photos, but we brought the rockstar with us ... mustang!

Thanks for the great session, Brendan! Best of luck this year.

Red Rocks Family Portraits - Jen

2010-08-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

Jennifer has GOT to be the most thoughtful daughter on the planet. Why? Because for Christmas, she bought her parents a Gift Card from Salazar Photography for a family portrait session! Every kid who does that is sure to be on Santa's "nice" list, guaranteed.

Anyway! Jen's family wanted to go up to Red Rocks to do their portraits, and wanted their family dogs to be front and center in the pictures. It's so funny, because as a family photographer, we've learned PLENTY of tricks for shooting children, even if they're not too interested in cooperating. Getting a dog to look into the camera and smile on cue can be even more challenging. But in the end, I think we captured the kind of natural, outdoors look Jen and her family wanted, and even got some good ones of the dogs.

Okay, how adorable is this? Sarge is the cuddly pooch nuzzling with Jen and Elizabeth here.

Isn't Red Rocks amazingly beautiful?

Published in Triathlete Magazine

2010-08-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

We had the privilege of getting published this month in the nationally-circulated Triathlete Magazine. The mag is owned by Competitor Group, who is the same company responsible for hosting all the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon races, and also publishes VeloNews. They licensed one of our images, and used it for a full two-page spread in the magazine, shown below. We're delighted at the honor of being included in the mag, and hope to report some more of the same good news soon.

The Way We Work

2010-08-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, just a quick update. I saw something today that was too cool not to share, even if I do have a mountain of other sessions I should probably be blogging first. We had our piano tuned today, and it was really neat to watch how it was done. Haven't you always wanted to know the secrets of piano tuning? Well, it's a process with several steps, because of how the string tension works on the broad iron bar that holds them in place.

Originally, every step required a very careful ear, and a tuner would have a hard time making sure everything was in correct pitch. Then came tuning forks, and tuning whistles, and other mechanical things. Then electronic pitch finders. And now ... apps! Our tuner had a special app that would automatically tell him when he was on pitch. You can see it here - his phone is laying on the piano top.

That doesn't mean he doesn't still have to possess talent -- the final tuning is still up to his ear, to make sure everything worked properly. And there are things that an electronic pitch finder won't catch. But it just got me thinking about how our lives are all increasingly dependent on digital technology. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, but juxtaposed with the analog beauty of a wooden piano, it makes for some good thought.

Littleton Senior Portraits - Nicole

2010-08-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

Nicole came to us for some Senior Portraits, and right from the start, we knew she was a natural in front of a camera. It made for a really fun session, and I think we got some amazing shots. Thanks, Nicole!

Probably my favorite shot from the day. I think Abercrombie & Fitch will be calling Nicole soon for modeling work.

Dakota Ridge Senior Portraits

2010-07-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

Little-known fact: once upon a time, I actually went to Dakota Ridge High School. So this year, we decided to run a special set of packages just for the Seniors at Dakota. Senior Portraits are always fun -- we get to see some kids excited for the future, and their proud parents looking on. This session was outdoors at a great barn location we use in Parker.

Emily's Denver Studio Headshots

2010-07-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

We always love an opportunity to bust out the seamless backdrops. So when Emily told us she needed some headshots with pizazz, we got excited. Although it may be counter-intuitive, a plain white or gray background can really make a subject pop.

This one is probably my favorite. I just love the playful look, and the way her shoes pop.

So sassy ... I love it!

What's wrong with a cute little curtsy every once in a while?

This one is Em's favorite, and the one she's submitting to her casting director.

What's Emily's little secret?

Family Portrait Session in the Wild

2010-06-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, small confession to make ... I'm way behind on blogging. And I probably won't catch up any time soon. Sooooooo, you'll just have to make do with the sparse posting :-)

Today I get to show you Radhika and her lovely family, who came to us for some family portraits of their beautiful twins. We went up to one of my favorite local parks for the session, which has a lot of cool natural beauty. The toddlers were super cute, as I'm sure you'll agree.

Triathlon stars get fit at Retul

2010-06-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

What happens when you combine total engineering nerds with hardcore triathlon fanatics? The best bike fit system the planet has ever seen. Retul is a dynamic, super-accurate system for measuring how each individual athlete fits on their bike. When you need to get perfectly dialed in, there's nothing better.

And that's why World Champion Julie Dibens and her Trek/K-Swiss teammate Joe Gambles use the Retul system to get fit on their bikes. We were on the scene this week when Julie and Joe got fit on their brand new Trek Speed Concept bikes. It was some pretty cool stuff, and reminds me how much I love this job.

Julie puts the power down while Mat Steinmetz checks her position and her fit numbers on the computer.

The "Zin" tool measures the bike down to the millimeter.

By scanning the bike's coordinates in, the Retul system allows riders to set up their new bikes exactly like their old ones.

Mat gives Julie some pointers on hand position.

Joe Gambles, riding in his "badger" position.

Retul has fit a number of incredible athletes in its Boulder studio.

There's plenty of spare gear on the wall to help athletes find just the right position to ride their bikes.

Tour of California Time Trial

2010-06-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

This week was something of a dream assignment. I was flown to Los Angeles to photograph the time trial stage of the Amgen Tour of California. In five short years, the tour has become one of the greatest races in professional cycling, and an incredible spectacle of an event.

This year, the race organizers invited some professional triathletes to race the time trial course just before the pro peleton, and triathlon web portal Slowtwitch.com hired me to shoot them.

Below are some samples from the event, read the full article here.

World Champion Chris McCormack set a blistering pace on the course.

Top U.S. triathlete Chris Lieto warms up aboard his very slick Trek Speed Concept bike.

Recognize this guy? He's Yaroslav Popovych, long-time teammate of Lance Armstrong. Here is is leaving out of the start ramp.

Lieto tearing it up on the bike course.

This is wonderwoman Chrissie Wellington, who has won every Ironman she's ever started. So far, she's three-time World Champion, and is going for her fourth title in October. We'll be there to catch the action, so stay tuned.

Popovych relaxing before the start.

A Helen's rider feels the burn riding through the tough climb on the course.