Green Cube | Denver Architectural Photography

Denver's Highlands neighborhood has a fantastically diverse fabric of architectural styles, including many new, contemporary and sustainably built homes, such as UrbanGreen's latest, the LEED approved Green Cube home.

The home has strong architectural forms, a beautiful glass stair, and a wonderful Living Wall feature which purifies the air quality while simultaneously growing herbs and lettuces right around the corner from the kitchen... what could be better?

I was fortunate enough to photograph the project during its brief time as a model home for one of the talented designers, Heidi Mendoza of Re.Dzine.

See more photos from this shoot on my FB fan page.

Cheers!

Stir Cooking School

Cleaning out some old files over the weekend I realized that I never posted these photos of the gorgeous, Naka Designs interiors of Stir Cooking School in Highlands (Denver) CO.  Photographed in collaboration with architectural photographer Jason Jung, this was a great opportunity for us to compare styles and methods.  The final results hopefully combine the best of both worlds!

Scene on Site

Having a personal history with landscape photography, I love it when a commissioned shoot brings me a chance to also capture a great sky or a unique perspective on a familiar landscape.  Here are a few such images I wanted to share from two recent photo shoots in the Telluride area.

Instagram | Portrait Fun

Since my studio is in our home, I try to make time every day to connect with my boy OUTSIDE of the house (without the distraction of the computer, phone, etc.), and one of our favorite spots has become a coffee shop on the walk home from school.

It just so happens that the coffee shop has this great shade which in summertime produces a fantastic light pattern.  While yes, this IS admittedly another distraction, it has a fun side-effect: cool photos!  We took these of each other yesterday with the iPod Touch, and I edited them very minimally in Camera+ and shared through Instagram.

The photo on the right was chosen as "best of the day" by members of the IG community today, and has received over 650 "likes" and more comments from all around the world since I first posted it just over 24 hours ago!  I'm clearly still bowled over by the power of this interactive tool to share creative inspiration.

Grand Entrances | Colorado Homes & Lifestyles

Excited to have one of the amazing homes I photographed for One Architects in Telluride, CO featured as the first story in a special section dedicated to grand entrances in this month's issue of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles.

See more photos of this incredible home on the One Architects' website.

American Lamb Board | CU Campus

The American Lamb Board recently commissioned Merritt Design Photo for some photos of the incredible new dining facility which features a Persian Station, at the  CU Center for Community building on the Boulder, CO campus.

We were excited to learn that Food Management magazine wanted to run some of the photos, including this photo of lamb kabobs on the grill, which is on the cover of their April 2011 issue.  

Jewelry Photography | Lauren Harper Collection

Some of my favorites from a recent fun photography shoot of the Fall Collection for the absolutely gorgeous Lauren Harper Collection...

One Architects | Ad Campaign in Luxe magazine

Excited to share this beautiful ad campaign I have been designing for One Architects to run in Luxe magazine:

Winter (l) and Spring (r) full page ads in Luxe

The conceptual goal was to use the full page in an eye-catching way that would drive curiosity to visit their website.  We strived to achieve this by highlighting an unusual crop of an architectural detail in the keyhole of their logo, with a different seasonal background for each corresponding issue in Luxe magazine.

Winter and Spring (running in the current issue) are shown above, and we just finished up summer, which will be a double page spread:

Summer double page spread in Luxe

Springtime in the City

Rushing water is the hallmark of springtime in the mountains.  Rivers burst at the seams and ponds emerge in the valleys as snow melts and rages on its annual springtime descent. 

After a dozen or so of these high alpine springs, I had completely forgotten how abundantly beautiful this season can be at a slightly lower elevation!

It is April and already neighborhoods in Denver are bursting with color and new life.  And I, of course, as my eyes are on overdrive, I can't help myself but try to capture the new season in its birth.

I photograph because I have to.  Just ask my son, it's a compulsion over which I have surprisingly little control.  Compositions present themselves constantly, frozen moments of time, light and expression frame up in my view, even when I am not actively pressing a shutter.

As such, my camera often feels like an extension of my self; it is the tool through which, when I use it well, I am able to communicate my vision of the art and beauty that I see in my surroundings with the rest of the world.  The creative process drives me to the art of capture; the ability to share my work and evoke emotion from others is the inspiration.

Capture Philosophy | PHOTO TIP 03: SHOOT, SHARE, STAY INSPIRED

My newest creative addiction has a healthy side-effect: Pure, Raw, Synapse-Firing... INSPIRATION.

Instagram, if you aren't already familiar, is a free photo sharing app for the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad which has skyrocketed in popularity in just a few short months (Check out this article on the simple but powerful features they nailed in their launch).  It took me less than an hour to figure out why it is so popular amongst photo enthusiasts, amateurs and professionals alike...

Photos taken with the iPod Touch and filtered with "Lomi-fi" filter in Instagram | ©merrittphoto

The basic tenet of "iPhoneography" is that the best camera is the one you have with you.

As any dSLR owner knows, it's not always convenient to carry tripod, camera body, kit of lenses, filters, batteries, cards, etc., and more often than not, there will inevitably be a great spot of light or moment of inspiration precisely when you decide not to tote along your gear.  If you are lucky enough to have a camera in your phone, however, the opportunity for creativity and capture is hardly lost.

iPod snapshots of architecture around Denver, with various IG filters | ©merrittphoto 

Dialoguing recently with a fellow Instagram'er, I realized how much inspiration I gather not only through this less formal method of shooting, but also through the daily feed of tiny square photographic compositions from all around the world.  I am provoked to consider what moves me about these images -- in intimate scenes from Italy; in extraordinary aurora sky photos from Lapland; in edgy street scenes from New York City and dramatic ocean sunsets from the equator -- as they each enter my personal photo feed...

... Like miniature vacations in the palm of my hand.

iPod Touch photos of my favorite model, with Lomi, Apollo and Gotham IG filters (l-r) | ©merrittphoto 

With visual media such as photography, we can learn so much from studying what we like (and dislike), and we can then attempt to reproduce our favorite elements -- pattern, simplicity of composition, use of light, etc. -- from the material in our own world.  A tool like this with a constant stream of content for inspiration can thus become truly addictive.

It may be obvious that as a professional photographer, I find that my style while shooting with the iPod is FAR less inhibited than when I am shooting with my dSLR.  Less obvious is how dearly I have come to love the results... as well as the new possibilities.  Often (as with the "drive by" photos below) I just hold the phone up to a scene and press the "shutter" without looking (not exactly possible with pro-gear).  It is delightful to look later and discover there are gems in the mix.

A new category of photos not possible with a dSLR (Please drive safely! Don't post and drive!!) | ©merrittphoto

The IG filters offer enough creativity to require no additional photo editing, but of course there are hundreds of amazing photo apps out there to process phone pix through as well, and I have found several that I enjoy, including Filterstorm, TiltShift Generator, FX Photo Studio, 100 Cameras in One, and Impression (if you want to add a copyright to your photos before posting).

Once you have even just a few followers on IG, the feedback is immeasurably enjoyable.  Like any other social media, a great part of the allure is the community itself.  So far my experience is that the IG community is like an incredibly supportive, creative, international family!

Where would iPhoneography be without coffeeshop photos? iPod Touch / IG filters | ©merrittphoto 

My hope with this post is to encourage you, if you have the ability to shoot from your non-dSLR mobile device, to USE it, and use it every day.  Take photos of your morning coffee, your pet and the walk around your neighborhood.  The discipline to simply do something creative every day is a wonderful way to sharpen your skills and stay inspired.  Regardless of your skill level, the tricks of composition, light and content choices which you learn quickly with this completely non-intimidating device will inform choices when using your "real" camera.

Just as important: SHARE your photos.  Photo sharing communities such as Instagram offer each of us the ideal opportunity to share our vision with other people -- people who don't know each other but who truly desire to share creativity and inspiration through each other's photos and feedback.

And thus our world expands yet again... Brilliant use of the technology, in my opinion!

Happy Spring from my iPod to your eyes | ©merrittphoto

Until next time, Happy Spring to you!  Shoot, SHARE and stay inspired!
... and as always, have fun!

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A complete collection of the @merrittphoto feed on Instagram, can be seen here.
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If you'd like to get started on IG, there are SO many incredible feeds out there, but here are a few recommendations for fun, interactive people to check out as you get started:
@joshjohnson @richnyc @iscooler @mouselink @brianng @electricdenim
and @steinvalente (thank you for this blog inspiration, Michel!)

Snow Falling on Spring Buds

There's a saying in Colorado, "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes."

Yesterday I wore flip flops and walked (in short sleeves) to the Denver Botanic Gardens in 80 degrees of warm sunshine... even took off my shoes to enjoy the feel of warm soil between my toes for the first time this season.

Today... I photographed snow from my living room window.

Now, I did LOVE the sunshine and warmth of yesterday, but I'm not going to complain.  The smell of moisture in the air is a treasured gift in the wake of early season forest fires.  And on a more, perhaps, frivolous note, I can't deny loving a whirling snowfall such as this, and the backdrop of spring buds made for some fun, almost painterly compositions.

Finger Painting | Wearable Art

We had only a tiny window of opportunity in which to fit in a shoot with Nicole wearing her latest painted dresses (co-designed by Chemical by Sasha for the Telluride AIDS Benefit).  

She was a trooper out there in the sudden (and intense) snow squall, and in the end, the whirling snow added quite nicely to the magical quality of the dresses.

See more of her work here.

Telluride AIDS Benefit | Behind the Models... The Series

I'm still not exactly sure why I ever believed the local fashion show models of Telluride would actually agree to pose for these photos, but somehow they went for it, and here we are, four years strong!

There's something so powerful and pure about the grouped forms of bodies in graphic shapes like this, and the set altogether is quite fun.

Together 8 prints of these four photos have raised over $4K in the Telluride AIDS Benefit silent art auctions.

Top to bottom:
Array | 2009
Force + Grace | 2011
Hands of Hope | 2008
Outside the Box | 2010

Telluride AIDS Benefit | Model Photo 2011

This year's theme, "Force + Grace," was another really fun concept to dream up, sketch out and photograph... A central spine of models choreographed to transfer forces top to bottom, complimented by the graceful poses of the dancers weaving on either side:

As always, the models were a dream to work with... Special thanks to this year's amazing Fashion Show choreographer/directors Katy Parnello and Amanda Carlson for their assistance in directing the shoot.

I feel so blessed for the opportunity to be involved in the promotion and fundraising for this unique and special event.  Gratitude abounds for everything the board and community behind the Telluride AIDS Benefit does to make this event not only an impressive high quality and ridiculously fun experience, but also a huge success with its financial contribution -- funds which go directly to saving lives and helping improve the quality of life for children and people effected by AIDS from the Western Slope to Africa.

Watch here for photos from the always amazing TAB Gala Fashion Show!