Ardent Photography by Rick & Stephanie Osborne

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Aug 30 2010

Nicole & Brian | Wedding

Nicole and Brian were one of our first couples to use the phrase “wow photos”. They wanted wedding photos that were unique and different…they wanted “wow photos”. Steph and I have been using that phrase for a while now, and it was interesting to hear someone else use the same phrase. After every shoot, we grade our performance on the number of “wow photos” we feel like we have taken. It’s a funny coincidence, but also one of the many reasons why we clicked so well with Nicole and Brian. When we all met a few weeks ago to go over the final details of the big day, there was one thing that really stuck out to Stephanie and I…the reception was going to be a lot of fun. An open bar, a really fun and outgoing bridal party, crazy dancing and…fireworks. We weren’t disappointed.

Steph met the girls Saturday morning at The Emporium, a chic salon in Wheatland. These brave ladies endured over 7 hours there…I can’t even comprehend that!?! While the ladies were making themselves beautiful for the day, I was with the guys at Brian’s friend Jeff’s house. The guys’ getting ready is typically different from the ladies’. It involves sitting around, making fun of each other and putting on the tuxedos as late as we possibly can. On our way out, Jeff invited Brian and all of the groomsmen out to his garage for a last drink before we left. His garage bar was amazing! It felt like we had just walked into the local watering hole. (By the way, we still managed to make it on time for the formal shots!) We met the ladies at a beautiful garden location to get a head start on photos for the day. Nicole and Brian opted to do a ‘first look’, which is always one of our favorite traditions on the wedding day.

After that we all headed to Wheatland United Methodist Church for the ceremony. Highlights include Wyoming’s cutest little flower girl, the pastor helping Ethan untie the worlds toughest double knotted rings from the ring bearer pillow and a SILLY STRING exit… Steph got absolutely covered in silly string, trying to get ‘the shot’ as Brian and Nicole exited the church. Their reception was held at the Platte County Fairgrounds inside the 4-H building. Brian and Nicole’s family did an excellent job transforming this blah building into a really striking reception. As I mentioned before we were PROMISED that this reception would be one of the most lively, fun and spirited receptions we have ever seen. Nicole and Brian totally delivered… Dancing, singing, serenading, a bit of country swing, a candy buffet and more, seems like their reception had everything.

We really had so much fun with this one! Brian and Nicole, thank you for letting us be there to capture your big day. We are happy to call you clients and even happier to now call you friends. Looking through the pictures we wanted to make sure that the ‘party’ shone through. This might be one of our largest blog posts ever but we definitely wanted to share a few of our favorites from your special day…

Nicole chose to carry her grandmother’s cross on her bouquet as her something old. This was a total surprise to her mother Pat. She knew it would mean so much to her mom and Steph felt so lucky to have gotten to photograph this moment…

Isn’t this the craziest exit photo ever? GREAT idea…

She had the moves let me tell you! There wasn’t a single song that went by where she wasn’t out on the dance floor…

Brian and Nicole had a fireworks show AT THE RECEPTION? How cool is that? It was an awesome show…

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Aug 27 2010

Friday, I’m In Love | Life

This Friday, I’m In Love… with owning a home!

Neither Rick, nor I have ever been home owners. We both spent our lives as serial ‘renters’, just kissing month after month of rent payments goodbye never to see them again. Move in, stay a while then move out, for years it was the same old story. When Rick and I officially became ‘Rick & Stephanie,’ owning a little piece of the world was a mjor goal of ours.

We started our journey by relocating to Laramie, WY actually… Since we cover both Wyoming and Colorado it is always interesting the reaction we get to living in a small town. Quite frequently I find our Colorado Brides asking me WHY. A major reason why has to do directly with this CRAZY fantasy I had of being a mom (that will never happen RIGHT?) The first time I visited Laramie I fell in love… My head became filled with 4th of July’s spent with family at ‘Freedom Has A Birthday’, a celebration which is attended by the entire town, every year without fail. I envisioned our children attending the same school my husband did, growing up with the same friends their entire life and living in a world where people wave when they see you walking and running into friends at the grocery store is a daily occurrence. Birthdays filled with BOTH sets of grandma’s and grandpa’s, aunts and uncles and playing with cousins galore pretty much sealed the deal!

There is a lot that goes into buying a house. Financially, emotionally, strategically… Although we moved here nearly two years ago (has it really been THAT long?) we didn’t want to rush into anything. We took some time to pay down debt, work on credit scores and put some serious thought into what we wanted. Although a few of the items were the same, Rick and I each had things that were important to us individually as well. For Rick he wanted enough space to raise our family, the ability to build equity, a guest bedroom for company and to be sure we were getting a fair deal. For me I wanted something ‘neighborhoody’ where our kiddos could ride their bikes and go trick or treating, I wanted an office that could hold the ever growing amount of ‘work stuff’ we have piled everywhere currently and space to be able to entertain our HUGE family on holidays. Collectively we agreed that we would love to be close to Rick’s mom Ruby as well as really looking to invest in something long term (neither one of us are too keen on moving AGAIN).

I am happy to announce that we have found the most charming home, right here in Laramie that fits all these criteria and more! We have decided on a 3 bedroom, 3 bath twin home that is actually being built for us right now! It is 2130 square feet with an unfinished basement. Our plans are to turn this into a 4th bedroom as well as adding another bathroom to work on Rick’s equity fascinationWe will have a deck to entertain, a backyard for the kiddo and even got to pick out colors! I feel so absolutely blessed right now. I didn’t grow up in a world where you went out and purchased new cars, bought new homes or got to pick the color on anything really. Rick and I have dreamt of this milestone for SO long now! SO much time, effort, heart, blood, sweat and tears have gone into this… I am definitely not so egotistical to think that we made this happen on our own however, I thank God every night for giving us the little family we have always wanted as well as a place to raise said family to boot! Be prepared to be FLOODED with photos… I am totally in love, can you tell? We drive by the build site multiple times daily and I am even planning on creating a stop motion video of the actual house building from start to finish. I would love to show you an example of what our home will look like when it is finished (same colors even) and the very first photo I’ve taken of the process… drumroll please!

Please excuse the crummy camera phone photo!

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” – Plato

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Aug 26 2010

Alexandra | Seniors

Alexandra is the all American girl next door. You know, the kind of girl who goes camping, fishing, hiking and backpacking… all while wearing the perfect pair of uber cute girly boots! She has an infectious smile, a quiet charm and knows how to ‘work the camera’ for sure!

Rick and I have the pleasure of meeting all kinds of seniors each year. Most of them grew up here in WY, surrounded by familiar faces. When we ask them where they would like to go for their senior photos they are able to rattle off dozens of places that remind them of their high school years. Alexandra on the other hand just moved from Washington, to spend her senior year here at Laramie High. A Wyoming transplant, when asked where she wanted to take her senior photos she told us she absolutely HAD to have them taken in the mountains.

So Rick and I headed up to the Snowy Mountain range with Alexandra and her dad Faren to do a little exploring, frolicking among the wildflowers and oh yeah, take a few senior photos while we were at it. Alexandra was a joy to work with. That infectious smile I mentioned earlier made it so easy on us. Frame after frame was filled with beautiful mountain scenery and her quiet laughter. The ‘magic’ of the session came out however when we dabbled in asking her to go ’serious’ for the camera. One of my absolute favorite images from this years senior season is of Alexandra being serious, staring down the camera with a fierce intensity, beaming with confidence. Those Laramie girls better be prepared, they’ve got some competition now that this Washington beauty has arrived!

As always we would love to share a few of our favorites:

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Aug 24 2010

Fall Marathon | Boudoir

As most of you know my wonderful husband Rick and I are expecting our first baby in January. Baby O. has been keeping things interesting for me this wedding season to say the very least! Because of this exciting news the Ardent Boudoir marathon scheduling will changing this year. Typically we schedule a Fall Marathon for those ladies wanting to surprise their men with Christmas gifts. Then toward the end of the year we hold our Valentine’s Day Marathon. This year the Valentine’s Day Marathon will not be occurring (I will be busy chasing around that crazy little Osborne kid lol), so the Fall Marathon will be your last opportunity to give the present of boudoir for both occasions. We had so many amazing women turn out for our last marathon and sold out so fast that I added a second day after only two weeks! Put that tan to good use, show off the body you’ve been working on all summer and surprise that special someone with a gift they won’t forget! The Fall Marathon is an excellent opportunity to have your boudoir photos taken and save some money while you are at it. Sessions booked during the Fall Marathon will be at a special discounted rate as there are no location fee’s. But you better act fast, we only have room for a limited number ladies and these spots will definitely go in a rush (one of them is already gone…)! For more information check out the Ardent Boudoir site or email me at info@ardentphotographyinc.com. Curious about what to expect? Here is what a few of my past clientele had to say about their sessions:

“I wavered back and forth many times about whether to have boudoir photos taken: Were they worth the money? Would the photos look nice? Would I feel comfortable? Most often I asked myself , “What’s the point?” Now, after the fact, I can say how glad I am to have booked a session. I felt incredibly at ease around Stephanie and actually had a *fun* time! The photos were all lovely (is that really me?) and the photo album is incredible! Though I booked my session as a wedding present for my fiancé, it ended up being a valuable, positive experience for MYSELF. I felt sexy, glamorous and extremely confident. Women shouldn’t postpone booking boudoir sessions because they want to lose 20 lbs, get toned, be tan, grow out their hair or any other reason. Experience a boudoir session with Stephanie AS YOU ARE and you will certainly love and admire your body the way it is- and your significant other will love it to!”

~ Rachael

“I decided to do the boudoir photo shoot for my husband as a Christmas gift. I was so nervous going into the shoot because I have never felt ‘sexy,’ but Stephanie was so professional. She made it very comfortable for me and captured some amazing images. I felt like a million dollars after the shoot was over. When I saw the first picture I was overjoyed and my self-confidence soared through the roof. I look at myself with a whole new eye now. I am not a size 4 or 14, but a size 16. Women of all sizes have the right to know how beautiful they really are and deserve the chance to feel ‘sexy‘. I went into the photo shoot thinking it was just a romantic gift for my husband and came out with so much more. Thank you Stephanie for the amazing opportunity and for your professionalism throughout the photo shoot. You have given me so much more than a great gift for my husband. You gave me a different image of myself.”

~ Cameo

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Aug 23 2010

Jason & Nicole | Wedding

Jason and Nicole currently live in Oregon, but first met while attending the University of Wyoming a few years ago. They started off as friends, sharing many things in common; a love of the outdoors, camping and rock climbing with good friends. When Nicole first contacted and met with us about their Vedauwoo wedding, we were very excited. Nicole has a background in art and Jason is a photo enthusiast. They are the type of couple who appreciate good photography and really enjoy some creativity in their photos. We knew that their wedding day would be a lot of fun and we really happy when their big day finally arrived a week ago.

Jason and Nicole’s ceremony took place at the Nautilus rock formation in Vedauwoo. Steph and I arrived there a few hours early, and the weather was absolutely perfect. A beautiful day, warm and a little bit of cloud cover. Those of you who live in Wyoming know that we typically will have a brief afternoon thunder shower almost each day. Because of this, Jason and Nicole had planned their ceremony to begin at 5pm. Seemed like a perfect plan, right? Well, the afternoon thunder shower was a little bit late to arrive and as Nicole waited with her father to walk down the aisle, it began to sprinkle rain. Nothing too bad, and it would most likely just past in a few minutes. After walking down the aisle with her father, Nicole was met by Jason and was given away by all four of their parents. Very unique, thoughtful and different. As the ceremony began, it began to rain harder. And harder. And bigger drops. And more rain. And hail. Nicole even got to witness an amazing lightning storm over Jason’s shoulder. Jason’s father brought an umbrella to Nicole just in time, and we all continued through the ceremony. Both avid rock climbers, Jason and Nicole chose to have a knot tying ceremony at the end. It was pretty funny to watch a soaking wet groom, his glasses fogged and wet, struggling to tie a knot that he has tied thousands of times in the past. (Jason, I was having just as much of a struggle trying to focus on you two as I looked through my soaked and fogged glasses and camera as well…I feel your pain!) As the ceremony ended, it was strange…the sun came out. The clouds went away and the sky turned blue. Amazing. The evening finished with a reception at the Alice Hardie Steven’s center that was filled with some heart felt toasts, great stories and some crazy dancing. Nicole and Jason, after spending the day with you two and hearing your friends and family tell so many stories from the past, it’s obvious that you two are perfect for each other. Best friends who absolutely light up and seem to have a completely different ‘energy’ when you are together. Congratulations! We really enjoyed being part of your day (yes, even the 30 minutes of pouring rain and hail), and we wish you all the best in the future.

Pouring rain? Hail? Soaked bride and groom? Prove it, right?

Okay, here they are:

This next photo was taken at the EXACT same moment as the photo above, just by Rick… This shows how with two photographers you really do get a completely different and secondary angle on each wedding we shoot.

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