Archive for April, 2010
C. Springs Engagement: Emily & Ryan
05.04.10 
engagements
There are things you do because you have to. There are things you do because you want to. And then there are the things you do for love. These are the things you do when you’ve been challenged to step outside of your needs and desires. The things that sometimes challenge us to take a chance. A risk. A step into the unknown. A step of faith, if you will. And when you feel like part of you is dying, you press on, one step of faith at a time, because sometimes, the things you do for love aren’t necessarily what your loved one deserves, but needs.
Emily, Ryan, and I met just before I took off to Europe, on a very cold, slightly windy Colorado afternoon to capture one of the last days these two would have together for quite some time. Ryan, a soldier in the United States Army, deployed at the end of March to serve the country he loves. It was risk. A step into the unknown. And a step of faith to provide not only for the country he loves, but for the woman he loves. Emily, at the end of March, said goodbye to Ryan for a year. It was a risk. A step into the unknown. And a step of faith into their future.
Emily and Ryan, you two are truly wonderful people whose actions of love speak louder than words ever could. Thank you for the privilege of sharing your lives with me in a period of time when all you wanted to do was share time with each other, and only each other. Looking forward to that return, Ryan. Be well.
With love,
René
Ugh, these are so free-spirited! My favorite!
Emily, you are such a doll! How do you do it?
You’re not too shabby yourself, Ryan. :)
It must be tough being models.
I felt kinda like a ninja shooting this one through the trees.
LOVE this one!
Um yeah… Gaw-gous!
107 Comments
The Bench
02.04.10 personal
Remember in The Landscapes post how I said I had a “moment” in the chapel of the Iona Abbey? It was just shortly after this photo was taken that I sat down along the isle’s right side, on a chair closest to the bottom of the photo above. During the tourist season, this abbey would’ve been packed like sardines. But on this drizzly day, it was just me.
After snapping a few photos, I sat in silence. The air inside was damp and cool. I pulled out my iPod Touch to open an already downloaded letter from one of my best friends, Breanna. She wrote so profoundly. One note completely different from the others I’d received. In it she spoke of my influence on her life, “You have shown me that I am imperfect, but that I can have joy in God’s process of refining me into valuable gold. For that is what I see you doing every day, ever more lately—you take the time to recognize His presence and whispering and calling in your life and through everything (good and bad and in-between), you have joy.”
To recognize His presence? Do I really? I had been traveling for nearly a week and was starting to feel like a complete phony, not recognizing Him hardly at all. Before I left Colorado, I made this big deal about just “being still,” and during my first week of traveling I hadn’t really done that. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what it would look like. Reading in a coffee shop alone? Sitting on top of a mountain alone? Or just spending my days, regardless of the activity, in silence? So in that moment, I decided it was time to get serious. In that abbey, I opened up. I prayed for guidance on how to “be still” and I made a commitment to start listening. The Qavah kind of listening and waiting. After wiping a couple tears from my cheek, I stood up and exited the abbey, continuing on my tour the ancient structure.
And as walked out the abbey’s door, I turned to my left and what I came across in the next few steps nearly knocked me over in shock. Sitting in a dark little corner, screaming at me with it’s presence, was this:
A bench. A bench engraved with the words, “Be still.”
I was floored.
It’s like that bench knew I had traveled thousands of miles to “be still” and put itself in Iona, where I would have the ultimate “be still moment” the following day.
That post below, Renewal in Iona, happened the very next day after I stumbled upon this bench, engraved with my mantra. Looking back on my time in Iona, I recognize that this bench was total confirmation that I was in exactly the place I needed to be.
Simply amazing.
15 Comments
- Patty said
…and you KNOW that HE IS GOD!!!
- Sarah H said
Rene, that is truly beautiful. I am so glad you got the time away, the new pictures are amazing.
- Patty said
… savor knowing that HE IS GOD!
- Patty said
…and you KNOW that HE IS GOD!
- Patty said
…and you know that HE IS GOD! I am so happy for you.
- Kim said
The picture of the chapel leaves me speechless…and I adore the one of you on the bench. Too bad you couldn’t have brought the bench home with you :)
- Kenny Kim said
Reading this post made me think of two songs. I will email them to ya!
- Monty Jessop said
I am Speechless!!! <3
- Mary Marantz said
AMAZING!! I am dying for a print of that third one….the one right above “I was floored” LOVE that! How much?? :)
- Mary Marantz said
I LOVE it!!! What an amazing story! I am dying for a print of that third shot (the one right above “I was floored”) How much? :)
- Jenny said
After reading your message about your quest overseas and scrolling down to see that bench, I got goose bumps. Amazing. I’m so glad God has given you this time.
- Shannon said
Wow.
- Jesie McElroy said
How big can you print a photo? Like… wall size? Incredible.
- SalishaC said
Chills, Rene…actual chills! You are amazing and your journey is inspiring :)
- Kathy Chace said
Unbelievable. I love it… it truly is amazing.
The Abstracts
02.04.10 personal
A few fun abstracts and objects discovered along the journey…
Ceilings of the Zurich Airport.
Doorknobs around Stockholm.
Oh yes. The IKEA. You know IKEA is a Swedish thing right?
Inside IKEA.
Accidental shot of the Stockholm Central Station’s ceiling.
The paths of the Edinburgh Castle.
Door handle of the oldest building in Edinburgh.
The Iona Nunnery.
Very old lock on the Iona Nunnery.
Perseverance at it’s finest. Walls of the Iona Nunnery.
And because I was there during the off-season, availability on everything was super limited. I came across many signs like this one.
1 Comment
- Heather LaSota said
Hi Rene, I met you at my friend Cherie and Jason’s wedding and you are photographing my best friend Kim’s family on Monday. I absolutely LOVE your photography. These pictures of your trip are so inspiring. So simple yet so unique. I have seen your entire blog and I’m in awe of your amazing talent. I LOVE checking everyday for new posts! Heather
The Landscapes
01.04.10 personal
There are so many stories I could tell from my time in Europe, so many memories tied to each photograph. I wish I could share all of them with you. To be honest, I didn’t take an extreme amount of photographs. Capturing these places wasn’t my main goal. I’m a people photographer. People are what jazz me. Getting them to open up and share their lives is what energizes me… trees just don’t really do it. The things about landscapes is that they’ve been done before. There’s not much I can do to make those landscapes look any different than the next guy. I don’t know… maybe that makes me a poor photographer. All I know is I’m a true believer in following my bliss when it comes to photography. Nevertheless, I took a few obligatory landscapes of a few scenes that did intrigue me. It was a stretch for me, but I actually had fun. More to come on The Abstracts, The People, and The Tourist of Scotland and Sweden. For now, The Landscapes…
The Royal Palace of Sweden, where I brushed shoulders with the king, queen, and crown princess of Sweden.
Stockholm, just outside the Vasa Viking Ship Museum.
The world’s largest IKEA. Um.. yeah. It was pretty cool. Swedish meatballs and all.
After a quick flight from Sweden, I landed in Edinburgh, Scotland. Taken from the top of the Edinburgh Castle, overlooking Princes Street.
Cannons of the castle.
First time pulling over in my sweet, new rental car.
Sheep were everywhere along the country roads throughout my journey from the east coast to the west coast.
After reaching the west coast, I boarded a ferry to the Isle of Mull where I stayed at Tim and Linda’s bed and breakfast which looked out at this landscape. Photos of Tim and Linda to come.
From Tim and Linda’s B&B, I boarded yet another ferry to the Isle of Iona. Taken along the way.
Approaching the Isle of Iona. Taken from the ferry. Love love love this little boat. Note the isle’s historic abbey in the background.
The background of my Iona bed and breakfast, run by Lindsay and Joyce. You’ll meet them later, too.
The only other “attraction” on the Isle of Iona, other than the abbey, is a very, very old nunnery.
The intriguing little post office of Iona.
The prime real estate, the “downtown” of Iona.
One of my favorite shots of all time. Even though it wasn’t taken close the place I described in the post below, it still helps take me back to that experience. The green and blue are the same as those in the previous post. I adore the simplicity of this shot. While sharing a glass of wine with Joe Buissink in Vegas at the beginning of March, he told me to study my favorite images and I’d be surprised at what I’d find. He said to sit in a room with them… become students of them… and in the end, “you will find yourself in those images,” he stated. I did just that while I was away, and after looking at this image for so long, it’s easy to see it as a reflection of myself. Simple, calm, peaceful, colorful, a little mysterious…
My bed and breakfast on Iona. Spent a lot of quiet time in this little house of Lindsay and Joyce’s.
A couple easy shots of the columns surrounding the courtyard of Iona’s abbey.
The abbey’s chapel. I had a pretty awesome quiet time in one of these little chairs reading through a few letters from some dear friends. This was also the point where I got serious with God and made a commitment to start “being still.” Whatever that meant. I wasn’t entirely sure. What was to come after this moment, in a post entitled “The Bench,” about knocked me to my feet. More to come on that…
After my time in Iona, I spent the last day driving around the northern half of Scotland. From the west coast, starting in Oban, and continuing north along Loch Ness to Inverness, and then south through the Caringorms. I ended my journey in Dundee, where I met some new friends at the University of Dundee to watch the Scotland/Ireland rugby match. The most gorgeous reflections I’ve seen in a long time.. Take that Maroon Bells!
I think tilted landscapes are my thing…
And that’s it! Wahoo! Here’s to the first post of my trip photos! Many, many more to come! Hope they’re not too boring. :-/
6 Comments
- Brittany Barnett said
Love the pictures of emily and ryan …. love the kissing one.. but my favorite is the one that has the caption “tough being models” wonderful job!
- Sarah Norwood said
I’m lovin’ catching up with you on your adventure! I especially love those sheep! And tilted landscapes are your thing, girl!
- Monty Jessop said
I hear Sweden is much sweeter since Rene stepped foot there!!
Thanks for sharing your Beautiful images Rene. - Monty Jessop said
I hear Sweden is much sweeter since Rene stepped foot in that country!
Thanks for sharing your images Rene, they are beautiful! - AshleyE said
It was so great to hear about your trip! You seemed even more relaxed and easy-going than normal. I’ll be praying that God shows you the way to rest each day.
- Kami said
Your posts are NEVER boring. So don’t even go there :) LOVE these… I didn’t know how much I wanted to visit Scotland until I saw your photos :)
[...] Emily and Ryan’s Colorado Springs Engagement Experience [...]
Love the pictures!
I love the pictures! You guys are so cute. Miss you Emily. Love Ya April
Emily and Ryan, I have these pictures in my mind of the two of you zipping through the water at various swim meets – two little kids who have grown into wonderful adults. These photos are gorgeous. Best of luck to you both.
Gee Em you look a lot different than you did in First grade wandering through my office looking for your Mom Best of Luck
Beautiful pictures! Congrats, Ryan. :)
I think the umbrella one is my favorite, but these are all amazing!
This is the 100th comment. Ryan wins the competition. And is the cutest.
Amazing engagement pictures….I think it’s going be a challenge to pick your favorites, they are all great! Congrats and best wishes!
These are amazing pictures! They’re really wonderful. Congrats you two! :)
Kind of makes me wanna fall in love! Awesome.
I love these photos. The black and white photos look so classic and beautiful. Congratulations on the engagement!
Super cute pictures guys!! Emily, I’m so excited for you! You’re going to make a beautiful bride :)
I love these pictures, I know you will treasure them and each other for ever and ever! Be blessed beyond belief!
Love love,
Jackie
Good thing you caught the bouquet at Kristin’s wedding! Congrats. Such a beautiful person inside and out!
congrats! these are so cute.
These photos are fantastic! They do such a great job of capturing the fun spirit you two share. I love them. I’m so excited for you!
I’m so glad to see how happy you two are! You look great together! The pictures look amazing. Emily – Renee and I miss you! We never finished Lipstick Jungle! Ryan – Thank you for your service. You will both be in my thoughts and prayers. ~Lorelei
Emily you look beautiful and you and Ya’ll look so happy!
congradulations!
Your engagement pictures are so good!!!
Emily! You lookg GORGEOUS! Love the pics!
Megan
Emily the pictures are absolutely beautiful! You and Ryan look great together, I am so happy for you!
You guys are soo cute!
Sizzle
WOW! These are soo great! I have to many favorites to list- I loved so many of them! I’m so happy for you Em! Miss you tons!
Nice pics.
Emily, these pictures are amazing, you look fabulous!! These pictures captured your adorable personality and the love you two share!! Congratulations!!!! :)
i love these pictures!
Nice photos from the Ohio Kievits!
Emily – so glad you are in CO. These picts are great!
I love the umbrella pict and the bench one. So awesome!
Love that Umbrella picture!
These pictures are so elegant.
The pictures all look very nice – gonna be very hard to select your favorites!
The pictures are great – Rene, your wonderful talent has really captured their love. Thanks & looking forward to meeting you!
Great pictures guys!
Emily, These look GREAT and your hair looks so stinking shiny! I’m jealous!!
I like all of the black and white pictures – they’re cool.
Oh man, these are amazing guys!!! The photographer did a great job of capturing some moments! I love the one with the umbrella, and the one on the bench, and the last one… well I pretty much just loved them all. Miss you guys!
Great pictures! Can’t wait for the wedding!
Awesome pictures Emily! You’re going to make a beautiful bride!
These pictures are just BEAUTIFUL you guys! AMAZING photography! Congratulations again! :)
Emily – These pictures are wonderful. Quite artistic. Rene did a great job of capturing the spirit of the moment – love and hapiness. Congratulations to you and Ryan.
so i don’t know ryan very well but i know his sisters, and it looks like you needed comments, your pictures are wonderful, like the kind you see in the hallway of some big hotel or something, you both look amazing!! Congrats!!!
Two beautiful people inside and out!! Thank you for capturing their spirit and love for each other so perfectly.
Congratulations! These pictures are AMAZING! It’s a little easier with the incredible canvas that you two create! Best of luck in the future. You two look Very happy with eachother and compliment the other perfectly.
Beautiful pictures! Congratulations!
Kaitlyn referred me to these pictures and I must say they look great. You two are a beautiful couple and I wish you a wonderful future!
Awesome pictures!!!
Such amazing pictures! Congrats you two!
Oh my gosh. Kaitlyn linked me to these, and I must say they’re some of the most beautiful portraits I’ve ever seen! I especially love the ones that are partly blurred. Best wishes to you two models :)
Love these !!!!! Congrats Ryan, you guys look great.
Love!! The only thing missin is a pic of Em textin in one frame and Ryan textin in another frame since thats how they spend their away time! HAHA
Great pictures!
Wonderful photographs…may God watch over and protect you both until you are re-united; and may He Bless your marriage for the rest of time too.
The pictures are great! I’m so glad we got to meet you, Emily.
You guys look so incredibly happy! I love it:)
Beautiful pictures! Congratulations on your engagement you look really happy!
Emily & Ryan,
How wonderful to see these amazing photos! I love how relaxed you both look, like it took little to no effort to creat these wonderful photos!
Much love,
Malea
Emily they are stunning! congrats again
I absolutely love love your engagement pictures! They are so adorable! Must be good genes…… :) Miss you guys!
These photos are incredibly gorgeous. She captured you two perfectly. I love them, &I love you guys!
Emily and Ryan, The pictures are really fantastic. Emily we are so pleased to welcome you officially to the family. (We have considered you part of our family for a long time!!!)
I love these pictures and I love these people!! I am so happy for the both of you and I love the beginning message…it was a perfect opening to all of these pictures filled with love.
Awe Em! These pictures are great! I especially love the one of you posing and Ryan laughing! Ya’ll are going to have such a wonderful marriage! Love you both!
Awe Em! You and Ryan are darling! I love the pictures from above, but I love the one of you posing and Ryan laughing. What a wonderful marriage you two will have! Love you both!
What wonderful pictures- I love them all. The message at the beginning is also a very special touch. Thank you.
Emily, Congrats! your pictures are amazing and you both look so happy. Best of luck to you guys!
Wow…amazing pictures. Happy couple. A moment in time captured forever. LOVE IT! (And both of you!)
BEAUTIFUL! Way to capture the moment!
I love the hand holding one and the umbrella one! gorgeous people, gorgeous pictures…
These two should be doing catalog work!
love the black & white:)
Soooo adorable! Congrats you guys! You look so sweet in your pics!
I love these pictures of Emily and Ryan. Not only are they a beautiful couple but the pictures actually capture how cute they are together!
Emily and Ryan…these pictures are absolutely amazing!!! Y’all make such a wonderful couple! Rene did a great job!!! Love you both!
These pictures are so so cute…I hope you guys decide to leave these hung up in your living room, and keep them there so you can look at them when your seventy! Incredible. Great choice in photographer too!Best of luck!
I love them! So cute…
These pictures are so beautiful and fun! Congrats Emily! I’m so happy for you and wish you all the best!
Beautiful pictures! You two are amazing together – these make me very happy. Love you both!
Emily and Ryan, You Emily are a beautiful soul and these pictures reflect what I know about you, sweet, honest and special. Not to mention a handsome choice for your soulmate and life partner. May God Bless you both and our prayers and he does take that leap of faith for our country. Love you, Laurie
I think they are all great!! You two look so Happy together.
Em! you guys are SO cute! love your pics and congrats! Enjoy this most amazing time in your life. it is so wonderful!
XO
These pictures are amazing. I love the black&white and sepia. Emily and Ryan look so happy and in love :) My favorite two are the one with Emily on Ryan’s back and the one kissing under the umbrella!! Fabulous
Awww. Ems. You two look so lovely and happy in these pictures. Congrats my dear. We HAVE to get together when I’m home in August. So happy for you!
I L-O-V-E the one of the two of them on the bench! What great shots!
Emily and Ryan! wow! you too are perfect together! and i promise this is the most fun i’ve ever had looking at engagement pictures! LOVE LOVE LOVE
Perfect pictures! Congrats!
These pictures are absolutely amazing. I love them all! The photography is wonderful-you captured them so well!
These are just amazing!!
They are too cute!!! Great Job!!! Looks amazing!
Great job René! The couple is great and you captured them well. :)
Great session René! The couple is really in love and you captured it well!
Aw, ya’ll are just too dang cute! I want a love like Emily and Ryan.
Aw, y’all are just too dang cute! I want a love like Emily and Ryan.
Emily these pictures are BEAUTIFUL! I love that both of you are smiling in every one – they each show how much fun you have together! I am so happy for you!!
These pictures are amazing! I love them!
Emily these pictures are just beautiful!!!! You look just gorgeous!! They are all so good, it is going to be tough to pick!!! What a good looking pair:)
Way, way, way cute! Rene did a really good job and you guys looks great!
These portraits perfectly capture the love and joy that you two share. I was quite touched (ok…I cried happy tears)as I looked through them. Love you both!
Wow…the pictures are amazing!! You two are adorable!
The pictures are great! We can’t wait for Ryan to get back and for your big day!
Love the pictures, Emily. You are such a doll! Congratulations to you and Ryan!
Em, these pictures are so beautiful and capture the love you and Ryan have amazingly. I’m not sure how you’ll be able to pick which ones to print, b/c I would want them all! Love you (and miss you) much!
I love these pics of Emily and Ryan. I haven’t seen Em in a while but she looks just as fabulous as ever!
These are great Rene! Thank you so much for fitting us in last minute. It’s crazy because you can hardly tell how freezing it was that day! You are an amazing artist.
These two look like a lot of Fun Rene’. I like the one were Emily is posing with her hands against the wall.