Happy Holidays!!

From our adventures to yours!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am so thankful for my loving husband and amazing family that have supported me throughout the years. To my clients - you are AWESOME and I wouldn't be where I am today without you. OK enough with the gushy stuff - I'll leave you with this ADORABLE shot from a recent portrait session (no I don't have any kids...but when I do I can't wait to have images like this). Travel Safe and Eat Lots!!

"WEST"

Want to get the full effect - click here to see BIGGER

WEST - Coming Soon!!

There are so many wonderful images from my recent trip out West it's taken me a lot longer than expected to narrow them down to a reasonably-sized slideshow to share with you all. So ... sorry for the teaser but here's some eye candy to hold you over just a little bit longer - promise! Here's one of our favorites from the Badlands during sunrise.

AHP Hits the Road

My husband and I will soon be venturing out for our annual Colorado trip and this year we're welcoming sessions along the way!! Our journey is set to begin July 17th from Chicago to Denver. We'll then be in the Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Steamboat circle for about 2 weeks. We'd love to meet up for family lifestyle sessions, engagement sessions, or bridal sessions! Please send us an email with your name, email, phone and desired meet up location to: colorado(at)amandahein.com and we'll start building the schedule! Looking forward to meeting you!


(please note: although this would be awesome if this were the AHP ride - for safety reasons we've opted out)

EARTH DAY!!!

As many of you know I love the outdoors. Camping, hiking, kayaking, snow shoeing, swimming, sailing, and of course kite flying!! Here are some shots of my niece over Easter weekend while we enjoyed the gorgeous weather. Celebrate Earth Day big or small - this weekend is supposed to be perfect so there's no excuses even if it's just a small walk around the block or enjoying morning coffee on the porch. Take time to soak in our environment, take in a deep breath of fresh air, take note of the emerging buds on trees, listen for the birds in the morning. Help keep our land beautiful for future generations. Here are some small ideas to build into your everyday lifestyle: bring a reusable water bottle to work, bring your own mug to your favorite coffee joint (you might even get a discount!), use cloth grocery bags, if there's a piece of trash that missed the can pick it up, use public transportation or carpool - take time to appreciate the small things and experience the joy our land has to offer.

Steamboat, CO

Here's some eye candy from my trip out to Colorado - more to come in the next couple days so stay tuned!

COLORADO OR BUST!

Well we didn't bust...for my avid blog readers I thank you for your patience. I finally have caught up from my mid-season vacation. Every year my husband and I take a week off to recoup, re-energize, and refocus for the second half of the wedding season. We most always pick a music festival, pack the car, and head off for a weeks worth of camping. This year was no different. We headed out for a driving tour of Colorado (OK the breweries and great friends). Our trip started off in Boulder hitch hiking to the top of Boulder Creek and tubing down to the center of town - what a BLAST!! We then ventured out to Steamboat to catch up with one of our best friends Tara. The next day we continued our journey through the Poudre Canyon and nestled into Ft. Collins for the night. The rest of the week was spent camping in Lyons at the Rocky Grass Bluegrass Festival. With the stage at the edge of the foothills, it was quite the venue. While we were in Lyons we entered to win tickets to next year's festival by competing in the "How Green is Your Grass - Green Campsite Challenge." The contest was put on by the Leave No Trace Organization. By showing how clean and sustainable our campsite was, and making conscious decisions to reduce our carbon footprint...we were rewarded with the FIRST PRIZE!!! We were so excited!!! Well wow this was a long post so I will let you digest everything...here are some highlights from our trip:













Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet
featuring Béla Fleck


Punch Brothers
featuring Chris Thile


Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band


Carolina Chocolate Drops

White Pines Inn

For the past few days I was on a little mother/daughter get-a-away to Mt. Morris, IL. We stayed at the White Pines Inn located in the midst of White Pines Forest State Park. The grounds were just gorgeous and we couldn't have asked for better hiking weather. Here are a few shots from our hikes. Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Our Cabin:


It's Morel Season:


The Fords:

Holga Pictures from WY

Many of you know about my most recent trip out west. While I was there I took some film images with my favorite toy, the holga.

I only took one roll, so about 12 images. Here are some of my favorites!!







This last one was fun, can you see the double image??