Tracy Bookman Photography

The value of an eternal soul, or simply a “choice”?

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Thanks for watching.

-Tracy
The Colorado Springs Photographer

Auburn and Jason were married Aug. 30, and last weekend, we stopped by to show them their wedding DVD slideshow. This was the first time they had seen their images, and this was their reaction. Honestly, we’re humbled by their assessment of their experience with us, and honored that they appreciate their wedding photos so much. Thank you for the kind words, Auburn and Jason!

Our wedding photos are amazing…you truly captured the spirit of the day!! Our guests were very impressed at your ability be everywhere without drawing attention to yourself. Everyone is so relaxed and natural in the pictures! I am thrilled that I look so beautiful!! We are especially grateful for the reverence and professionalism shown at the LDS Temple. Everything went so smoothly, I felt totally at ease about the photography because I trusted you and knew you would do a great job. Also, thank you for the referrals for a dress boutique and flowers, they were both amazing!! I didn’t have to worry about those things either, because I had confidence in your judgment. During the reception, Jason said that he would already recommend you, before we even saw the photos, due to your enthusiasm, hard work and professionalism.

I know you understood what that day meant for everyone involved. When we watched the slideshow, we felt all the emotions of the day again. It is wonderful to know we will be able to reflect on our wedding for what is was, the happiest day of our lives, thanks to your beautiful work!! Some of our relatives were not able to be there, but I am confident that they will feel like they were after viewing our pictures. You met and exceeded all our expectations. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Thanks for reading.

-Tracy
The Colorado Springs Wedding Photographer

Three years ago, today, we had a really bad blizzard.

The roads were all closed leading out of Colorado Springs to our neck of the woods. I don’t know what the temperature was, but it was cold. The wind was howling and the snow was horizontal.

October 10, 2005.

You may be asking how I remember all of that, and why I have a photo of our house on that morning.

Our youngest child, Jonathan, was born that day, right here in our house.

The midwife was stopped by deputies as she tried to get here. They told her that she could not come out because of the condition of the roads. Even though she explained that she had a baby to deliver, they would not let her pass, so she began coming out the backroads. About 1.5 miles from our house, she got high-centered in her little Subaru.

Kramer and I loaded shovels in the back of the 4×4 pickup (which we had nicknamed Grandma because she’s old and slow), and headed out to find Merrie the midwife. After digging her out for about an hour and realizing that we weren’t going to get her car to our house, we pulled her onto a side road, and loaded everything into the truck. The rest of the day went as planned, and Jonathan came into the world as expected. But, the road and weather conditions had gotten a lot worse, so Merrie and her assistant had to spend the night. Bright sun greeted us the next morning.

So, today, Jonathan celebrates his 3rd birthday!

Happy Birthday, Jonathan!

Thanks for reading.

-Tracy
The Colorado Springs Photographer

We love the Denver Zoo, but it’s a long way away, and it’s expensive to take a large family, so it was with much excitement that we all headed out for the Zoo’s FREE DAY!

We went with a neighbor family who has 8 children. Only 6 of them were able to go though, and we were missing one of ours, but we still had 11 children in tow around the zoo. Surprisingly, we were only asked twice if all the children were ours… it was fun to tell  them that only half of them were.

It was nice and relaxing to have a day off finally. The weather was perfect; the park looked beautiful with the fall colors; and we saw everything we planned to see. It was a perfect day, and felt good to have some time away from photography. Nope… I didn’t even take my camera with me, though I did take our camcorder.

Thanks for reading.

-Tracy
The Colorado Springs Photographer

I cannot believe it’s already October. Where did summer go? We spent the summer photographing weddings and high school seniors, and now it’s time for family portraits. But,  I did get a few opportunities to get out with the children for their “Days with Dad.” Each of the children get a turn each month to go out with me for a day and do whatever they want to do. Kramer, Benjamin, and Josiah each wanted to hike Pikes Peak. Kramer (17) and Benjamin (13) both made it all the way to the top and down, while Josiah (11) made it up, but we had to hitch a ride down. His hike was in August, but above timberline, it was snowing and 24 degrees. He was pooped, so we found a ride. Last week, I made the hike myself, and the autumn colors were great. This was probably the last trip of the year up Pikes Peak. If you have never made this trip, and are thinking of doing it, here are a few tips.

• Take cold and wet weather clothing. Light shells work best. I’ve been snowed and rained on in June, July, August, and September.
• September is the best time to go.
• Take lots of water and food.
• Wear good shoes or boots. The climbing is rugged. There’s only about a stretch of 3 to 3.5 miles where the trail is easy. The other 9 miles of it are moderate to difficult climbing with lots of rocks, roots, and snags. Above timberline is the hardest part. You have 3 miles of climbing over rocks so you are exterting the most at this point, PLUS,  the oxygen is very thin here.
• Take lots of breaks.
• Don’t depend on someone being able to pick you up at the top. If the weather turns bad, they close the road and they don’t care what the driver’s excuse is - they won’t let cars up. If  you climb to the top, and you’re expecting a ride down, be prepared to climb back down if you have to. That’s reality.

I’ve seen a lot of unprepared people try to make it to the top. There was the overweight guy from Florida who was practically crawling up the trail above timberline. Two GI’s from South Carolina who told the Barr Camp staff that they were really fit and would have no problems. When I encountered them above timberline, they only had 1.5 hours to make it to the top to catch the last train down (this was their plan). By the way they looked and the distance they had to go, I knew they wouldn’t make it. There was the 20-somethings who met me at Barr Camp on the way up. They asked me if I was headed to the top, then they said, “We’ll see you there, we’re going to beat you.” I took a half-hour break at timberline, and a half-hour break at the summit, then met them as I was coming back down. There were at least an hour behind me. Then, there were the Amish girls from Iowa who had no food, no warm clothes, and were dressed in their Amish garb. This was on the 24 degree day. I never saw them again after I passed them. So, go prepared! Thanks for reading. -Tracy The Colorado Springs Photographer