Blush and Bee Photography | The First Five Years - Colorado Adventure Elopement and Wedding Photographer

Finding Joy in the Reflection

I moved to Gunnison, Colorado in 2016 looking for In 2018, I graduated with a Masters in Environmental Management from Western Colorado University thinking I was going to find a career in fixing climate change.

While I was still hopeful, I found myself facing a lot of closed doors, but the one for photography remained slightly open, with a tiny beam of light seeping through.

A couple sitting together on rocks by a flowing stream in a scenic outdoor setting.

A black and white engagement photo focusing on hands and rings in an intimate moment.

Close-up shot of hands displaying an engagement ring in natural outdoor lighting.

So, Why Photography?

The camera found its way into my hands as a coping mechanism. I had lost a lot of people before the age of 25. My world was shaped by loss, and the only thing I had left were photographs. I started chasing the love I didn't get, the memories I would never have, I wanted to give those to someone else.

Multi-generational family sitting together on a wooden bench in a park setting.

A black and white portrait of three generations sharing a tender moment outdoors.

Family portrait in a scenic mountain meadow with tall grass and mountains in the background.

We have all experienced loss in some capacity.

Knowing that I’ve given someone the gift of their final dance with their father before his stroke… that I’ve helped a couple see the tenderness in their marriage… that I’ve told someone’s story in the way they see themselves, that’s everything to me.

To remind someone they are lovable, beautiful, and deeply wanted; if that’s all I ever do with my life, then I’ve done something worthwhile. I’ve become a mirror for the human experience, quieting the joy killing voices that try to convince us we’re not enough.

Maybe a parent, overwhelmed and exhausted, sees a photo of their baby and finds the strength to choose them all over again. Maybe a couple in the middle of a fight stumbles across a photograph from their wedding day, the look in their partner’s eyes when they said “I do”, and they remember what it felt like to believe in forever.

Photography has the power to reconnect us. To our love. Our people. Ourselves. And in a world constantly trying to pull us away from that, maybe these captured moments are what bring us back.

A Pandemic, Seriously?

Just one year after starting my business, COVID-19 crept into the United States like a thief, stealing everything we were holding onto. Back then, my company was called Indagatrix Photography, and even I was mispronouncing it. I wasn’t happy with my images, yet I kept pressing on, even if it felt like I was driving a bus straight off a cliff.

The pandemic became an incubator. During that time, I found a mentor who believed in me. It was the first time someone truly recognized my talent and wanted to help me grow because they saw potential. I rebranded to Blush and Bee Photography, a name that reflects the things I love. I absorbed every lesson my mentor offered, and by the end of that season, my creative tank was filled to the brim, ready for the road ahead.

Celebration with confetti and streamers outside a storefront with pink lighting.

Two dancers in bright yellow dresses twirling at an indoor reception.

A couple sitting on red rocks and embracing during an outdoor photo session.

A vintage black and white photo of figures with umbrellas standing on wooden planks in a garden.

A couple walking together on a boardwalk during golden hour sunset.

Silhouette of a romantic embrace against a dark background outdoors.

Hold the Flame.

The world can end at any time. It can end the moment you let the mattress win, when you let the fear in, when you stop holding the flame, when the substance starts ruling your days. It doesn’t have to end for everyone, but the day we give up, it can end for us.

The last five years of Blush and Bee have held some of the most incredible moments of my life. I’ve been a quiet witness to people’s most intimate memories. I met the owners of Voodoo Doughnut. I was hired by Aerie and Lucas Bols. I worked for Lolita Lebron’s granddaughter and photographed her father shortly before he passed. I’ve stood in for loved ones who couldn’t be there, so they could still feel present for the elopement, the wedding, the anniversary.

I was too scared to build a family of my own, so I created one with all of you. I let the weight of climate change steal pieces of my youth, but I won’t let it take the rest of my life, our lives.