Kaitlyn | Class of 2019 | Breckenridge, Colorado Portrait Photographer

I’m typically not a morning person, but I was extra excited to wake up crazy early to capture Kaitlyn’s senior portraits at this stunning Breckenridge backdrop (Sapphire Point). Kaitlyn is a member of the Ski Roundtop Race Club (SRRC), so we obviously had to incorporate snow, the mountains, and snowboarding into her portraits! This is a popular spot with the local photographers, but we lucked out and had it all to ourselves. That’s one of the benefits of scheduling a session at sunrise, I suppose. Another benefit was that we were gifted the most dreamy natural lighting! (And, yet another benefit was being finished with the photoshoot in time to head to Copper Mountain and take a snow cat to the top of the back bowl and make some amazing powder turns the entire way back down.)

Here are a few of my favorite photos from my time with Kaitlyn. I love how they truly reflect her personality!

Ethan and Gareth | Hershey High School Class of 2019 | Colorado Portrait Photographer

While I was in Colorado for the United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) Nationals competitions, I had a ridiculously fun photoshoot with Ethan and Gareth (aka Grizz). They are best friends who are both graduating from Hershey High School this year, and teammates on the Ski Roundtop Race Club (SRRC). We thought a few snowboard photos would be the perfect addition to their collection of senior portraits.

Here are a few of my favorites from our time together at Copper Mountain. Congratulations, guys!

Dylan and Tyler | Muhlenberg Class of 2018 | Bear Creek High School Senior Session

Dylan and Tyler are seniors at Muhlenberg High School who happen to love winter as much as I do.  When their dad reached out to me a few months ago and asked me if I'd be up for photographing his twin sons' high school senior session at Bear Creek sometime this winter, I immediately accepted!  I obviously love photography, and if you know me then you know how much I love snowboarding as well.  When I'm able to combine both of these passions, I really am in my element!

Little did I know that Mother Nature would attempt to foil our plans multiple times over the next few months.  On the weekends that the weather actually cooperated this winter, I was out of town cheering for my daughters at their own snowboard races.  Thankfully, the temperatures cooled off recently and the local resorts were able to stay open a bit longer - and all of the puzzle pieces finally came together this past weekend.

We met up at Bear Creek Mountain Resort on Sunday morning, just in time to catch the first lifts up the mountain and beat the crowds.  Being that it was a Sunday morning, and the morning after St. Patty's Day, I think a number of snow lovers decided to sleep in a bit.  We practically had the mountain to ourselves for the first few runs!  I was stunned at how much snow coverage was left this late in the season.  It turned out to be the perfect morning for this photoshoot.

Thanks for hanging out with me on Sunday, Tyler and Dylan!  And, thanks to your dad, Shawn, for making some turns with us and keeping us laughing!  I hope the rest of your senior year goes well and that you make a few more great memories before you start the next chapter of your lives.  Congratulations to you and the rest of the members of the Class of 2018!

Here are a few photos from our time on the hill together!  (The groundhog also made an appearance that day, and I thanked him for extending winter by a few weeks for us...)

The Dibeler Family | Christmas Mini Sessions | Reading, Pennsylvania GoggleWorks Studio Photographer

I know with Halloween still a few weeks away, it's a bit early to start thinking about winter and Christmas.  The weather finally started cooling off to fall temperatures over the past few days, and where I live many of the leaves haven't even started changing colors yet.  However, due to a booked fall calendar, I had to offer my Christmas mini sessions a bit earlier than usual this year.  All of my sessions sold out for this past Sunday, and both repeat clients and new clients came to visit me from near and far.  (Some families were local, and some drove all the way out from the Harrisburg and Philadelphia areas!)  I had six different backdrops to choose from, and each of my sessions turned out great!  All of the kids were so much fun to work with - I even had to dodge snow balls that made their way right to my camera lens!  (These kids had great aim!)

I'm so thankful for my clients who made the time to drive out and visit me at my GoggleWorks studio in Reading yesterday.  It was such a pleasure photographing your children and spending time with your families.  I hope you enjoy these previews from your session.

If anyone else wants to get in on the action, I still have some openings for my mini sessions being held on Friday, November 3rd!  Click here for more information or to book:  http://carriekizukaphotographyllc.bigcartel.com/product/winter-christmas-studio-mini-sessions

Up now - the Dibeler Family!  These two adorable guys are packed with personality.  I have the pleasure of hanging out with them and their awesome mom and dad all winter, because we share a mutual love for snowboarding!  Thanks for driving all the way out here from Harrisburg!

Everything Happens for a Reason | A Personal Session in Park City, Utah

A few years ago, I "met" @lindseasnow on Instagram.  She commented on a few of my snowboard-related posts, and we soon realized that she used to snowboard at my "home" mountain.  We quickly determined that we seemed to have a lot in common and joked that we were practically the same person - just separated by 10+ years in age. ;)  I hoped I would meet her in person one day, but that possibility seemed a bit far-fetched once she packed up and moved from Baltimore, MD to Utah.

Fast forward to this fall...  

If you know me personally, you know that snowboarding is kind of a big deal in my family. ;)  My oldest daughter is competing in the Nor-Am Cup for alpine snowboard racing, and had a last minute race added to the calendar for November.  The race was supposed to take place in Jackson, Wyoming.  The cheapest airfare we could find required that we fly in to Salt Lake City, Utah and then drive 4 1/2 hours to Wyoming.  I made our travel reservations, and then remembered that my Instagram friend, Lindsay, lived in Utah!  I reached out to her to see if she lived anywhere near the SLC airport, and as luck would have it, she was very close!  I told her that we would be in town and we decided to meet up for lunch while I was in Utah!

I also found out that Lindsay had recently undergone a prophylactic double mastectomy and reconstruction, and I wanted to use my photography passion to help celebrate her strength, positivity, and kick-ass zest for life!  So, I offered to donate a photoshoot while I was there.  I'm so glad that she immediately took me up on my offer!

The week before the race was supposed to take place, it was cancelled due to lack of snow.  And when I say lack of snow, there was literally no snow to be found in Jackson, Wyoming.  Winter got off to a very late start in Wyoming this year, so there was no way the race could go off as scheduled.  They got a few inches of snowfall right before the race was supposed to happen, but it was too little too late.  Our airfare and hotel were prepaid in order to get the best rates at such short notice, and were nonrefundable.  So, my daughter and I decided to make the best of a crummy situation and take our trip anyway.  And, I'm so glad we did!  Not only did we manage to see some incredible wildlife while in Wyoming (one day I'll post those pictures when I find the time), but we also managed to meet up with Lindsay for lunch, incredible conversation, and an amazing photoshoot.  We even managed to squeeze in one more dinner (and dessert!) with her on our last night in Utah before we flew back home!

Here are some of Lindsay's blog posts that discuss our online friendship and our in-person meeting, since she's way better with words than I am:

https://lindseasnow.com/2016/11/09/woman-crush-wednesday-the-amazing-women-ive-met-via-blogging/

https://lindseasnow.com/2016/12/13/using-social-media-to-actually-socialize/

If you browse around her page a bit, you'll learn more about her story and her incredible outlook on life.  I highly recommend that you pour yourself a nice cup of coffee or tea and check it out!

Since I'm much better with photos than with words, I'll leave you with a few of my favorite images from our brief time together.  (Her photoshoot took place at Jordanelle Park and Jordanelle Reservoir, some of her favorite spots in Park City.)  Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Lindsay!  I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and I know that our meeting was meant to be.  I have a feeling our Instagram meeting years ago was just the beginning of what is to become a long friendship.