A mix of nature and urban landscape in Downtown Colorado Springs
I've been photographing Nathaniel and his family since 2018, so I was thrilled when his mom called and asked me to do his senior photos! He's a polite, sweet guy with AMAZING hair! Wanting a mix of natural landscape and an urban/downtown feel, we opted to begin in north downtown at Monument Valley Park and migrate to the semi-industrial area of west downtown, just off Sahwatch St.
Monument Valley Park North is a local gem with playing fields, large mature cottonwood trees and evergreens, trails, stone bridges, and a crazy stone retaining wall that makes an interesting backdrop. Since our session was mid-afternoon, we took advantage of the big shade trees in the park and got some great nature vibes with Nathaniel's flannel. I also grabbed some shots of him with his parents for them to have as keepsakes- something I LOVE to do for parents!
Next, we headed downtown to a dilapidated building that used to house a bookstore that reminded me of scenes from Harry Potter. The bookstore shuttered a while ago, but the old brick and cinder block building has developed more texture from its wear and tear, making it a great urban-grunge backdrop. The back parking lot was purchased at some point, and someone painted a fabulous and vibrant graffiti mural there on the back of the bookstore building. There are views of Pikes Peak and the industrial train track buildings from the empty lot, so we snapped a few out there with storm clouds swirling over the mountains.
To finish our shoot, we added some cap and gown shots with the red schoolhouse brick. I love the mix of red with his green school colors!
