Featured in Luxe Mountain Weddings

Such an honor to be feature on the Luxe Mountain Weddings Blog as well as in the gorgeous magazine. If you are planning a wedding this upcoming year, this is a wonderful resource!!!

Thank you Debbie for such beautiful work! And thank you to Carol and Brian for planning such a remarkable wedding!!!

The Kapustka Family ~ Durango Family Photographers

This Family... where do I start? I love them as much as my own family. I have bettered myself because of them. The have bettered me through with their chiropractic skills at Serving Life Chiropractic in Durango, CO. I am honored to be able to document little glimpses into their lives. On the day of this shoot we ventured with more then just the three Kapustka's I photograph most. Tim, Jan, and Elizabeth joined the adventure of being photographed by Kyla. As usual the entertainment was provided by Noah whether with his balloons or in his cowboy hat he worked it for the camera... again. Keep tabs on this boy! He is going to be famous one day. Thank you Kapustka's for enriching my life!

XO
Kyla

Frequency

Frequency! That is this band and they are RAD!!! The two words they used to describe themselves were elegant and dark. I love those words together and felt that is the perfect definition of Frequency's look. We photographed in a few locations. The first was a junk yard where everyone in the group was dressed more elegantly. There just happened to be a load of old school desks dropped off that day. Nice touch! We moved to the General Palmer Hotel where the attire changed to dark/punk. This was perfect for the vintage elegance that the General Palmer lends. I can't say that I have heard Frequency play, but I can say that I hope to make it to one of their gigs and that even without playing music I found them very entertaining!

Ms. Long

This woman!!! She has such beauty and grace, which is what she brings to this world by just being herself and in the work that she produces at her flower shop, April's Garden. Wesley and I feel so lucky to know and work with Amy. She is a valuable person to have in your life both personally and professionally for many reasons, but today I would like to highlight her patience. Amy, a trooper, braved cool mountain water to start the shoot off and later a bit of rain. Neither of these natural elements seemed to worry Amy a bit. Zula was her companion for the shoot. She was the perfect counter part to have along for this type of adventure. For the most part Zula was supportive and attentive except when distracted by the occasional whistle pig. Adding Amy to the Photo Divine Mafia is an honor indeed.

Christina the Warrior ~ Welcome to the Photo Divine Mafia!!

One of my favorite aspects of life are little things known as "divine intervention": a term for a miracle perceived to be caused by a Deity's active involvement in the human world. This is how I feel that we came to know Christina. Kyla and I met her the same year that Photo Divine emerged from our brains. Five years later, Christina entered our lives again, this time from a different angle. Every time I learn something new about Christina, I am more and more convinced that our relationship is a miracle. Here are her own words about her Photo Divine experience. Thank you Christina, this is why we "Paint the Dog"!

"Everyone has her own reasons for doing a Photo Divine shoot. This was not about me trying to be sexy, or creating something for someone else. This was a declaration, a defiant roar in my personal battles for myself. I wanted to come away from this experience with symbolic images to inspire me in my process going forward.

I had to “be the responsible, serious adult” from a very young age. But there is another side of me, a happy kid I never knew when I was younger. I needed to celebrate this part of me, and also to affirm that this is Good. That it’s ok to come out and play. Kyla & Wesley worked with this concept on my photo shoot. I eventually let go and enjoyed the process. What really surprised me when I saw the photos is how they managed to capture a purity in some of the photos I would never have described as “innocent.” This blows me away.

I have had to be strong in order to survive many kinds of abuse. I know I can survive just about anything, but I have emerged hard, rough, and tomboy-tough. But I am learning to use this strength to be fully feminine, and this courage to be vulnerable. I wanted to remind myself that I am a warrior, and also a woman.

I didn’t wait to reach my goal weight before I did my Photo Divine shoot. After years of ups and downs with eating disorders, I knew it was important for me to find beauty in myself “as is,” wherever I was in my process.

I was truly shocked that I liked so many photos of myself! That has never happened before. And it wasn’t just one outfit or setting that made the pictures work, so I couldn’t explain it all away with props. It was ME, and Kyla & Wesley’s ability to create those beautiful images of me. I’m still amazed.

When you struggle with eating disorders, the hardest part is the mental torment—the self-conscious obsession with real and imagined flaws in your body and your core self. My favorite take-away from this experience is that somehow through meeting with Kyla & Wesley, working on the questionnaire, braving the photo shoot, and seeing beauty in the images afterwards, I am now LESS painfully aware of how I look. I still don’t get how that works, but I have gained more freedom from critical thoughts in deciding to celebrate who I am.

I am learning, with much concentration, not to hate my body. I am training myself to see it as my ally and not my enemy. I’m working to remember the different uses/purposes for my body: It is not just a tool, to get things done, and not just an object for others to judge and use, but my body is a vessel to care for so I can enjoy more adventures and love more people with it. Photo Divine was a step in this journey. Thank you!"

~ Christina