Welcome, Friends!

I’m so glad you’re here! Let me introduce myself: I’m Mandy, a professional photographer in Colorado Springs, Colorado! It still feels strange to say that, sometimes. I never imagined being a professional photographer for a living, but I knew I didn’t want to work some desk job for someone else, either.   When I had my twins at the age of 27, I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I had been a model for several years at that point, and enjoyed being in FRONT of the camera, but after a really awful experience on a modeling call I realized I just didn’t want to do it anymore. I LOVED photo shoots, but maybe it wasn’t the modeling part of those shoots that I loved so much. When I really looked at the creativity and expertise it took to pull off a shoot, I realized I could love this work from BEHIND the camera!

Have you seen the movie 27 Dresses? It’s the one with Katherine Heigl as the woman who was always the maid of honor/bridesmaid and never the bride. That is actually one of my favorite movies! I know, cheesy, but I love it! I have actually been in THIRTEEN weddings total, 6 as a maid of honor, 2 as an honorary maid of honor (where I had the responsibilities because the actual Maid Of Honor was out of town), and then, of course, my own wedding! I am on my way to my 27 dresses. I love throwing the parties and getting gifts for the brides and everything in between! When I became a professional photographer, it never crossed my mind that maybe weddings were where I would thrive, but I LOVE them!

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Don’t get me wrong, I do lots of other types of photography, and love that too, but there is something about seeing the love between two people and the joy that they share together on one of the most important days of their lives! I am truly honored to be able to share in that with my clients!

As a model, I learned a lot about how to shine in front of the camera, and how to bring out the emotion the photographer wanted. It helped me a lot when I stepped behind the camera, and had to start helping my clients shine on camera, too!  I can, of course, pose people and ask them to smile, but would you rather have a pretend smile out of your toddler, or the true joy and laughter they actually have? For me, candid pictures are the best! I capture so much emotion and real interaction BETWEEN the posed shots!  This is why I am drawn to the engagement and wedding scene. The love between two people will continue, but the start of that love is filled with so much passion that it shows up in the photos almost effortlessly! 

Welcome to my online home! Take a look around, check out what I have to offer, and book your consultation with me. I am so glad you took the time to get to know me a little better, and I look forward to working with you!

Love,

Mandy Penn