AMY FREE photography

Personal :: 04.10.10

"The journey of an adventure is worth a thousand days of ease and comfort." -Paul Ochoa

I'll admit it, yes... it was hard to leave those glorious mountains behind me, but I am majorly celebrating some incredible progress on the book has been made here in TX (along with copious amounts of general inspiration from my partner for the project; Miss Tara Kirk) and the fact that I get to see my hubs today after weeks and weeks of being apart! May the adventure continue.

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Maddy K. says:

LOVE IT!!!!!!!

(04.10.10 @ 08:23 PM)

deb schwedhelm says:

what an amazing experience and such incredible images captured!!
love.
love.
deb

(04.11.10 @ 06:46 PM)

stacy says:

cool pic lady! love it!

(04.11.10 @ 08:26 PM)

Lauren Jackson says:

ahhh, the mountains of CO - so hard to leave! i love your quote at the top!

(04.13.10 @ 10:11 AM)

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Lost Valley Ranch :: 04.06.10

lost valley ranch: day three.

Heaven is high and earth wide. If you ride three feet higher above the ground than other men, you will know what that means. - Rudolf Binding

I spent most of the day yesterday down around the corral and loved taking in the images of the horses and wranglers. I've always been quite taken with horses, so even now, despite their shaggy coats and the spring mud, I could watch them for hours.

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Beata English says:

These photographs are amazing! i absolutely adore the B&W image of the horses! Such an wonderful place!

(04.06.10 @ 06:35 PM)

stacy says:

the colors are so rich, it's like i'm there... so gorgeous!

(04.06.10 @ 08:04 PM)

Beca says:

can i just say i'm loving these?!!
so beautiful amy - makes me miss it!

(04.06.10 @ 09:54 PM)

meredith huntley says:

awesome these pics make me want to move there!

(04.07.10 @ 08:34 AM)

Candice says:

like the rest, these pictures make me ACHE to visit a place like this....

(04.07.10 @ 09:38 AM)

Sally jayne says:

Oh how these make me miss LVL!!! I can't wait to see this book come together!!!! Awesome job Amy!!

(04.07.10 @ 10:46 PM)

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Lost Valley Ranch :: 04.05.10

lost valley ranch: day two.

One of the richest elements about Lost Valley is the truth that this is a place where relationships flourish. The task's and to-do's of every day life are stripped away. It offers the simple beauty of taking the time to sit on a porch swing. Taking a walk. Riding together. Sharing meals and laughter together. Numerous people that I've been talking with have shared that they feel like their time spent at the Ranch allows them to be the truest version of themself... and there is a certain freedom in that feeling.

Your beautiful baby from the outside in
Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again
Go on, take on this whole world
But to me you know you'll always be, my little girl. -Tim McGraw

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Heidi K says:

Wow. Again! I love these so much...you have a way of capturing so much personality in all of your photos. Becca looks like she's going to come talk to me straight from the picture! And you're right. I never knew myself until I came here to the Valley. I have no idea how, but you captured all of our true selves in these photos. Well done!

(04.08.10 @ 03:21 PM)

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Lost Valley Ranch :: 04.04.10

lost valley ranch: day one.

Yesterday evening I drove from Denver to the Ranch and can hardly believe that I'm sitting here in this Valley right now (if you need any background on what the heck I'm doing click here and here). I've been playing catch up, posting photos from my trip whenever I could finally take some time to edit/share/etc, but I wanted to be able to share a little more "real time" about my time and experiences here in the Valley. Selfishly I want to look back on my days here an remember them vividly.

So, what I consider one of the most unique qualities of the ranch is the "remote-ness". You lose cell reception when you are about an hour away and then the last nine miles of the trip are on a sometimes precarious dirt road. As I turned off the pavement, I tried to relish all the times I've made this drive... the conversations, the specific songs that have stirred my heart along the bumpy drive, the place my car slid in the mud and got stuck, ha. I stopped more this time than I ever have before, shooting when something looked interesting, and just trying to see all the details the maybe I've never noticed before.

This place is the same basically... small differences here and there, and I'm different... but the Ranch is the same. And therein lies the beauty of this valley.

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Maddy K. says:

I love the lighting in the first one a whole lot! Great job! :)

(04.04.10 @ 07:01 PM)

sharon clark says:

love your heart and every single picture during your adventurous trip across the USA!

(04.05.10 @ 04:32 PM)

Beata English says:

Amy, your images are so amazing! the colours spectactular! i so want to come back to the US and explore more of your home!

(04.06.10 @ 05:26 PM)

Betsy says:

So many memories are evoked by these beautiful images - especially the 1/2 mile sign. Driving in on the shelf road and realizing it marked that you were almost "home". The joy of trotting by it on the ride out filled with anticipation of the adventure that awaits and the tinge of sadness seeing the sign on the way back knowing the ride was over...

(04.06.10 @ 09:49 PM)

Alison English says:

tears, my friend, as I look through these gorgeous photos and remember the beauty, the simplicity, and the life this wonderful place brought me. Can't wait to see the whole project come together. Thanks for sharing!

(04.06.10 @ 09:50 PM)

Mallory says:

oh my heart... these are stunning. absolutely gorgeous.

(04.12.10 @ 05:07 PM)

Kristen says:

Oh man. Just knowing you and how this place is your "happy place" makes me so happy that you got to be "back at the ranch". kisses.KG

(04.20.10 @ 02:52 PM)

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Kids and family , Lost Valley Ranch :: 04.03.10

ally and molly: topeka, ks inspiration.

Ally and Molly are the kiddos of another special set of Lost Valley former staffers. Jill and Matt met at the Ranch and almost 6 years and 2 kids later, it's clear that the foundation of friendship that they built their relationship upon is still strong and true. Their little girls are beautiful in every way and I could have photographed them for hours. I just kept exclaiming, "Oh, you are so lovely!"... it was a good feeling to capture what I saw. But beyond their physical beauty, I saw that these girls are deeply loved by their parents. They are beloved. So this is the message I want to send to them....

your heart
your hands
your eyes
your dreams

are beloved.

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Maddy K. says:

these are absolutely precious! I love all of them!!!

(04.03.10 @ 03:35 PM)

Kathryn Ivey says:

These are some of the most photogenic kids I've ever seen...beautiful!

(04.03.10 @ 10:04 PM)

stacy says:

amy... i love the colors on this set! especially love the first one.beautiful!

(04.03.10 @ 10:49 PM)

KK says:

These little girls should model. Adorable.

(04.05.10 @ 09:00 AM)

Meredith Daniels says:

These pictures are so beautiful! I love the expressions you caught!

(04.05.10 @ 10:57 AM)

Kerri Parrington says:

Amy, I regret that we were out of town when you were in Topeka and did not get to meet. These photos of my precious nieces are as georgous as they are. You do beautiful work!

(04.20.10 @ 03:00 PM)

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