I’m writing this from Utah, where I’ve been for the past week to help photograph some Sundance Film Festival events with my friend Sam. I’ve been having SO much fun, and I couldn’t help but go ahead and share some of my favorite images of Park City these past few days.
I actually got to experience Sundance for the first time two years ago, when Mike (Sam’s husband) initially got contracted to shoot a weekend of events for Columbia College in Chicago and asked me if I would be interested in helping him shoot. I was expecting the whole thing to be a little glamorous, but I was stunned when we ended up in a tiny room full of famous people. Mike and Sam have been hired every year since, but this year Mike was deployed unexpectedly, so they asked me if I’d want to fly back out to Utah to help Sam. Trust me… they didn’t need to ask twice. :)
Between all the girl time, Cafe Rio burritos, and cracking up at the things Mike and Sam’s kids say on a daily basis, it’s been great getting to remember and experience some of the things I loved most about living in Salt Lake City. So it’s icing on the cake that we’ve gotten to drive up to Park City every day. The first day we were there, there was hardly any snow on the ground, which is very unusual for this time of year, so I was kind of bummed. But on Saturday, there was a crazy snow storm the whole day, and while it was absolutely beautiful, it also meant a two-and-a-half-hour white-knuckles drive back down the mountain that night because the roads were so bad.
This year, there weren’t any celebs at the Columbia events we shot, so when we had some extra time on Sunday, we decided to cruise up and down Main Street and people watch. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and the streets were filled with people waiting in line for films, eating at restaurants, shopping, and showing off their best Sundance fashion. For the film industry types, Sundance is apparently a perfect excuse to buy the most outrageous pair of furry boots you can find and bedazzle the crap out of your resort wear. It is highly entertaining. We were almost too distracted to notice the celebrities among them…. ALMOST. While we were driving through, we spotted Jason Ritter and William H. Macy just hanging out. Naturally I whipped out the 135 mm lens and played paparazzi from the passenger seat of the car, and even managed to catch Mr. Macy doubling back to tip a street band he passed. As I was taking the photos, all I could think in my mind was “Stars! They’re just like US!” Ha. We also saw Ben from The Bachelor in the lobby of the hotel we were shooting at, but I didn’t get a good photo of him. I actually wouldn’t have recognized him if Paige and Emily, the girls who came to help us out, hadn’t pointed him out.
All celebrity fascination aside, it’s been a really good week. But I’m definitely ready to get back to Jamie and Gretchen and Alabama, which once again got hit by some pretty bad tornadoes last night. I’m hoping everyone managed to stay safe and sound. As nice as it is to get away, there truly is no place like home!
On the way home, Sam saw this awesome spot and suggested we take some photos. How cool does the snow look under those lights?
carmen - Go girl!
Christie - Looks awesome! Even though my first thought was “ahhh that looks freezing!”
Mike - Looks like a great time. I’m so bummed I had to miss it this year, and bummed that I missed your entire visit. It’s always good to hang out with the Trinkers. (which needs to happen soon!)
Debbie Trinker - Oh how I love Utah!!! Beautiful pictures that bring back happy memories of when we would come visit. What a fun trip that must have been!!!!
Amanda Wald - Love the photos Morgan! Especially the ones in the snow- you look gorgeous!