Valentine's Week in the Mountains - Parts I, II and III

I'm celebrating Valentine's all week this week.  With everything that's going on in the world, love should be celebrated as often as possible.  So I'm breaking the week down into three parts, starting with some exciting news.  

Part I

As of January 1st, I now have my own little studio in Vail.  It's been an unexpected and fun opportunity and I'm looking forward to getting the word out and getting more people in there.  I'll still be operating a mobile studio, but hopefully this will cut down on schlepping my gear around so much.  

We broke the studio in with Valentine's Mini Sessions with some amazing tiny people.  I got a little carried away with investing in Valentine's backdrops, but they were all just so cute.  These aren't even all of them (yes, there's more), but it gives you an idea of some of the fun we've had so far in the new space.  

Part II

Chris contacted me about proposing to Eileen at The Vail Observation Deck last week and he was a dream client to work with.  It can be hard to coordinate proposals when clients aren't completely familiar with the mountain.  But Chris was sending ME diagrams with locations, placements and the timing for everything.  This has never happened...EVER!  

What Eileen didn't know was that Chris had also flown in their parents.  They were watching the whole proposal from a distance and knew that they could head towards the deck once he got down on one knee.  The third photo shows Eileen's reaction to seeing them all heading to the deck.  

It was a gorgeous day and she was completely surprised with everything.  Perfection!

Part III

This morning I had the privilege of shooting a wonderful, heartfelt, self-solemnizing wedding at the top of Beaver Creek Mountain.  To give you some context, yesterday we had an insane blizzard.  10 inches of fresh snow and some of the worst wind we've had all season.  I was looking out the window all day thinking 'this better be gone by tomorrow'.  Thankfully, everything worked out in our favor!

Following their vows, Brynn and Matt asked me to take a run with them down the hill.  We got some fun shots while skiing, but my favorite was the chairlift photo as we made our way back up the mountain (the last photo in the series). 

So there you have it. Valentine's week is done and dusted.  I have another proposal next week, so look out for photos from that one!

Lots of ♥, WSP.

Visit the website to see more Vail Studio Photography, Vail Wedding Proposals and Beaver Creek Weddings.

Singletree Pavilion Wedding, Edwards - Lynn and Andy

We've all seen the funniest home video shows where a wedding photographer falls in a pool or trips over during a wedding.  Well, I'm happy to announce that you're never too experienced to say it will never happen to you.

I arrived for Lynn and Andy's wedding at the Singletree Pavilion in Edwards and set off to take shots of the surrounding area before the ceremony began.  I took a step while looking through my lens and promptly managed to fall down the patio steps.  There's only 2 steps, but I managed to do a backward somersault with thousands of dollars worth of equipment strapped to my chest.  After having a quick laugh and a check on the equipment, I was ready to go.  There was no time to dust myself off (yes, I landed in mud), just time to get on with the job.  I'm just so glad it didn't happen during the ceremony!

The ceremony was beautiful and full of fall colors with mountain vistas and yellow aspens in their full glory.  I had plenty of help from the wedding party, including some very cute photo bombers!  The details were magazine ready and it was a gorgeous day.  Massive congrats to Lynn and Andy!

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Vail Wedding Photographer - Four Tips for Capturing Wedding Photos and Staying Discreet

A new camera on the market has been brought to my attention.  Light have introduced the L16 camera, which has the ability to take DSLR quality photos in a camera the size of a smart phone. This got me thinking about how much gear I carry with me when shooting weddings.  I shoot with two DSLR cameras on a chest harness.  One camera has a wide 17-40mm lens and the other has 24-70mm portrait lens.  Both cameras have flashes and light diffusers attached. That's a lot of gear!  So if a wedding photographer carries so much gear, how can they be discreet and still get the shot?

1: Dress Comfortably

Recently I saw a wedding photographer dressed in a full tuxedo.  I couldn't think of anything worse! For high end events in Vail, we have a dress standard that's referred to 'Mountain Casual'. Translated, this means dress nicely but sensibly.  If I'm shooting a wedding, it's not uncommon for me to be walking through long grass, mud, snow, rain, river beds and obviously, over mountains.  This means sensible shoes.  I also wear black dress pants, a black shirt and usually a black cardigan.  Whatever I'm wearing, I have to be able to move and stretch.  If I can't move, I can't get the shot.

2:  Be Prepared

If it's good enough for a boy scout, it's good enough for a photographer.

Do a walk through at the location, check on the light (both artificial and natural), clean your gear, buy batteries for your flashes, have clients fill out a questionnaire, create a shot list, visualize your ideas, talk to the officiant, get the wet weather plan, check the weather forecast on multiple apps, research ideas for large wedding parties, look up ideas for small wedding parties, plan a route for photos throughout the location, pack a snack, take sunscreen, bring an umbrella, check your camera bag multiple times, make sure you have enough memory...you get the drift.

Be both strategic and adaptable for any situation that may arise.  Nothing will draw more attention to you than being unprepared!

3:  Ninja Mode

We wedding photographers wear black for a reason.  We want to blend in and not draw attention to ourselves.  We also want to be light on our feet.

I like to shoot from all angles during the ceremony.  I start by taking centered shots from the aisle, both wide and tight.  Then I move to each side and repeat.  I'll be back in the center to get the vows, exchange of rings, the first kiss and the recessional.  With all of this moving about, I have to be quiet and quick.  This means moving in and out of each location as nimbly as possible.

In order to do this, you need to know your gear backwards, forwards, inside and out in order to get the photos that the clients want - like a ninja!

4:  You're on the Clock

This one is personal and some photographers may disagree with me.  I worked for years in the resort industry, helping to plan weddings on top of the mountain. Because of this, I'm very conscious of my role during a wedding.  I don't eat vendor meals in front of clients and I don't drink alcohol during events.  I'll carry a snack with me and eat it somewhere out of sight of guests, quickly and usually during dinner service.  I find that dinner is the best time to walk around and grab a photo of each table.  This ensures that I've taken at least one image of every guest at the event.

When I'm done for the day, I'll go home and have a glass of wine in the comfort of my own home, make-up free and in my pajamas!

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Cordillera Wedding Elopement - Bobbi and Russ

Did you know that a couple can marry themselves?  I didn't, so I was intrigued when Bobbi contacted me and explained that she and Russ would solemnize their own wedding, which is permitted in the state of Colorado.  

Their elopement took place at The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera, beneath the gazebo on their back lawn.  It was a perfect fall evening, where the weather was very warm, but the leaves were changing and there was snow on the surrounding mountains.  

After some very heartfelt wedding vows and bubbles (they even brought a glass for me!) we moved up to the Overlook Lawn for some fun sunset photos.  Here are a few photos from their special day.

Visit the website to see more Vail Wedding Photography