Beaver Creek Marriage Proposal - Michael and Lyndsay

I've mentioned in previous posts about the amount of planning that goes into shooting marriage proposals.  This session was no different!  Michael had decided to propose to Lyndsay beside the Covered Bridge in Vail Village.  The one thing we didn't count on was spring coming two months early this year.  The Covered Bridge was a muddy mess and not an idea location for the big moment.  

With a few stealthy phone calls and emails, Mike asked to switch the location to Strawberry Park at Beaver Creek.  Strawberry Park is a nordic area, so no traditional skiing or snowboarding is allowed there.  So I packed up my snow shoes and camera bag and headed to the chair lift the next morning.  Mike had told me what they'd be wearing and I spotted them as I was getting on the lift and they were renting their snow shoes.

We had devised a plan that I would look like a tourist taking photos of the scenery and Mike would ask me if I could take a photo of them on his phone.  As Mike handed me his phone, I put it in my pocket and switched to my camera for the big moment.  As you can see from the photos, it went pretty well!

Visit the website to see more Vail and Beaver Creek Engagement Photos

Vail Family Photos - Shirleys at Stephens Park, Vail

A few years ago, I did some maternity photos for Rachel and Ben when they were expecting.  A couple of months later, we had one of my favorite newborn sessions when CJ arrived.  He's three years old now, so it was awesome to be able to take some photos of him when his cousins were in town.  

We decided to do the session at Stephens Park in West Vail.  As you can tell from the photos below, the snow was already beginning to melt so it gave us the best of both worlds.  We were able to take a few snowy photos and some on the grass.  These conditions are great for little legs because sometimes it can be hard for kids to get through the deep snow if we've just had a blizzard.  Also note the fact that we three three year olds in the group!

Here are a few favorites from their session.

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Vail Newborn Photos - Hale

Just like life on the farm, spring seems to be a busy time for babies of the human variety to make their way into the world.  I've got two newborn sessions this week, so I figured I better post the photos from my last newborn session with sweet Baby Hale.

Newborn sessions require more time and planning than any other type of photo shoot.  To give you an idea, the amount of items that I take with me will easily fill up the trunk and backseat of my car.  They include blankets, backdrops, backdrop stands, clamps, studio lights, light stands, props, bean bags, accessories, a heater and a heating pad - not to mention my camera equipment!

Thankfully, Hale was a dream and cruised right through his session.  Out of all of the equipment, the heating pad that I use to warm up the blankets is probably the most essential in making sure that the baby will relax.  Hale definitely approved of it.

Visit the website to see more Vail Family Photos.

Vail Mountain Top Wedding Proposal - Doug and Kara

Shooting wedding proposals takes a lot of planning and living in a resort makes the planning even more important.  Sometimes the person proposing has never been to the location where they would like to pop the question.  The majority of my work is for guests coming in from out of town that I haven't met in person, so it's my job to make sure that the location works, the conditions are suitable, the person proposing has clear directions on where to go and we always need to figure out a way to recognize each other.  These are the thing that I have control over.

What I don't have control over is other people and how they might interact with the situation.  Doug had chosen to propose to Kara at the top of Vail Mountain, beside the observation deck.  I had spoken to ski patrol to have them lower their safety ropes for five minutes so that there wouldn't be bright orange flags blowing in the background of the photos.  My camera was ready and Doug had sent me a text to say they were on their way.  

It was St. Patrick's Day and as some of you may know, alcohol hits you a little harder at altitude.  What I hadn't planned on was an inebriated guest who had perched himself down on the deck and was heckling tourists.  Doug had walked Kara out to the deck to take a look at the view and my 'helper' started giving them pointers on where they should stand for the best views and the best light and just generally getting in the way.  In the mean time, I was doing a delicate dance behind him, trying to get Doug off the deck and into place without Kara noticing.

Thankfully Doug managed to politely manuever both himself and Kara off the deck and into place for a gorgeous proposal with unobstructed views of The Mount of the Holy Cross.  There's always room to learn and now I know to keep an eye out for hecklers and helpers!

Vail Observation Deck

Heading out to the designated spot along the ridge line

Vail Mountain marriage proposal with The Mount of the Holy Cross in the background.

Vail Mountain marriage proposal with The Mount of the Holy Cross in the background.

Vail Mountain wedding proposal with Game Creek Bowl in the background.

Vail Mountain marriage proposal

Vail Mountain marriage proposal

Vail Mountain wedding proposal

Visit the website to see more Vail Marriage Proposals and Vail Engagement Photos.

Vail Village Family Photos and Clothing Tips for Shooting in the Snow - Spears Family

Well, 2017 is flying by and somehow we're already in April.  The ski season will finish in a couple of weeks, so I'm circling back and getting some Christmas sessions up on the blog before we hit summer and they're completely out of date!

The Spears contacted me about doing photos for them during their stay in town, so we decided to meet at The Covered Bridge and do a quick walking loop around Vail Village.  The first thing that you'll notice from their session is their choice of clothing colors.  Bright solids (particularly in warm shades) always look amazing against a snowy background.  Paired with some solid neutral tones and minimal patterns, you pretty much can't go wrong.  

Another thing to consider when doing a session in the snow is doing a few photos with jackets on and off.  It's an easy way to switch up your wardrobe, without having to drag an extra outfit through the snow.  You'll also notice that Libby brought a hat to wear towards the end of our shoot.  Another easy idea for changing up your look.  Keeping the hat for the end of the session helps with the dreaded hat hair scenario too.  

Here are a few images from their shoot to give you an idea.

Family Photos in Vail Village, along the Gore Creek.

Covered Bridge, Vail Village

Family Photos in Vail Village, along the Gore Creek.

International Bridge, Vail Village

Christmas Decorations, Vail Village

Vail Village Fire Pit.

Visit the website to see more Vail Family Photos.

Beaver Creek Engagement Photos - Connor and Taylor

My last post featured Connor's proposal to Taylor at Beano's Cabin in Beaver Creek.  Following the proposal, it was also sprung on Taylor that she and Connor were booked for an engagement photo session the next morning!  

We started the engagement session outside the old barn at The Mirabelle restaurant at the base of Beaver Creek.  The barn has some great old timber that gives a great texture to the background of photos.  Once we finished up at the barn, we headed a little way up the hill to get some views of the resort.

I've written before about one of my favorite spots on the Beaver Creek Golf Course, which is a small path that you can only access for a few days in the fall and the spring.  It has to be timed right between both the snowfall and the golf season and as luck would have it, the conditions were perfect for Connor and Taylor.  With the sun starting to peek out from behind the clouds, we headed down the path to grab some photos with the ski runs centered in the background.

To finish up the shoot, we took advantage of the stonework outside of The Beaver Creek Chapel before heading to the skier bridge over the creek. 

For anyone thinking about getting engaged or doing engagment photos in the Vail Valley, here are a few ideas from our session.

Engagement Photography session at The Mirabelle, Beaver Creek.

Engagement Photography session at The Mirabelle, Beaver Creek.

Engagement Photography session at The Mirabelle, Beaver Creek.

Beaver Creek Engagement Photos at The Beaver Creek Golf Course.

Beaver Creek Engagement Photos at The Beaver Creek Golf Course.

Beaver Creek Engagement Photos at The Beaver Creek Chapel

Beaver Creek Engagement Photos at The Beaver Creek Chapel

Visit the website to see more Beaver Creek and Vail Engagement Photos.

Beaver Creek Wedding Proposal at Beano's Cabin - Connor and Taylor

Something strange happened to me a couple of weeks ago.  I shoot a lot of wedding proposals, but for the first time ever, I was asked to shoot three proposals in one week.  I'm just going to chalk it up to a strange coincidence.

Unfortunately, I also managed to break several ribs that same week.  There's never a good time for broken ribs, and this certainly was horrendous timing.  However, a very kind Dr. managed to get me strapped up and pull my rib cage somewhat back into place in order for me to be able to go out and shoot.  Thankfully 90% of my work is editing and proposal shoots are typically fairly short.

So with the help of a couple of ibuprofen, I set off to shoot the first proposal for the week at Beano's Cabin at Beaver Creek.  Connor had planned the proposal to take place on the deck facing the mountains.  A sign had been designed and shipped to the restaurant in advance, so we needed to get up to the restaurant ahead of his girlfriend Taylor to get everything in place.  I rode with Connor and his dad on the first sled up to the restaurant for the evening.  We had about 20 minutes before Taylor was going to arrive.  Just enough time for me to get set up, check on the lighting and figure out the flow.

Taylor's sled arrived right on schedule.  Before she entered the restaurant, Connor's dad invited her to check out the view from the deck.  Of course, Connor was waiting with the sign and the ring in hand.  Everything went perfectly and of course, she said yes!

We also sprung it on Taylor that we'd be shooting engagement photos at 9am the next morning.  More to come on that shortly...

Visit the website to see more Vail and Beaver Creek Wedding Proposals