Beaver Creek Family Photos - Beaver Creek Mountain - Singal Family

When Alka contacted me to take photos for her family, she told me that they would be celebrating a 1st, 9th and 70th birthday during their first ever trip to the Vail Valley.  What an honor to be capturing so many special birthdays.  

Our shoot was scheduled for early in the morning, which can lead to tricky lighting. The sun was already high by the time I arrived.  To counteract the light, we took a short walk to a huge aspen grove on one of the work roads, that doubles as a cat track in the winter.  There was plenty of shade and some great back lighting with the trees blocking most of the sun.

After a while, we ventured out of the shade to grab some photos with mountain views.  Although the light wasn't in our favor, we still managed to make the most of it and we got a few really great bonus photos.  

Sibling photos on Beaver Creek Mountain

Family photos at Beaver Creek

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

Vail Family Photos - East Vail - Fields Family

When you have three generations that come together for a photo shoot, the location you choose has to be able to cater to everyone.  When the Fields Family asked me to take some photos for them, they mentioned that the ages in the group ranged from 9 -80 years, so we decided on shooting along the Vail Bike Path in East Vail.  

The path runs parallel to the Gore Creek, which means there are plenty of idyllic spots on the water.  The mountain views from there also work great for family photos, and as a bonus, it's paved.  This wasn't such an issue for the Fields Family, but when you're pushing a stroller, this is key!

If you haven't been there yet, I highly recommend it.  Stay on the path long enough and you'll end up in Vail Village after taking in some of the best views in the valley.  

Visit the website to see more Vail Family Photos.

Vail Family and Pet Photographer - Miller Ranch Open Space - Eric and Rachel

I did engagement photos for Rachel and Eric a couple of years ago, so I was excited to help them with some photos recently at the Miller Ranch Open Space in Edwards.  

When they booked their session, we didn't know that the valley would be hit with smoke from wildfires.  Although the smoke can be a real nuisance, (and obviously very scary for anyone near the fires) it does make for some crazy lighting that's interesting to experiment with for photos.  The smoke acts like a giant filter over the sun, so shooting during the day is akin to shooting on a cloudy day.  

Thankfully they were okay with the conditions and we were able to play around with all kinds of lighting scenarios.  A few days later the smoke had cleared out and we were back to normal, and Rachel and Eric were able to get some unique images from their session.

Visit the website to see more Vail Family Photos.

Beaver Creek Family Photography - Storey Family in Bachelor Gulch, Beaver Creek

New Year's Eve in Vail is always bitterly cold.  I know, because every year we watch the fireworks and it takes about an hour to get everyone bundled up before we walk out the door.  

When Shelly asked me to do some photos for her family on New Year's Eve last year, I knew what to expect.  What I didn't expect was the amazing views we would have of Beaver Creek in the background.  Because we were shooting three generations, it was inevitable that some little fingers and toes would start freezing pretty quickly.  Thankfully, we were shooting in their back yard, so we could corral people inside to stay warm and call them out when it was their turn.  

The sun was setting on 2017 during our shoot and what a way to finish the work year.  And yes, we went to the fireworks that night and it was crazy cold.  Nothing a little wine couldn't help with though!

Visit the website to see more Beaver Creek Family Photos.

Vail Elopement - Mini Session in Vail Village

Most of my sessions are an hour long.  By request, I'll happily do a 30 minute mini session.  When Chelsey contacted me to take some wedding photos, it was the first time I'd been asked to do a 10 minute session!

They had eloped earlier in the morning and Chelsey wanted a few photos of their special day.  Given the short time frame, I wanted a location that had several different backdrops in one place.  The tiny meadow behind Pirate Ship Park in Vail Village was perfect.  Mountains, aspens, wildflowers and a creek all right there.  

The light just before a storm is some of my favorite, but of course there's a fine line between great lighting and disaster.  Two seconds after our session, we had a torrential downpour.  Success!

Visit the website to see more Vail Wedding Photography.

Vail Family Photographer - Horn Family at Eagle's Nest and Lionshead

The ski season is officially over and what a busy season it's been!  The winter started out slow with our snowfall, but thankfully it picked up as the season went along.  The Horn Family was one of my first shoots for the winter. We decided to start the shoot up at Eagle's Nest to make the most of the snow and finish the session in Lionshead.  

If you look at the first photos in the series, you'll see the snow coverage that we had at the top of the mountain.  Look closely at the third photo and you'll see the grass sticking through!  Luckily, we only had to deal with these conditions for a couple of weeks and the photos still came out cute.

I loved their jewel toned color combo too.  Such a sweet family!

Visit the website to see more Vail Family Photos.