Vail Elopement - Betty Ford Alpine Gardens - Megan and Matt

As a general rule of thumb, I don't shoot large weddings.  We have an over-saturation of wedding photographers here in Colorado and most of them are going after the big accounts.  After working in the wedding industry for a few years, I knew that big weddings weren't going to be my thing once I started my photography business.  I sure do love shooting small weddings and elopements though!

When Megan and Matt asked me to shoot their elopement at The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, I was more than happy to help them out.  It was an honor to be trusted to shoot such an intimate experience, especially because we didn't get to meet beforehand.  Their ceremony was beautiful, with lots of tears and laughter.  Mother nature turned it on that day too.  Fresh snow on the Gore Range, loads of sunshine and leaves at their peak.

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Vail Family Photos - Betty Ford Alpine Gardens - Ngo Family

The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is one of the valley's greatest hidden gems.  If you blink, you'll miss it.  But if you're smart enough to visit, it's a sanctuary like no other.  When the Ngo Family asked me to help them with family photos, I knew that this would be a great spot for their shoot. 

We started the shoot at the top of the waterfall, with huge views of Vail Mountain (you can see the chairlifts in the background).  We made our way down to the base of the gardens and took advantage of the stairs, walkways and bridges that are dotted throughout the garden.  Following the photos at the gardens, we took a short walk over to the Gore Creek Covered Bridge to grab a few sunset photos along the creek. 

It was an overcast day the day of the shoot.  It might not be the most ideal conditions from a clients perspective, but it doesn't get much better than this for a photographer.  Flat light = flattering light and no shadows on  faces mean great photos!

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Vail Family Photos - Henline Family at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

Today's the day that landscape photographers wait for all year. The day the leaves are still yellow and there's snow on the ground - an absolutely stunning combination. I've seen tons of landscape photographers out and about in the valley today and I'm sure there's even more of them grabbing drone shots or heading out in helicopters. I don't have the patience for landscape photography, but I'm looking forward to seeing some of their work!

At the other end of the spectrum, I've been taking pre-school portraits all morning and I had a session with a family that's never seen snow this afternoon. So while I'm uploading today's work, I figured it's a great time to upload some recent photos photos from a much warmer day at the Betty Ford Gardens with the Henline Clan. The shoot was so much fun and as you can see from the photos, we had loads of laughs!

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Vail Family Photos at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

You hear of movie industry types that say you should never work with babies or animals.  In my personal opinion though - why not?!  

If you shoot at a time that works well for little ones, bring plenty of snacks and have a good attitude, I think that working with babies and animals can be really rewarding.  This was the exact scenario for my recent shoot with the Campbell Family.  

We met at The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens and it felt more like a little adventure than a photo shoot. There are so many great backgrounds to choose from between ponds, bridges, trails and mountains that we naturally had a great time!

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Vail Family Photographer - Betty Ford Alpine Gardens - Jagger Family

I can't tell if its just because I have two boys, but it seems like there's a serious boost in families with two boys in this valley!  Because I have a little insight into the minds of these tiny creatures, I know that the last thing they want to do it sit still.  This is why we chose to do the Jagger's family photos at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens.  The gardens have several waterfalls, bridges, rocks, ponds, staircases and trees, along with an old log cabin that's great for exploring.  All of these features also make for great backgrounds for photos.

We finished their session on the baseball fields directly behind the gardens.  As you can see by the last two photos, the leaves were in full color, hence why we call the eastern side of the mountain Golden Peak.  The very last photo is a b-roll photo.  We had nearly finished our session and Tristan was spent.  He saw freedom across the other side of the field and went for it!  His Dad went to grab him to bring him back to us and it just happened to make for a great photo in front of the Gore Range.  

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Vail Family Photos - Cannon Family

It can be really hard to gather family together, and when you can, it's always nice to be able to capture the occasion.  When the Cannon Family came out to Colorado, I was lucky enough to be able to capture them at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens.  The gardens have the most magnificent scenery, and they're certainly a favorite for young children.  There are so many things to explore that it's easy for the young ones to keep themselves entertained (and not got bored by the strange lady with the camera!)

Here are a few pics from the Cannon's session.

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Vail Family Photos - Sobba Family

I generally like to do my family sessions in the early evening to get the best lighting, but when the Sobba's contacted me they asked to shoot early in the morning.  Sometimes we have schedule at a time that works for children.  I can definitely attest to this being a great strategy for good photos! 

We decided to shoot at 9 in the morning and it worked out perfectly. There was plenty of shade before the sun got too high, making for great lighting.  Here are a few of my favorites from their session.