Beaver Creek Fall Photos - Bachelor Gulch - Morley Family

There's a spot at the top of Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek that has one of the best views of the Valley and most locals don't even know about it.  The irony is, we ski over it all the time in the winter.  Our mountain environment is in a constant state of change and when the leaves are in full bloom, you get much more depth to the views than when they're covered in snow.  This makes this little bridge a perfect location during the fall.

We chose to do the Morley family photos there and it had everything you could want for a family shoot.  Lots of space for the kids to run around, a rustic skier bridge and views of the Gore Range all the way down to the valley floor.  The leaves at their peak didn't hurt either!

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Beaver Creek Engagement Photos - Taylor and Ray

I'm 3 months behind on blog posts.  The kids had a 13 week summer break - 13 WEEKS!  As any parent knows, little people don't take too kindly having their Mama on the computer very often.  Now that the longest summer break ever is over, it's time to get back to work. 

So now that the weather is cooling off, we're heading into the madness that is leaf season in the Rockies.  In the next few weeks, traffic on I-70 will increase with large numbers heading up into these hills to get their leaf-peeping on.  It also means that I'm heading towards one of my busiest seasons of the year with fall photos. 

To kick things off, I'm posting an engagement session from last year with Taylor and Ray.  They drove up from Denver and wanted to meet in Beaver Creek.  We had overcast weather which is just perfection for daytime photos.  They were a gorgeous couple and thankfully, they didn't mind hiking up the mountain to get the perfect shot!

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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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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

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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.  

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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.

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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.