Silverthorne Family Photos - Wildernest

2 years ago, I did newborn photos for Addison over the hill in Silverthorne.  I was excited when her Mom, Natalia, contacted me to do a fall photo session with the whole family.  As an added bonus, we got to bring the dogs along with us.

We hiked to the top of a small peak in Wildernest, with perfect views of the mountains, the leaves and Lake Dillon.  The dogs were so well behaved!  I kept having visions of what my Beansy would do in that situation.  It would certainly involve plenty of digging and chasing wild animals, not sitting sweetly like these two!

It was also really awesome to see how much Addison had grown.  Working with families as children grow is certainly one of the biggest perks of the job :)

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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.

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Vail Photographer - Miller Ranch Open Space - Sarah and Jesse

Sarah is a Coloradoan, but she's never been to the mountains while the leaves were changing.  Luckily for her session with Jesse, the leaves were in full vibrancy mode!  I scheduled their session so that we could wander along the river at the beginning and finish the session in the meadow, right at sunset.  This doesn't always workout, due to clouds, but this time it was perfect!

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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 Maternity Photos - Marnie and John

It's been a while since I've had a maternity session, so it was a nice change to take photos for Marnie and John before their little girl arrives. We started the session just outside the The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa and then headed over to Walking Mountains Science Center to roam through the trees and to capture the leaves at their peak. The meadow at Walking Mountains also has great views of Beaver Creek and the surrounding mountains. Here are a few of my faves

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Beaver Creek Photographer - Pearson Family

Like Real Estate, a lot of what make a photo great boils down to location, location, location.  I have a fairly good arsenal of local spots that I like to use, so when a client shows me somewhere new, I'm always excited to add it to my bag of tricks.  

I've been doing family photos for the Pearson's for several years now, and for their fall session this year, Haley suggested we shoot at the top of Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek.  For 5 years I worked on this mountain and I had never seen the spot where we shot.  It's literally like standing on top of the world, with mountain views for miles.

Here are some of the photos from their session, at one of my new favorite spots!

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