Theme of 2019: Bet on Yourself

Apollo Fields’ Theme of 2019: Bet on Yourself.

Sometimes you lose (see above). Sometimes you win (see above). For the last five years Heather and I have been making silly bets like the loser has to take Riddle out to pee while blindfolded, and meaningful bets like starting a business together. We have taken some losses but our gains have transcended any scale that uses a bottom line. Of course, a business has to be lucrative, but we bet on who we are because we know when we connect with a couple it isn’t just a vendor relationship it is the beginning of a friendship. 

Just last night Heather and I shared a meal with one of our 2020 couples, Michelle and Igor. Michelle and Igor just moved to New York as Igor received a job as the new executive chef for the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. In a meal of delicious fresh oysters, a wonderfully rich fresh cavatelli ragu, a steaming pot of mussels, a few drinks, and two scrumptious chocolate-y desserts, I still have to say the best thing about dinner was the company we found ourselves in. With a balance of silly humor, distinct professionalism, and personal stories of our respective family and friends, we laughed and talked for hours. 

This type of night was the norm for 2019. From when we photographed Rob & Lizzie’s performance-based wedding in the woods of Cazenovia, NY, to Emily & Augie’s intimate and classy backyard wedding in Cape Cod, MA, we didn’t seem to have a night where we weren’t genuinely emotionally invested in the people who surrounded us. We hosted another 20-friend Friendsgiving dinner in our home and accumulated another guest-book rolling-pin to memorialize the friendships in the room that night. Cultivating friendships is difficult but when you realize that they are the things we turn to in times of loss and of levity their worth becomes much more apparent.

We are lucky to run a business where our ideal client is also our ideal friend. Hard-working people who love to feel almost as much as they love to be themselves. The kind of people who pretend a wooden spoon is a microphone and sing into it like “the piano sounds like a carnival, and the microphone smells like a beer!” The kind of people who look you in the eye and hold a hug just a second or two longer. The kind of people who create their lives rather than let it consume them. The kind of people who bet on themselves.

We have taken our lumps this year, coming off the tragic ending of 2018, but Heather and I married one another because we will always bet on one another as individuals. We know how quickly things can turn for the worse but by hedging our bets with one another our losses will never be that great. If 2019 is any indication for the future, our gains will be less volatile and more rewarding for years to come.

Here’s to you you fine friends and fellow feelers: Here’s to the tears we shed and the hugs we hold on to. Here’s to those we lost and the future we’re creating. Here’s to betting on yourself and living with love in your heart.

Happy New Year,

Terrence & Heather
The Apollo Fields Fam

Some of our favorite 2019 venues we worked at:

• The Evergreen Lake House | Evergreen CO

• Granite Ridge Barn and Estate | Norway ME

• Wedgewood Boulder Creek | Boulder CO

• The Art Factory | Paterson NY

• Top of the Rock | NYC

• Normandy Farm | Blue Bell PA

• Six Harbors Brewery | Huntington NY

• 620 Loft and Garden | NYC

• Perona Farms | Anderson NJ

• The Box House Hotel | Brooklyn NY

The Evergreen Lake House Wedding Photography

Ashley & Nick’s Wedding | The Evergreen Lake House | Colorado Mountain Weddings | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography

When I woke up on the morning of Ashley and Nick’s wedding, I rolled over to see Heather staring at the ceiling, eyes wide open like she’d either seen a ghost or drank too much coffee.  These are the excited jitters that run through a wedding photographer’s veins that send most thin-skinned photographers running for the hills. The morning of a wedding is like being in the shoes of a performer in those final moments of waiting backstage on opening night, knowing full well what is on the other side of the red velvet curtain.  

The pressure that’s slowly been building in the pit of your stomach like a dull pain starts to climb to the bottom of your throat and it’s up to you to swallow it back down. Whether an audience of spectators or a guest list of family and friends, meeting their expectations is an uncertainty that can drive an artist at their core. The worst of them quit and exit stage left; and the best of them, well, bring the fucking house down.  

Fast-forward twelve hours and I’m dancing behind the DJ booth, and Heather is on the dance floor camera in-hand.  Ashley and Nick’s wedding couldn’t be going any better. When we first arrived at the house where Ashley and the bridesmaids were getting ready, we expected to walk into a hurricane of hairspray and a tangle of hair straighteners (as is tradition); instead we were greeted by a group of beautiful, calm and organized girls in floral robes who were ready to party.  The atmosphere at the boys’ house was more of the same (except for the floral robes).  The rest of the day transpired as planned with less logistical hiccups and more amazing dance moves, and it had us analyzing just what it was that made their wedding so seamless to us as photographers.

Obviously Ashley and Nick were well-prepared, but it was their energy and trust that set the tone for their wedding.  For example, both wedding parties, despite being large groups (7-8 people/each) were down to clown but still listened to and followed our dictation.  When it came to family formals, romantics, and the first look, Ashley and Nick totally put the ball in our court, trusting us with where to go, when to do it, and what angles to take.  That’s not to say our couple’s shouldn’t generate photo ideas or looks of their own, but rather that that trust in our professional and artistic vision 1) makes our jobs a breeze and 2) allows our couples more time with their guests.  This is all not to mention the deep, genuine love that Ashley and Nick have for one another which made photographing them a joyous experience composed of one-part envy and one-part melt-your-fucking-heart.  Nick was crying before he even turned around for the first look! (Sorry, not sorry bud!)

So when it comes to the pre-wedding jitters and meeting the expectations of such an event, the uncertainty is just part of the ride.  Some weddings are obviously more difficult than others, but it often comes down to the tone that the couple sets for the day. That tone is so important because it stems from the current health of the relationship at a point in time where they’ve both deemed their love worthy of an official union.  As wedding photographers, we embrace the unknown with our artistic hearts, but are always hoping that a couple’s trust and energy will reign supreme.    

Enjoy the pics from Ashley & Nick’s epic wedding:

The Vendor Team:

Photography and Writing: Apollo Fields
Venue: Evergreen Lake House
Florist: Wandering Poppy Co.
Entertainment: DJ Guy
Wedding Cake: Small Cakes Colorado
Decor: Event Rents
Dress:  Aisle Chic
Shoes: BHLDN
Jewelry: BHLDN
Veil: Needle Button Wardrobe
Suit: Men's Warehouse
Rings: Rogers & Hollands
HMUA: WedLocks Bridal Hair and Makeup
Stationary: Shutterfly

Hey, it’s us…

…We are Heather & Terrence: the husband-and-wife duo of Apollo Fields! We had such a great time at Ashley & Nick’s wedding and absolutely love heading back to our old stomping grounds in Colorado. REACH OUT to say hi!

Evergreen Lake House Wedding in Colorado Photographers

Shannon & Frank’s Wedding | Evergreen Lake House | Colorado Wedding Venue | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography

Shannon and Frank are a great upbeat Colorado couple and it was such a joy to work with them! I love working with Angie so I was stoked to be on board for this great mountain town wedding. I have shot a few weddings at the Evergreen Lake House and I really love this location! It is tucked into the rockies at the gorgeous Evergreen Lake. The venue is this big, magnificent log cabin style mountain building with huge windows and great 360 degree views.

Shannon and Frank had a great first look out on the meadow and the sun was shining so perfectly. I love the way that the light moves around this venue and this was the perfect Colorado day. They decided to have their ceremony out on the dock on the water (which is amazing) and they had a great, upbeat vibe to the whole day. I loved shooting Shannon’s EPIC dress, too! Oh my gosh, the way the ruffles moved was to die for and I just couldn’t get enough of this boho gown.

They had a beautiful reception in the great room full of heartfelt toasts, speeches, and special dances. One of my other favorite details of the day was their dope naked wedding cake which was not only the stuff of dreams but also tasted AMAZING! I mean, I hate to see cake wasted so I’m always down to take a leftover slice at the end of the night ;) Haha! But this fun couple was such a dream to work with and we wish them nothing but the best!!

Destination Wedding Photography: Apollo Fields shot for Angie Guenther

Colorado Wedding Venue: Evergreen Lake House, Evergreen CO

Selina & Evan's Wedding at The Barn at Evergreen Memorial Park in Colorado

Selina & Evan’s Wedding at The Barn at Evergreen Memorial Park | Colorado Barn Venues | Rustic Weddings | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography

We just love a good barn wedding– for us it’s not a trend, it’s a way of life. I grew up as a “barn rat”, an affectionate name for the scrappy barn kids who just never seem to leave. I mucked stalls, I scrubbed buckets, I dragged hay bales that were my size up and down the stairs to work off my riding lessons. I loved every minute of it. In the summers, I got dropped off at the barn in the morning. We had to do all of the barn chores before we were allowed to even look at a saddle. Then in the afternoons, we rode. I took group lessons and plotted around x-rails until I was told to stop. On the weekends, we would trail ride, flying through the woods on the ponies, running through the trails and dragging our horses through the streams. By the time the sun had gone down, someone would pick me back up from the barn and take me home.

Then I went off to a boarding school for riding horses and continued spending most of my time in barns. When I graduated, I got an apartment over a barn and began training horses to pay off my tuition. I love it, it’s where I stay active, I work out my frustrations on horseback, I find my sense of peace when I’m all alone at night with the horses feeding them treats. This is all to say that as a wedding photographer now, barn venues are MY JAM. For me, rustic wasn’t a hashtag, it was a reality.

The Barn at Evergreen Memorial Park

This Colorado venue is situated in a beautiful little town along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The landscape is amazing and the little barn is nestled off of the road. It has these amazing stained glass windows adorning the front and an open concept inside that is perfect for weddings. We were lucky to have a great golden hour where we went behind the barn for some romantic couple’s portraits.

I loved all of the personal touches that Selina and Evan had at their wedding. They are such a sweet couple and I just loved working with them and capturing their special day!

The Barn at Evergreen Memorial Park in Colorado

Selina and Evan are a fun loving and caring couple.

They're very sentimental and family oriented, so they opted for a more traditional wedding ceremony at the Cherry Hills Community Center in Denver, Colorado. 

After the wedding ceremony, they moved their guests over to their Barn at Evergreen Memorial wedding reception. And it was everything a wedding reception should be! They laughed and danced with their guests all night long. It was a blast to be a part of!

One of my favorite parts of their wedding day was their "blind look". They really wanted the first time they saw each other to be when Selina was walking down the aisle, but they also wanted a private moment for themselves before the ceremony. So instead of a first look, where a couple sees each other privately before the wedding ceremony, they held hands through a curtain and prayed together. It was so intimate, and personal. The perfect choice for Selina and Evan.

FARM WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY | AUTHENTIC WORKING BARNS | FARM TO TABLE

Heather Erny is a Colorado Wedding Photographer who specializes in telling your unique story in a timeless, photo journalistic way. If you're interested in having her photograph your wedding, get in touch!

Denver Ceremony: Cherry Hills Community Church

Farm Reception: The Barn at Evergreen Memorial Park

Wedding Photography: Apollo Fields