Boulder Colorado Engagement Photography
Olivia and Tim's Engagement in Boulder, Colorado | Eagle Trailhead Hiking Path | Adventure Engagement Photographer in CO | Rocky Mountain Weddings | Apollo Fields Photographers
Sometimes I feel like our identities are torn between New York and Colorado. It’s hard because I have a serious love for both states but for completely different reasons:
My NY side loves the art scene, ethnic food, the fast paced lifestyle, the ocean, and getting to dress in all black.
My Colorado side loves the mountains, the sense of adventure, the laid back culture, local beer, and getting to wear flannel.
Sometimes, I feel like we’re supposed to choose between these two worlds, but then I remember that we have intentionally carved out a lifestyle that allows us to wear both hats instead of picking only one or the other. It’s pretty damn cool and I think we are so lucky to be able to work in such epic places. What is extra cool for me, though, is when both of my worlds collide. Olivia and Tim’s engagement session was the perfect example of this.
Here’s the backstory… Olivia’s mom is one of the owners and the head trainer of the barn that I board my horse at in Northport, NY. Olivia and Tim recently relocated to the wild, wild west and just like that—BOOM—my worlds collide!
I love showing people around some of our favorite Colorado digs, so this was especially fun for me because they haven’t had a lot of time to explore the front range yet. We hit Eagle Trailhead for golden hour, and it did not disappoint.
Olivia and Tim have such a sweet and fun way about them. It made my job VERY easy because I barely had to pose or direct! It was more of, “okay so let’s go into this light and then just hang out together” click-click-click-click. It felt more like us all chilling by the foothills swapping war stories about turning my horse out than a formal session (AKA the dream for me). And trust me, there are always plenty of stories about Limbo to go around— one of Olivia’s first things she said to me was how my horse had a major meltdown with her when she was bringing him back to the barn once. Oh, Bimbo… he’s so adorable sometimes!
Enjoy Olivia + Tim’s engagement pics:
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Mount Falcon Colorado Engagement Photography
Anna & Jeff’s Engagement Session | Mt Falcon Engagements | Morrison, Colorado | Red Rocks Photography | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers
I’m so excited to be working with Anna and Jeff because they are both outdoorsy, laid back professionals who are very much so our ‘vibe’ of people! I first met them through a dear friend, Kerry, since they had just relocated from the East Coast to Colorado for work and were recently engaged. Anna was in the beginning phases of wedding planning so we were chatting about some of my favorite venues in the mountains. They were between Colorado and Maine and of course, I was down for either location!
They ultimately decided to have their wedding in Maine at the Granite Ridge Estate & Barn in Norway, Maine which was a totally win-win for us! We love barn weddings and I’m a huge fan of Maine :) so we jumped at the opportunity. But I still loved the idea of doing an epic Colorado mountainy engagement session to represent the different parts of their lives, so in December, we set up an awesome photo sesh at Mount Falcon in Morrison, Colorado.
I love this location because it’s easy to get to, puts you right in the mountains, and you have Red Rocks Amphitheater in the background. Red Rocks was one of the big things that ultimately drew us to CO so I just love everything about the energy there. We met up and Anna and Jeff had such an awesome energy together that I immediately knew we’d be a great fit. They are a lighthearted and easygoing couple, but we were quickly able to connect about our mutual friends and East Coast boarding school life. They both transplanted from Taft School which was part of the same New England consortium that I was a part of in high school (I went to Ethel Walker for four years in addition to working for a boarding school so I can totally relate to this industry!)
This engagement session was so much fun because they had such a great time hiking and hanging with each other in the mountains while the sun set. I loved wrapping up the weekend with these guys and I am so excited to shoot their wedding in just a few months!!!
Photography: Heather Huie for Apollo Fields
Location: Mt. Falcon | Morrison Colorado
Standley Lake Arvada Photographer
Erica & Matt's Romantic Engagement Session | Standley Lake, Arvada | Colorado Engagement Photography | Adventure Wedding Photographer | Rocky Mountain Photos | Apollo Photojournalism
Erica and Matt had an epic engagement session showered with beautiful golden light. It was a photographer's dream! As I was driving to Standley Lake, I could see the sun getting closer to the horizon and I knew we had timed the session perfectly. We snagged some fun family shots of them with their two children dirt biking, which is one of their favorite things to do together. The kids had a blast and hammed up the camera, making my job easy as we just hung out together snapping pics.
I love when my couples bring their kiddos along to engagement sessions! It makes the kids feel like they are a part of the wedding and they feel like an important part of the family. Plus, the pics are so cute! After we did their lifestyle shots, the kids ran around the lake and Erica and Matt changed into their formalwear. Her red dress was the perfect pop to the dramatic landscape.
I just adore the emotion and movement in these photos! I look at their gallery and I feel like I really know who Erica and Matt are just by the love they have for each other, and the sweet way that they play with one another and how happy their kids are.
We had such a great time enjoying the beautiful views while the sun set, and I got to snap away while Erica and Matt loved up on each other. I always encourage my couples to take advantage of an engagement session, even if they don't feel like they "need" it, it's a great chance to get in front of my camera and gives them a chance to feel comfortable working with me. Plus, I think it's actually really fun. My couples will often tell me before our session how they don't like having their photos taken, or that they feel awkward in front of the camera, or they promise me that they are un-photogenic.
One of my brides for this season gave me a half-smile and just said, "good luck" to me when she got in front of my camera for her engagement photos. I love a challenge, so I secretly got really excited when she thought she wouldn't look good in any of her pictures. My favorite part is delivering the galleries and then getting their feedback. "Oh my god, I don't know how you did it", she exclaimed! "I'm speechless".
Hearing that kind of excitement from clients who don't think they photograph well is what I love so much about my job. Everyone deserves to have photos that they love and are proud of!
Colorado Adventure Photography: Erny Photo CO | Apollo Photo
Location: Standley Lake | Arvada, CO
Rocky Mountain National Park Engagement Session
Don & Aliyah's Autumn Inspired Engagement Session | Gold Aspen Trees | Rocky Mountain National Park | Colorado Engagement Photographer | Apollo Photojournalism
When Don and Aliyah asked for the iconic gold aspen trees for their engagement session, I knew I wanted to make it happen right away for them. The season is sort for the leaves, and Colorado autumns can be unpredictable. This year, we had an early frost that stripped most of the trees naked out by the ski villages, which is where we were originally hoping to shoot.
September is also my busiest month of the year. And for good reason! I love fall weddings because the air smells so good, the mountains look majestic, and those leaves make for the most colorful and bold photos. But it's no guarantee out here. Mother Nature can be a real mother at times, and when the season for the aspens got cut short this year, I had to call an audible on our original plan to shoot later in the month out west.
On a whim, I called Don and said, "Could you guys do 6:15AM in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday?" I think at first he thought I was joking. Deep down, I sort of hoped I was joking, too. I'm not a morning-enthusiast, so the idea of voluntarily signing up for that kind of wake-up was normally outside of my vocabulary. But this was our last chance at getting the trees and the morning light was my only option because I was booked solid for my evenings. He quickly agreed, and found an epic location with beautiful mountains and a scenic river.
I drove up the windy mountain roads in the morning, and as the alpenglow began to creep over the peaks, so did a hard rain shower. Suddenly, a rainbow broke and I knew that we only had a small window of time to grab it! We hit the jackpot. We got a rainbow, all of those mountain views, a river, and the gold aspens! It was SO worth it. I just love my couples that are down to adventure and trust in me when I ask them to get up crazy early and hit the rockies. We had an awesome time shooting together, and I'm so excited to shoot their wedding this upcoming September!
