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
Jamaica Honeymoon - Day 3
Apollo Fields Destination Wedding Photographers | Negril, Jamaica | Honeymoon Adventures
Jamaica – Day 3
Sunday, November 4th, 2018 ~7:35 am, local time
Another morning waking to the ebbs and flows of the Caribbean Sea. There’s something about the sound of waves crashing that lures your mind into the rhythm of nature, reminding you that everything that comes will also go. The whitewater that sprays into the air, jettisoning from the sharp rock face, shows no concern for my presence, or for any of the other creatures that cling to their cratered homes on this violently-formed beautiful façade. Yet it’s these wall-dwelling sea creatures — these Jamaican mussels and crabs — that taught me that we need to carve a small niche for ourselves, where we can brave the onslaught of life’s elements, if we want to survive in this otherwise unforgiving world.
We took a right out of Sundown Villa this morning for the first time on our Vespa, passing Rick’s Café among the other horribly named Americanized resorts like ‘The Palms’ and ‘Lover’s Paradise” as the wind whipped around our bodies on our way to a place called “Barney’s Hummingbird and Flower Sanctuary.” Heather clung to my back like a baby koala as we veered off the pavement onto a dirt road, her lips stammering through the worried words of her mind like mental pot holes. We passed a man walking down the road, sharpening a machete and were reminded of our cab driver who told us that all the goats that roam the island are owned by someone — and if you were to say, pick one up — you will find yourself on the wrong end of one of those blades. We swerved around the man and slowed as we approached two large, faded green doors that hung on rusted hinges.
“Hello!” Said a thin pale-skinned old man donning a worn trousers-and-suspenders outfit as he swung the gates open. “Welcome to my hummingbird and flower sanctuary. I am Barney, the proud German-Jamaican-English owner of this place,” he added. As he led us through the narrow walkways of his garden, the flutter of hummingbirds moved all around us, kind of like the sound of tiny handheld toy fans. Palms and large leaves hung down as geckos and other insects fed from the vibrant pink, red, and yellow flowers that boomed in contrast to the blue sky. Barney gave us all tiny bottles with punctured red caps that dripped with sugar water to lure the hummingbirds in. We held our outstretched arms in the air, mimicking the branches that reached over the garden’s pathways, hoping that the birds would come feed from our “flowers.” Patiently walking around, the birds began to trust us one at a time, holding fast in midair right in front of our faces, mother nature’s natural helicopters, hovering in place, wings effortlessly flapping seventy times a second. Barney grinned a grin that only a hummingbird expert could grin, or maybe it was because of the six-pack of Red Stripe.
Eager for local cuisine we stopped just up the road at a place called Just Natural Veggies. Simple enough, I thought. From there we ordered rum punch, a vegetable plate, lobster salad, sweet potato and plantain, and a bean and rice burrito. As we walked to the side of the restaurant we followed a path into the jungle, tables and chairs scattered about like a diner inside the woods. There were checker board tables that used plastic bottle caps and Red Stripe caps as checkers and each table had an orange bottle of locally made hot habanero hot sauce. We ate our freshly made dishes in the middle of the jungle, no one around but the smiling faces of the restaurant, who laughed and joked as they set down our plates. They could’ve been feeding us fried gecko for all we knew as we sat mesmerized in this restaurant that made rustic concepts back home look like four-star hotels. In the jungle and of the jungle, we walked out of there happy and full.
There are niches to be carved, if only we are wise enough to see them. These experiences will stick to my heart like the geckos on the flowers and the mussels on the rock wall. As the trip continues, I can only hope to unearth more things that I can learn from and grow closer to carving out my own crater I can call home.
Jamaica Honeymoon - Day 2
Jamaican Honeymoon | Negril, Jamaica | Apollo Fields Destination Wedding Photographers
Jamaica – Day 2
8:00 am, local time
Another welcoming morning on the Caribbean Sea. The birds fluttering overhead, searching for scraps and seeds while Heather sits up in bed scratching at her mosquito bites. The waves crashing with a regular familiarity that’s impossible to forget, kind of like your mother calling you home for dinner from the front porch. Who knows what the world has in store for us today, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The first two nights Heather and I cooked and stayed in after dark. A combination of the mysterious foreign streets and a travel-induced fatigue, we drew a bath and enjoyed each other’s company in a tub of lukewarm water. There is a definite fear of the unknown, of sitting on a wooden stool in a straw shack on any of the thousands of dark streets in Jamaica. Horror stories from the United States embedded in me creating a hesitance like that of a lost child. I am ashamed for it. It makes me think of the role that caution plays when a person finds themselves in a different culture and how trust is linked to the environments that we know.
Heather’s uncle, Rick. is a great example of this. Conservative through-and-through, he comes down to Jamaica to shake hands and bask in the safety of nostalgia, eating dishes that he knows in bar stools that he’s warmed. Surrounding himself with other light-skinned tourists, there isn’t much difference than home, other than everything that exists outside of the Treehouse’s gated walls. When does caution or comfortability take too much control of one’s assimilation into another’s culture?
As of this morning, I’m as stifled as Rick. I want to stop at an authentic Jamaican restaurant tucked onto the side of the road like a beach shanty, but because I’ve seen none of them populated by tourists, deep down I consider them unsafe. It feels like a hard-wiring that pulls back on the reigns as I ride through a culture I do not know. Today, I will make a better effort at launching myself into the Jamaican culture and trusting those that I my ignorant instincts tell me not to trust. It’s funny how trusting people is usually my strongest attribute, yet when put to the real-world test, I’m as cautious as anyone.
Yet yesterday I jumped from cliffs at heights I’ve never leaped from before and snorkeled in rough waters close to dangerously sharp rocks. There’s an adventurous spirit in me that needs to be nudged into action, but once the opportunity arises, I tend to bypass the safety valve and dive head first. Even riding a scooter for the first time on the opposite side of the road was pretty daunting. In these moments, it’s either you do what you are afraid to do, or you live with your cowardice. The many times in life my that I’ve approached this dilemma, I’ve found that great relief lies just beyond the other side of fear, hiding behind the louder voices in your head, waiting to see if you will do it. Today I will silence those voices and immerse myself in a culture I do not know.
Vail Chapel and Silverthorne Pavilion Wedding Photographer
John & Yahaira’s Wedding | Vail Chapel, Vail CO | Silverthorne Pavilion, Silverthorne Colorado | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
Mountain weddings are always epic and John and Yahaira’s beautiful Rocky Mountain wedding was no exception! There’s just something magical about the energy that the mountains bring, or maybe it’s just the altitude ;)
The day started calm, with the guys and girls getting ready in their AirBnb’s with their friends and family. Then everyone made their way over to the Vail Interfaith Chapel which is an adorable and iconic little church in the heart of Vail Village. I love this little ski town and have shots tons of weddings here so it’s a great excuse for a non-skier to hang in such a rad area. The village has tons of little shops, coffee spots, tasty food, and of course good beer! The chapel is a quaint little white church that sits right in the heart of town which makes it super easy to do pictures in the village itself.
The ceremony was sweet and sentimental, and afterwards we decided to do some romantics down by the river. The weather was starting to look like it was going to rain, so we were moving pretty quickly and then suddenly the skies broke and it began to downpour. Colorado weather can be erratic and unforgiving at times, so I wasn’t surprised at all about how it could be totally sunny and cloudless one minute and pouring the next. We sought shelter under the covered bridge which was a pretty cute photo-op. We’re all about making lemonade here!
Afterwards, we ran into our cars and made our way to the Silverthorne Pavilon which is a great wedding venue in Silverthorne, CO. It sits along the river there and has a great outdoor spot for cocktail hour. Everyone was enjoying the sun which came out shortly after the crazy rain (go figure) and having a few drinks along the patio. Then the reception began with grand entrances, speeches, special dances, and of course tons of dancing!
I loved working with this sweet couple because they had such a gentle and fun way of interacting. They loved being outdoors so I was so happy that they chose to celebrate their wedding in such a beautiful place!
Colorado Wedding Photography: Apollo Fields
Ceremony Venue: The Vail Interfaith Chapel, Vail CO
Reception Venue: Silverthorn Pavilion, Silverthorne CO
