Storm King Mountain Engagement Photos on the Summit

Storm King Mountain Engagement Photos on the Summit

Kate + Shawn

Set amidst the rugged landscapes of Upstate New York, Storm King Mountain provided the perfect backdrop for Kate and Shawn's engagement session. In this blog, we'll explore their thrilling journey as they embraced nature's beauty, scaled rocky trails, and captured moments of love amidst the wilderness.

Embracing Nature's Majesty: Kate and Shawn were drawn to Storm King Mountain's natural beauty. With camera in hand, they set out to explore the untamed wilderness, admiring towering cliffs and sweeping vistas along the way.

Scaling New Heights: As outdoor enthusiasts, Kate and Shawn eagerly tackled the mountain's rugged trails. With each step, they embraced the thrill of exploration, ascending the summit to enjoy panoramic views of the Hudson Valley.

Capturing Moments of Love and Adventure: Against Storm King Mountain's dramatic scenery, Kate and Shawn's love story unfolded. Their engagement session was a celebration of laughter, joy, and tender moments, captured effortlessly by their photographer.

Cherishing Memories Amidst Nature's Splendor: As the sun set, casting a warm glow over the landscape, Kate and Shawn reflected on their day with gratitude. Amidst nature's embrace, they found solace, knowing that their love was as enduring as the mountains themselves.

Boulder Colorado Engagement Photographer

True Friends - Matt & Kerry’s Intimate Engagement Session in Boulder, Colorado

There are many different types of friendships. There are your drinking buddies, your work acquaintances, your lifelong second grade secret holders, and your intimate bonds with your significant others. There are exchanging “hello’s” on the street with strangers and there’s giving your time to the elderly or relationships that require a bit more patience. In every type of friendship there’s always something to learn—but even more important—there’s always something to be grateful for. This post is dedicated to our friendship with Matt and Kerry, who helped see us through the most difficult time of our lives.

As you may well know, in the beginning of December 2018, Heather was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy. I received this news through the speaker of my iPhone while nervously pacing in our cozy kitchen in East Northport, NY, while Heather lay alone, sobbing in a hospital bed in Westminster, Colorado. I immediately began to book a flight the next morning to be with her, to console her, and to just hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right. But two people (among others) were there before I arrived—Matt and Kerry.

Prior to receiving the news that day, Heather snapped an engagement session of Matt and Kerry at the feet of the Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado. Let me first say that Heather and Kerry go way back—they taught and mentored students at a fancy art school together in the Hamptons over seven years ago—and it’s crazy to think how friendships can evolve so much over time. But back to the sunshine, the smiles, and the genuine happiness that lived in their unsuspecting eyes during their intimate engagement photography session in Colorado.

Matt and Kerry never could’ve known the confusion and worry that whirled about Heather’s mind as she snapped away behind her Nikon camera. They never could’ve guessed that they were about to prove their stripes as people in the next few weeks. All they were probably thinking about was how most people feel during photo shoots—awkward as fuck—yet just like the mountains in the landscape behind them, the solid character that roots each of them to the earth—knew something was up.

Without hesitation or reservation, they opened their doors for Heather to stay as long as she needed. We weren’t sure if this process would be a week or a month—but it didn’t matter. Matt and Kerry couldn’t see anything but a friend in need, and they were prepared to help in any way that they could. We wound up staying at their place in Boulder for about a month as they left for a holiday trip, and our only responsibility was to take care of their plump orange cat, Nerboo, who kneaded our legs like an angry Italian baker with unforgivingly sharp nails. Matt and Kerry had no other expectations except to provide us with a private space to work through this unpredictable and unimaginably difficult time.

Their friendship, among many others of ours in Colorado, has stretched our understanding of relationships to new heights. Matt and Kerry gave their home to us without expectation, reservation, or judgment, teaching us what true friendship looks like. It was a trust fall in real life. And they caught us. I will never forget that and I will forever be grateful. This one is for all of you out there who have sturdy hands and are always waiting to catch someone. We love you all like true friends, Matt and Kerry.

AS SEEN IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN BRIDE MAGAZINE:

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Engagement Photography: Apollo Fields

Pikes Peak Engagement Session by Apollo Fields

Jenny & Tara's Epic Mountain Engagement Session | Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs | Denver Engagement Photographer | LGBQ Weddings 

I was so excited when I first heard from Jenny.  She is friends with Lindsey, one of my beautiful brides from 2017 and happened to be looking for a wedding photographer when I delivered Lindsey's photos.  She loved them and immediately reached out to have me photographer her own wedding!  So much of my business is word-of-mouth and I am so grateful for my awesome couples who refer me and connect me to their other awesome-couple-friends.  

I met up with Jenny and Tara and immediately clicked with their fun personalities, and the sweet way in which they interact with each other.  They have a great energy, and I knew right away that I wanted to be their photographer.  They must have felt the same way, because I asked them at our meeting, "Do you ladies have any questions?" and they seamlessly responded with, "How do we book you now?"  Love it!

They initially weren't looking for an engagement session, but I'm so glad that they decided to do one because look at how epic these mountain backdrops were!  A photographer's dream.  I had never been to Pikes Peak before, so I was just in awe of the landscape the whole time.  We caught golden hour (my favorite!) just in time before the park closed.  Literally, they were closing the whole roadway up for sunset and we were being swiftly shuffled out of the park by the time we had captured every last golden ray that we could!  

They also brought their three children and new puppy along for the shoot.  I have quite a few couples that have children and while it might not seem obvious at first to have them present for engagement photos, I feel contrary to that old-fashioned traditional expectation of what it means to be an engaged couple.  Marriage is about partnership and family, and if kids are already part of that equation, I feel like they should be included in some of the pictures.  Oh, and if you have a cute puppy too... that doesn't take any convincing!  We are animal lovers to the core, and have an impossible time keeping our composure around tiny pups.  

Colorado Adventure Photographer:  Erny Photo CO | Apollo Photo

Location:  Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs 

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!

Adventure Mountain Photographer:  Erny Photo CO | Apollo Photo

Lindsey & Jeff's Colorado Winter Engagement Photography at Lake Dillon

Lindsey & Jeff's Winter Engagement Session | Lake Dillon, Colorado | Mountain Engagement Photography | Adventure Couple | Dog Lovers | Apollo Photojournalism 

Lindsey and Jeff are everything that I love about my Colorado couples:  they are fun and easygoing, outdoor enthusiasts, dog lovers, and down to earth.  Lindsey is bubbly and outgoing, and when I first met her she was planning a wedding while wrapping up her nursing degree.  Jeff is composed and polite, and when they first met, it was only fitting that they hit a park together to take their dogs on a walk together.  

They quickly connected over their love of dogs and nature, so we knew right away that we wanted the pups to be part of their engagement photos!  They wanted those epic Colorado mountain landscapes and Lake Dillon was the perfect backdrop.  It was a chilly Denver day, but the sun was out which made it surprisingly bearable.  However, by the time we made it up the mountain and out to Lake Dillon, the wind had picked up and the elevation was doing us no favors.  It was a balmy seven degrees Fahrenheit (are you picking up on the sarcasm yet)???  Oh my lord, it was FREEZING!  With the wind chill coming off the lake, the "feels like" weather report was well into the negatives.  

As soon as we stepped out of the car, I thought Lindsey and Jeff were going to want to reschedule.  No way they were going to want to shoot in this weather, I thought to myself.  But they just smiled and said, "Let's go!"  I loved their can-do attitude, embracing the harsh Colorado sun that was bouncing off the pristine snow, and absolute chill that was running over the lake.  We did take a few breaks to warm back up in the car and I kept having to warm my camera up in my jacket because it was struggling to keep up, but we got these awesome shots which made it SO WORTH IT!  

Lindsey was so sweet because as we were headed back to Denver, she thought the pictures were going to be horrible.  She said thought her face was all frozen and her eyes would be too squinty, but I sent her a sneak-peak that night and she was over the moon!  This is one of my favorite parts about my job, when the conditions are less-than-ideal and we can turn around and make epic photos anyway.  Any photographer can shoot beautiful pictures in optimal weather with diffused golden light, but I pride myself on being able to 'wow' my clients when it's freezing and we're only able to shoot in blaring direct sun, too!!  

Colorado Engagement Photography:  Erny Photo CO | Apollo Photo

Location:  Lake Dillon, Colorado

Mitch & Bobby's Engagement Session at Golden Gate Canyon State Park in Golden, CO

Mitch & Bobby | Colorado Engagement Photographer | Golden Gate Canyon State Park | Golden, Colorado | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography

Golden Gate Canyon State Park is a real gem for photos because you get such a wide range of landscapes to use as your backdrops. The mountains are lush on one side and arid on the other which gives a lot of variety for photos. There’s also some great areas with open space and good hiking trails to roam around and keep moving around.

This was great for us because Mitch and Bobby wanted to bring their rescue dogs to their shoot. They were recently engaged and so excited, and naturally, their fur-family would be included. We’re the same way! We couldn’t have imagined not having our dogs a part of our engagement session or our wedding. We’re total dog lovers (no surprise there) and love when couples want to bring their four legged friends along!

Mitch worked at a dog grooming and boarding facility and her and Bobby are enthusiastic about rescuing over buying dogs. It was obvious right away that their dogs have a great quality of life now because you could just tell right away how loyal they were. When I wanted to snag a few shots without the pups, Terrence held their leashes and they both couldn’t wait to get back to their owners! Being able to have the trails and paths to keep everyone walking was great for the pups, too.

One pro tip for this location is to meet at the visitor center because the cell reception in this state park is pretty much nonexistent. That is probably the one and only drawback of the spot, if you are meeting up with your photographer in the park instead of driving in together, it can make it hard to actually find each other. The visitor center is pretty easy to find (also, there is an entrance fee so do your due diligence) but it is really convenient for actually hooking up with one another so you’re not driving around the (beautiful) roads unable to find one another!

Country Engagement Photographer:  Erny Photo CO | Apollo Fields

Location:  Golden Gate Canyon State Park | Golden, Colorado

Christine and Dan's Three Sisters Alderfer Engagement in Evergreen, CO

Christine & Dan’s Engagement Photos | Alderfer / Three Sisters Park, Evergreen CO | Hiking Engagement Photos | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography

Christine and Dan are a fun and adventurous East Coast couple who moved out to Colorado shortly after we did. I love hanging with fellow transplants and showing them around some of our favorite hikes and breweries. Christine is a dietician who I met via one of my other RD friends in NYC so it was fun to have a few common interests to click right away over.

They wanted to do something that felt very “Colorado” and had some great mountain views. Three Sisters is one of my favorite hikes for this purpose because it’s not super strenuous, it’s close to Denver, and it boasts 360 degree views at the top. There’s a small scramble to the summit but I even dragged my 66 year old dad up there (and he made it back down) so it’s a pretty doable climb for engagements.

You really do feel like you’re on the top of the world when you get up there and I find the vast openness of being above the trees, above all of the houses, and out of reach of all of the chaos and buzz of ordinary life to bring a lot of peace. It’s one of my favorite hikes to do if you just need some alone time on the top of the world without having to commit to a whole 14er or something too physically demanding.

One of my favorite spots on the trail is a little aspen patch that gets great light, too. It feels a bit like a birch grove and is sort of a magical little part of the forest. The aspens are such a staple of Colorado and I love how they photograph in all seasons of the year.

I loved getting to work with this fun and easygoing couple and it’s been fun to cross paths with them since the session in Denver. When our friend Nicole and her daughter came out to visit, we were all able to hook up downtown at Denver Beer CO which was a fun reunion, too. I love when the couples that I photograph turn into friends and hang-out buddies and I really do think it is one of the best parts of the job!

Colorado Engagement Photography: Heather Huie for Apollo Fields

Location: Alderfer / Three Sisters, Evergreen CO