It was 6am in October and I woke up to a text message from my sister, Sara. Sara and her husband, Jeff are pretty much the best people ever and they travel the world. They are the reason why my wife and I have a huge love of traveling and we traditionally have always been looking forward to “the next trip” with them… then we had kids and the game changed. Don’t get me wrong, we still travel, but we hadn’t both been out of the country together since our first child was born in August of 2014. So when I leaned over and read the message from Sara asking if we wanted $400 round trip tickets to Paris, a rush of excitement was then followed the harsh reality that it probably wasn’t going to happen. Especially since Sara told us it was a limited offer and we would need to decide within the next 8 hours.
Jacki + Charlie Engagement // Piney River Ranch // Vail, CO
It’s fall of 2005 and I am a senior in high school and captain of the baseball team and as a senior you’re supposed to pick a freshman baseball player to keep under your wing… and haze, unfortunately. Teenagers are the friggin worst and I was no different. My freshman was Charlie Scheuber. I must of not been that big of a jerk to him in high school because he called me once he got engaged for me to potentially be his wedding photographer. So, I set up a meeting over drinks to see Charlie again and to meet his fiance, Jacki.
Amber + Jordan // Black Mountain Lodge // A-Basin, CO
Ever wonder what your wedding would look like if it rained pretty much the whole day? Well, Amber and Jordan don’t have to wonder anymore. It rained… a lot. It even pushed their ceremony back an hour and 15 minutes because mother nature didn’t want to cooperate. What a jerk she can be. It didn’t ruin their day though and the reason is quite simple. Amber and Jordan were the perfect couple to just roll with it.
Ariana + Dylan // 10 Mile Station // Breckenridge, CO
I’m never late, at least for work. EVER. So when I came across four different accidents on the way up to Breckenridge (on the start of Labor Day weekend) I began thinking that my “never late” to a wedding would now be a “I was late once” to a wedding. Not a good feeling for any wedding but for Ari and Dylan’s wedding? I felt a pit in my stomach. Dylan has been a long time friend as we shared a friendship on and off the baseball diamond for almost 15 years. Don’t get me wrong, I want to be on time and giving my best for every wedding but I had this wedding circled on my calendar and my own expectations were to be perfect for them.
Utah F*cking Rocks...
Moab, Bryce Canyon, Zion… Utah is HIGHLY underrated. The beauty in this amazing state is truly remarkable and I recently was able to travel through a good portion of the state on a recent road trip and had to share some of the killer places I went!
Jordin + Jack // Zion National Park Engagement
It’s been over a year since doing a blog post. My wife and I had our second kiddo… right at the beginning of wedding season so to say things get hectic is an understatement. After getting halfway through this year I realized how much I missed the unique opportunity to tell some of my clients stories and not just a few photos on a sneak peek or a post here or there on Instagram. I’ll still do that too, don’t worry. So, I figured if I was going to jump back in with the blog stuff, I’d do it with one of my favorite shooting experiences of my career. Insert amazing comments about Jordin and Jack meeting me in Zion National Park for their engagement session. I shot a wedding in northern AZ and figured I’d swing up to Zion since it was fairly close and I’d reach out to anyone who wanted to meet me down there for their engagement session. When Jordin and Jack replied yes, it was as if they almost had their bags halfway packed even before the phone call.
Tamsen + Alyssa // Carnival Portraits
Sometimes you don't need an excuse like a wedding or engagement to do a photoshoot. Sometimes all you need are some beautiful people, a fun idea, and some well, fun. I have a lot of beautiful and fun friends but Tamsen and Alyssa might just take the cake... or cotton candy and popcorn on this occasion.
Chuck + Eliza // Moab Engagement
It's a pretty unique thing when your best friend meets someone and falls in love, then that person becomes one of your best friends too. I usually start out with a blog by mentioning that the couple I'm writing about is a friend, but Chuck and Eliza are way more than friends... they're my family. Not by blood but by choice. These two incredible people make my life shine so much brighter, I choose to call them family.
Diana + Andrew // Downtown Engagement
I love couples that have a vision for their wedding and engagement photos. Diana and Andrew knew exactly what they wanted for their engagement session. They wanted their engagement photos to reflect their elegant wedding next year at the Grand Hyatt in October, so that is exactly what we did! Also, who doesn't like to get all dress up downtown to class the place up a bit?
If these two have this kind of energy with each other and elegance to their photos on their engagement session, I can't wait to see how their wedding shapes up!
Angel + AJ // Grant Humphrey's Mansion // Denver, CO
Sometimes you just get lucky. I felt lucky to have shot Angel and AJ's wedding this October. Their wedding inquiry popped up in my inbox by way of referral from another photographer friend (thanks, Jo) because she was already shooting on that date. Angel almost immediately booked me as their photographer and after a couple months of waiting, their day was upon us.
Kyoko + Sam // Grand Hyatt // Denver, CO
Sam and I go way back to freshman year of High School at TJ. We played football and baseball together and graduated in the same class in '06 and even still play on the same Redhawks baseball team. As you grow older and keep friends from high school, you simply wish a positive and good life for those friends. You hope they get into a great career and earn a good living, but most of all, you hope they find someone perfect to share this life with.
Clare + Spencer // Schmid Ranch // Telluride, CO
If you've read my blog or know me personally, you'd know that I like to travel. Sometimes, I think I need to travel outside my home state to consider it "traveling". I couldn't be more wrong. Colorado has so much to offer and when it comes to Telluride, CO... it might just be my favorite city in all of Colorado. I brought along my wife and son on the trip and as we approached the city, we had a REAL conversation about moving there. We're not FYI. If you haven't been, go. Like, now.. it really is that amazing. Telluride and all of the surrounding areas makes me feel like I'm in the sound of music. I might just start singing. "The hills are alive....."
Rikki + Rian // Beachmere Inn // Ogunquit, Maine
I met Rikki and Rian this last fall. They live in Portland, OR (my hometown) and Rikki works with my wife at Comcast. They took a chance at having a photographer from a different state capture their engagement and wedding photos because they said they "wanted to support someone they knew personally." I liked them already. Being from Portland gave us a chance to have something in common right off the bat but before I flew out to PDX to capture their engagement session, I truly had no idea what kind of friendship laid ahead.
The Cuba Blog
I love to travel and I've thought about going to Cuba for a long time. The culture, music, sights, colonial buildings, the people... I could go on and on. The country did not disappoint. I got back a week ago and I can't wait for the next trip there. I don't know when but I will be going back one day. It was important to me to go now because the resorts and American money are literally laying in wait which will more than likely take away from the beautiful culture... in my opinion.
Costa Rica Day 5 + 6 // Quepos // Blue Hole Dominical
So, I'm back in Denver but my mind is still in Costa Rica. So much sympathy from you all, I know. I'm writing this blog in particular a little late because I wanted Kristin and Rick's wedding blog to get the priority. That was the whole reason I was out there in the first place so I guess I should post some pictures of them too.
Kristin + Rick // Costa Rica Destination Wedding
The last few days you've probably seen some blogs and posts from Brian Mallik and I in Costa Rica. Well, the only reason why we were down there in the first place is because two great people fell in love and decided to get married in a pretty rad place, Costa Rica. Meet Kristin and Rick. Kristin was my neighbor when my wife Alysen and I got married in Costa Rica over 4 years ago. She met Rick a few years back and fell in love pretty quickly. I mean, who couldn't love the funny, genuine and positive person that Rick is! I got a text message last June from Kristin saying she was engaged and planning a wedding in Costa Rica... my initial selfish thoughts were if I was going to be able to go. She answered that thought immediately by asking me to shoot the wedding. After hard deliberation of .5 seconds I said yes.