Adventure Sessions in the Colorado Mountains
A hiking day with your favorite person, photographed from trailhead to summit beer. Route, permits, and timing handled, 35mm film included. Starting at $1,100.
FILM-FORWARD · COLORADO BORN · ADVENTURE-READY · MEMORIES YOU CAN HOLD
Built around getting somewhere worth the effort
At heart, this is a hiking session. Boots on, packs on, a trail with a payoff at the end, and the two of you photographed the whole way: the trail talk, the snack break, the moment you round the last switchback and go quiet. It's the day you'd be having anyway, documented properly.
Photographs of the two of you in a place you worked to reach feel different from photographs of you standing somewhere you parked. You can see the difference, and so will everyone you show them to.
And if hiking isn't your adventure, swap it. A ski day, a 4x4 trail, a lake paddle, a climb. Pick a thing worth doing, do it together, invite us along, and we’ll document every moment.
We plan it like locals, because we are
HOW THE DAY RUNS
We're not photographers who learned to hike for the job. On our days off you'll find us driving the backroads of Crested Butte, skiing Summit County, or walking up anything with a view at the top. These are already our favorite days. Photographing yours is the best excuse we know to have another one.
That changes how the session feels. You're not being marched around by a vendor; you're out with friends who happen to know the route, the forecast, and exactly when to pull the camera out. We shoot the trail talk and the snack break, settle in at the destination for portraits, take our time, and usually pop something bubbly.
You tell us the objective and how far you feel like going. We take it from there.
How it Works
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Inquire Book Plan Shoot
Tell us a little about you two. How you met, what you like doing together, whether you're picturing aspen gold or snow. A rough idea is plenty.
We take what you told us and suggest the time and place that fit. A signed contract and payment secures your date.
Then we dive into the details together: outfits, activities, props, timing. By the week of, you'll know exactly where to be, what to wear, and what to bring.
You show up as yourselves. We handle the directing the whole way through, so you're never wondering what to do next. Your only job is to be there and be in love.
THE PLACES
Deeper in, further out
The deeper you get, the quieter it gets. A few miles in, or a few thousand feet up a shelf road, the trailhead crowds disappear and what's left is wind, water, birdsong, and the two of you in the middle of it. That's the real perk of going further: not just the view, the privacy. Nobody photobombs a place that took effort to reach.
Alpine lakes before the wind wakes up. Ridgelines above treeline where the world drops away on both sides. High passes you can drive to, four-by-four roads when walking isn't your thing but remote is, and aspen groves in late September that look lit from inside. We keep a shortlist for every season and effort level, and some of the best spots are an easy mile. The point was never suffering. The point is being somewhere that makes everything else feel far away.
PLANNING + PERMITS
Logistics, handled
Every session comes with the unglamorous work done. Photography permits pulled, timed-entry reservations sorted, start times set for good light and thin crowds, and turnaround times built into the plan so nobody's on a ridge when the afternoon storm shows up. Before the day, you get a packing list and honest gear advice, and if you forgot a layer, we packed extras.
Sixteen years in these mountains taught us the rest: which forecasts to trust, where the road actually gets rough, and how to leave every place looking like we were never there. We follow Leave No Trace on every shoot. You bring the outfits and the reason to celebrate. Everything else is our job.
Your Adventure Starts Here
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A ski day, a hiking day, a 4x4 trail into the backcountry, a lake paddle at first light. Whatever you're itching to get out and do, we'll plan the session around it and photograph everything between the trailhead and the drive home.
2+ hours of coverage
location, route, permits, timing, and gear planning handled
35mm film included
sweat and effort included, no extra charge
sneak peek in 48 hours, full gallery with print release in 2-4 weeks
“Jillian and Ethan are genuinely the best engagement/wedding photographers around the Denver area. They did mine and my partner’s engagement photos and literally battled wind and weather with us to get the most GORGEOUS dreamy, fairytale like shots. It’s clear they care about their clients and made us both feel so comfortable and natural in front of a camera.”
— Jessica E.
Not hikers? Not a problem.
BEYOND THE TRAIL
The hike is our default, not a requirement. Couples have turned this session into powder days, paddle mornings, climbing dates, and one very committed drive up a shelf road. If you two do it outside, we can photograph it.
Need a starting point? We keep a running list of favorites, from mellow to type two fun.
Questions couples ask about adventure sessions
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Don't hate us, but sunrise is our favorite. The trail is empty, the water is still, and you get to watch the world wake up with nobody else around. That said, sunset comes with its own perks: the light fades in a fiery glow, nobody's watching the clock, and if you want, we'll stay out past dark and end the night under the stars. Both are right answers.
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Heck yeah! And honestly, winter might be the sleeper pick. Snow quiets everything, the crowds vanish, and a trail you'd share with fifty people in July is suddenly yours. We plan outfits and timing around the cold, and hot drinks ride in the pack.
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In a pack. Hiking clothes for the miles, the good outfit in a garment sack with a plan to change at the top. Or, skip all that and just let it get dirty. Some of our favorite shots are a dress with a muddy hem and a story behind it.
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Every plan has a plan B: a different location, a different time, or a new date. Or, if safety isn’t an issue, we forge ahead and catch some moody weather photos. Colorado can’t be tamed and that’s what we love about it.
Let’s go somewhere off the grid.
Tell us the goal. A summit, a powder day, a quiet lake at sunrise. Whatever you're picturing, we'll help you build the adventure around it.
