We met Christie & Corey for drinks at a little cafe outside of Joshua Tree National Park before their engagement session. We made our way into the park with mostly clear skies and good temperatures. As we hiked around the boulders, the clouds darkened in some spots while the sun still shone on the horizon. We continued our hike, admiring the spring bloom in Joshua Tree (which is a spectacle to see), taking photos and making jokes as we made our way through the desert landscape. At one point I turned around away from the sun and saw one of the most saturated and clear rainbows I’ve ever seen. We all started shrieking audibly at how cool it was. Christie & Corey danced in the middle of the desert, holding hands and running and laughing, while Nate and I climbed up boulders taking photos.

This adventurous couples session took us deep into the remote desert landscape of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in Southern Utah. We backpacked overnight and woke up to watch the sunrise and capture this couple doing what they do best -- exploring nature.

If there is one thing I could see and attempt to capture in Abe and Isaac’s story, it’s their unending strength. Much like the desert. Where life can be harsh, they choose to see the sweetness in it. It’s like the way the Joshua Tree grows from dry, granite gravel ground and it stretches skyward, twisting, flowering in season, and always green no matter the season. Abe and Isaac are that way. Rooted in humility, they are a life force of their own.

Jenn and Dillen drove overnight from California to Moab Utah just to spend a day and a half in the red dirt and cliffsides of the Southwest. A somewhat spontaneous trip, fueled by coffee and and an adventurous disposition, they met us near where we were camping by Canyonlands National Park and we woke up the next morning to watch sunrise and take engagement photos in the desert.

We set up our tents at the base of the steepest part, then made our way up the trail to see the lake at sunset. Kasey and Erich changed into their wedding clothes and held each other close while a chilly breeze danced across the water. Pleasant weather by Patagonia standards. We tenuously hopped rocks at the edge of the lake, watching our footwork while marveling at the expanse of granite and glaciers before us. It honestly felt silly to try to capture photos and describe Patagonia, a place that can only be truly understood by experiencing it oneself. It’s an absolute wonder.

Patagonia. Wildly windy, intimidatingly beautiful—an unreal landscape filled with crazy animals like Guanacos, Huemuls, Pink Flamingos, and Ñandus (go look all these up, it’s mindblowing). Turquoise rivers snaking through dry meadows, mountains that look like they were drawn by Dr. Seuss, rivers falling down cliffs—it’s otherworldly. Because of its remoteness, it’s not the easiest place to get to or travel within. So to convince someone to buy the expensive flights and deal with all the logistical problems to go on a trip there with you, that’s when you know they’re good friends and they’re up for a wild adventure.

Patagonia – the most adventurous and wild place for some post-wedding bride and groom photos. This backpacking bridal session shot in one of Argentina’s most beautiful landscapes was inspiring and unforgettable to say the least.

There is so much to admire about these women. Kate and Ellen (and their daughter Adelaide) are the women behind The Modern Caravan, a custom Airstream renovation and design duo. We’ve been following their work since before we started on our own Airstream renovation and have found endless inspiration in their craftsmanship and eye for design.

The day after their wedding at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, we adventured with Carly and Jon to the top of Rocky Mountain National Park for some wild portraits in the windswept landscape.

When we arrived at the Salt Flats, we were all pretty blown away by just how huge the place was. Its a wild landscape—one that makes you wonder why and how, and makes you feel small in comparison. Aside from the wide open views, the way the tiny salt crystals form patterns was pretty mind-blowing. And even in the midst of the vastness that is the desert in the West, Mara & Chris’s candid affection for each other wasn’t lost among it.

The longer Nate and I pursue adventure weddings & elopements, the more that we see this trend of super epic photos in crazy epic places. Dresses flowing in the wind, sunsets on 1000 foot cliffsides, tiny couples on a huge mountain. Which is awesome, because as a self-proclaimed adventurous couple, we love going to those places and taking those types of photos (heck we have that stuff plastered all over our website). But often times I think there's something lost in the "bigness" of it all.

Utah is full of hidden arches, funky rock formations, and endless corners of sandstone to explore. I'm so inspired every time we're there because of the vast, unique landscapes around every bend in the road. This time we got to explore a part of Utah we'd never been to before: Capitol Reef National Park.

When Heather & Emerson reached out to us for their anniversary session, I asked what they were hoping the day would look like. She described wanting to maybe do a hike and read letters to each other somewhere along the way. I sent a few location options, and the one they decided on was probably the most difficult option. They knew full-well what they were getting into--hiking several miles up to a summit almost 12,000ft above sea level. 

Colorado is wild. Its weather is unpredictable, its mountains are inspiring, and in the spring it shows off that untamed beauty all at once with windy storms and swollen rivers and snow that seems like it came from nowhere. When it comes to the weather, there are two types of people--those who are reasonably cautious and stay indoors when there are storms, and those who strap on their boots, grab their skis, and head up the mountains. Marisa and John are definitely the latter. 

There is something simple and profound about the way these two love. 

There's no denying that Nate and I love landscapes--epic sunsets, elopements in the desert, adventurous weddings on a mountain--all of these things sort of define our work to a degree. While we love shooting those things, lately there's part of us that craves the subtleties of understated moments.

We met Hannah & Collin two over a plate of Pad Thai after a week of backpacking and climbing all over Zion National Park. They found out we were going to be in Zion near the same time they were planning their trip to visit all five of Utah's National Parks, so we stayed an extra day to take some engagement photos with them. Over dinner, we nearly spat rice noodles out our noses from laughing so much at all of Hannah & Collin's stories and jokes. These two can't stop smiling when they're together and the joy they bring to each other's lives is so apparent (and SO entertaining to watch).