salida colorado wedding photographer
Estes Park Engagement Photos | Mountain Engagement Photography |
Colorado Wedding Photographer | Haley Allen Photography | Hannah + Stuart
Last January, I came down with the flu for the first time in years. I could barely take care of myself much less my two kiddos at home. Yet somehow I still found the energy to respond to Hannah & Stuart when they inquired about photography for their Blackstone Rivers Ranch wedding. And I am SO glad I did! We Facetimed (while I was on some meds to keep my fever at bay) & honestly, I felt like I had known them a long time. Old Friends. I LOVE it when that happens! It’s ironic because that is exactly how Hannah & Stuart described feeling when they first met each other at a Halloween party years ago. They enjoy the outdoors & hiking together too. When I learned Stuart had proposed while snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park, I insisted on Estes Park Engagement Photos.
I love RMNP in the transition season because it’s often warm enough, but there’s still a dusting of snow that defines the mountains in a way that you understand just how majestic and well, huge, they really are. We picked a date in early April. But sometimes, the date you pick packs a twist of weather. As an avid hiker, I can tell you 26 mph winds are NO fun, so I’m thankful they were flexible to move the date. The weather was excellent later in April for their session.
Chautauqua Park
Hannah & Stuart’s dog Putter is of course an important part of their relationship. Unfortunately RMNP strictly prohibits dogs. In order to incorporate him in the photos, we met at Chautauqua Park in Boulder & they had a friend pick him up afterwards. He was perfectly poised for his part of the photos.
Rocky Mountain National Park | Estes Park Engagement Photos
Up at Bear Lake, we were surprised how much snow there still was packed around the lake. I loved that Hannah braved it with her wedges anyway! The rest of the magic was their natural chemistry.
Here’s a little behind the scenes of Stuart being a gentleman by helping Hannah out of her wedges back into her hiking boots in the snow. haha! After this we headed to the campground area down the road where we came across some elk!
I really appreciated Hannah & Stuart’s patience with me this day because I pretty much pulled over whenever I saw pretty light. I mean they rode with me so they were subject to my whims anyway, but I absolutely loved how the light came out on this spot in the road. After this spot, we ended at Moraine Park for sunset. And wow did the sky put on a show for sunset!
Thanks Hannah & Stuart! Stay tuned for their fall wedding in Idaho Springs. I just might have dropped some weather foreshadowing about the wedding day here!