We started off the warm winter afternoon in a small shelter.
For a Colorado February Saturday, the National Park was quiet. The sun warmed our skin despite the 40 degree day. Even in the middle of winter, the Colorado sun is bright and intense, so we began our adventure in a small shelter just outside the parking lot. L and T warmed up to the camera with snuggles as we learned more about each other.
From here we began our hike
The hike from the parking lot to the actual dunes is about 1 mile. At an elevation of nearly 8,000 feet, this isn't a fast hike. Necessities for this hike are water, electrolytes and layers. Patience is also needed for those who don't live at high elevation. Even though the air is chilly, the sand itself is quite warm and soft, so L and T opted to hike barefoot as we climbed our way up the 750ft giants.
For this session we wanted the landscape to shine
For adventurous couples, the landscape they choose is just as important as the bond between them. I want their photos to be a reflection and confirmation of why we chose and traveled to this particular landscape to tell the story of their love.
One of the trickiest things about photographing couples in the mountains, especially the sunny Colorado mountains, is really showing off the dimension of the landscape, while still ensuring the subject is lit in a flattering way. I have found that harsh, late afternoon light, a full hour before the soft buttery tones of golden hour ascend, best illuminates mountains. The problem here is that harsh light can create unflattering shadows on a couple. Some photographers bring an assistant to hold a reflector to combat shadows. Some bring a flash set-up. I personally feel that these things can distract from the intimacy of the moment, especially when it is a couple's first time being photographed together, so in situations like these I do one of two things....I embrace the lighting and focus on the emotion of the moment, or I find an of open shade. We opted for a mix of both here.
Golden hour sank brilliantly into blue hour
We talked about parents, about working in trades and about what it's like being from a small town. L and T changed into casual outfits and raced, jumped, laughed and loved. With the last moments of light, we hiked up to the tip top of a dune, soaked in one last view of the snow capped San Juan mountains in the distance and rode a sand sled all the way down.
We hiked back down as dusk swept the valley
Our cheeks red both from laughing and the cold winter breeze, buzzing with excitement about their upcoming wedding and seeing each other again. As always, the hike down felt faster and shorter than the hike up and before we knew it, we were at our cars, hugging goodbye and driving off into the darkness with full hearts.
