I was so excited when Justina and Will came to me with their ideas for a Lake Dillon engagement session! They had lots of fun ideas to try out and incorporate into their session. Our first idea was to play with smoke bombs up by Lake Dillon but we’ve had a pretty dry summer so with the fire bans, we thought it was safest not to use the smoke bombs. We decided, instead, to get a canoe and do some romantic canoe photos on the lake. The marina of Dillon Reservoir was the perfect spot to get the canoe shots. Let me tell, you these portraits were not easy to get, but they were so much fun and totally worth it!
Lake Dillon Engagement | Justina and Will
I love styling engagement shoots, but canoe shots are some of the hardest to get. First, the canoe is constantly moving, while the couple is trying to get into the poses. Positioning yourself in a tiny, moving boat with another person, and without flipping over is not easy. Plus, getting two people close to each other, to get those intimate, lovey shots, with a bar in between them, paddles, life jackets, and everything else is super tricky. These two were troopers and did an awesome job!
This was also a difficult engagement session because we did the session around 3pm. At 3 o’clock in the summer, especially in the mountains, there is some pretty harsh light. We have to be careful about what direction we’re facing and how the couple is posed. I usually try to plan my sessions for an hour or two before sunset, or at sunrise. However, I’m no stranger to full harsh sun and I think we totally made it work.
After we did the couple’s portraits in the canoe, we found some wildflowers near Lake Dillon and did some fun, summery shots on a blanket there. Then, on the way home, we stopped at the Loveland Ski Resort. We topped it off with my metal LOVE sign for the photos in Loveland. So cute! If you have only been there during ski season, you are missing out. Loveland is just gorgeous in the summer!
These two will be getting married in October. It’s coming up fast! Their beautiful, autumn wedding will be at Crooked Willow Farms. I am so honored and excited to be a part of their special day.
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