June 18, 2022
What is Adventure Session?
An adventure session is just that, an adventure. Not hard to have one of those when you’re galavanting through Colorado! This blog tells you how to plan an adventure session in Colorado. Most people think engagements or any kind of photoshoot is something to dread. I GET IT. Thinking of what I should do in front of the camera for an hour sounds like hell.
These sessions are called an adventure because that’s what I make it out to be. We adventure together somewhere YOU want to be that has meaning and I capture you and your partner in your element. My job is to hype you up while simultaneously fading into the background.
This is an experience focused on the two of you that results in some dope photos you’ll have to cherish and look back on.
What Happens At An Adventure Session?
What can happen at an adventure session:
- Kissing your partner as much as you want
- Running around tickling each other
- Drinking your favorite beer
- Watching the sunrise or sunset at an epic location
- Bringing your four-legged friend along for some extra love
What an adventure session isn’t:
- Boring or stuffy poses
- Doing something that doesn’t make sense to the two of you
- Looking at the camera the entire time forcing a smile
- Me telling you what to do the entire time
- Simply showing up getting pictures taken and going home
When Is a Good Time For an Adventure Session in Colorado?
Consider the time of year.
Do you want to run around in the snow or are you more of a summer kind of couple?
Pick the season you want for your photos and go from there.
Fall
- Gorgeous fall colors
- Cozy clothes
- Usually fewer tourists in certain locations
- You can pick fun themes (Halloween, corn maze, jumping in piles of leaves, etc)
Winter
- An idyllic landscape of snow-covered trees and land
- A chance to find some cool jackets to sport
- Little to no tourists in certain areas
- Winter activities & themes (snowball fights, sipping hot chocolate, sleigh rides, snowshoeing)
Spring
- The world is coming back to life! That means budding trees, blooming flowers, and perfect temperatures
- The flexibility to style your outfits for cold AND warm weather
- Spring-related themes (visiting a flower field, cherry blossom season)
Summer
- GOLDEN HOUR GALORE & WILDFLOWER SEASON
- Warm weather and sunshine!!!
- The opportunity to style summer outfits or a swimsuit session in the water 😉
- A million different activities and themes to choose from (drive-in movie, beach session, camping, etc)
Are You Morning Larks or Night Owls?
I’m a big believer that the best light happens in the Blue Hour and Golden Hour. The Blue Hour is right before sunrise or right after sunset. Basically twilight. The Golden Hour is the hour following sunrise or prior to a sunset that turns the world into all the golden goodness, you could ever want. Doing your photos at any other time isn’t bad, but it will make a difference in the vibe. When it comes to the technicalities and craft of photography, lighting makes a BIG DIFFERENCE.
The best locations in Colorado for a photoshoot
National Parks & Notable Landmarks
- Colorado National Monument
- Gunnison National Park
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Great Sand Dunes National Park
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Rifle Falls State Park
- Chimney Rock National Monument
- Garden of the Gods
- Chautauqua Park
Mountains & Mountain Passes
- Mt. Evans (You can drive right to the top)
- Pikes Peak (You can take a tram to the top)
- Lookout Mountain
- Maroon Bells in Aspen
- Corkscrew Pass
- Independence Pass
- Loveland Pass
Unique Places in Colorado
- Crested Butte (during the summer wildflower season)
- Paint Mines
- St. Elmo Ghost Town & Tin Cup Pass
- Horsetooth Reservor
- Blue Lakes
- Twin Lakes
Colorado Adventure Session Ideas
- Jumping into an alpine lake
- Getting ice cream on the main street of a mountain town
- On top of a mountain, you’ve always wanted to be on
- Riding a mountain cogwheel train
- Snowboarding or skiing at your favorite resort
- Picnicking & hiking
- Kayaking or rowing a boat on a still lake
- Skating at the skate park
- Dancing at dusk in the desert and riding motorcycles
- Adventuring through a ghost town
- In the middle of a field of wildflowers during wildflower season
- At your campsite next to a fire
- Hiking up to a waterfall
- Fly fish in a lake or river
- Going for a ride on horseback
- Taking a 4×4 Jeep up a mountain pass
- Running around naked in a field (what’s more free and intimate than that?)
What to wear for a Colorado Adventure Session
The most important rule of picking out your outfits for a photo shoot is to wear what you’re comfortable in. When you feel confident in something it shows. Is there a dress that you love yourself in? Bring that. Do you have a favorite shirt that makes you happy? Bring it. Since we’ll be outside try to incorporate muted colors that will compliment your surroundings. Try not to wear anything that’s super bright or has distracting logos. You both don’t have to wear the same thing but have hints of the same color to show a theme. And if not a color theme, then you can go with the type of fabric, such as denim!
- Long flowing dress
- Tight-fitting long dress
- Jeans
- Long flowing pants
- Light sweater
- Romper/jumpsuit
- Denim Jacket
- Big hat
- sandals
- heels
- Boots (timberlands or something similar)
- Sneakers
- Statement jewelry piece
- khakis
- plaid shirt
- polo
- short sleeve button down
- long sleeve button down
(Obvi if you dress more masculine or feminine that is totally up to you. We’re not here to fit into any gender norms people! What’s important is that you should be excited about what you’re wearing and feel confident in it)
The Colorado Adventure Session Package
$750-The Adventure Session Experience
What’s included?
• 1-2 Hours of Coverage
•100+ photos
•2 outfit changes (or more, but usually people like to just do two)
• A customized experience (I like to hop on a phone call with my clients and get to know them and hear about their love story and then I try to create an experience around what I learn from them)
•Personalized Couples Questionnaire
• Vendor Recommendations (if you want to do a catered picnic or something like that)
• Location Scouting
• Permit Assistance (a lot of locations in CO require permits, which are included in the package)
• Adventure Session Guide: Including Outfit Suggestions and how to plan for the shoot
• Digital Gallery With Printing Rights
• Print Shop Discounts
• My Travel Fees Included
• A surprise gift from me!
“Hire her. You
won't regret it.”
Our first experience working with Alisha was on an elopement styled shoot. I knew from that day on she was going to be the photographer to capture our wedding day. Alisha said "yes" to absolutely every crazy idea and vision I had for our wedding day. She literally hiked miles and woke up before the sun to make it happen. Alisha is completely in her element when photographing, she knows how direct a shoot without being bossy, she captures every angle without being in the way and doesn't make you feel like you're even behind the camera. Alisha pours her entire self into every shoot she does, she doesn't stop until everything is perfect. It put me at ease knowing Alisha was paying such close attention to detail when it came to the location scouting and capturing every single photo imaginable. Working with Alisha was a breeze, she's communicative, fast and detail oriented. Not to mention, an incredible photographer. We were blown away when we got our wedding gallery within a month of our wedding, with over 700 beautiful photos. Our families cried happy tears all over again reliving those memories. If you're wondering, "is it worth it?" The answer is 100% ABSOLUTELY yes, hire Alisha, you won't regret it.
— Katie & Kevin
“She gave us the best photos EVER!”
We absolutely love Alisha! She gave us the best photos EVER! She planned everything to the smallest detail. It was so easy and she made sure we had everything we were looking for. My husband and I even flew back to get wedding photos done! Alisha braved the cold winter for us. We are so thankful to have memories in the best photos ever. I can’t say enough about her. Not only is she an AMAZING photographer but such a good person! We will definitely be having plenty more sessions in our lifetime :)
— danielle & Xavier
“Incredibly talented, creative, caring, and personable.”
My fiancé and I could not feel more fortunate to have crossed paths with Alisha while searching for a photographer for our engagement shoot. Let me tell you, this girl is a GEM. I talked to at least 50 photographers during my search and Alisha is the only one that I felt truly cared about what we wanted. We met up at sunrise on the day of our shoot and I can truly say that it was a flawless experience! My fiancé and I were exhausted and nervous, but immediately upon meeting Alisha, we felt comfortable and excited. Her positive energy is contagious. I tend to be awkward and never know what to do with my hands, but she was so patient and guided us every step of the way, giving us prompts and making us laugh the entire time. It felt like we were leaving the shoot with a new friend. WE ARE OBSESSED WITH OUR PHOTOS. In short, Alisha 10000000% exceeded my very high expectations. She’s incredibly talented, creative, caring and personable. You can tell she has a huge heart and is passionate about what she does.
— LAUREN & NIK
“Book her now.”
Alisha is the consummate photographer that you want capturing your special day. We used her (twice!) for engagement photos and she was the first we asked to be our wedding photographer. From the moment we engaged her for the big day, she was all about us. From a welcome care package that frankly knew us almost better than we knew us, to her wedding guides, assistance in finding other vendors, and of course her amazing skill behind the camera Alisha was the perfect choice for our wedding photography. On the day of the big event she took great photos and had creative ideas for shoots in and around the venue. She’s given us keepsakes that we are thrilled to treasure forever and proud to frame and hang on the wall. Book her now.
— COLTON & YVETTE
“Alisha is easily one of the best humans I’ve ever met”
Where do I even start!? Alisha was an absolute dream to work with!!! She was so flexible with us and our last-minute cancellation due to covid. We had originally planned to meet her in Vegas for our anniversary shoot in March and we ended up canceling our trip a week out due to the virus. She was so understanding and even offered to refund our deposit. We knew we still absolutely wanted to shoot with her so we scheduled another trip to Colorado this time and she met us there for an amazing sunrise shoot at Great Sand Dunes Natl Park. The whole experience was incredible and Alisha was so amazing and personable, we felt like we had left and made a new friend! She sent us sooo many sneak peeks just a few days after the shoot and Then probably 100 more photos a few weeks later. They were absolutely stunning. She is easily one of the best humans I’ve ever met and not to mention an extremely talented photographer with a clear passion for her clients and her work! We can’t wait to shoot with her again!
— MIA & FERMIN
“I cannot wait to
book her again”
I have never done a couples shoot but I fell in love with Alisha's work on social media. I was beyond ecstatic when I found out she was traveling to Minnesota. Where do I begin? From the moment I spoke with Alisha, she easily made me feel comfortable and confident. She responded back to my questions and concerns within a timely manner and was easily accessible. Her talent and passion for photography is truly admirable! It’s so evident that she genuinely cares about each and every couple that she works with. Alisha has a gift for detail and seeing things differently than everyone else. She took some breathtaking pictures that will always have a special place in my heart! Alisha doesn't just take photographs, she creates beautiful works of art that don’t just capture smiles but our souls, and to be a part of her art is an absolute honor. Not only is her work stunning, but she is a great person to be around. She is professional, patient and outgoing and I cannot wait to book with her again! Thanks for the memories, laughs and for creating such an enjoyable experience.
— Miriam & Jaime
“She made everything perfect! 10/10 recommend”
Alisha was super professional and friendly throughout the entire process of our engagement shoot. I was super indecisive on where to have our shoot and she gave me multiple choices. She even went to the spot before hand to scope it out for us. My fiancé hates getting pictures taken but he loved natural and fun our experience was. Alisha made us our own playlist to listen to throughout the shoot which made both of us feel super comfortable. We ended having our shoot in Breckenridge and made a weekend out of it. Honestly, one of the most rememberable and amazing weekends we could ask for. Alisha communicated with us throughout everything and was SO fast getting our sneak peak photos and album to us. She even sent us a little gift that we appreciated SO SO much. I would highly recommend Alisha for any photography session whether its an adventure shoot or a wedding. She made everything perfect! 10/10 recommend :)
— GRACE & JAKE
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