SONNENALP HOTEL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER IN VAIL
It’s hard to imagine anything that is more “The Heart of Vail” than the Sonnenalp Hotel. Its location, steps from the Interfaith Chapel across Vail Road, puts it close to everything. Breakfast at The Vintage, a stroll to the Betty Ford Gardens (and covered bridges), or moments of serenity along Gore Creek. You’re right there.
Wedding couples with a Sonnanalp reception often choose the Interfaith as a ceremony spot, but if you crave some adventure, a trip up the Lionshead Gondola drops you close to the Vail Wedding Deck (which is a walk along the ridge), or you can go rogue to the casual wood deck, much closer to the Gondola station. The walk back from the gondola base to the Sonnenalp has so many great photo spots for couples along the pedestrian path. I can share past successes and challenges to help you plan for a smooth day that yields epic Colorado mountain wedding images. The secret to photographing in Vail is to be dynamic — great little scenes are around every corner, but they’re not obvious, and sometimes they need to be quickly lit. After a hundred or so weddings all along the valley, I’ve learned to find great hidden scenes that go beyond just mountain-top views.
Receptions under the Sonnanalp’s Euro-style retractable glass roof are filled with light but protected against inclement weather. When things finally do get dark, I light speeches and your dance party with professional wireless strobes for that cinematic look.
HOW I WORK
I recommend starting wedding photography 2 hours before the ceremony. After a few non-scripted last-minute prep and personal details photos, we can be efficient and capture the wedding party and small family groups before the ceremony, allowing you more time to mingle with guests during the cocktail hour.
Over the years, I’ve learned to be a dynamic photographer and to respond quietly to unfolding action. Two lighting-fast cameras and a photojournalist’s sense allow me to answer three questions with a camera ... 1) What’s the big picture? 2) What are the details? 3) What’s the emotion? All day, that little voice in the head cycles through those questions, and I’m on the hunt for storytelling answers. You see this throughout all the galleries on my website. Big, wide-angle scenes, mixed with tight single-thought images, with a layer of emotion revealing moments.
Above all, our minds subconsciously value the quality of light in a photo, and I’ve grown an instant ability to size up lighting in a scene for best results. Can I move subjects just a few steps to get a more flattering look on their faces? Should I quickly turn on mobile lighting to even out (or add subtle highlights) a scene at the venue with flat or unflattering light? You can’t fix bad light in a computer—it has to be right when you click the shutter, and an experienced pro is surfing a wedding day looking for waves of good light (or we make them with fast-moving equipment).
Group photos and portraits don’t happen automatically, and I offer strong guidance to get balanced photos with good posture & harmony with the scene. These clicks wind up as 5x7’s on a mantel for decades, and I want them to be timelessbut light and serene.
If my brand of wedding photography aligns with your vision, click below to view pricing and service details. If I’m within budget, let’s chat. I’d love to hear about your wedding-day plans (so far) and how I can help.