Craig & Brandon’s Engagement Session | Estes Park, CO

Craig and Brandon both have a theatre background, and at the time of their shoot, Brandon’s job was acting at dinner theatre. They also love playing Dungeons and Dragons with their friends, and generally being the life of any party. I met them at a wedding I was shooting. Craig was the bride’s man of honor, and Brandon was his date. I got an incredible shot of Brandon mid-air doing a herkimer jump on the dance floor. I was thrilled when they inquired about their own wedding a few months later.

They have so much fun energy together, I asked if they wanted to dress in costumes for their engagement session and they ran with it. They picked costumes with an early 1900’s feel, and I knew just the place to shoot. We met on a weekend morning at the historic Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO (where “The Shining” and scenes from “Dumb and Dumber” were filmed). They brought killer accessories (peep those mustaches) and their D&D dice collection—which we used to spell out their wedding date as they played in the hotel’s lobby and hedge maze. They changed into “normal” clothes, and we visited Mary’s Lake in Estes Park for a champagne toast.

To end the day, we went to a spot I knew about that offers an unobstructed view of Long’s Peak (a well-known 14,000ft peak on the North side of Rocky Mountain National Park). Brandon and Craig played a little volleyball—they met at a volleyball tournament—before changing into their final, and dare I say—best, outfits. My favorite photo of the shoot (and possibly of my career) is of these two men donning their Romp-hims (rompers for men) complete with coordinating socks and accessories, leaping into the air—just as they did on the dance floor.