Kat & Brett’s Engagement Session in Golden Gate Canyon

Kat & Brett’s Engagement Session | Golden Gate Canyon State Park | Colorado Engagement Photography | Jeep Wrangler Engagements | Cannonball Brewery Beer Photos | Apollo Fields

    The crunch of pine needles under your hiking boots.  The kind nods of strangers walking by. The mountain wind that sings aspens into a dance also fills your lungs with movement.  The comfort of adventuring in Colorado where the unknown trail feels like a well worn couch. Sink your soul into nature and the wild woodland sounds will lull you to sleep.  A community of one in the safe outdoors—or better yet—bring a friend or two and set the trail ablaze with laughter and conversation. Expand your community, bring people together, and fill your heart with trust.

    Hiking Golden Gate Canyon State Park with Kat and Brett for their outdoor engagement session felt just like this.  Light with laughter and steeped in love.  It made me miss living in Colorado, but it made me grateful for the communities we’re helping bring together.  “Talking with a friend about friends you meet and I’m so glad we met,” Kat said in a text yesterday, and I couldn’t agree more.  We cross paths with strangers and acquaintances on city sidewalks, hiking trails in the woods, and in line at supermarkets—and it is up to us to decide who we should invite into our lives.

    Kat and I met working at Oasis Brewing Company together and I still love to use that space as our hub for connecting when we’re back in town.  Firstly, because beer; secondly, because of the honest and kind-hearted eyes of Morianne and Erik Smith that welcome me back into that building; and thirdly, because the beautifully decorated rustic modern space is a comfortable and conducive atmosphere for meetups of all sizes.  By purposefully perpetuating relationships out of this space (I’m not forgetting you Kael and Kelly), Heather and I hope to cultivate long-lasting friendships that never end at the bottom of the glass.

When we met up at the brewery this past Monday, we held a meeting with Matt and Julie, a couple potential (now actual!) clients, followed by an open invitation to all of our friends in the area.  The turnout exceeded our expectations, including climbing buddies, fellow industry professionals, old friends, horse barn neighbors, and even a couple, Meghan and Armand, whose wedding we shot in the summer of 2018.  Meghan and Armand were the real MVPs of the meetup as they beamed with happiness, recounting to Matt and Julie just how positive their experience with us was. Funny thing is, the meeting of these two couples was unintentional if not downright serendipitous, because we didn’t tell most of our friends that we were coming early to meet with Matt and Julie.  Yet because we choose to cultivate relationships with our couples and with people in spaces that mean something to us, we continue to connect and create communities.  

    It’s that same feeling that washes over us when we take our puppers on a walk in the woods.  It’s a community of one turning into a community of many, linked by trust and adventure. We’ve only known Kat and Brett, Erik and Morianne, Kael and Kelly, and now Meghan and Armand for a year or two, but as we hike forward towards the future, we aim to bring the Matt and Julie’s into our community one couple at a time.    

Photography: Heather for Apollo Fields
Writing: Terrence for Apollo Fields
Colorado Location: Golden Gate Canyon State Park
Dress: Madewell
Beer: Cannonball Creek Brewery

Naomi & Johnny's Virginia Engagement Session at Noland Trail and Oozlefinch Brewery

Naomi & Johnny’s Engagement Session | Oozlefinch Brewery | Noland Trail | Norfolk Virginia Engagements | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography

It’s no secret that we love to travel! It’s one of my favorite things about the business so we always jump at the opportunity to shoot destination engagements and weddings. Throwing the dogs, cameras, backpack of clothes, and a board game or two in the back of the car and hitting the road is what we do best.

We got the chance to shoot Naomi and Johnny’s engagement session in Norfolk, VA because they are air-force and have been stationed in separate states. Naomi is currently in Colorado and Johnny is in Virginia, and this was going to be their last weekend together before their wedding in May so we cruised down the east coast to meet up with them for a rainy afternoon. We began the session at Noland Trail which is where they got engaged (fittingly enough it was also raining that day) but we could only stay for a short amount of time before the weather really moved in.

So off to Oozlefinch Brewery we went! We were so excited when they suggested this location because we’re totally craft-brewery people and were already mapping out our brew tour of the east coast :) The beer was all amazing and we gladly enjoyed a few flights together. It was great to hang out with them, snapping pictures, chatting about how they met, and wedding planning. We’re shooting their wedding in May at The Pines at Genessee in CO which we’re really excited for! We are also looking forward to recognizing a few faces in the crowd since Naomi is the cousin of Dylan (one of our 2017 grooms) and how we originally met this fun couple!

Virginia Engagement Photography: Apollo Fields

Locations: Noland Loop Trail, Noland News Virginia | Oozlefinch Craft Brewery, Hampton VA

Relationship Goals

3.2.18 - 5004 Cody Street ~ 1:05 AM MT

            Heather told me tonight that she really appreciated my partnership today.  She told me that she could count on me to tidy up the house, to research SEO stuff for Apollo Fields, and that trusting someone else to handle things isn’t easy for her.  Since the beginning of our relationship we’ve always trusted each other because we haven’t given each other a reason not to.  It’s wonderful that that reality is also seeping into the business partnership that we’re creating.

            I know that few people are lucky enough to find a significant other whom they can communicate with, work with, and even enjoy being with for a long period of time.  Often times it’s hard enough to even get along with yourself for awhile.  Yet here we are as a couple in pursuit of a creative endeavor that incorporates and celebrates the things that we are both best at individually.  There are even fewer people who can be part of something like that.

            As I explained it to several people at Oasis tonight, Heather and I’s partnership and eventual marriage was borne out of the recognition of a pattern of mutually beneficial decisions and actions.  To us, concepts like eternal love are irrational fantasies seated in the rationality of the human mind; pursuing them is akin to letting your conscience be commanded by a belief in heaven and hell—it allows imaginary ideas to take precedence over the human faculty of rationality.    

In the past three years Heather and I have taken countless trips, published a cookbook, moved across the country, adopted a Doberman from a sandwich shop, had our Jack Russell become paraplegic, acquired a horse, and fought and laughed in between.  Many things have stood in our way but none of them have stopped us.  Our relationship withstands the things that come our way because we know we control our actions and that we will be there for our partner when they get in their own way. 

            To say that, “we don’t fight” is a misnomer and an oversimplification—we hold different opinions all the time, but it’s a matter of choosing when and where to dig our feet into the mud.  It takes emotional will power to cede your pride in the name of the greater good of the relationship, but learning to govern your feelings in order to foster an atmosphere of trust, support, and honesty will always be worth it.  There are times when I or Heather knows that the arena we have chosen to fight in is a waste of time or that we were not meant to share this same battlefield and we’ve learned that that’s OK.  Our altercations are a matter of recognizing what works and what doesn’t, or what’s harmful and what’s helpful.  It’s less of a fight and more of a concerted effort at honest communication aimed at understanding.

            Through all of the fun and tears we strive to create love and act out of rationality and reason.  It’s less exciting than the love stories we’ve been told and sounds less sexy than the hyperbole of unoriginal wedding vows, but it’s the closest thing to being human that I can imagine.  If Heather and I love each other enough we will bring another human into a world where creativity, rationality, and reason are the concepts dangling above the crib, slowly spinning on a hand-stitched mobile as stubby, wrinkly fingers reach for the sky. Instead of pursuing imaginary fantasies we are writing our story one thoughtful camera click and pen stroke at a time.

Nicholas & Eden's Surprise Proposal and Engagement at The Glen Eyrie Castle

Nicholas & Eden's Surprise Proposal and Engagement Session | Glen Eyrie Castle | Colorado Springs | Destination Engagement Photographer | Fairytale Proposal | Apollo Photo

Talk about rolling out the red carpet for an epic proposal! This beautiful Castle in Colorado Springs is a super popular attraction for visitors, but because of its fairytale aesthetic, it is also a great place for the kind of proposal that is sure to land a big “I SAID YES”.

Nicholas was so sweet about his plans to proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Eden. He didn’t miss a beat! They are a great couple from Florida and were visiting Colorado on a vacation. Nicholas wanted to do the proposal towards the beginning of their trip so they could celebrate the rest of their vacation, so this evening they had fancy dinner plans which got Eden to dress up and look her best — without knowing — exactly what for!

The Glen Eyrie Castle staff was great to work with, as well. They had the back patio set up with a beautiful rose petal staircase, a private table with a little bubbly and flowers set up, and best best view. Nicholas had arranged for a private violinist to play their favorite song and a dove release for the big moment. I was tucked away into the corner snapping my heart out and just loving this moment as it unfolded. As soon as Eden came walking down the stairs, I think she had that is-this-really-happening face and before she knew it, Nicholas was down on one knee!

Of course, a big “yes” came next and this happy couple celebrated away! Eden’s best friend had also secretly flown out for the big moment and unveiled herself to join in the well-wishes. We were able to make the most of this epic moment and beautiful evening to capture some great announcement photos and I hope that this fun loving couple will always remember the fairytale proposal that evening when they look back on these beautiful pictures!

Morgan and Matt's Central Park Engagement Session in New York City

NEW YORK CITY ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY | CENTRAL PARK PHOTOGRAPHER | DESTINATION WEDDINGS ERNY PHOTO CO

Before moving to Colorado, New York City was my home. It still holds a piece of my heart, with so many wonderful memories there, including meeting my awesome boyfriend. As much as I love Colorado, I miss it from time to time.  So I was really excited to head back to my old stomping grounds and photograph Morgan and Matt's Central Park engagement session in NYC!

Their entire session was really relaxed and upbeat. It felt more like hanging out than a photo session! We all laughed as we explored Central Park together. Morgan and Matt were also really playful throughout their session, which was so awesome. I love how they were able to just kick back and be themselves. It allowed me to really get into my groove and take some amazing photos. 

About Morgan and Matt

These two have it all. They are smart, outdoorsy and they can cook. They're kind of the perfect couple. They also enjoy hiking, which happens to be what they were doing when they got engaged, and they also have two adorable cats. 

I cannot wait for their upstate New York wedding next summer at Handsome Hallow! 

Morgan and Matt's Central Park Engagement Session in New York City

Heather Huie of Apollo Fields is a New York Based Wedding Photographer who loves to travel. If you're planning a Central Park or New York City wedding, she'd love to chat with you! Reach out by using her contact form!

Samantha & Chase's Central Park Engagement Photography in New York City

Samantha & Chase's Central Park NYC Engagement Session | New York City Engagement Photographer | NY Wedding Photography | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographer 

Central Park makes for the most iconic and epic engagement photos! You get the best of all worlds – some nature, some skyline, and the beautiful architectural details that are classically NYC. I was so excited when this awesome couple got engaged, and even more excited when it happened in the city! They were visiting family for the holiday and had traveled from their hometown in Tennessee to celebrate Christmas.

Samantha’s family owns EJ’s Luncheonette in the upper east side, so we began the afternoon catching a little snack there together and chatting about life and love :) Then we strolled over to Central Park and made our way to Bethesda Fountain. I love this area because it is just such an icon of NYC. There’s nowhere else in the world quite like it.

We did photos in the arches which can be a bit tricky to time because of foot traffic, but I was so excited when the crowd lifted for a minute and we were able to jump in and get that epic silhouette shot! I love being able to shoot on the stairs and the other embellishments there too. This couple has such a fun vibe together so it made my job easy! They had only been engaged for a few days so it was really great to piggy back on their excitement from celebrating the big news together.

NYC Engagement Photographer: Heather Huie for Apollo Fields

New York Engagement Location: Central Park