Alayna & Mike

Lily Lake Engagement Session | RMNP

Alayna & Mike are climbers. Which for me, couldn’t be any better. They really wanted to do their engagement session in a meaningful place, but also add in something unique and genuine to them, climbing!

As a former professional climbing photographer, incorporating an engagement session with a climbing shoot is a no brainer. And there is one place that comes to mind when the words; “climbing & epic landscape” come to mind. Lily Lake and the crag called Jurassic Park. Specifically, a classic Colorado 5.9+ called Edge of Time. Plans were made and we locked everything in.

It’s always hard to predict how weather, light, all the fun stuff is going to behave up in the mountains and especially hanging out not far below the famed Diamond of Longs Peak. With the blanket of snow on the Continental Divide and Longs Peak (for which my 8 hr Collection is named after 😉) as our backdrop, we got to work. Starting first around the Lake, (which unfortunately have never been able to sustain a healthy fish population and so the park system has ultimately stopped stocking) and then making our way up to the climbing area after a quick clothing change.

After both Mike & Alayna sent the route, which at 5.9+ is still a heady endeavor, even for the seasoned rock climber, they quickly changed one more time and we finished up the quickly fading sunset light for a mini-golden hour.

I absolutely cannot wait to photograph this wedding next year and I absolutely enjoyed our session and getting to add a mix of what I used to do in with what I do know.

-Alton