Wedding Photography Information
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Who’s behind Dreamtime?
You can read more on my bio page, but here’s the short version: I’m a curious guy, an outdoor nut and an avid traveler. My favorite question is “Why?” and I ask it a lot. I love smoothies, I hate mushrooms, I’m a caffeine intolerant espresso nerd and I have a well-used crepe pan. I know a few card tricks and lot of bad jokes.
Once I won a palm tree climbing contest in Thailand. Once I fell out of a boat in the Virgin Islands was lost at sea for half an hour, but it was the Fourth of July and I watched fireworks until my rescue. I remember the awe of watching the show overhead while splashing around in the bioluminescence beneath.
Now I live in Estes Park, Colorado, where I photograph weddings near and far for fun-loving, free-spirited couples. When I’m not doing that, I’m tooling around in the mountains, climbing rocks, running trails, and riding bikes, or I’m in the kitchen working on my barista skills. I think Emerson said it best by suggesting we “live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, and drink the wild air.”
On the to-do list: Climb in Patagonia, climb in Kalymnos (Boom! 2015!), ride a bike around Nova Scotia, visit the Galapagos, photograph Angkor Wat.
On the to-do-again list: Write another list of cool things to do — it keeps me dreaming of the Next Big Thing.
Can you fly to my wedding?
See below…
But seriously, can you fly to my wedding?
Absolutely. Dreamtime’s typical wedding schedule includes destination weddings throughout the US and abroad. Please enquire for details. You’ll find images in the portfolio from weddings in the Bahamas, Aruba, Belize, the Virgin Islands, Tulum, Cozumel, Huatulco, the Florida Keys, Santa Barbara, Montana, Norway, and many other beautiful and enchanting places.
What’s your approach?
Mostly I try to remain hands off, but my approach has evolved since I started doing this in 2006. I used to be that ninja photographer, hiding in the shadows with a veritable telescope, capturing the goings on from afar. I soon came to realize that my photos lacked a little intimacy, because I relied too heavily on the longer lenses. The problem is that those focal lengths are unfamiliar to the eye, foreign, and, well, far away. We don’t see with telephoto eyes. So these days I like to be able to stay away when I need to, but approach when I want to — and most importantly, I want to be able to approach and not have you notice when I’m right there. This yields images that speak to your heart.
To make it happen, I like to work with clients who are madly in love, a little cheesy, who laugh a lot, who are real, who are adventurous, and most importantly, who decide to trust me. When you trust me, you open up more. When you open up, you let me just that much more into your world. And that’s when I can capture the magic.
Why Dreamtime?
Besides the nice ring, dreamtime is a concept in Aboriginal mythology that basically means the beginning of everything. I think that’s a fitting name for a wedding studio.
And for the climbers out there, Dreamtime, one of the world’s most cutting edge, aesthetic, and famous boulder problems, is a gold standard. It’s on a beautiful rock in Switzerland, in a forest aptly named Magic Wood.
What albums do you carry?
I used every album company in existence over the last decade, and I am partial to Finao and Renaissance. I think they are the best I’ve ever seen, though I can source books from every company out there.
Is there a photobooth?
Glad you asked! There is a photobooth! It’s proven to be an utterly ridiculous, memorable and hilarious addition to a wedding. EstesParkPhotobooths.com is my company and I can include a rental in your wedding package.
Behind the Scenes
This was a reunion of sorts: three Dreamtime brides in one wedding!
What’s your approach?
Mostly I try to remain hands off, but my approach has evolved since I started doing this in 2006. I used to be that ninja photographer, hiding in the shadows with a veritable telescope, capturing the goings on from afar. I soon came to realize that my photos lacked a little intimacy, because I relied too heavily on the longer lenses. The problem is that those focal lengths are unfamiliar to the eye, foreign, and, well, far away. We don’t see with telephoto eyes. So these days I like to be able to stay away when I need to, but approach when I want to — and most importantly, I want to be able to approach and not have you notice when I’m right there. This yields images that speak to your heart. To make it happen, I like to work with clients who are madly in love, a little cheesy, who laugh a lot, who are real, who are adventurous, and most importantly, who decide to trust me. When you trust me, you open up more. When you open up, you let me just that much more into your world. And that’s when I can capture the magic.
What’s your style?
I hate to label my style with a trend or a buzzword. The only reasonable assessment of my style is the feeling you get in your stomach when you see my pictures. I’ll say that I love to shoot truth and honesty, whatever that means. I came from a newspaper background and am committed to capturing moments and connections between people.
Behind the Scenes
Climbing trees in Punta de Mita, Mexico.
What’s in your camera bag?
You can read a lot more information about my equipment on my wedding photography gear page. Basically I shoot only with top quality, professional grade equipment, and I use a lot of redundancy. For a typical in-state wedding I will have 6-7 lenses, 3 bodies and 4 strobes, and for destination weddings I generally bring 4 lenses, 2-3 bodies depending on customs regulations, and 4 strobes.
For bodies I use the Canon 5d Mark III – I bring two of these to each wedding, one fitted with a wide lens and other with a longer lens. I also use a Canon 5d Mark II as my backup. For lenses, I use L series primes and zooms, including a 24mm f/1.4L Mark II, a 35mm f/1.4L, a 50mm f/1.2L, an 85mm f/1.2L Mark II, a 135mm f/2 L, and a 100mm f/2.8L IS macro. Sometimes I use a Canon fisheye. When I travel, I bring a 24-70mm f/2.8 II, a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, the 35mm f/1.4L, and the 85mm f/1.2L Mark II. For lighting, I rely on Canon’s 600EX RT speedlights and CP-E4 battery packs. I also use Justin Clamps and Nano light stands by Manfrotto.
What are your prices?
Please fill the contact form to receive a list of packages via email. Please note that all packages come with an online gallery for proofing/printing/sharing, as well as a thumb drive of all the high resolution images that are on that gallery. This inclusion is standard and sets the rate slightly higher, but I personally do not want my clients to be voting with their wallet after the fact over which images they think are worth spending extra for. Including high resolution images with all packages is what I would want if I were a client, and it’s therefore how I price my work.
Due to all the travel requirements, I generally don’t shoot 1 day destination weddings. Of course, rules are made to be broken. Sometimes, depending on destination, travel time and season, I offer my local packages to out-of-state couples. Off season rates are ocassionally available on select dates. Aside from the high res files, all packages come standard with a heck of a lot of fun.
Also, after having used a variety of online proofing products over 10 wedding seasons, I’ve settled on the one I currently use, which is waaaay ahead of the competition. It’s slick, looks great, works on all mobile devices, has an intuitive user interface (my Mom can use it — and Mom, if you’re reading this, I think you’re brilliant), and it allows you to seamlessly tag favorite images, print them, and share them on the social network.
Behind the Scenes
“An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.” – Oscar Wilde