I know what you’re thinking. Judging by the title of this blog, you’re probably wondering why an elopement photographer like myself is trying to convince you that your elopement photos don’t matter.

I want to get this out of the way right away–your elopement photos do matter, but the moments they capture matter more.

Let me explain.

I try my very best to be an elopement photographer who can provide more than photos–I want to provide perspective.

Your elopement photos should capture memories–not just epic overlooks, crazy landscapes, or beautifully framed works of art. Your elopement day is a real, living, breathing moment in your life that cannot be repeated. The very purpose of capturing that day is to gift you and your partner a portal, a time capsule, a way back into feeling those authentic, powerful, beautiful feelings on the most important day of your lives.

I understand how amazing it is to see adventure elopement photos in the most epic locations.

I absolutely feel that same desire to recreate­–or better yet, level up–a famous adventure elopement photo. And, of course, I fully relate to and embrace the desire you probably have to end up with breathtaking scenery in the backdrop of every last one of your elopement photos.

But I want you to understand this more than anything.

Your elopement photos are about capturing a moment in time that is so authentically you that you’re hit with a rush of nostalgia every time you see them. Your elopement photos are about small, intentional moments that are somehow undeniably powerful.

Your elopement photos are freezing the frame on a day you can’t get back–and those moments should be laced with memories you want to relive every single day.  

The epic shot can happen authentically on your elopement day. In fact, I’d argue that an elopement album full of heartfelt memories and beautiful moments is epic in its own right.

But on your elopement day, I encourage you to chase down moments. I encourage you to capture memories and intentionality.

The epic shot you want? It’s every shot that captures the beautiful, one-of-a-kind love between you and your partner on the day you said your vows.

What Your Elopement Photos Should Capture

Beautiful Moments in Time

You can preserve your flowers; you can save your wedding attire, you can pop your wedding cake in the freezer. But I promise you; nothing cements a beautiful moment in time the way an authentic, genuine moment captured by a camera does. Your elopement photos–no matter where they’re taken and no matter which elopement photographer captures them–should preserve those precious moments shared between the two of you.

A kiss on the nose, a private joke shared, a moment helping your partner on the trail–there are a million small moments that make up your elopement day. To me, capturing epic elopement photos has very little to do with the scenery behind a couple and everything to do with preserving their special moments shared in the midst of it all.

Nostalgic Images That Can Live Forever

A truly epic elopement photo is one that floods you with raw emotion every time you look at it. I work with so many couples whose favorite images from their elopement day aren’t the captures with the most dramatic landscapes. They’re the ones that make them feel like they’re right back there in their day.

Elopement photos should be timeless–they should give you the rush of the feelings you had on your wedding day, no matter how many times you thumb through them together.

Stunning & Accurate Portrayals of Your Genuine Emotions

An editorial-style photo in front of a canyon, overlook, river, or another breathtaking backdrop is undeniably cool. And if capturing you and your partner in a specific spot doing a specific thing is important, I’m on board.

But what’s most important to me is documenting a day full of your genuine, authentic, and unique emotions. Adventure elopements and small, intentional weddings are designed to focus on you and your partner–that means you should be able to express yourselves as authentically as possible.

The most epic elopement photos (in my eyes) happen when I’m given the chance to document a couple being their most them selves possible.

I’m talking laughing until you can’t breathe kind of emotions. Unashamed tears streaming from smiling eyes. Goofy, silly, tongues-out kind of faces. Elopement photos are most epic when they capture you for who you and your partner are.

A True-to-You Documentary of Your One-of-a-Kind Elopement

Epic elopement photos aren’t about a perfect day–they’re about the elopement day that was perfect for you. Documentary-style photos that capture your emotions and the intentional moments you share with your partner are the best way to preserve all the details of your day.

Think of it this way. It’s your one-of-a-kind, cannot be replicated elopement day–that means there are no outtakes. Every moment that made up the beautiful day you created with your partner is meaningful and beautiful–and elopement photos should capture that. Every stumble on the trail, every laugh shared, every plan A that swapped to plan B or plan C was–and is–part of your story. Elopement photos should document that and help you re-embrace that every time you look at them.

What Your Elopement Photos Shouldn’t Be

I’m coming out of the gate with a hot take here, but I’m passionate about this subject.

There are a lot of things I want your elopement photos to be for you­–a moment in time you wish you could relive, an unforgettable feeling of nostalgia, an undeniable rush of love for the partner you married.

But there are also things I hope your elopement photos don’t prioritize, including these things:

•  A mission to create the most epic adventure shot­–I am always fully on board to help my clients create beautiful moments in jaw-dropping places. That’s the beauty of adventure elopements, after all–you can experience your most precious, authentic moments in places that take your breath away and make you feel alive. But elopement photos should be authentic documentation of your wedding day and your most beautiful, cherished moments–not photo evidence of hunting down an epic location to one-up or replicate a photo you’ve seen. Don’t get me wrong; I absolutely think that capturing your wedding day among the scenery you want is crucial. But it’s my job to give you images that capture your smile, the way your partner looks at you, a full-throated laugh–that’s the intent behind each and every image captured on your wedding day.
• Posed Photos That Aren’t Innately “You.”­– On your elopement day, you should feel confident, beautiful, and freely you–that means your elopement photos should reflect that. Your elopement photos should be silly or serious; they should be an explosion of love or subtly intimate moments; they should be exactly what you want them to be in every way. In other words, they should be a reflection of who you are.
• Evidence of Uncomfortable, All-Day Photoshoot­­–Your elopement photos are so much more than an editorial photoshoot. I talk with couples often who say they’re nervous about a certain amount of elopement day coverage because they don’t want to feel like they’re not able to be themselves all day. Your elopement photos shouldn’t center around capturing epic shots that are magazine-worthy–they should center around capturing you in a comfortable, safe environment where you can be yourself. The beauty of those magazine-worthy photos has nothing on the photos that capture you and your love at your most authentic.

Your Elopement Moments Matter–Capture Them Forever

No matter what your perfect-for-you elopement day looks like, it deserves to be captured. The moments of your day should live on forever in timeless images that you can look back on and feel. You can’t get the day back, but you can document the day–what it felt like, what you saw, how you laughed and cried and smiled.

Every one of those moments can live in your hearts forever–and they should. If you and your partner know that capturing those true-to-you moments that fill you with love and emotion is an important part of your wedding day, I can help. Reach out to me anytime–we can chat about locations, what your day could look like, and what makes elopements so unique!

Let’s start your forever with an adventure.