We hear the term “adventure” thrown around a lot and since we call ourselves adventure wedding photographers, we were thinking it might be time to talk a little about what that means! (Hint: you don’t have to be getting married on the summit of Kilimanjaro for your wedding to be an adventure…)
While there are a lot of ways to define “adventure” from epic cross-country road trips to climbing Mount Everest without oxygen, we actually believe that “adventure” is really just a way of moving through the world.
Don’t get us wrong, we are huge fans of epic cross-country road trips (especially when they include us, the pup, and the Lobster Van, our adventure mobile!), but we think that there are plenty of pretty epic moments that happen right in the midst of our regular everyday lives, too, and we’re willing to bet there are plenty in yours as well.
You’re planning a wedding, after all…speaking of epic adventures!
Whether it’s finding the perfect camp venue in the mountains to keep things intimate, or wrangling Great Aunt Gertrude onto a grassy dance “floor” under the stars and twinkle lights. Or finding just the right vintage cowboy boots to go with that dress you found that reminds you of the ocean breeze, we know that weddings can sometimes feel a little like the Wild West. Like you’re in uncharted territory as you leave the traditional etiquette behind to create a day that really feels like you.
We want to share all the ways we’ll be right beside you, bringing our “A is for adventure” game to your wedding experience, because really, isn’t building a life with someone just about the biggest adventure of them all? We think so! So here is how we adventure:
We have our eyes wide open.
Living adventurously means really seeing the world around us.
We look for the tiny, fleeting moments that stitch a story together. The subtle way the morning light shifts in the swaying trees or the way the pinks of the sunset are caught in the foamy crests of each wave. The white knuckled grip that Dad has on his glass as he raises it in pride and tears and celebration. The way you guys burst into laughter at the exact same moment. We like to come in close and notice the details that make your particular experience a unique adventure.
We never miss the forest for the trees, though. We know that no view is complete without also zooming out and seeing the big picture. This is what gives our lives context, how we create the container for all those precious tiny moments to thrive in. It’s the mountain lake and summer camp feel that inspired your choice of venue. Or the sweep of emotion that happens when you see your family and friends gathered as one enormous collective of love and support. We know that the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts, so we never forget to also step back and take in the wider perspective as well, both photographically and conceptually.
We live open to infinite possibilities as we deeply align with our values in new ways.
Living adventurously means exploring alternatives and being willing to head far out of our “comfort zone” for the possibility of awesomeness.
We are constantly learning. Sometimes it’s learning a brand new skill, like how to make vegan cheese from cashews (um, delicious, by the way!). Sometimes it’s refining and deepening knowledge we’ve acquired over years of practice, like how to shoot portraits from a moving ski lift or using today’s technology to precisely locate where the sun crests the horizon in our favorite Acadia secret spots.
We love this learning and exploration. Checking out a new national park or an unexpected wildflower meadow or a new local natural foods store. Excitedly planning a shoot that challenges us to approach the session in a way that furthers our growth and experience as photographers. Our values are rooted in vulnerability, honesty, and true authenticity. Looking for how those apply to every aspect of how we live and work is a truly grand adventure.
All things are figure-out-able, whether it’s finding amazing coffee in the wilds of Alaska or translating our couples’ genuine and special moments into a visual story that they can hold in their hands. We savor every step of that figuring out process and the expansiveness it brings to all we do.
We fully and enthusiastically embrace the unexpected.
Living adventurously means doing the work necessary to be so deeply prepared that when the unplanned happens, we can meet it eagerly with flexibility and curiosity, and take full advantage of the unique opportunities that it offers.
We are organized and fastidious people by nature, so we love a good plan and believe in preparation. It’s likely this preparation that frees us to feel so damn excited when things take an unplanned turn. Maybe it’s quickly shifting out of vacation mode to join an incredible group of volunteers cleaning single-use plastic off a beach on the North Shore of Oahu. Maybe it’s a surprise rain storm during a mountaintop proposal. Maybe it’s an absolutely hilarious set of dance moves by a groomsman who seemed shy (but with moves like that, definitely isn’t!). We’ve discovered that it’s often inclement weather that create the most stunning sunsets and unplanned moments that create the biggest belly laughs.
Whether it’s veering down a promising unnamed dirt road looking for a campsite in the Lobster Van or shooting a last minute elopement in Hawai’i or simply not moving inside when the forecast calls for rain, it’s not just adapting to the unexpected, but downright reveling in it, that allows us to jump right in and take full advantage of the gifts those moments offer.
We call ourselves “adventure wedding photographers” because we believe wholeheartedly that every single day holds adventure, that it is a way of moving through the world with open eyes, open hearts, a spirit of exploration, and a deep appreciation for the magic of the unexpected. This is how we approach our lives and it’s at the heart of how we approach our work and the couples who share this vision and choose to make us a part of their own wedding adventure.
To be adventure wedding photographers means to see each couple and each wedding for the truly unique experience that it is. To translate the lessons and expertise we’ve gained from all of the weddings we’ve shot before to serve as a layer of preparation that keeps us flexible and adaptable and able to fully appreciate every one-of-a-kind moment.
The couples we work with tend to be adventurers at heart, curious and open people ready for fun, laughter, and real authenticity. Sometimes they get married on mountaintops and sometimes they get married in their own backyard, but they all craft a wedding rooted in what matters most to them instead of what an antiquated etiquette book has told them “must be done.” They keep what resonates with them and toss what doesn’t and do it all with an authenticity that continues to humble us.
And as your adventure wedding photographers, we are there right beside you, enthusiastically embracing and fully capturing every bit of the adventure you’ve created.
Join us for ALL of our adventures on Instagram here and here! And tag us in yours or tell us about them in the comments below…we want to know what you’re up to out there in this big, amazing world!
