The timing

The window is real, and it's short

Colorado doesn't do a long, gentle autumn. Color climbs downhill — the high country turns first, then the foothills, then the city. Here's roughly how it usually runs, so you can pick where you want to be standing.

Mid → late Sept

High country

Above about 9,000 ft — Breckenridge, Guanella Pass, the passes. First to turn, first to blow off.

Late Sept → early Oct

The foothills

Evergreen, Golden Gate Canyon, Peak to Peak. This is the sweet spot for most sessions — big aspen stands, still an easy drive.

Mid → late Oct

Denver itself

Neighborhood streets and city parks turn last. Great if you want the color without leaving town.

Fair warning, because I'd rather be honest than sell you something: those are typical ranges, not promises. Trees don't read calendars, and one hard wind can end a peak early. What that means practically — book earlier than feels necessary, and stay a little flexible on the exact day. I'll tell you straight if I think a weekend is going to be past peak.

EvergreenGolden Gate CanyonGuanella PassPeak to Peak HwyKenosha PassBoulder foothillsYour own street

Actual sessions

Every photo here is a real fall shoot

Not stock, not a styled shoot, not somebody else's portfolio. These are Colorado families in the aspens, straight out of the camera — no editing, no filters, no retouching. What you see is the thing you'd be handed.

Mom and daughter on a wooden footbridge under blazing yellow aspens

The bridge shot

Girl in a blue hoodie walking a leaf-covered path in golden light

Zero instructions given

Girl bolting away while mom laughs behind her in an aspen grove

This is what a session with a 3-year-old looks like

Little girl sprinting with golden aspens and snow-dusted peaks behind her

Full sprint, snow on the peaks

Girl running through golden leaves, grinning

Grinning, mid-run

A mother and daughter on a golden fall path — the photo that started the whole thing

The one that started all this

Tap any photo to open it full-resolution — that's the actual file quality you'd get.

The deal

One hour in the gold

Same session I run all year, just pointed at the best two weeks Colorado has. No fall surcharge, no "mini session" that's secretly 20 minutes and eight photos.

✓A full hour — not a 15-minute conveyor belt with six other families queued behind you.
✓Every single frame — full resolution, no watermarks, transferred before we part ways.
✗No gallery three weeks later — and no upsell to buy your own photos back.
✗No forced poses — kids run, dogs pull, nobody has to do the awkward chin-on-fist thing.

🍂 Fall golden hour

$129 / full hour

Aspens, foothills, or your own street
Families, couples, kids, dogs — all fine
Every photo, full res, on the spot
Golden-hour slots, roughly 90 min before sunset

💬 Text me for open dates

Or email me · Just want a headshot in the color? $75

Before you ask

The honest answers

What if the leaves are already past peak?

I'll tell you before you drive anywhere. If a spot has blown out, I'll point us somewhere lower and later — the color moves downhill for weeks, so there's almost always somewhere still going. If it's genuinely done for the year, I'll say so rather than take your money for brown sticks.

What if the weather's bad that day?

We move it, no charge, no drama. Overcast is actually lovely for this — soft light, saturated color. It's real weather I'd reschedule for: hard rain, snow, or wind that makes everyone miserable.

Do the kids have to cooperate?

Genuinely no, and it's better when they don't. The best frames on this page are a kid mid-sprint away from her mother. I shoot fast and I don't need anyone to hold still — bring them tired, bring them wild, it's fine.

Why is this so much cheaper than everyone else?

Because there's no studio, no crew, no assistant, no editing suite, and no three-week production pipeline. It's one person who works in AI by day and genuinely loves doing this at golden hour. Low overhead, honest price — not a discount on worse work.

How far will you travel?

Anywhere around Denver and the Front Range — the foothills, Boulder, Evergreen, the passes. Farther than that, just ask and we'll work it out.

Let's go

The leaves aren't waiting for either of us

Text me what weekend you're thinking and roughly how many humans and animals are coming. I'll send back the dates I've got open and where the color should be best.

💬 Text me → 📞 Or call ✉️ Email