Tricia and Lee .:. Sport the Dress™

.: Nikon D700 + Nikon 24-70 2.8 @ 60mm, 1/640, f2.8, ISO100 :.

Last month I took a little weekend stay-cation to get some skiing in at Vail and Beaver Creek resorts.  This photographer worked way too hard this winter and didn’t get much time on the slopes.  So I decided to get away from work during a period of particularly great snow in Eagle County.  As I was getting ready to leave I thought to myself, “Self, should I bring the photo gear?” My roadtripmate Io told me to brind the gear, ‘just in case’.

.: Nikon D700 + Nikon 135 f/2 @ 1/8000, f2.8, ISO100 :.

So it’s funny how these things go sometimes!  I was on the slope for all of two hours when I sat down on the chairlift with a couple, and the girl was wearing a piece of bridal veil under her goggle strap on her ski helmet.  As it turns out, they were getting married at the new Arrabelle resort at Vail Square.  Ironic, given that I’m a wedding photographer and all!  So we chatted for a while longer and I told them about my Sport the Dress™ portrait sessions, where the couple wears the dress and tux on the mountain skiing that day after the wedding for a fun photo session.  Quickly they asked, “Can we do that?!”.  :>)  Moral of the story, ALWAYS bring your gear!

.: Nikon D700 + Nikon 24-70 2.8 @36mm, 1/2500, f2.8, ISO100 :.

So I arranged to extend my stay an extra day so that we could get the shoot in.  It worked out well since it was dumping snow on their wedding day.  On our shoot day it was mostly cloudy and quite chilly, but Tricia toughed it out like a trooper, for the love of photography!

.: Nikon D700 + Nikon 24-70 2.8 @36mm, 1/1000, f2.8, ISO100 :.

This next spot is the location where Lee proposed to Tricia.  They are from Houston Texas but have been coming out to the mountains of Colorado for many years.  They had to come out many times during the planning of the wedding.  Don’t you feel sorry for them?  Having to come to Vail all the time can be really tough.  I was afraid to ask, but they probably got more ski days in than I did this year!

.: Nikon D700 + Nikon 24-70 2.8 @ 44mm, 1/250, f6.3, ISO100 :.

.: Nikon D700 + Nikon 135 f2, 1/8000, f2.0, ISO100 :.

.: Nikon D700 + Nikon 135 f2, 1/6400, f2.8, ISO100 :.

After some time on the slopes we took the skis off for some shots in the aspen grove.

.: Nikon D700 + Nikon 135 f2, 1/4000, f2.0, ISO100 :.

.: Nikon D700 + Nikon 24-70 2.8 @ 38mm, 1/640, f2.8, ISO100 :.

So in the end we took the longest single run I’ve ever taken in my life! When we finished off coming down into Lionshead Village, I went ahead to take a shot of the couple coming across the bridge. But there were so many people, the shot turned into a Where’s Waldo shot!

.: Nikon D700 + Nikon 135 f2, 1/4000, f3.2, ISO100 :.

Thanks guys for a fun day on the slopes! You’ve shown me that I should definitely spend more time on the slopes next year. If I play my cards right, I’ll get more time on the slopes AND get more great client and fantastic photo shoots in exotic locations.