BUENA VISTA
We joined Nana & Garth for their fall Cottonwood Pass engagement photos earlier this week for some vibrant October fall color in the valley. But when we ventured up to the top, we were amazed to find ourselves in a whiteout blizzard! We know mountain sessions are always an adventure, but we have never experience something quite as wild as this! We couldn’t see the panoramic view we were expecting, but were so lucky to be working with such a fun and outgoing couple who embraced it, winter wonderland and all. ❄️🍾
Cottonwood Pass, a high mountain wonder in south-central Colorado, is the highest paved crossing of the Continental Divide in the entire US. Its peak, reaching 12,126 feet, carves through the Sawatch Range, marking the border between Gunnison and Chaffee counties. The drive itself is a breathtaking and we were so excited to see what it looked like decked in gold fall foliage. It was no surprise to find it didn’t disappoint!
We love getting to know our couples better throughout their session and we quickly discovered that Nana and Garth were easygoing and up for anything (lucky us!) The weather was hard to predict and we managed to shoot through a light drizzle in the valley. Luckily the rain tapered off and the clouds cleared enough for us to be able to capture the mountains in the near distance. While taking their Cottonwood Pass engagement photos, we were in complete awe of the natural beauty around us and were so grateful that these two were up for exploring with us in one of the most stunning mountain locations we’ve ever visited!
After some candid and playful prompts in the valley, these two switched into their second outfit for the latter half of the session and we drove up to the top of the pass. We were hoping for panoramic views for their Cottonwood Pass engagement photos, but instead we drove into a flurry of snow which quickly turned into a full on white-out! I was a little nervous and I had a little pow-wow with the Nana and Garth, letting them know I’d be happy to turn around and complete the rest of the session down in the valley. But they refused to let the weather get the best of them and they both popped out of the car, ready to embrace a blizzard!
They popped a bottle of champagne and sprayed some bubbly which blended into the white flurry before we grabbed some gorgeous winter wonderland engagement photos!
Loved these Cottonwood Pass engagement photos and would like to learn more about our engagement photography packages? Check out pricing page for details or our blog for more recent work!
