Wedding and Family Photographer
in the Mountains of Durango, CO

Hi, I'm Vanessa

I’m a Colorado girl. An outdoor enthusiast. An afficiando of delicious baked goods. A mountain biking newbie.  A guitar player and music fanatic. A lover of impromptu dance parties. A huge fan of good food and dear friends gathered around a kitchen island, fire pit, or homemade skillet pizza. I’m a wife, mom, friend, traveler, photographer, child of God, and one happy girl. 

Photography with heart

With 12 years of professional photography experience, I love capturing the heart and authentic emotion in people through bright, beautiful images. I want to tell people's stories through photographs and find it a complete joy to be invited into people's lives. My hope is to give you an amazing, joyful experience and photos you will treasure!

Married to my college sweetheart

He's my best friend, adventure buddy, and all around favorite guy. We love to hike, mountain bike, cook delicious food, explore Colorado, play cribbage, create new cocktails, take road trips in our VW camper bus, and experience life together.

Meet my family

I love being a Mom. It gives me such purpose and joy. These two beautiful, creative, adventure-loving girls fill my life with light, laughter, and beauty. You can often find us running the trails, biking into town for a scone, rafting the river, gathered around a board game, playing badminton, jumping on the trampoline, or having friends over for yard games.

City raised, mountain based

I grew up in St. Paul Minnesota enjoying lakes, access to amazing restaurants, shopping, and all that the city had to offer. I always pictured myself in a big city, but after getting married, we packed up and moved to a mid-sized Colorado mountain town, my husband's childhood dream. Now, I've fallen head over heels for where we live and I've become a mountain girl at heart. I'm so grateful to call Colorado home for the last 17 years, with so many outdoor pursuits right out my front door! A few of my favorites: mountain biking, hiking, fly fishing, rafting, and skiing. Being outside makes me feel so alive. I'm definitely biased, but I think Durango is one of the best places to live. You've got to come and visit! I'd love to share some of my favorite places with you ~ better yet, take your photograph in one of my favorite spots!

38 projects and counting

Wowzers. We didn't exactly know what we were getting into when we bought a 120 year old home in the heart of Durango. We've jumped into renovating it one project at a time ~ and thanks to YouTube, we're on our way. Blood, sweat, and tears. We've experienced a little bit of all of them.

Always on the hunt for the next great recipe

Have I mentioned how much I love food??? I don't just like food, I love it! My perfect day ends with a glass of good whiskey, my Old Time Dinner Music playlist, and garlic sizzling in some olive oil on the stove. Mmmm ... what's for dinner????

I've got you covered

I love using the best lenses, camera bodies, and gear to capture you! You just show up, I'll take care of the rest.

Wedding Gallery

Flowers and mountain wedding

Ridgewood Event Center

Flowers and mountain wedding

River Bend Ranch

Flowers and mountain wedding

Glacier Club

Dante's Purgatory Resort Wedding Session

Dante's at Purgatory Resort

Clients Love Ginger Moose

from Katie

Vanessa made us feel very comfortable
in front of the camera. The photos
turned out amazing and we already have
them hanging in our home!

from Jennifer

Absolutely wonderful experience!!
Vanessa was kind and fun!
The pictures turned out PERFECT!

from Kristen

Vanessa was completely organized,
genuine, and calm, which made us feel so relaxed
and ultimately this led to very natural, beautiful photos.
We cannot believe how lucky
we are to have found her!

from Hannah

I cannot say enough great things about Vanessa!
She is the sweetest human being
and made me feel on top of the world
on my wedding day. We will cherish
our photos forever!

Family Gallery

Flowers and mountain wedding

Durango Family

Session

Winter Family Portrait

Durango Fall Family Session

Family Reunion Portrait

Summer Family Mountain Session

Family Vacation Portrait Session

Family Vacation Session

 Welcome, I’m Vanessa

Your adventure starts here!

I love to tell your story through bright, authentic, sun-drenched images. Making you feel comfortable in front of the camera is my specialty so that you get genuine, heart felt photographs that you absolutely treasure. I’ll capture authentic moments in a relaxed, no fuss way to maximize the joy of your wedding day, elopement, or family session.

I’m here to serve you and be your guide to all things wedding & family photography ~ from timing recommendations, to ideal locations and lighting. I’ll walk alongside you to capture a wedding day that you fully enjoy and photograph real moments that you can enjoy and share for a lifetime.

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