A big decision you will have to make for your engagement session is where to do it! I have so many recommendations and this one is one of my absolute favorites. If you are looking for an epic mountain backdrop without needing to drive too far, look no further. About 15 minutes up the road from the Flatirons at Chautauqua Park, is one of the most beautiful places to watch the sunset while still close to the inner city of Boulder. It is a such a versatile spot with areas among the boulders for intimate portraits, or on the edge of the cliffs for epic landscape sunset shots.
After hopefully securing a parking spot in the small dirt lot after driving a winding steep hill of switchbacks, we have several options to capture your fun engagement session. Usually we will arrive at the latter half of the golden hour so that we can capture the stunning colors of the sunset over the Rocky Mountains. Before heading up the cliffs part of the overlook, there is a fenced in area off to the south side of the parking lot. I like this area because its a safer spot to do some more active poses than the cliffs. Andrea and Rand were up for anything and we ended up with this picture of their arms linked together with Rand lifting Andrea off the ground.
Jessi and Chip were equally adventurous during their session and braved an incredibly windy day at the overlook. I asked Chip to carry Jessi on his back and spin her around until they were both dizzy and laughing.
By this time, you will be feeling much more at ease in front of my camera and we will begin our little climb up the rocks to the best part of the overlook. This is also a great time to change outfits if you have multiple outfits. I recommend using a more casual outfit to start with for photos like those above, and saving a more formal outfit for the cliffs. Long, flowing dresses look stunning on the edge of the overlook, as you are about to see. The cliffs are to the north of the parking lot. If you are wearing any sort of heeled shoe, to be safe I suggest wearing a flat or sneaker to hike up the rocks, then changing shoes at the top.
We will still have some time to kill before the apex of the sunset so I like to capture some close-up shots and some detail shots of the ring at this time.
Then its time for those large canvas worthy mountain pictures you have always dreamed of having on your wall! This is a time to let your love shine and snuggle close to your partner.
After this set of photos, I will have the opportunity to capture you hiking back down the rocks. Below, you can see Alyssa leading Jake down the rocks, and Andrew bringing Rand in close for a sweet moment. Chip gave Jessi one final spin in her flowing blue dress before rushing to get back in their warm car. Can you tell how chilly they were through those happy smiles?
Hopefully this gives you a good visual of what your engagement session at Lost Gulch Overlook could look like. Every day and sunset here is unique, just like you! Contact me now to book your adventurous photo session! Thank you for reading!