Krista and Justin wanted to do something different for their wedding, so they decided to elope in Page, Arizona! They rented a jeep and after their first look at Horseshoe Bend, we drove an epic 4x4 road out to a secret overlook on Lake Powell where they had their intimate elopement ceremony. We spent the evening drinking cocktails and exploring the desert above Lake Powell.
Ailsa and Austin eloped in Yosemite National Park working traditional Scottish elements into their day, such as Austin wearing a Kilt and having a Scottish Wake to end their elopement ceremony.
Jess and Troy’s Moab elopement was an epic Utah desert adventure! We drove their jeep 22 miles up a remote 4x4 dirt road to an epic overlook for their intimate wedding ceremony overlooking Fisher and Castle Valley.
At this point in our lives as adventure elopement + intimate wedding photographers its hard to imagine falling in love with a destination the way we have with Yosemite and Moab, but that's what happened when we arrived in Alaska. Honestly, this place lives up to the hype. We thought we'd hit the mecca in Patagonia, but it turns out this world is all full of surprises. Among the massive landscape of Alaska are ice fields, glaciers, fjords, and gigantic mountains, altogether showing adventure takes on its purest form here. These amazing landscapes are why Alaska is a dream destination for adventurous couples, but those who are drawn here have to be up to the task at hand. With all the anticipation of the shoot, we were so excited when we finally met Ashley and Matt for dinner (because when the sun sets at midnight, you can meet up for dinner before your shoot). Alyeska and Girdwood themselves are fantastic to take engagement photos, but the surrounding area has a crazy amount of beautiful places to shoot.
After traveling all the way from Michigan, Ashley and Matt were wide-eyed and excited to get going. We scouted a route out before and drove over to Byron Glacier to hike around (safely... it can get dicey pretty quick out there, and there are plenty of tours to take if you want to get on the glacier itself). As we hiked up to the glacier, Ashley told us a bit of their wedding plans, about when they met in high school when they were fifteen years old, and how they have been together ever since. We bonded over our love of Parks and Rec, our dogs, and stories about our families. As we walked, I needed to take a step back at what was happening. Amazing people and places like this constantly make me like I have the best job in the world, but what I love most about these moments in these places is how they are just a part of a something bigger – a tiny permanence amidst a gigantic one. I always imagine people's lives back home - Ashley and Matt's friends and families thousands of miles away in Michigan, their puppies, and the coffee shops and college campus where their love has grown right up until this point. Then I think of right here and now, creating these crazy memories in Alaska, and I realize why photography is so amazing – we're really just folding the corners of our favorite pages, making little dog-eared creases to go back to when we want or need to later on.
Honestly, I have to pinch myself when I think of this moment for what it is - an exclamation point in the middle of a paragraph those pages, altogether telling a great story. I love soaking it all in, but also remembering how there's so much more to come after this, and how something as ordinary as two high schoolers falling in love their sophomore year can lead to such a great adventure!! Big places like Alaska with histories and futures full of adventure make it easy to think of love this way. It's just so rad to play a little part in the telling of their story.
Ashley and Matt fit right in as they climbed around the toe of the glacier and then exploring the crazy ice formations. I love how our couples are down to wear boots, hike, and get their dresses and pants a little dirty – Ashley and Matt are no exception. Matt was also super chill when it came to the hike and all the obstacles, but mostly his attention was on his fiance and the amazing scenery all around us. They were an easy couple to get along with, as one moment we'd be laughing like kids as we slid around and the next staring up in awe at the grandeur of this creeping monument of ice.
Then things got seriously amazing. We shot a ton of beautiful pictures around the area leading up to the glacier, but then we saw a delicate ice arch just across a river. The opportunity – even though it promised freezing cold toes – was too good to pass up!! We took off our shoes and waded across the shallow river which didn't take too long, but it was still freezing cold - definitely type two fun. But the pictures and memory of the adventure were entirely worth it.
This session put all of our hopes for Alaska to work and ended up exceeding any thoughts we had. The photos were amazing and captured this couple's love for adventure, nature, and each other perfectly!! Seriously, this trip made me want to come back for sooooo many more engagements and elopements up in Alaska! It's been on our mind ever since we left since we feel like we barely tapped into the potential up here. Callen and I talked about it, and we're definitely hoping to book a lot more wedding + elopement photography gigs up here in Alaska next summer.
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The Hearnes Adventure Photography is run by Abbi and Callen Hearne, a husband & wife wedding photography team with an emphasis on adventure. They live on the road as full-time nomads in their big white van, allowing them to serve a large portion of the western US including California, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. They believe love is the greatest adventure and strive to create photos that are epic, romantic, true, and timeless.
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Oh boy oh boy is feels like Christmas! Or really, Christmas Eve Eve, because Wednesday is actually the day you’ve been waiting for. Ever since our Adventurers Workshop last February sold out within 24 hours of announcing it, you guys have been asking for details on the next one. I get messages almost daily asking if I’m teaching at any workshops soon, and finally, here is your answer!! Come join us and Maddie Mae Photo in Page, Arizona this February 11-13, 2019 for another incredibly educational, jam-packed, fun, delicious (yes food is a priority), and adventurous photography workshop.
As two leading photographers in the adventure elopements field, we’ve noticed this niche is growing beyond what we can imagine. We want to equip our fellow photographers to find their spot in the adventure wedding photography industry by building a brand focused on elopements and intimate weddings in epic places. We’ll cover so much info, including shooting photos in these outdoor spaces that capture adventure + emotion, marketing effectively with SEO + instagram, working with parks + offices to obtain permits and respect the lands, pricing yourself to cover your travel and pay yourself the wages you deserve (no more of that “shooting in exchange for travel fees” crap!), how we went from ballroom weddings to mountain top elopements, and sooo much more!
I am so beyond stoked to meet the amazing group of photographers we get to teach this February. Few things make me happier than running into our past attendees in National Parks on their own shoots, with their own couples, absolutely crushing it building the business they’ve always wanted. Head to our workshop website to read more details, some reviews from our past attendees, and of course, bookmark it for 9am PDT this Wednesday! Bonus: if you sign up for the email list via the site, you can get access to registration at 8am PDT 😏
The scariest thing that can happen to you on Halloween this year is missing out on a spot at our workshop 🎃 (see what I did there?) which is why I’m warning you now! Lets do this!
“I can’t imagine finding a workshop more helpful, positive, uplifting, and organized than The Adventurers Workshop. I had heard horror stories about other “workshops,” so I always hesitated investing, but from following Maddie & Abbi, I knew they’d be putting something together that was beyond what others were offering plus it’s very clear they knew what they were doing in each of their businesses. I was already focusing on adventure based weddings but felt like I was missing some vital pieces to really becoming successful. Maddie and Abbi literally told us exactly what they do and how they became successful, emitting nothing. Not only did I feel encouraged by the two of them, all other attendees were equally as invested and stoked about the learning environment and we were all on the same page. I left the workshop with a whole gang of friends that I still talk to regularly as we all apply what we learned from Maddie and Abbi. I’ve never seen more organization than I saw from these two. The classroom time was maximized and I still reference materials that they distributed. I can’t say enough good things about this workshop and will forever be grateful to the knowledge and friendships I gained. Thank you Maddie and Abbi!!!”
“I would hands down recommend this workshop to anyone and everyone, not only in the destination and elopement market, but for someone to grow their business overall. The workshop was SO very well organized. We had slideshows with TONS of info ready to go for us with Maddie and Abbi giving extra info and EVERYTHING we asked was answered. These two are so professional but were also incredibly personable. The food was SO GOOD (not even kidding) and they accommodated to vegan and gluten free. The actual shoots were amazing and I felt like we could ask questions along the way, and we got to talk one on one with Maddie and Abbi. This workshop went above and beyond my expectations. I think it helped me in my goals and I definitely think it was worth the investment. Overall, I would totally go again and recommend this to anyone who is looking to build their adventure/elopement portfolio and learn from the best!”
“Where do I begin? My expectations were very high going into the workshop as I am a huge fan of the work done by The Hearnes & Maddie Mae and I knew that when they do something, they do it very well. Those expectations were exceeded in so many ways. I've been to several different workshops and this one was by far my favorite. From the moment I arrived I felt welcome and was treated with hospitality, smiles, & delicious food. The workshop was packed with information and useful tips for someone who is looking to find their own place in adventure photography. It has been almost a year since the workshop and I am still finding ways to incorporate the information I learned into my photography. The workshop was one of the best investments I've ever made in my business.”
“The Adventurers Workshop is hands down worth the expense. Not only did I meet some incredible creatives, but I felt myself motivated to be greater and rethink how I connect with my couples. The experience was everything I had dreamed of and I had no worries while I was there. Maddie & Abbi were so thoughtful when it came to the lodging, meals, safety, models, etc of the attendees so we could truly focus on growing in our unique art forms. I rarely work with couples who know what they're doing in front of the camera and that was a big advantage as well! All in all, I'd go back to the workshop just so I could see these incredible humans again! They are so inspiring and truly helped me create my craft, even though my style is completely different from theirs. I highly recommend the Adventurers Workshop to anyone!”
