There’s no wedding in this one. What there is instead is a really, really beautiful couples shoot in the mountains of Colorado, which is eventually going to be part of Holly and Luke’s wedding film. This is part one of three, and the next two cover the wedding itself back in Texas.
Welcome To Colorado
Holly and Luke drove up here in a camper they’ve been renovating themselves, they brought their fifteen week old puppy Milo, and honestly half this video is just the dog. The plan is to start at the camper, then do a pretty serious amount of driving to several locations, and finish with a hike up Sugarloaf Mountain, which in my research was one of the easier climbs but has some of the best views.
I did so many hours of research for this. Different roads, different spots, anything a bit further off the beaten path so we’re not fighting other people for a place to stand. Very glad we rented a four wheel drive for it. And remember, if we get a flat, I did not check whether there’s a spare.
One thing I did not plan for: we flew in from Texas less than twelve hours ago and we are in no way acclimated to this altitude. So naturally we said yeah, let’s go hike up a mountain too. I’m sitting in a grocery store parking lot already wheezing, and I walked ten feet.
Inside Holly & Luke’s Camper
The goal in here is intimate. Cuddling, maybe cooking something, homey vibes. We have amazing light but it’s a genuinely tiny space, so Rachel is on a 50mm and I’m on a 24mm, both of us trying to squeeze as much room out of it as we can.
Everything today is on a Sony a7S III in 4K. In the camper I’m on the 24mm at f/2.8 to f/4, ISO 640, and Rachel’s 50mm is at f/2.8 and ISO 1250 to 2000 because she’s shooting into the darker end of the van.
Nobody is actually drinking anything, by the way. Holly is acting like she’s about to drink coffee. Milo is barking at Rachel through the window, very confused about what that lady is doing out there, and really driving the romantic vibe home.
Little directing thing that matters here: I put Holly closer to camera and Luke further back, because he’s taller. Sit them at the same depth and the height difference reads badly.
Outside Holly & Luke’s Camper
Gimbal out, Crane 2S, and we’re getting them coming in and out of the camper and interacting outside.
Everything is half speed in movies. That’s the note I give constantly. Come back out at about half the speed you just did, because you came out of there like right, we’re here.
For the wide shot of the camper itself, I like filming buildings and campers from the corner rather than straight on. It just looks better. Set up over in the trees, get the mountain behind it, gentle push in, nothing crazy. Real chill.
Scenic Outlook
Location one done, and now it’s time in the car, driving up into the mountains. Between the three of us we have all of the major cell networks, so ideally one of us can call for help. I currently have no bars. Good luck everyone.
This spot came out of the research. Random YouTube videos of people driving up this road, and I spotted this little rocky outcropping and thought maybe we could work with that. If you’re doing any kind of adventure shoot like this, the more research you can do ahead of time the better.
The other thing worth stealing here is the angle. There is a gross road running right along the bottom of this, and from where I’ve put the camera you cannot tell it exists. Get her up on the rock and you would never know.
Mountainside Lake
Higher altitude, colder, and I’m getting the little mitten attachments out. Don’t judge me.
It is extremely windy up here, and that changes the blocking. I have them walk into the wind rather than with it, so it isn’t blowing Holly’s hair across her face for the entire shot. Small thing, saves the whole take.
One thing I love about the Crane 2S is the quick release plate that stays part of the gimbal, so you don’t have to rebalance every single time you take the camera off. Slide the plate back in and you’re good.
Then I got them running. Light jog, Luke leading Holly, close enough to the lake that I could run alongside them. Super picturesque, and I could not breathe afterwards. This is all 4K at 120fps now, 24mm at f/2, ISO 640, because everything up here wants to be slowed down.
If you want to go deeper, I’ve also got My a7S III DIED Wedding Filmmaking Behind The Scenes: Holly & Luke’s Wedding Part 3 and How To Film A Rehearsal Dinner | Wedding Filmmaking Behind The Scenes: Holly & Luke’s Wedding Part 2.
Drone Flight
The drone is a DJI Mavic 2 Pro, 4K at 30fps, f/4, ISO 100. I already knew I loved how the mountains looked in this direction, so that was the first shot. Then it was a question of where to put Holly and Luke, and I went with the ridge.
Two things made this one nervy. The wind, which gave me a motor warning at one point and had me just waiting for the thing to flip. And the dynamic range, because there were heavy clouds on one side and lighter clouds on the other and exposure was genuinely tough. Any drone landing you walk away from is a good one.
Worst case, the drone stuff doesn’t make the film and that’s fine. We’re just trying things.
Sugarloaf Mountain Hike
Last location of the day, and it’s time to go climb a mountain. After hibernating for six months because of the pandemic, do not make your first trip out Colorado. The most exercise I’d had in half a year was walking to the fridge.
Rachel tapped out partway up. I kept going, mostly out of stubbornness, and I genuinely wasn’t sure I’d make it. Holly and Luke were fine. They’re ten years younger.
And then we got to the top for sunset, which is all I wanted, and it was exactly what I’d been hoping for. Shut the front door. That is the whole reason you drive all day and climb a mountain while wheezing.
Everything up here was shot in S-Log 3 and graded with my LUTs. The full kit I used on this shoot is here.
The Rest Of The Series
This is part one of three. The wedding itself is coming, and I cannot wait for you to see the behind the scenes for it.
- Part 2, the rehearsal dinner
- Part 3, the wedding day, where my a7S III died
- Holly and Luke’s finished wedding film
Huge thanks to Samantha Hanus of Listo Pictures for filming this behind the scenes.
If you film weddings and you want to book more of them, I put together a free guide with practical steps you can take right now. And if editing them is the part you’re stuck on, that’s what my wedding film editing course is for.