Aspen Tree Family Session  |  The Hansen Family  |  Rampart Reservoir, Colorado

Every photographer has a wish list. A list of places they dream of shooting at during their photo career. For myself, this list includes the salt flats of Utah, the mountaintops overlooking Yosemite and Half Dome, an in-water ocean couples session, Joshua Tree National Park, and #1 on the list…a family session in the aspen trees of Colorado.

Meet the Hansen Family – Robert, Jenn, Callie & Bailey. They were good friends of ours while we lived out west, and both Jenn & Robert worked closely with my husband. We had tried for a similar session last year, but the long drive up to the mountains was hard to schedule, so we opted for a session in a park closer to home. But this trip back…our dream shoot came true! We met at the Rainbow Gulch trailhead at Rampart Reservoir, a stunning part of Woodland Park, CO. It is an area that is tucked off the main road, we’ve known about it because it was a regular hiking spot for us. Our rental car struggled with the bumps and divots of the unpaved dirt road. As Robert said “Well, I can say with certainty that we have NEVER been on this road in our life!”

We had the  quintessential fall evening for our session. At 10,000 ft. elevation, the air was crisp, the sun was bright and all of the aspen leaves had started to turn. The golden leaves and bright white bark of the aspens made for such a gorgeously soft but bright backdrop. I could have made this session last all day!

We had so much fun running through the leaves, exploring the trailhead and finding fun ways to pose amongst the trees. Brian, my husband, came with us for this session. Little Bailey had a blast coming up with her own poses…but also using her new-found photography skills to pose Brian. We got shots with his hands on his hips, poofing his hair, frolicking through the fields…all the super model stuff. He never comes to sessions, and now it’s likely he may never come again haha! I put some of those photos at the end of this post for your entertainment.

Here is the lovely Colorado Aspen session with the Hansen family! I hope it brings as many smiles to your faces as it does mine. Thanks again you guys – one of my favorite sessions EVER!

– Seana