You may recall having seen my original "From the Top of the World" blog entry from Steamboat Springs back in 2016, and once again I was contracted to capture a wedding from the world class vistas of Steamboat. This time it was from the THUNDERHEAD Lodge at the top of the Gondola ride. Thunderhead is just below the Four Points Lodge on the western slope of the mountain, and being below treeline, has a completely different feel from Four Points.
Mind you, each wedding gig is different and Thunderhead Lawn has it's own nuances, but as a destination wedding site for our St. Louis based couple, Thunderhead is really hard to beat. First of all it has a wide expanse on the north side of the Lodge hugging the side of the mountain and the lawn itself can easily accommodate a hundred or more guests. And with the Gondola Ride running right into the south side of the Lodge, wedding guests are given a real European First Class feel to Steamboat. The ride up is smooth and very tranquil and Hazie's Restaurant is a great place to have the dinner and the reception. But what makes this venue truly spectacular is how the lawn is situated.
Most Colorado weddings are done facing the mountains and as a result you find yourself shooting into a setting sun with severely back-lit subjects. This clearly was the situation with Four Points in 2016, and being above treeline, the landscape itself had a tundra-like persona. Thunderhead Lawn however, faces the North Northeast side of the Lodge and this puts the sun over your shoulder and
creates notability better color and thus better HD video. Using this to my advantage, and with the neutral density filter wheels built into my Panasonic HPX Camera, I was able to shoot wide open creating really shallow depth of field at the end of my zoom range. This beautifully focuses your attention on our Bride and Groom, and the beauty of their wedding ceremony.
Steamboat Springs lives up to it's reputation as a World Class Ski Resort & Destination and for our Missouri couple they will walk away with great memories and a great wedding video as well. And as for me, I am once again blessed to have shot another wedding from the Top of the World.