Meet Lisa and Alex Kingsbury | Elopement Photographer and Videographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa and Alex Kingsbury and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa and Alex, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
As an elopement photographer and videographer, the outdoors is our office. With elopements becoming more and more popular, it is so important that we treat nature with respect and do our part to preserve it.

We follow Leave No Trace principles any time we are in the outdoors and we educate our couples so that they can too! In short, Leave No Trace is a set of guidelines and ethics that ensure that we have a minimal impact everywhere we go. We want these spaces to be just as beautiful as they are now for generations to come.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
From the very beginning of Vow of the Wild, we have focused entirely on creating a brand that celebrates the outdoors and is true to who we are as people. We niched down from capturing weddings to solely elopement photography and videography when we realized that the intimate nature of elopements allowed us to thrive as creatives. We are introverted at heart and can easily connect with couples who show their love in more subtle ways and prefer to say their vows surrounded by nature instead of a crowd of people.

We believe in inclusivity and we are lucky to work with couples of all ages and from all walks of life. We strive to create photos and films that accurately capture who our couples are and their unique story. From booking with us to planning their elopement to the elopement day itself, we create a safe place for our couples. We love encouraging our couples to break traditional wedding rules, embrace what makes their relationship unique, and craft an elopement experience that feels true to who they are.

We often say that we truly believe the act of photography is something that anyone can learn to do well. It may take time, and some people may have a gift for it more than others, but it’s not a skill that is impossible to develop. So from that perspective, doing what we do is sort of easy. The hard part is everything else. Developing structure so that you know exactly what you can say yes to and what you can’t, figuring out how to get your business in front of the eyes of people who want what you offer, communicating your value, maintaining social media and/or SEO presence over time, navigating complicated tax issues, making sure that you operate within the rules of the locations you visit, you name it. And somehow amongst all that, leaving time for yourself and the things you love outside of work.

We weren’t good at this for a long time. But having done it for as long as we have, we get a little better every year. There are a few pieces of advice I’d give to anyone who is just starting out. First, get real about your contracts from the start. A lawyer local to you is worth the cost to make sure you’ve covered all of your bases. Then make sure you set realistic expectations that you know you can meet, even if something sets you back. But most importantly, build a website. It’s very tempting to focus on social media marketing alone but it’s so, so important to start working on a website ASAP. You need time to build up authority for your brand so the longer you put this off, the more time you’re setting yourself back.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A trip to Colorado is not complete without a mountain adventure. If push came to shove and we had to recommend one amazing mountain location, it would be Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park. There is a reason it’s one of the most visited National Parks in the country. You could spend days there hiking, driving, searching for wildlife, and taking in the views. Our favorite drive in the park is Trail Ridge Road, which takes you to almost 12,000 ft above sea level. If you want to hike, you can’t go wrong with Emerald Lake. It’s 3 miles round trip and passes by 3 lakes, pine forests, and some of the most beautiful alpine views. After a long day of hiking, we always return to Estes Park for pizza at Antonio’s Real New York Pizza. It might just be our favorite pizza place in the whole state, so it’s a staple for us any time we’re in the area.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
It might be the easy answer, but our couples are the driving force behind everything we do and we owe everything to them. It’s easy in any business to view your customers as just that. But we are so lucky to have worked with over 200 incredible couples, many of whom went above and beyond to be so good to us, and we continue to keep in touch with them to this day. We have learned so much from our couples. From the deep conversations on hikes to sharing teary-eyed moments during their ceremonies, our couples remind us that what we do matters, and that makes the long work days feel worth it. Every frustration we have at how hard it can be to run a business is overshadowed by an incredible memory of being able to connect with people we have deep, mutual respect for.

Website: https://vowofthewild.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vowofthewild/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vowofthewild/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKrzT2gPfCSdzrZrh6lSSkg