“This shoot was part of my one on one mentorship with India Earl in Salt Lake City, Utah. We travelled a little over 2 hours south of Salt Lake City towards Meadow Hot Springs to meet up with Abbi & Callen for a portrait session, who also happens to be talented elopement photographers - The Hearnes. These two practically live on the road (in their awesome adventure van!) with their pup Charlie. They love to climb, hike, ride skydive and have a heap of fun. Here’s some photos of them in the desert, skinny dipping in hot pots and just having a heck of a time!” — David of We Are Origami Photography
This session is for the adventurous souls, wild hearts and outdoor enthusiasts. Keep reading to hear all about this incredible session and find out more about elopement photographers, Abbi + Callen.
How did you two first meet?
Callen and I met at church camp 8 years ago! So classic. He was the hot drummer in the band, I was a camper…but it wasn’t as scandalous as it sounds! We definitely went home from camp really into each other, exchanged some Facebook messages and learned Callen was moving to the city I lived in for his freshman year of college, and we were dating within a few weeks. A few weeks after that, we’d decided we were definitely getting married one day. The spark never wore off!
What do you love most about your partner?
Abbi: I love Callen’s sense of adventure. He’s never listened to social norms and is truly one of the most creative, adventurous people I know. I am a pretty safe, guarded, home-body, so having his dynamic in my life has completely changed who I am in a really good way.
Callen: I love how Abbi always sees potential in people. She is always hopeful and encouraging. I also love that she’s down for adventure and able to adapt to our crazy life choices.
What was your inspiration for the business?
Our inspiration has always been getting more time in the outdoor spaces that we love! We did long road trips and explored the western US long before we began photographing other people out there, and the pursuit of this business has always held adventure at the heart of it. Now, we’ve seen how amazing it is to meet these couples and photograph them in beautiful places, and that has just pushed this even more. I love my job and feel lucky to do it every day.
How did you go about starting up?
I (Abbi) interned with a wedding photographer when I was in college. I was introduced to the wedding industry through her and got my first wedding from her. It’s been a lot of hard work and stepping back to re-evaluate my big dreams and big purposes to pursue what we love, and then a lot more hard work :)
What are you offering that is different from the rest?
A full-on incredible client experience. The amount of locations and experience we have adventuring in the Western US, and now expanding to other portions of the world, is so valuable to our clients. On top of that, we make everything extremely fun, we get to know our clients on a deep level and form friendships with all of them. We also are extremely passionate about protecting and respecting these lands, so we educate our couples on Leave No Trace Ethics and make sure we have as little negative impact on the environments we’re shooting in as possible.
What gets you out of bed every day?
New adventures, new opportunities to meet and work with some of the coolest people on the planet, and new places to fall in love with!
What does marriage mean to you?
Marriage is a commitment. It’s promising to stick together through anything, and knowing you’ll be together in 10, 30, 50 years from now, it means working through conflicts no matter how frustrating. It also means an adventure buddy for life, one that gets me and that I understand!
Tell us about your favourite experience as a business owner?
I have so many! But I would say just recently, shooting some wedding photos on a glacier pretty much blew me away. I have always had a thing for glaciers, I used to paint them back before I was a photographer, so doing my art, the one that’s made me a business owner, on a glacier was a pretty amazing full-circle moment. But even more so every day, getting to choose my schedule and shoot things that make me stoked, and facilitate this van life adventure is by far my favorite thing about our business.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out in the industry?
Be yourself. It’s cheesy, but seriously, there is no value in being second best to someone. It’s fine to pull inspiration from people and have heros, but whether you’re looking up to someone 10 years ahead of you or 3 months ahead of you, don’t copy their every move because at best, you’ll always be a step behind them.
