From Hiking Trails to Wedding Vows
How Micah & Sammie built The Chaffins into a destination elopement photography studio
Discovering Creativity Behind the Lens
Micah: Hiking is what pulled me into photography. In high school, my friends and I spent weekends on the trails and road trips. I already had a camera from my first business, and once I started bringing it along, I fell in love with photographing people against California’s epic landscapes. Our own elopement experience sealed the deal, it felt natural to help other couples celebrate their love in wild places.
Sammie: For me, it started with a high school photography class. I’d always said I wasn’t creative, but my teacher saw something different. She told me, “You could be a wedding photographer.” At the time, I thought, no way, too much pressure! But when my parents gifted me my first DSLR, I couldn’t stop shooting. After second-shooting a wedding for a friend, I was hooked.
How Elopements Became Full Circle
We’re drawn to adventure elopements because they combine everything we love: the outdoors, intentional connection, and storytelling. Yes, the mountains and coastlines are stunning, but what we’re really chasing is the authentic bond between two people, small gestures like holding hands on a trail or laughing through the rain.
Marriage is deeply meaningful to us, and photographing those raw moments of commitment feels like an honor every time.
Stories We’ll Never Forget
In the Dolomites, we faced unpredictable mountain weather and shifting plans, but the couple trusted us completely. The results were breathtaking and even more special because we’d photographed their engagement and built a friendship with them.
Then there was Fiji: a two-day elopement that was luxury meets adventure. A private island ceremony, then jungle hikes, waterfalls, and even cliff-jumping in wedding attire. One of those photos went on to win Junebug’s Best of the Best Destination Photo Contest.
From Tearful Goodbyes to Sneak Peeks
Our workflow is as much about care as it is about process. After each elopement, there’s always a tearful goodbye and hugs before we dive into backups.
- We shoot on dual SD cards for instant redundancy.
- Photos are imported to SSD and backed up again to a rugged external drive.
- Sneak peeks go out within a few days.
- Highlight videos follow for couples who include content creation.
- Within 8 weeks, the full gallery is delivered—curated and edited with care.
- Finally, we design storytelling albums that become tangible heirlooms.
” JPEGmini is integral part of our publishing process,
Micah & Sammie – The Chaffins
compressing thousands of images for blogs and submissions without sacrificing quality.”
What We Wish We’d Known
Our advice for new photographers? Two things.
Practical: Build a strong backend workflow early. From file organization to client communication, structure will save you when you’re managing terabytes of data and multiple clients at once.
Mindset: Protect your creativity. Don’t compare yourself to others or let algorithms dictate your worth. Have the courage to charge for the value of your art. Success starts with confidence in your vision.