“I am not here to just take pretty photos. I am here to tell your story in an epic place and in the most authentic way possible.” Truth is though, Zak Leas, owner of Nomadic Focus Photography creates exceptionally beautiful photos of couples celebrating their love in the country’s most extraordinary parks and reserves. 

The outdoors is in Zak’s DNA. And photography might as well be, too. He picked up his first camera in his home state of Kansas, which was right when the first iPhone came out! From shooting for the school paper to serving as a creative director in the food and beverage industry, he’s honed a unique eye. And in his hometown of Denver where Zak’s love of sweeping vistas across National Parks and intimate clearings in dense forests has flourished. One could say that his decision to only shoot outdoor weddings was a foregone conclusion. 

“Being outside, the light is more natural, couples pose a little bit more organically, and the environments provide really unique backdrops. So, you're rarely going to find an album that looks similar to yours as opposed to, having an indoor wedding, for instance, at a church, where someone else's wedding photos were against the same wall. There’s a real authenticity to shooting in nature.” Zak explained. “Couples who want to get married outside are interested in pushing the norm.” Further, he says that outdoor weddings are naturally smaller, or even elopements, because not everyone is willing or able to make the sometimes hours-long hikes to the perfect spot. The advantage for Zak and the couple is an even greater intimacy to their day. “We really connect on the hikes. Then when we are shooting, they tend to forget I am there.”  

From first contact, Zak looks to establish a rapport with his clients and, above all, determine if he’s the right man for the job. And he spends a lot of time finding the fit. “I want to make sure the couple knows themselves, have an affinity for the outdoors, and that we will work well together.” Zak undergoes many a hike to find the perfect location to tell a couple’s story as he’s learning about it, not to mention making sure the logistics are all manageable. But his best experience for prepping the couple is the free engagement shoot that he offers. “By the time we get to the wedding, we’re really comfortable with each other. They already know how I work, how I lead my posing, and it results in a more genuine and organic feel to the album.” When a couple is comfortable, and Zak’s prep has been its most effective, his work is more like that of a documentarian. 

“I always bring a Polaroid camera on the shoot and take around 20 shots of the more hero or intimate moments. That way, the couple can walk away with photos at the end of their day.” 

Along with those 20 Polaroids Zak typically shoots 2-3 thousand photos, depending on the package. The editing process is a layered one in that Zak, leveraging his photographer’s eye and his honed skills as a creative director, is able to spot the best photos of the key moments, crop to optimize for social, and understand which photos tell the couple’s story in full color, and in black and white. Zak’s couples walk away with two full sets of photos. And, more and more, they’re walking away with gifs, too. “I think any time you can include motion into a shoot you get a little bit more of a peek inside of that couple's life. I love the addition of a few gifs and the playfulness they bring.”

If for the saying for writers goes: “write what you know,” then perhaps for photographers the saying could be: “shoot what you love.” For Zak, that love is for the National Parks and for those who share that same appreciation for the outdoors. “The fact that I get to experience some of the most beautiful places in America and tell amazing couples’ stories provides me a lot of happiness.” Well, he in turn provides the same for his couples. 

All photos by Nomadic Focus Photography. Special thanks to Sean O’Connor and Kaleb Lejia for usage of their elopement photos.