3 Important Things to Know about Chautauqua and your Boulder Family Photography
If you’ve gone to Chautauqua during portrait season around sunset, there is no doubt that you’ve seen at least six family photoshoots taking place there. If you’re planning to get family photography done in Boulder, there is no doubt that Chautauqua has crossed your mind as a location option.
And why not? It has the breathtaking and iconic Flatirons. It is the closest you can get to the Boulder Flatirons in fact. There is a beautiful field and it is easily accessible. There are a lot of pros for capturing your Boulder family photography at Chautauqua. But there are three important things every Boulder family photographer wants you to know about Chautauqua before you choose it. Because, even though it’s gorgeous, there are some reasons to be critical of it as well.
Important Thing #1 - Chautauqua is Busy
The first thing you should know about Chautauqua in regards to your family photos is that Chautauqua is always busy. Show up any time of day, any day of the week, and that place is packed with people hiking, picnicking, and getting family photos done.
Why does it matter that this location is so busy? Well, it matters for a couple of reasons. First, it means that it will be difficult to get the best photo spots. It doesn’t matter how early you arrive, there will always be another family photographer that has beat you there.
And when there are so many photographers there, we try to play nice together. This means that we won’t take up a popular spot for very long. We’ll be nice and let other photographers and families take that spot as well. Which means that we’ll shoot for less time in that prime spot than we would at a prime spot elsewhere.
A busy location also means having a harder time cutting people out of the background. It means not being able to get the best angles for the landscape, because we’re trying to also cut out anyone that might be appearing in the background.
A busy location also means having work around other people constantly. A pathway can produce amazing photos. Compositionally it has a lot of elements that produce a strong image. But what else is on a pathway? People walking. Which means that we need to stop taking photos constantly to let people pass.
Long story short, lots of people equals a logistical nightmare for photography.
Important Thing #2 - You’re Too Close to the Flatirons for Golden Hour Light
The very thing that makes this location so popular is also the very reason why this location is so difficult as a portrait location. The proximity to the Flatirons means that the sun will dip behind those gorgeous Flatirons early. Why does that matter? It matters because that beautiful golden hour light that makes for the best portraits is non-existent at Chautauqua.
The sun dips behind the Flatirons before we even get to the golden part of the last hour before sunset. It also means having to start your session even earlier, because we need to make sure we have enough light to get through a full session. And starting earlier means that we are shooting in even harsher light.
Depending on the time of year, which determines the location of the sun and if it will be setting behind the peak of a flatiron or a dip between the Flatirons, you might have to start your session more than an hour earlier than we would normally in the Front Range. This means that the golden hour before sunset isn’t part of your session at all at Chautauqua.
Important Thing #3 - Chautauqua Lacks Background Diversity
Those Boulder Flatirons are gorgeous, but they are also the only thing that Chautauqua offers. Without hiking pretty far up one of the many trails at Chautauqua, you won’t get a different background. And you don’t want to lose photography time by hiking 30 minutes, do you?
So this does mean that all of your images from your family portrait will have the same background. That doesn’t give you many options when it comes to choosing photos for an album or for your home’s walls. Diversity in background means that you get more bang for your buck with your family portrait. It means decorating more of your home with a variety of personalized art without having to invest in more than one session. It means creating an album that tells more of a story of a family outing than a series of similar images would.
Should you get your family photos done at Chautauqua?
This leads me to the question you’re probably asking yourself. Should we consider doing our family photos at Chautauqua? And the answer might surprise you after I’ve spent this entire blog post telling you all the things that make Chautauqua difficult for family photos. The answer is yes. Yes, you should consider it for your family photos. And why is that?:
Chautauqua is iconic. If you live in, have part of your family’s story affiliated with, or are visiting Boulder, you should definitely take family photos at least once. With iconic landscapes like Chautauqua, having photos taken there add to your family’s photographic story immensely. It places your family in a specific time and place. It means that when your great-grandchildren are looking at these photos, they will know that their family is tied to this place in some way, even if their whole family now lives in California.
Photos at Chautauqua are beautiful. Even with all the people, the difficult lighting, and the lack of diversity, images taken at Chautauqua are still beautiful and worth capturing.
And, finally, we can deal with Chautauqua’s downfalls with one simple decision. We start at Chautauqua and then move on to another location nearby that makes up for Chautauqua’s faults. A location I often recommend is Lost Gulch. It’s less than 10 minutes up the road from Chautauqua and, because of its vantage point, elevation, and location, will have the light missing at Chautauqua. So we don’t have to start early at Chautauqua. We can start there and then follow the light to take advantage of the entire golden hour.
Quick Location Facts
Easy Access to portrait locations
Very toddler friendly and kid friendly. There’s lots of space to spread out.
Best paired with another location nearby, as the sun sets early behind the flatirons
Great paired with another location, like Lost Gulch
OSMP Permit is required, which is $50 per shoot or $50 annual (this permit is covered for sessions with Sara Herkes Photo)
Non-Boulder County residents have to pay $5 for parking during the summer months, starting on Memorial Day. It is also best to get there early, as parking can be limited. There is parking along Baseline as well, which also requires a parking fee.
36 minutes from Downtown Denver, 6 minutes from Downtown Boulder, 30 minutes from Longmont, 70 minutes from Greeley, 70 minutes from Fort Collins
Sara Herkes is a maternity, newborn, family, and senior photographer based in Longmont, CO. She serves the the Denver Metro Area, the Colorado Rockies, and the Northern Front Range and captures your pregnancy amidst the Colorado wilderness. Learn more about her services here.
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