it’s nice to meet you
I’m Ashlee Bratton
Adventure Elopements + MicroWeddings in COLORADO
Serving the Rocky Mountains & Beyond
South Fork / Creede / Pagosa Springs / Telluride / San Luis Valley / Vail Valley / All the Valleys
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Hi, I’m Ashlee Bratton—photographer, big-dream chaser, and your new favorite third wheel.
It all started with a 30-before-30 list, a little too much ambition, and one massive leap of faith. One of those 30 dreams? Pursue photography. I didn’t know back then that a camera would change everything. What started at a friend’s kitchen table turned into a career built on grit, grace, and a whole lot of God-led moments. Fourteen years and hundreds of shoots later, I’m still in awe that this is the work I get to do.
I photograph the moment while we’re all in it—unscripted, sacred, and wildly beautiful. From stolen glances to full-on belly laughs, I’m there for it all. And if we’re hiking to a mountaintop elopement or chasing toddlers through a wildflower field, you’ll probably catch me chuckling behind the lens (don’t worry—I’m still getting the shot).
I’m based in the heart of Colorado, surrounded by some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the country—South Fork, Creede, Pagosa, Lake City, Crested Butte, Vail, Telluride—you name it, I’m there with boots on and batteries charged. I’m not just here to take your picture. I’m here to create art out of your life, to honor your story, and to hand you back memories you can hold onto forever.
When you choose to work with me, you’re getting more than a photographer. You’re getting a guide, a calm presence on your wedding day, someone who knows how to make you laugh when you feel awkward, and someone who really cares about your marriage, not just your wedding.
So what are you really about, Ashlee? I believe that we were all wired with gifts and talents and dreams. I believe in having vision, goals and reasons to laugh. I believe in having both little and big things to look forward to. I believe in planning, foresight, spontaneity and flexibility. I believe in taking care of people. I believe in working with talented and professional vendors and creatives to paint the picture of a lovely day or season of life. I believe we were meant to pursue things we love and I believe we were meant to fall in love.
I have four degrees behind me and am a former corporate girlie turned Colorado mountain elopement photographer that tends to heckle from behind the camera because I love what I do. I am an observer and enjoy studying group dynamics. Hear me out. That MAY sound creepy, but that is literally what I am paid to do. I take real pictures for real people. I love what I do because I get to know so many amazing people. I offer customized luxury elopement packages that create a stress-free day and give the ultimate mountain elopement experience. Whether you’re an adventurous go-getter or the laid back, chill, we-just-want-pretty views for our “I Do” moment–I get it. You don’t just need pictures, you need anniversary-making memories. The kind you want to share with friends, put on your wall, and gift to your parents and kids when the day is done.
I like my couch. I also like the unknowns of the open road too. You name it and I probably want to go there (or I can be easily convinced over a glass of wine). Admittedly, I need adventures in my life and it is important to me to have people in my world who also love that too. Now I live in an area that has the Rio Grande National Forest and all its beauty at my fingertips and can share it with my couples. My family even has a bed & breakfast on the river with private cliffs and ceremony site (we’ve all been in the wedding industry a long time!)
I am grateful that wedding photography has sent me all over the world and scratched my itch to roam. I’ve had the honor of shooting in the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Vietnam, Hawaii and beyond. Have a specific location idea? My passport is always ready for that next stamp, but my heart and home are in Colorado and this is where the big smiles are. Let me show you the awesomeness of my back yard in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.
➡️ Let’s chat and make this official →
With camera in hand and coffee in the other,
—Ashlee
PS. Spots fill fast (especially during Colorado’s golden seasons), so if you’re feeling that yes, you’re my person moment—don’t wait.
Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
– Dr. Seuss
My story:
the reason why
I do what I do
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Didn’t get enough? Okay, let’s keep chatting. Story time. It all started with a bucket list. True story.
When I was in my twenties I created a list of 30 things I wanted to do before I was 30 years old and I wrote it on a napkin. I called it my “30×30 list.” Yes, it had a specific timetable on it, but most of us would recognize it as a good ol’ fashioned bucket list. I had a wonderful career with a fortune 500 company and was getting my master’s in business when life grabbed me and I completely changed directions.
Within this bucket list were “category buckets” of travel goals, financial goals, education goals, health goals, relationship goals, and adventure goals. Putting pen to paper — or quite literally pen to a napkin — my 30×30 list led me to adventures such as skydiving, scuba diving, getting my master’s degree, running a marathon, becoming debt-free, writing a book, and ended by going on a hot air balloon ride on my 30th birthday.
Wanting to pursue several passions and interests on my new bucket list, I wrote down “learn photography” on my 30×30 list. One of my colleagues in my MBA program was a wedding photographer and I ended up assisting him on one of his shoots. Eventually, I ended up interning under an additional wedding photographer before I got the courage to start my own business. Before I knew it I was hooked. Everything in me lit up and in those moments of shooting I knew what I wanted to do, what I wanted to be. I started my own photography business and Ashography was established in 2011 and I’ve been going ever since. All my corporate years working in travel & tourism, event management, communications, and pursuing multiple degrees rolled into what I now truly love to do…wedding & elopement photography in my backyard forest.
Photos remind us of the strength, courage and hope that reside in all of us the way few other things can. Yes, photography is my livelihood but it also feeds my soul. Turns out, I was blessed to have completed 29 of the 30 items on my 30×30 list. Checkity check check — thank you Lord! I believe in putting pen to paper, giving God your plans, pursuing the things that bring us joy, putting in the hard work, and in always chasing our dreams. I get the honor of helping people enjoy important moments in their lives. That is pretty stinkin’ amazing.
I am so grateful for bucket lists!
I Genuinely Like My Life
This is me
