I'm thrilled to have stumbled across Shell Creek Photography when my partner and I started planning our elopement. I can’t say enough about how professional Malachi is and the quality of work that he provides. He was prepared and went beyond what one could expect of an elopement photographer. My partner and I are so pleased with our session and final photographs that we will recommend Malachi to our friends planning weddings.

Malachi made our elopement absolutely awesome! He was recommended to us by a photographer friend, and when we met with him online and found out he was a bird person just like us, we knew he was perfect to photograph us. His work obviously speaks for itself; look through any of his photos online and you'll see he is a master of his craft. The other aspects of an adventure wedding with Malachi are that he makes you feel comfortable, can find beautiful locations to take you, and has every piece of gear you may need available in his truck and all you need to do is get married!

We met Malachi 2 weeks before our spontaneous elopement. We wanted to catch the aspens while they were still yellow so we had to move quickly and he was up for the challenge! He scouted out various locations that we might be interested in (aspens, lakes, mountain overlooks, etc.) and we narrowed down the sites we would visit 1 week before. With that said, definitely go with the full-day elopement option! It reduces stress because you don't need to stay on a tight schedule and allows you to visit a few locations for photos.

We didn't really have any specific requests for our elopement besides seeing the aspens and gorgeous nature so Malachi just offered up some great ideas and we went with those. He made the whole process super simple and stress-free for 2 very indecisive people.

The day of our elopement we had some rainy weather that would make hiking less than ideal because clouds would block some mountain views. He showed up at our lodge and offered to rearrange our order of locations so that we could still catch some clear skies. It was nice to not worry about sticking to a schedule and just do what worked for us. Malachi brought one of his super fun birds on the trip too!!!

The trail we hiked up to our ceremony was perfect. It was a beautiful forest with aspen glens that we got changed in, and only saw 2 people right when we parked. The rest of the day, we had the trail all to ourselves. Malachi took photos throughout the hike, and during and after our little ceremony. He did a wonderful job of directing 2 awkward and dorky people so that we looked natural and happy and less-than-awkward in all our photos.

The photos turned out beautifully! Everything about the day was perfect. It was stress-free, fun, and the pictures captured our love for each other. Malachi was an amazing photographer/elopement planner for 2 easy-going people so we definitely recommend him for your adventure!

Our experience with Malachi was nothing short of wonderful and he helped us have one of the best days of our lives.

Neither of us ever wanted a traditional wedding and the idea of eloping came to mind when we were visiting parks around the country on a road trip. When we first saw Malachi’s photos on his website, they were exactly what we wanted our wedding day to look like – bright, colorful, and fun.

From the start he was extremely helpful in planning the day at Valley of Fire by researching excellent shot locations, securing our permits, and helping us get a schedule of the day’s events going. Throughout the entire process he was truly kind and was always willing to chat with us or give input on even the smallest questions. An elopement like this can feel complicated and intimidating to plan, but Malachi made it feel painless and we could not have done it without his help and expertise.

When we finally got to meet in person on the day, we had a wonderful time chatting with Malachi about everything as we walked through the park. He was happy to share his travels and listen to our own all while taking lovely candid shots and stopping us to get some of the more picturesque landscapes exactly right. We had a great adventure together and it didn’t feel like being hounded by a camera crew which is exactly how we preferred it.

Malachi was well prepared too he had all the permits in his pack and even brought supplies in case we had a wardrobe emergency or needed first aid. He had even visited the park a day early to scope out some of the better locations and figure out what order we should go in.

Being in Valley of Fire is breathtaking as is but nothing prepared us for the photos when he shared them with us, and he even gave us a few quick edits as a sneak peak early on. He has an amazing eye for angles and color and our wedding photos looked like something out of a dream. They came out better than we could have hoped for and Malachi captured our adventuring and care for each other better than you can describe with words.

Malachi is an amazing photographer, but he is also a thorough professional and a fantastic human being. Our day could not have gone any better and we had so much fun the entire time. We would recommend anyone looking for an unforgettable experience and beautiful pictures to contact Malachi, we would do it all again in a heartbeat.