Dijon proposed to Mana at Clinton Gulch Dam Reservoir during a fall trip to Colorado from Florida. Technically, the couple was already engaged, but Dijon hadn’t yet made the formal statement of the proposal. He wanted to do it in Colorado, surrounded by stunning Rocky Mountain scenery, and capture photos to remember the moment forever.
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Summit county proposal - Clinton Gulch Dam Reservoir
Clinton Gulch Fall Proposal Story — Dijon & Mana
Quick Snapshot of this clinton gulch dam reservoir Proposal Location
- Walking Distance: less than 1/2 mile
- Privacy Level: Medium-High (mostly used by fishermen and occasional hikers; increasingly popular for portraits and elopements but there is a lot of space)
- Scenery: Mountain Views, Alpine Lake
- Elevation: Approximately 11,000 ft
- Best Time of Day: Morning
- Approximate Driving Distance from Denver: 1.5 hours
- Reasons to Go Here? Scenic Walk along Lake Shore
- Accessible During What Seasons?: Year Round
- Dog Friendly?: Yes, dogs are allowed.
- Misc Notes: You don't have to walk very far to get some really nice mountain views along the lakeshore.
When Dijon & Mana arrived at our meeting spot, I pretended like I was someone enjoying the lake and taking landscape photos. They took a selfie with their phone (which was my cue to go talk to them). I walked over and asked if they would like someone to take a photo for them. I had a selfie stick on a stand that I suggested using. When I put it in the selfie stick holder instead of taking a photo, I pressed the record button and started a video (which was Dijon’s cue to drop to one knee).
With the selfie stick set up I was able to capture a video of them while I also took photos with my camera of the proposal moment. Mana knew it was coming but was still a little surprised and was also really taken aback by the beautiful scenery. Typically I like this location better in the late morning. But Dijon told me that capturing the proposal near sunset was really important to them. So we met in the evening. It ended up being an overcast fall day which made the light really soft and lovely for engagement photos.
Lighting here is best in the morning but this proposal was done in the evening. the cloud cover made the lighting really soft.
We hiked a little further down the trail for portraits after Dijon proposed. The fall colors were really lovely in the shrubs and small plants around the lake. The mountain peaks behind the lake were also dusted with snow which made for some really nice contrast in the photos. Clinton Gulch Dam Reservoir is one of my favorite places as a portrait photographer to capture photos.
Dijon & Mana, it was a pleasure to document this moment for you two with photos. I’m so glad we were able to connect. It was fun to capture a video on your phone too! Thank you for trusting me to be your proposal photographer. Hope you’re doing well. Much love to you two!
