About this vendor
Visit my website www.shellcreekphoto.com for more info.
Details
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
- Trash The Dress
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Photo
- Second Shooter Available
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Documentary
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Wedding
Reviews
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5
out of 5.018 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
Malachi was phenomenal. Choosing him for our adventure elopement/micro wedding ended up being far more meaningful than simply hiring a photographer (though he’s an extraordinarily ...
gifted one).
At first, his photos drew us in (especially his breathtaking night sky star shots, one of his specialties). But what sealed the deal was his professionalism, warmth, kindness, and overall expertise. It was immediately clear that working with him would ensure the wedding experience we had always dreamed of.
His photos are nothing short of spectacular. We honestly doubted ours could live up to the stunning examples he shared, yet somehow he managed to make ours even more incredible. From starry night portraits to vast landscapes, intimate candid moments, and detailed close-ups, he’s a true master of his art. In every environment he has a creative vision, and following it allows him to capture moments that feel both authentic and magical. And even in rugged locations, he ensures you feel safe.
From our first Zoom chat to planning meetings and emails along the way, his communication was consistently clear, timely, and helpful. His website, client portal, and custom PDF guides are beautifully designed and immensely useful. Despite a packed travel calendar, he always made time for quick calls when we needed to go over plans or ask questions. He strikes the perfect balance, offering direction when you want it but also stepping back to let you take the lead when you prefer.
A big part of what makes his process so seamless is how intentional it is. We filled out several fun and thoughtful questionnaires that helped all of us clarify the intended vision for our day. Afterward, he sent a personalized location list tailored to our preferences. From this, we selected the perfect ceremony spot and a few additional photo locations.
One of Malachi’s greatest strengths is his deep familiarity with the outdoors and his ability to uncover incredible, lesser-known locations for ceremonies and portraits. He’s constantly exploring and expanding his list of amazing spots so that every couple can craft a day that’s uniquely theirs. In our case, we wanted to visit several different landscapes over multiple days, including places accessible for our grandparents while still feeling remote and private, and Malachi made it all happen seamlessly.
Above all though, his most valuable quality is simply who he is. Malachi is kind, easygoing, thoughtful, and genuinely fun to spend time with. For an elopement or intimate gathering, that matters so much. From the moment we met up with him in Utah, it felt like a friend had joined us, not just someone we’d hired. Traveling between photo spots and having him at our family dinner felt natural and fun. By the end of the day, every family member had connected with him. He’s a rare and wonderful person.
One especially moving example was that during a short break between our morning and afternoon activities, he managed to fully edit and create a stunning preview slideshow/album of our photos from that day, which he surprised us with during pre-dinner happy hour. It brought us to tears and was such a great way to start the evening.
In short: we recommend Malachi wholeheartedly and without any reservations. Whether you’re planning an adventure elopement, a micro wedding, or something entirely unique, he’ll make it happen and will surpass your every expectation. Working with him was an absolute joy. He’s truly one of a kind.
Y'all! Just do yourselves a favor and book Malachi as your wedding/elopement photographer. He does a phenomenal job!! Not only does he cater to your specific needs, but he also is ...
extremely helpful in throwing out ideas and helping to direct your shots. Me and my husband didn't have a ton of ideas for the types of shots we wanted and Malachi did awesome directing us to create some beautiful shots. And for the specific shots we asked for, he executed flawlessly! Prior to the wedding he was super on top of it to make sure he was catering to our specific wants for the wedding shots and even created a timeline to make sure he was able to get shots of all the activities we did through the night.
He also was super helpful in that the day of the wedding we were worried about rain and without question he ran an errand for us to go pick up umbrellas prior to getting to the venue.
He is just really out here doing the most. Do yourself a favor and book him as your photographer, you won't regret!
Malachi is a phenomenal photographer! We used him for our proposal and wedding!
The calls leading up to the wedding were so helpful! He asked all the right questions to make sure ...
he got all of the pictures we wanted. He created a timeline for us and was wonderful at keeping us on track.
There was a lot of rain the day of our wedding but Malachi came prepared with umbrellas which made for even better pictures. We received our photos under two months after our wedding! The photos are absolutely beautiful and we are so thankful that he captured our special day so perfectly!
Malachi was such a pleasure to work with. He is extremely knowledgable about so so many areas, has a list of vendors that he has worked with and knows personally, and knows how to ...
get all the shots. He's tactful in how he moves around your wedding only to interfere when necessary. He also has a temperament that I can't quite describe...unbelievably kind while also extremely focused!? I wish I had that. Definitely recommend him for any and all photography needs. He is fantastic. Thanks again Malachi!!
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, w...
e 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!
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 qual...
ity 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.
I have been a wedding photographer for 15 years and my husband has worked with me for the last 5 years. When we were planning our wedding photos were a huge priority. Weddings are...
work for us so we wanted to do something very small but very special to us. We wanted to find a photographer willing to listen to our wants and expectations and also someone who could fit into the small crowd and make everyone feel comfortable with candid and posed photos. We chose Malachi because of his work and his willingness to make our day very special. We asked if he would be willing to shoot some film and digital and he was happy to make it happen for us. He was on time, kind, and worked well with me even though I had a hard time letting go of control and being in front of the camera. I could not recommend him enough. Our friends and family spoke so highly of him and we are in LOVE with our photos. He did a great job getting the "posed" shots our family members wanted and also the candid moments. He mad our small backyard wedding look so fun and he really captured the way it felt!
I have had the privilege to work with Malachi on multiple occasions! not only is he an amazing photographer with a knack for capturing just the right shot at the perfect moment but...
he's also an amazing and kind person!
being someone who is incredibly awkward and very anxious when having pictures taken of them I can say without a shadow of a doubt that he made the entire experience so much fun and so natural. His recommendations for the hikes to do to get those perfect photos were absolutely sublime and completely memorable! there is no one that I would trust more to capture a memory, moment, or important life event then Malachi was Shell Creek photography!!
Malachi was great to work with, super helpful and knowledgeable helping us plan our day around Telluride. He helped us plan with ideas for shooting locations, including several dif...
ferent options of lakes, trails and hikes that we could take around the area. We ended up going up Imogene Pass and taking photos on the top of the pass, and then set up a picnic a bit further down towards Yankee Boy Basin and Ouray. He was very friendly and professional all day long, and even helped wrangle our dog during some of the shoots to get his attention to get the best possible photos. We ended the day shooting some sunset pictures on Last Dollar Road which was completely his suggestion and the photos turned out amazing. We would highly recommend to anyone wanting to elope, as he provided an all-inclusive service helping us plan the day, and provided great pictures that captured the day perfectly.
My (now) husband and I were so nervous about having photos taken of us because we are both so unnatural and awkward in front of the camera. This all quickly subsided as soon as we ...
met Malachi! He has such a friendly and natural presence and way of making you feel instantly comfortable around him. Not only this, but he truly went above and beyond on our wedding day. He tied my husband's bow tie, helped decorate our cake with greenery when I was running behind, provided us hand warmers and spikes for our shoes so we'd be comfortable while hiking to get photos, the list goes on! On top of all this, I must say the photos are absolutely incredible; they perfectly captured the beauty of the scenery while still somehow keeping the focus on us. They are everything I could have hoped for and more, and people are still raving about how beautiful they are. Malachi truly blew away any and all expectations and hopes I had for our experience and I am forever grateful we chose him for our wedding day!!
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.
Malachi made our elopement experience even better than we could have imagined. Like many, 2020 threw a wrench in our original wedding plans. We feel so lucky to have our 'back up' ...
be an amazing Ouray sunrise hike with just the 2 of us, our pup and the support of Malachi. Not only are the pictures stunning, the entire day was filled with the adventure we craved. We were in trusting hands from the moment we described the ambiguous moment we hoped to experience. And Malachi took it from there and was able to capture in detail exactly what we did not even imagine for ourselves!
My fiancé and I live in Texas, but got engaged in the Rocky Mountain National Park since it has been such a big part of our story. I knew the moment we started planning I would lov...
e to have pictures that captured our joy of hiking and adventure, but still wanted the nice dressed photos. Not knowing where to start, how we would get these great photos, or when the best time was to get the colors I wanted, I did some research on Instagram. That’s when I found Malachi and I’m SO HAPPY I did!
From the first time reaching out, he was quick at responses, clear about pricing, best times to go (for us it was sunrise which I highly recommend), he allows as many changes as time permits and asking us questions that would help him capture our personalities on film. The day of, he picked us up promptly at 4a, when we got to the trail head he had headlamps, iced coffees and bars (a thoughtful touch as we were consumed with remembering outfits), and guided us at our pace, while keeping an eye out for the sunrise and getting the photos we now LOVE! Malachi is a really cool, easy to talk to, chill guy which made the whole thing less awkward and more fun. He directed us when needed, laid in freezing snow to get the perfect shot, and provided us with pictures we will cherish forever.
If you’re considering an adventure engagement shoot or adventure elopement, I could not recommend Malachi more. It was an experience we’ll never forget!
Malachi is a fantastic photographer who is truly passionate about his trade. He captured our engagement session (gorgeous hike through slot canyons in Utah) as well as our beautifu...
l outdoor wedding in the foothills of Colorado. If you're looking for a wedding photographer who is going to do a fantastic job, look no further than Shell Creek Photography!
Malachi photographed our vow renewal in Colorado. He was so amazing with coordination. We had a meet 'n' greet via Skype where I learned about his photography background & what ins...
pires him, as well as shared my vision of our 10-year vow renewal. He offered really great recommendations on location in Colorado over our month of planning as we were from out of state. He even put together my bouquet for me. What a man of many talents! The day of our vow renewal was an adventure! Spring in the Rockies is so unpredictable and we were caught in Spring snow storm all day during our hike. But Malachi was patient, let me borrow his gloves when mine were soaked, and made sure we had fun every step of the way. The photos and video he delivered to us were exceptional and I couldn't be more happy. Thank you Malachi for giving us these memories to hold on to forever. If you're looking for an adventurous photo session or a unique way to celebrate an elopement or vow renewal, Malachi of Shell Creek Photography is the best choice.
Malachi was a wonderful photographer for our western Colorado wedding. He did research and found some great locations for our portraits. He was so easy to work with and we loved th...
e results.
I highly recommend Shell Creek Photography! Malachi was very professional, punctual and super easy to work with. I am highly organized and super type-A and had a long "shot list" a...
nd lots of requests. He was super laid back and took all of our wishes and made them a priority. The photographs he took were incredible and he captured every little detail and all of the special moments that unfolded throughout the day. We are thrilled with how they turned out and we can't thank him enough for all of his hard work and amazing talent!
Amazing! Both my new husband and I are quite awkward in front of a camera and Malachi took such amazing shots no one can tell. He did our engagement and wedding photos both of whic...
h are still being praised by our family and friends. He caught our favorite memories of the day that will forever be cherishes. Best of all we received our pictures within a month of the wedding and even received multiple shots the morning After!
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