There's a particular kind of event that reminds you why you became a photographer in the first place. The Buy Colorado Day soft launch at Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey was one of those nights. The room had real energy: Colorado business leaders who actually cared about what they were building, gathered in a space that felt like Colorado in a bottle.
The event was organized by Grasslands to celebrate and promote Colorado-made brands. If you haven't been to Stranahan's, it sits in a residential neighborhood just west of downtown Denver. It's a working distillery that smells like toasted grain and whiskey the moment you walk in. Barrels stacked to the ceiling, copper stills catching the light, concrete floors worn from decades of production. It's not a purpose-built event space, which is exactly what makes it so interesting to photograph.
"Non-traditional venues photograph better than ballrooms almost every time. The character is built in. You just have to find it."
The cocktail hour: where the real photos happen
I always tell clients that cocktail hour is the most photographically productive part of any event. People are standing, moving, talking: genuinely engaged with each other rather than seated and waiting for something to happen. Stranahan's made this even more true than usual. The distillery bar, with its warm amber light and shelves of whiskey bottles behind the bartender, created a backdrop that looked great at every angle.
The guest list included executives, entrepreneurs, and brand founders from across Colorado. These aren't people who stiffen up in front of a camera. They were deep in conversation, genuinely excited about the initiative, and easy to photograph candidly. My approach during this part of the evening was to stay mobile and stay quiet: move through the room, read the conversations, and press the shutter when something real was happening.
Buy Colorado Day soft launch, Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey, Denver
Group shots during cocktail hour always get requested after the event: colleagues wanting a photo with someone they caught up with, organizers wanting something for the recap post. I work the room with this in mind, flagging natural groupings and asking people to pause for two seconds. Nobody minds. The key is being quick enough that it doesn't interrupt the conversation.
The panel: shooting in a working distillery
When the panel began, guests gathered on the production floor in front of the stills. No stage, no podium, just a conversation happening among the barrels and copper equipment. That backdrop gave every panel shot a sense of place that a conference room could never replicate. Exactly what you hope for when you're covering an event somewhere like this.
For panel coverage I work three positions throughout the session. I start at the back of the room with a 200mm to get compressed shots that put the panelists in context with the crowd. These are the editorial images that tell the story of the room. Then I move to the sides for mid-length shots of individual speakers with the distillery equipment in the background. Finally, I get close for the moments of emphasis: a hand gesture, a laugh, a panelist leaning forward to make a point. Those close shots are the ones that end up in the recap post.
Panel discussion on the production floor, Buy Colorado Day at Stranahan's
Industrial spaces like Stranahan's often have mixed lighting: warm tungsten from production equipment combined with cooler overhead fixtures. I shoot with a custom white balance set to the primary light source and let the secondary sources create natural color variation. The slight warmth from the copper stills in the background is not a problem to fix. It's atmosphere to lean into.
Getting photos out while the event still matters
One thing I've learned from years of shooting corporate events in Denver is that the window for social media momentum is about 48 hours. After that, the algorithm buries it and attendees have moved on. For events like Buy Colorado Day, where the whole point is generating visibility around a launch, that window matters.
My standard delivery includes a preview gallery of edited highlights within 24 hours, with the full gallery following within three to five business days. The preview set is curated for social use: a mix of wide establishing shots, candid moments, and at least one strong panel or speaker image. For clients who need something faster for a press release or same-day recap post, I offer same-day delivery on a selection. Just mention it when we talk before the event.
If you're planning a corporate event, networking mixer, or brand launch in Denver, take a look at what I cover or get in touch to talk through your specific event.
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