MEET D + B

Back in March, we packed our bags and headed into the Utah desert for our Camp Roam Moab photography retreat. And somehow, months later, we’re still talking about this one.

Moab gave us everything we hoped it would: red rocks, incredible light, long days spent creating, and plenty of reasons to pull out our cameras. We spent the week exploring the desert, photographing together, getting out of our normal routines, and living under the same roof with a group of wedding photographers who had traveled from all over to be there.

But looking back at that week now, the photographs aren’t actually the first thing that comes to mind.

It’s the people.

It’s the conversations that happened while everyone was sitting around the kitchen, the car rides out into the desert, the nights where everyone stayed up later than they planned because nobody was quite ready to go to bed, and the inside jokes that somehow became a thing within 48 hours.

It’s all of the moments between the things we actually put on the itinerary.

Looking back now, our week in Moab feels like such a perfect example of why we continue to host Camp Roam in the first place.

Somewhere Along the Way, Strangers Become Friends

There’s always a little bit of nervous energy at the beginning of a Camp Roam retreat. People arrive from different places, drag suitcases through the door, figure out where they’re sleeping, and try to remember a whole bunch of new names at once.

Some photographers come with a friend, but a lot of people come completely alone.

We know that can be intimidating. Walking into a house full of photographers you’ve never met and agreeing to spend the next several days with them is a pretty big leap of faith.

Then, somewhere along the way, something changes.

The awkward introductions disappear. Everyone starts stealing snacks from the same cabinet. Someone needs help with their camera, and three people immediately jump in. People start swapping stories about clients, business, life, burnout, creativity, and all of the things that don’t always make it onto Instagram.

By the end of the week, the same people who nervously walked through the door are hugging goodbye and making plans to see each other again.

We watched so many new friendships form during our Moab photography retreat, and we don’t think that will ever stop being one of our favorite parts of doing this.

Photography can be a surprisingly lonely career. So much of our work happens by ourselves. We edit at our desks, answer emails, build websites, worry about bookings, try to figure out what we’re supposed to post, and occasionally convince ourselves that every other photographer on the internet somehow has their business more figured out than we do.

Then you spend a week surrounded by people who understand all of it, and things start to feel a little different.

Creating in the Utah Desert

Of course, being in Moab certainly didn’t hurt.

There’s something about the Utah desert that makes you want to create. The landscape feels enormous. The light changes constantly. Everywhere you turn, there’s another stretch of red rock or winding desert road that makes you want to stop the car and pull out a camera.

And yes, we took a lot of photographs.

We experimented. We watched each other work. We tried things we might not normally have time to try on a wedding day. We got to pick up our cameras simply because we wanted to make something, without a timeline to follow or a gallery waiting to be delivered.

That’s one of the things we love most about bringing wedding photographers somewhere completely outside of their normal environment.

Everyone can stand in the same place, photograph the same story, and somehow come away with something completely different.

There isn’t one right way to create.

Sometimes you just need enough space to remember that.

A Photography Retreat That’s About More Than Your Portfolio

We care a lot about what we create at Camp Roam.

We want the shoots to feel intentional. We want photographers to have enough time to actually tell a story instead of racing through a checklist of photographs. And, of course, we want everyone to go home with work they’re genuinely excited about.

But over the years, we’ve realized that we don’t want Camp Roam to be the kind of photography retreat where everyone shows up, races through a bunch of styled shoots, fills an SD card, and goes home.

The portfolio is part of it. It just isn’t the whole point.

We want there to be enough space around the photography for everything else to happen, too.

We want photographers to actually talk to each other. We want there to be time for shared meals and long conversations. We want people to create without feeling like they’re competing for the exact same shot. We want adventure and ridiculousness and the occasional stretch of doing absolutely nothing.

We want you to leave with photographs you’re proud of, but we also want you to leave with phone numbers in your contacts that weren’t there when you arrived.

Moab gave us all of that.

Finding Community as a Wedding Photographer

Community is a word that gets thrown around a lot, especially in the photography industry. But for us, it has become one of the biggest reasons we continue hosting retreats for wedding photographers.

We don’t mean networking.

We don’t mean collecting Instagram handles or making connections because they might somehow benefit your business later.

We mean actual friendship.

We mean having someone you can text when business is slow and you’re starting to panic. Someone who understands what it’s like to pour so much of yourself into a creative career. Someone who will celebrate when you book the wedding you really wanted and listen when you’re having a week where nothing seems to be working.

We’ve watched photographers meet through Camp Roam and continue to be part of each other’s lives long after everyone goes home. They travel together. They photograph together. They ask each other questions, send referrals, celebrate wins, and show up for each other outside of Camp.

Watching those relationships begin under the same roof will never feel normal to us.

And Moab was full of them.

Why We Keep Hosting Photography Retreats for Wedding Photographers

Every Camp Roam has its own personality. We couldn’t manufacture that even if we tried.

The location matters. The things we photograph matter. The activities and education and everything we spend months planning absolutely matter.

But ultimately, the people who show up are what make each Camp what it becomes.

Our Moab group made that week something we’ll remember for a very long time.

There was so much laughter. So much creating. So many conversations, new friendships, and tiny moments that probably seemed insignificant while they were happening but became the things we remembered after everyone went home.

That’s what we’ve always wanted Camp Roam to be.

Camp isn’t about becoming the photographer you see everyone else being. It’s not about spending a few days at a retreat and going home as some completely different version of yourself or your business.

If anything, we hope it’s the opposite.

We want Camp to give wedding photographers a chance to step away from all of the noise for a few days and remember what they actually want from this career.

To remember why they like photography.

To make things simply because making things is fun.

To talk honestly about the hard parts of running a creative business without feeling like they need to have everything figured out.

To be around other photographers without feeling like they’re competing with them.

And somewhere between the shoots, shared meals, desert drives, adventures, and late-night conversations, maybe you find your people.

Our week in Moab was such a beautiful reminder of why that matters.

Vintage Micro Wedding

Host: The Roam Collective Co.

Tablescape: Magnolia Wedding Company

HMUA: Wild Brides Backcountry

Florals: Rose and Reverie

Dress: Roaming Dress Rental

Invitation Suite: Design by Bri

Shoes: Marc Fisher

Something Borrowed

Host: The Roam Collective Co.

Tablescape: Magnolia Wedding Company

HMUA: Wild Brides Backcountry

Florals: Rose and Reverie

Dress: LVD Bridal

Veil: Roaming Dress Rental

Invitation Suite: Design by Bri

Bubblegum Vintage

Host: The Roam Collective Co.

Tablescape: Magnolia Wedding Company

HMUA: Wild Brides Backcountry

Florals: Rose and Reverie

Dress: LVD Bridal

Invitation Suite: Design by Bri

Shoes: Marc Fisher

Citrus Elopement

Host: The Roam Collective Co.

Tablescape: Magnolia Wedding Company

HMUA: Wild Brides Backcountry

Florals: Rose and Reverie

Dress: LVD Bridal

Invitation Suite: Design by Bri

Looking Back at Camp Roam Moab

Eventually, every retreat has that final morning.

Suitcases come back out. Camera bags get repacked. Chargers are hunted down. Everyone starts checking under beds to make sure they haven’t forgotten anything.

And the house that felt so full all week slowly gets quieter.

Saying goodbye is always a little strange because, just a few days earlier, most of the people hugging each other in the driveway didn’t know one another.

That’s the part that sticks with us.

Months later, we obviously still love the photographs we made in Moab. We love the desert and the red rocks and everything we got to create there.

But we’re even more grateful for the people who trusted us enough to come.

To everyone who joined us in Moab: thank you for showing up exactly as you are. Thank you for creating with us, exploring with us, laughing with us, and, most importantly, showing up for each other.

We’re forever grateful that this little community exists, and even more grateful that we get to keep watching it grow.

Want to Come to Camp Roam?

If you’ve been searching for a photography retreat for wedding photographers and found your way here, hi. We’re really glad you did.

Camp Roam is for photographers who want to create beautiful work, but want more than another styled shoot. It’s for photographers craving connection, adventure, honest conversations, creative freedom, and a community of people who understand this weird little career.

And we’re already planning what’s next.

Our March 2027 Camp Roam retreat in OBX is live with only 2 spots left.

If you’ve been watching Camp from the sidelines thinking, one day I’m going to do that, maybe this is your one day.

We’d love to see you at Camp.

x D + B