Member spotlight - Unleashed Elopements

A double exposure captured by Unleashed Elopements.

Where are you based? Where do you photograph the most?

I’m Sharlee, owner of Unleashed Elopements – an elopement photographer based out of Oregon. I work frequently in the Pacific Northwest, including Oregon, Washington, and California with travels to Utah, Idaho, and Alaska. I work in various Public Lands, including National Forests, State Parks, National Parks, and Coastal Shorelands.

A couple admires wildlife on public lands.

Why do you feel that the work PLC does is important?

I personally love working on public lands because I get to see couples break from tradition and find a wedding venue that’s their own. Working on public lands gives me the freedom to capture wedding days outside where my couples and I can connect with the Earth while enjoying the beauty it provides. Seeing people connect and make memories with the magnificent parks, forests, and wildlife areas we call our Public Lands is one of the key reasons I became an elopement photographer. I wanted to see couples on their wedding day choose their unique spot to get married at and have somewhere special they can come back to year after year.

Permits on Public Lands can be a very big hunch for me when working with my clients and the systems in place. I find myself frustrated with the unclear information that I receive from offices, depending on who you speak to that day. There seems to be confusion within the offices and no one really seems trained on what the national laws are for photographers. This concerns me that rules could become stricter, lands could be completely restricted, or I may be pushed out of lands completely as an elopement photographer. The pressure to change things now has never been greater. so joining Public Land Creatives was a no-brainer!

I joined PLC, because I want to be a part of the change to stand up for our rights as photographers. Changing how things are currently in place is vital to work in these spaces now and years to come! I also wanted to keep myself educated in the ever changing rules of using public lands and continue to respect them so we can all continue to enjoy them for years to come. Since joining PLC, I’ve been able to understand more about the rights I have as a still photographer and also learned more about current permit requirements in parks I work in. It’s been a great source to get the most current information on regulations, which has been a huge life saver!

Why did you become a member? Why do you think others should become members?

One of my favorite memories while capturing an elopement on public land was witnessing wild rams prance through the deserts of Moab. The couple I was working with took a 4×4 Jeeping road trip through Canyonland Lands National Park on the Shafer Trail. When they stopped for lunch and were making their sandwiches, we turned around and saw a pack of rams staring at us in the distance. We were an appropriate distance away, so it was the perfect opportunity to watch them scurry away. They even continued to run around the canyon side when they took off down the road in the Jeep minutes later. This was definitely a highlight in their unique wedding day and my career!