About From the Hip Photo

From the Hip Photo is a full-time Denver conference photographer team, founded here in Colorado nearly two decades ago on a simple idea: event photography should be exceptional, transparent, and genuinely enjoyable for everyone involved. What started as a two-person operation has grown into a dedicated five-photographer studio that serves clients ranging from local startups to Fortune 500 companies across the nation.

Our brick-and-mortar studio is located between downtown Denver’s Colorado Convention Center and the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center — two of the busiest event venues in the Mountain West. That location isn’t a coincidence. Conference and corporate event photography is our primary focus, and we’ve built our entire operation around doing it better than anyone else.

Meet the Team

Lauren Cordova — Studio Manager Lauren is the operational backbone of From the Hip Photo. She manages photographer scheduling, client logistics, and the day-to-day coordination that keeps multi-photographer events running smoothly. Lauren is your dedicated project manager and primary point of contact — handling shot lists, timelines, vendor coordination, and everything in between. Lauren began her career with From the Hip as an intern while earning her photography degree and quickly rose up the ranks of our team. She’s now in her eighth year at the helm, guiding clients to stellar outcomes with care and attentiveness.

Nina Barry — Co-Founder & Creative Director Nina founded From the Hip Photo in 2008 and has spent nearly two decades building one of Colorado’s most trusted names in corporate event photography. A formally trained artist with an MFA and experience as a university art professor, she brings an artist’s eye to everything the studio produces. This background in fine art and visual storytelling has shaped the studio’s creative identity from its inception. Nina is involved in setting creative strategy for client projects and ensuring that the quality of finished work leaving the studio reflects the standards that built the brand.

Danny de Zayas — Co-Founder & Chief Love Officer As From the Hip’s other founding partner, Danny has overseen the development of the studio’s unique business structure and approach to client care. His approach to relationships is simple: be transparent, be responsive, and treat every event like it’s the most important one on the calendar. By marrying an earnestly client-centered approach with an unyielding desire to constantly innovate our offerings and workflows, Danny helps to create an experience that is stress-free, streamlined, and joyful for everyone with whom we work.

Brooke & Rosie — Lead Photographers The magic behind our team of five full-time W-2 photographers are our exclusive lead photographers who work together day in and day out. Brooke and Rosie aren’t freelancers contracted out from a roster — they’re dedicated team members who train together, review each other’s work, and share a consistent approach to lighting, composition, and client interaction. That consistency is what separates us from every other event photography company in the market: we are a committed, unified team of five working hard to bring you expectation-shattering results.

Why a Full-Time Team Makes the Difference

Most event photography companies rely on freelance photographers who are booked on a per-job basis. That model works for some things, but it introduces inconsistency, communication gaps, and a lack of institutional knowledge that shows up in the final product.

From the Hip Photo takes a fundamentally different approach. Every member of our photography team is an exclusive full-time employee embedded in the studio’s daily operations. This means they’re not just showing up on event day — they’re collaborating on creative direction, refining techniques in real time, and building the kind of shared visual language that only comes from working side by side, week after week. The result is a level of cohesion and reliability that freelance rosters simply can’t replicate.

That consistency matters most in high-pressure environments like conferences and corporate events, where there are no second chances to capture a keynote moment, a CEO’s opening remarks, or a sponsor activation. Our photographers know how to anticipate those moments because they’ve covered hundreds of events together.

Why FTHP — What Sets Us Apart

We specialize, not generalize. With over 1.4 million retouched photos delivered and collaborations with thousands of brands under our belt, From the Hip Photo understands how to produce experiences and photos that are in a class of their own. Corporate event photography is our specialty, and that depth of experience shows in every gallery we deliver. We understand conference schedules, event planner expectations, sponsor deliverables, and the visual assets that marketing teams actually need. Every conversation with our team starts from a point of understanding and expertise.

Radical transparency on pricing. Every quote includes retouching on your entire gallery of event images, digital delivery of your high-resolution assets, and royalty-free usage rights. There are no per-image fees, no licensing restrictions, and no surprise charges after the event. You know exactly what you’re paying for before you sign anything so that you can budget effectively without any hiccups.

Same-day and fast turnaround options. Need social media content while the event is still happening? We offer same-day delivery of select images. Standard galleries are delivered within one week, fully retouched and ready for any use.

Proprietary technology. We augment industry-leading software and technology with our own innovative toolkit. Our virtual queue system for headshot stations, with branded delivery portals and real-time event coverage tools, are developed entirely in-house. These aren’t off-the-shelf solutions — they’re built specifically for the conference photography workflow with our clients in mind.

Colorado roots, national reach. We’re based in Denver and know every major venue in the state, but we have traveled nationwide for conferences in Las Vegas, Chicago, Orlando, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Nashville, and everywhere in between. Wherever your event is, we bring the same level of preparation and professionalism. And if your event programming takes you to different cities, you can bring us along for seamless coverage at every location.

Fortune 500 Experience, Small-Studio Attention

Over 17 years, we’ve built a client roster that includes some of the biggest names in business: Stryker, Medtronic, PayPal, SoFi, Gusto, Charles Schwab, Zillow, UCHealth, Pandora, Louis Vuitton, Gaylord Hotels, Arrow Electronics, and hundreds more. Our team has been featured in publications including The New York Times, Forbes, Conde Nast Traveler, New York Magazine, Refinery29, 5280 Magazine, and Buzzfeed.

But here’s the thing — we bring the same level of care to a 20-person corporate retreat that we bring to a 13,500-attendee medical conference. Every event gets a dedicated photographer (or a multi-photographer team for larger events), a clear communication plan, and a gallery that’s retouched and delivered on time. Many of our clients have worked with us for five, ten, or even fifteen years running. That kind of loyalty doesn’t happen by accident — it’s earned through consistent quality, reliable communication, and a team that genuinely cares about every event.

Our Philanthropic Mission — “See the World Better”

From the Hip Photo was founded on the belief that photography has the power to change perspectives. Our “See the World Better” initiative has channeled that belief into action through over $500,000 of pro-bono photography work for nonprofit organizations, community events, and causes that align with our values. We believe that access to professional visual storytelling shouldn’t be limited to organizations with large marketing budgets, so we volunteer our time and talent to try to give back to the community that has been so welcoming to us.

Let’s Work Together

Whether you’re planning your first conference or your fiftieth, we’d love to talk about how From the Hip Photo can help make it a visual success. Reach out by email and you’ll be surprised by how quickly there’s a friendly reply in your inbox.

Get in touch →