A life behind the lens

A WORLD
WORTH
PAUSING FOR.

The places, people and performances that stay with me. Photographs by Chad Zellmer.

Explore the photographs Based in Denver. Always looking.
Orange sunrise clouds above waves and black volcanic rocks at Waiʻānapanapa near Hāna, Maui.
Sunrise at Waiʻānapanapa — Hāna, Maui
Landscapes. Travel. Aerial. Live music. Portraiture.Start exploring

The way I see it

Some moments
deserve a second look.

I’m Chad Zellmer, a photographer based in Denver. These are some of the places, people and performances I’ve photographed along the way.

01 / Landscapes

Follow the light.

Explore landscapes
Golden aspen trees reflected in a calm lake near Buena Vista, Colorado.
Aspen Reflections near Buena Vista

Mountains, coastlines and the light that makes me stop.

Silky long-exposure surf surrounds coastal rocks below a small rocky island off Maui, Hawaii.
Maui — Island and Silky Surf

02 / Travel

Take the
long way.

City streets, quiet corners and a few places I’ll always remember.

Explore travel
Colorful multi story buildings and waterfront awnings line a canal with boats and distant architecture.
Along the Canal
Aerial view of Cancún’s coastline, with turquoise water beneath a blue sky.
Cancún from the Air

03 / Aerial

A different
perspective.

The shapes of a coastline, a city after dark, a landscape opening up below.

Explore aerial photographs
Aerial view of downtown Denver beneath orange and purple sunrise clouds, with roads and rooftops in the foreground.
Denver — Skyline at Sunrise

04 / Live music

You can almost
hear it.

The musicians, the crowd and the moments in between.

Explore live music
Andy Frasco performs amid flying beer droplets and colored stage lights at Denver’s Ogden Theatre.
Andy Frasco — Starting the Party at the Ogden
Musicians perform on a purple lit stage facing an amphitheater crowd and a large rock formation.
Amphitheater in Violet Light

I love live music, especially a good jam band. These are some of the moments I’ve caught from the stage to the back of the crowd.

Woman in a white shirt and hat standing outdoors.
White Shirt and Hat

05 / Portraiture

People.
As they are.

An expression, a bit of light, a person being themselves.

Explore portraits
A woman in a straw hat among plants beneath solar panels at Denver Botanic Gardens during an Xcel Energy photo shoot.
Xcel Energy — A Portrait in the Garden
Room preview of Aspen Reflections near Buena VistaRoom preview

Off the screen. Into your space.

Bring a little
of the world
home.

If a photograph catches your eye, I’d love to help you find a way to enjoy it in your own space.

Find your photograph

Behind the photographs

A life behind
the camera.

From a farm in Butler, Missouri, to assignments in all 50 states and more than 60 countries, I’ve spent much of my life working with a camera. I’m based in Denver, and these are some of the photographs I’ve made along the way.

Meet Chad
Chad Zellmer with his camera on the California coast.
Photographing on the California coast.