ASPEN, COLORADO – 2026

When we filmed a retro skiing story outside the Woody Creek Tavern, the VW van we used that day resonated with the locals and the photograph sold out. It played to the lore of a freewheeling, liberal Aspen.

So, we brought the same van back and this time played to a summer bohemian narrative. My preconception involved a Fleetwood Mac vibe and a sense of a 1970s hipster lock-in at the Woody Creek Tavern. Most of all, I just wanted to be playful and allow for a character-rich tableau. There had to be a sense that we were looking at largely untamed people.

Period photographs like this need layers to tell the full story and in my experience, a sense of location is often a most necessary component. The WCT is such a legendary location and brings an immediate sense of vice and mischief to the set. I am not sure I can think of another location in Aspen that could command such a clear throwback storyline. That is a useful asset for a storyteller and ties all the other components together.

We are very lucky to have become friends with the owners of the WCT – Craig and Samantha Cordts-Pearce and to have partnered with them on several occasions in the past few years. They know my team well and know that we can run up a bar bill. It is such a happy place and I think that always filters down to the cast members we bring. This is a place to have a good time and celebrate life.

My instincts were to have the colours in this picture desaturated – this gives a faded vintage warmth to the print – a bit dreamlike. After all, the 70s were something of a dream for most of the clientele at The Woody Creek Tavern.