Meet Destin
A wedding photographer based near Rochester, NY, with a soft spot for the Adirondacks and a camera that rarely stays home.
I’ll help you feel comfortable, get to know your people, and probably stay longer than planned when the dance floor gets good.
I live in Hamlin, New York, with my wife, Caitlin, and our Bernese Mountain Dog, Colden. Given a few days off, I’m usually trying to figure out how to spend them in the Adirondacks. I’ve hiked all 46 High Peaks, but I’m just as happy paddling a quiet lake with a camera nearby, waiting to see what turns up.
Photography has been part of my life for years, and I still get excited about making a photograph I haven’t made before. Weddings give me plenty of those opportunities. Put a roomful of people who love each other together, add a little anticipation and a good party, and there’s always something worth paying attention to.
Outside of photography, I’m a paramedic. That work has taught me to listen, adapt, and stay useful when plans change. On a wedding day, that might mean helping work through a timeline snag or being a calm voice when things feel overwhelming.
I take the responsibility of photographing your wedding seriously, and I want us to enjoy the time we spend together. By the time the day arrives, my hope is that you’re comfortable asking for what you need, being yourselves, and trusting me to take care of the photographs.
Destin Danser
Yes, I even photographed My own proposal
I used to roll my eyes at “when you know, you know.” Then I met Caitlin. A little over a year later, I was shopping for a ring. She wanted a proposal with just the two of us. I wanted a photograph of the moment. Somehow, I needed to manage both. When COVID canceled my Adirondack summit plans, I turned to our favorite waterfall, Taughannock Falls. We left home at four in the morning. Caitlin was used to early photography adventures, so she came along with only a little protesting.
At the falls, I suggested a quick photo together “while we waited for the light.” She climbed onto the wall while I set up the tripod, cold from the mist and ready for me to hurry up. I started the camera, joined her, and posed for a moment. Then I got down on one knee. The camera was quietly recording video the whole time. This photograph is a single frame from it, now hanging in our living room. It’s one of our most treasured possessions: the moment she understood why I’d brought her there, and the beginning of everything we were about to build together.
*These photos by Anthony Sebastian Photography, used with permission.
My Journey with Weddings
HOW I FOUND MY WAY BACK TO WEDDING photography
My interest in photography began with my dad’s camera. In high school, a teacher’s aide who ran a photography business became my mentor and invited me to assist at weddings. By sixteen, I was photographing my own. After roughly thirty to forty weddings, I stepped away in my early twenties, spending the next five years focused on landscapes.
Planning our own wedding brought that interest back. Our photographer made Caitlin and me feel comfortable through some stressful moments, and I found myself wanting to offer that experience to others. Then our gallery arrived. Seeing our people and our memories in those photographs made me certain I wanted to return.
In 2023, I founded Adventure Ahead Photography. Today, I photograph traditional celebrations and adventurous weddings in the Adirondacks, Finger Lakes, and beyond, with the experience of being a groom still shaping how I care for every couple.
In Hope's Memory
In February 2025, my wife and I lost our daughter, Hope, who was stillborn at 25 weeks. With no NILMDTS photographer available, I took our photographs myself. Those images mean the world to us. In Hope’s memory, I volunteer with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep to help other families have lasting photographs of their babies, even when their time together is far too short.