Epoch Moment: A Story of Wild Ideas, Relentless Love, and the People Who Made It Possible

I didn’t plan this. Not like this.

On September 5, 2014, my wife bought me a camera for my birthday. Two weeks later, I quit the safe job I’d held for 17 years. And by quit I mean, I stopped going into work and then after a few days of that I decided to tell them that I stopped going. I didn’t have a portfolio. I didn’t have clients. Hell, I didn’t even know what half the buttons on the camera did. But I knew. I knew in my gut that I had just found the thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

By January 1, 2015, I’d learned enough to give it a name: RAD Atom Design and Photography… LMAO… Then almost immediately changed the name to Epoch Moment. Not a brand. Not a business plan. Just an idea born from obsession, reckless belief, and an almost foolish level of confidence.

My first wedding? Shot alone. One camera. One lens. One flash. Two batteries. A whole lot of YouTube knowledge. No backup, no second shooter, no second chances. I showed up and poured everything I had into capturing that day. And after a couple gigs for someone else — where my work was winning awards under another name — I realized I was done being behind the scenes. If my photos were already winning, I might as well stand in my own damn spotlight.

So I built this thing.

Not perfectly. Not profitably at first. But authentically. With a Nikon D750, a backup D3200, a 17-50mm lens, and the belief that weddings should be documented, not just shot. That the photos should feel like you, not like stock images of strangers. That the stories mattered more than the settings or gear.

But here’s the twist: I never really built this alone.

About four years in, Sunshine Lanning entered the story.

She came on part-time. Then full-time. Then she became my partner — in ownership, in business, in creative chaos. Sunshine didn’t just help me build Epoch Moment — she made it scalable, sustainable, and sane. She brought a level of grace and organization to the madness. She turned my wild ideas into actual workflows. She gave clients an experience that matched the magic I wanted to create.

Because of her, we weren’t just surviving anymore. We were thriving. We could shoot two weddings in one day. We had a system. A process. A future.

And she did it all while staying true to our mission: real people, real stories, zero fluff, zero bullshit.

Fast-forward to early 2025, and enter Hailey Jane — the newest heartbeat in our growing family.

I brought her in to help with editing and second shooting, but what we got was so much more. She showed up ready to build, ready to learn, and ready to pour herself into this dream. She brings joy into the room, calm into the chaos, and this grounded positivity that makes everything just click — in the office and on the wedding day.

Hailey doesn’t just work for Epoch Moment — she believes in it. And as the person who dreamed this up from scratch, that kind of belief hits deeper than any five-star review or viral post ever could.

Now let’s talk about that belief for a second.

Because here’s what most people don’t see: the $1 engagement sessions, the unlimited-time packages, the times I hiked 14,000 feet in freezing rain or broke my leg at a wedding and my team finished while I was in surgery. They don’t see the missed holidays, the 3AM editing marathons, or the weird-ass marketing ideas that “shouldn’t work on paper.”

What they also don’t see is that I work 10 to 16 hours a day, every damn day — with only the occasional break to spend time with my family or sneak in a few casts on the water. But when I’m not with them, I’m locked in. Focused. Charging toward the goals I set for myself and this team like my life depends on it — because honestly, it kinda does.

But Sunshine saw that grind. Hailey sees that focus. They didn’t just join a company — they joined the mission. They saw the vision in its rawest form and still said, “Fuck yes. Let’s do this.”

They believed in me. Even when I was questioning everything, doubting if this wild idea was ever going to work — they stood beside me and said, “We’re in it.” That kind of faith? That’s the kind of belief that transforms individuals into a crew that can move mountains together — the kind of team that doesn’t just work, but builds something that lasts.

And now here we are.

Over 500 weddings, 800 engagements, hundreds of other sessions, and 700+ videos later — we’ve built something real. We’ve served couples in Colorado, California, Wyoming, Arizona, Texas, and Utah, and built preferred partnerships with some of the most badass venues and vendors in the region. We even birthed Engaged AF Magazine and the EAF Venue Magazines, pushing the wedding industry into new territory with bold voices and fearless marketing — and that’s just part of the story. Today, Epoch Company includes several powerful brands: Epoch Moment (wedding photo + video), Epoch 365 (media and videography for businesses), Epoch X (lifestyle photography), Colorado Icons (clothing + local pride), and our publishing arms — Engaged AF Magazine and EAF Venue Magazines. Each brand shares one core mission: fearless expression, client-first service, and a refusal to follow the traditional playbook.

And just this year, we were honored with Bronze in the Best of Colorado Springs 2025.

Let’s put this in perspective: There are 2,500+ wedding photographers in Colorado. Two. Thousand. Five. Hundred. And somehow, our weird, wild, rule-breaking little brand placed in the top three.

And I couldn’t be more immensely proud of this team — Sunshine, Hailey, and every soul who’s helped carry this vision forward. We’ve built something that didn’t exist before. Something that came from a wild-ass idea in my head and turned into a brand people recognize, love, and trust. We’ve stood in snowstorms, hiked peaks, pulled all-nighters, and shot until our legs gave out — not because we had to, but because we give a damn.

What we’ve accomplished so far is incredible. But what we’re about to do? That’s where the real magic starts. We’re scaling, expanding, evolving — and we’re doing it together. With purpose. With heart. And with a whole lot of unstoppable energy.

That isn’t just a win for us — it’s a win for every couple who took a chance on us. For every vendor who partnered with us. For every crazy idea that should’ve flopped but didn’t. For every time we said, “Let’s try something different,” and it worked.

So this blog isn’t just a recap. It’s a love letter.

To Sunshine, thank you for saying yes when it was easier to say no. For taking the reins when the business needed direction. For grounding this dream and helping me build something bigger than either of us could’ve done alone.

To Hailey, thank you for jumping in with both feet and trusting the process — chaos and all. You’ve brought peace, creativity, and commitment to a place that runs on caffeine and ambition.

And to every single past and future client who believes in Epoch Moment… Thank you. From the bottom of my reckless, creative, obsessive heart — thank you.

We’re not even close to done. But damn, what a start.

— Adam Hebert Founder, Dreamer, and Unstoppably Building a Legacy With Fire, Focus, and Just the Right Amount of Crazy