Exploring Life & Business with Cole Rhodes of Denver Lens Real Estate Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cole Rhodes.

Hi Cole, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Denver Lens started in a pretty unconventional place: flight school.

Back then, I was training to become a commercial pilot, living inside a world built on checklists, discipline, and the idea that small mistakes compound into big problems. I didn’t plan on starting a real-estate media company — but I had a camera, a few friends who were agents, and a vision on what this could become if we were to get more volume.

What began as a side hustle quickly became something bigger. Agents liked not just the photos, but the structure behind the experience — the systems, the communication, the reliability. All of that came from aviation principles: if you want a flawless landing, you follow a flawless process.

We grew fast. I stopped flying planes not because of how busy we got, but because I had an almost near death experience where my plane accumulated so much ice in a storm with zero visibility, that I almost had to put it down in a field, southeast of Castle Rock. I brought in a partner who was my roommate in flight school, and started building a business that ran the same way a cockpit does: checklists, guides, workflows, and a culture where “good enough” isn’t good enough. Over time, that turned into what’s now Denver Lens and our other location Desert Lens— two brands focused on giving agents a real competitive edge through high-quality visuals, fast turnaround, and a frictionless experience.

Today, we shoot thousands of properties a year and have accidentally become the #1 commercial photography company in Arizona. But the core hasn’t changed: the company was built on the same mentality I learned in the sky — prepare well, execute precisely, keep improving, and stay calm under pressure.

That mindset is what got us here, and it’s still how we operate every day.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No. It’s been quite bumpy, but now it’s quite smooth.

Hardest part was getting customers and I threw myself into them. Lots of sneaking into peoples offices and finding the main person I needed to talk to, who are still our customers to this day. had an issue at first where people didn’t pay us because our invoice system was messed up, ended having to show up toa couple of peoples doors to pay us. Dips with economy actually benefit us, when houses sit on the market longer, agents need to spend more money to better market the property. Advancements with AI and it being a supersonic tsunami, having over 15 photographers between both locations and our admin, having to move quick on things, re structure everyone’s guides, work with our editing team etc. Almost dying in a plane wasn’t fun, and it was my fault because I didn’t check the icing report. Had a client in Arizona I needed to meet with almost monthly, so flew 52 times this year which was not ideal, but ended that partnership so I do not have to do that anymore. We also started a sauna and cold plunge company, had to go to China to meet our manufacture and ended up getting detained for 8 hours because we had the wrong visas. And on the same trip, we snuck into the 12th tallest building in the world, in Hong Kong, to find out that they had a sauna on the top floor. Sweat a little extra on that one

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Denver Lens is a full-service real estate media company specializing in real estate photography in Denver, cinematic video tours, agent lifestyle content, drone photography, 3D virtual tours, and high-performing agent social media reels designed to help agents build their brand online. We shoot thousands of properties every year and have grown into one of the leading commercial and residential real estate photography teams in the West, expanding from Arizona into Colorado.

What sets us apart is our TruLens Photo editing process — a refined system that goes far beyond standard HDR. We replace broken bulbs, remove cords, clean up distractions, enhance pools, fix reflections, and polish every detail of the space. It’s all included, always consistent, and never an upcharge.

Brand-wise, we’re known for reliability, fast turnaround, and visuals that help agents win more listings. Our goal is simple: create high-quality, scroll-stopping media — from listing photos to social reels — that makes our clients stand out in the Denver market and beyond.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
It’s going to get interesting with AI, but we still believe people will need to physically show up and take photos. What is changing is how agents need to stand out. Zillow is still the main place buyers look, but more and more people are finding properties through social media.

Because of that, agents need a strong media partner who can create those little “dopamine snacks” — short, scroll-stopping videos that capture attention and build trust with future buyers and sellers. Most people check an agent’s Instagram before anything else because it’s basically their modern business card. That’s why you’re going to see a lot more agent social media reels becoming part of the standard marketing package.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.denverlens.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denverlensphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denverlensphoto/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colerhodes
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/denver-lens-real-estate-photography-denver

Image Credits
These were all taken by my company