It had been a long weekend of shooting in the Asheville, NC area…not complaining whatsoever. Friday evening, Saturday sunrise, Saturday sunset, Sunday sunset, and then one more session Monday evening. I didn’t really know what to expect, as I had only spoken with Holli & Robert by phone. What I got when we finally met was two of the sweetest, most fun, and genuine people you could ever hope to meet.
We met at the Graveyard Fields Parking lot off the Blue Ridge Parkway and made our way out to the valley below. I had come across some photos of a cool looking boardwalk system that runs through the high valley that’s situated just below the popular Black Balsam Knob. They didn’t disappoint and neither did the amazing light that we were blessed with. You couldn’t really see the top of Black Balsam as it was covered in a dense fog/cloud-cover. It provided the most perfect, soft, diffused light that you could hope for. It really just fit the mood of the surroundings, and we practically had it all to ourselves.
Robert & Holli quickly warmed up to the camera, and began to enjoy one another, and most importantly, had a blast! One thing I noticed is that when I’d give some of my usual “queues” to the couple…they really took it literally. One such queue is to “look into each others eyes”, and these two really went for it. You can see it in the images that we captured that when they were told to gaze into one another’s eyes…they DID NOT fake it. You can almost feel the deep connection between these two, and it was honestly so magical.
As we got comfy with each other, and began to really have some fun I said, “See where that fog/cloud is covering the top of the peak? That’s where we’re heading next.” I was honestly a little worried that it’d be a massive “wall of white” with zero visibility when we reached the clearing on top of Black Balsam Knob. However, when we broke through the balsam grove into the clearing on our hike up, we were greeted with probably the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever been privileged to witness at this spot. The fog/cloud cover that was shrouding the top of the peak had actually migrated down into the valley that we had just left behind. So imagine…you’re standing on top of a 6200’ peak, you look to the east and you see a sea of blue and pink, cotton candy clouds, and you look towards the west and you see the most beautiful rays of golden sun cresting across balsam-covered mountaintops. It was, in a word, heavenly.
We made our way up to the pinnacle of Black Balsam and stopped for photo opportunities as we went along. When we finally made it to the top, I surprised Holli & Robert with some local beers from Appalachian Mountain Brewery and Boojum Brewing Company to celebrate.
I was tired, but also pumped from the long weekend of shooting in the mountains of NC. My time with Robert & Holli, as well as my other clients that weekend, reminded me why I love my job so much. Meeting kick ass people in beautiful places, and making memories that last a lifetime never gets old.
Here’s to more adventures in the new year…cheers.
