Love Stories
Ned & Ellie | Sunset Cliffs San Diego
California, and San Diego in particular, is know for its sun, beaches, gorgeous weather, and incredible sunsets. Ellie & Ned’s sunset session at the amazing Sunset Cliffs incorporated all of these things, and when combined with their intense chemistry…magic ensued.
Hair blowing in the wind, ocean spray lifting into the air, warm sand beneath their feet, and towering seaside cliffs surrounding them….I mean, come on.
I’ll just stop now so you can enjoy this amazingly beautiful couple in one of the must breathtaking spots we’ve ever had the privilege of visiting.
Bridal Boutique: Lovely Bride Charlotte
Dress Designer: Love Honor Bridal
Florals: Backbone Floral & Vintage
Coordination/Planning: Wild Lovers Content
Ian & Becca | Cold & Misty Roan Mountain Engagement Session
When I first arrived at the parking lot to meet Becca and Ian…I was a tad worried. It was SUPER foggy, cold, and windy. These things can sometimes mess with your plans when you drove 3 hours to shoot on a mountain top with beautiful 360 degree mountain views.
Becca & Ian arrived and in her typical fashion, Becca was pumped and her energy was contagious. If you don’t have a Becca in your life…well then you need to find one, ha. We began our hike up and shot as we winded our way up to the summit. The fog and mist actually made for incredibly moody and emotive images. The mist would blow across the mountain top and the fir trees almost became secondary subjects as they peeked through the fog and mist in the background.
We got a couple windows where the fog lifted in the valley, and we took full advantage as the sunlight shined through and lit up the valley below us. The view didn’t last long, but we were able to snag that view that we came for.
The weather may have been less than ideal, depends on who you ask, but we use it to our advantage, and had such a fun time doing it.
Please enjoy Becca & Ian’s foggy and romantic Roan Mountain engagement session.
AJ & Keeland | Fun & Romantic Sunrise Boone, NC Engagement Session at Rough Ridge
What you’re about to check out is actually attempt #2 at AJ & Keeland’s engagement session. We had originally planned to shoot at Edisto Island near Charleston, SC, but Covid-19 had other plans. I would dare say that the session turned out exactly how it was supposed to. AJ & Keeland actually met while attending Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, so it was only fitting that we headed back to their old college stomping grounds for their session.
It was an early wake up call… 4:15am to be exact. We rode out in the cool fog to the Blue Ridge Parkway and had the Rough Ridge trail parking lot all to ourselves. We threw on our headlamps and started hiking up in the pitch dark. There’s something so calming about only being able to see the next step in front of you.
It was crisp and cool, and as we hiked up the trail we could look off the side of the mountain at the sky gradually changing from blue, to pink, to orange as the sun made its way up and over the ridge. We got the perfect window. You never know what you’re going to get in the mountains. Sometimes you get a dense fog and you can’t see more than 1o feet in front of your face. I’m pretty sure we could see Charlotte from the ridge that morning. There were small trails of fog lingering over the distant peaks and ridges, which gave the illusion that we were up above the clouds.
We made it to the top with plenty of time to spare…and to catch our breath, ha. The sunrise light provided some of the softest, warmest light that I’ve ever shot in. It gave a warm orange/pink glow that made for such soft, romantic shots.
As you’ll see below, the scenery was absolutely epic…as if AJ & Keeland were standing on the edge of the world.
We wrapped up our time together at the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park. The soft, warm light had left us, but we found some beautifully shaded spots amongst the huge, mature trees on the grounds. The couple had so much fun with the shoot and each other. There may even be a piggy-back, face-lick captured in there somewhere.
We loved our time with AJ & Keeland and cannot wait to shoot their big day in Charleston, SC next year.
Hunter & Camden | Romantic Max Patch Sunset Session
When Courtney and I decided to do a portrait session giveaway on Instagram for New Years, we were both super excited and super nervous at the same time. We couldn’t have been more excited about who the software chose at random. We go way back with Camden and her family, and she was so excited to have been chosen.
Camden wanted to travel somewhere for the session, and we were so down, so off to Asheville we went! We have been wanting to shoot at Max Patch for a while now, so that was definitely our first recommendation. We decided to go for two totally different looks, one trendy casual for downtown Asheville, and the second a little more romantic for the bald mountain top at Max Patch.
We met up with Camden and her boyfriend Hunter at The French Broad Chocolate Lounge in downtown Asheville and just began walking. We hit a couple alleyways and streets, and then jumped in the Subaru to drive the hour and fifteen minutes to Max Patch. I have to say, Max Patch is now one of my absolute favorite places to shoot…period. It’s a bald mountain top on the NC/TN border with 360 degree mountain views. INCREDIBLE!
We braved the muddy 15 minute hike from the parking lot up to the top and just pure magic followed. Let me tell you…these two are just the cutest couple, and they were such troopers. The temps hovered around 30 degrees with light winds. However, they still had so much fun with one another, and just simply loved on each other.
Please enjoy Hunter & Camden’s Max Patch Sunset session.
