Sunrise Hiking Engagement at 11,000'

You all should have seen my face when Julianna lifted her leg above her head into a perfect vertical split. As if hiking with her and Oliver in the dark to witness this gorgeous August sunrise wasn't exciting enough, Julianna had to go on and perform some unexpected gymnastics. I was cheering like I was in a football stadium.

There is nothing better than holding your camera in your hands and knowing that you are capturing the true spirit of a person or a relationship. Often times I am aware of the couple being aware of me. It's unavoidable, especially at the beginning of a session. Often my favorite photos are from the last 15 minutes. It's a time when all of the safe shots, all of the poses, are done - couples finally let their guard down and act like themselves rather than feeling nervous about being photographed. Many times this happens earlier in the engagement session. I also spend a lot of my education budget and my brain power trying to shorten this lead-in period of the session for my couples. Engagement sessions also help this happen more effortlessly on a wedding day. This is because the couple is more comfortable with me and understands the process of taking photos, and also because they are feeling emotional and excited because it's THEIT WEDDING DAY!

Well, there was no need to warm up for Julianna and Oliver. I would say that from the get go they were completely comfortable having no barrier between themselves and my camera (and by extension, me). The long hike together could certainly have helped them loosen up, and we were really in our groove before sunrise began.

When you look through these photos, can you feel their joy? Can you sense their willingness to let me in? Do you love seeing their goofy and sweet personalities?

Let me know in the comments, and enjoy these photographs which I truly love!