Winter Coffee Shop Engagement

Sofeia and Rohail were looking for a fun, cozy, and casual vibe for their engagement photos back in December. I threw out a few options, but Louisville Cream was the thing that ultimately brought us to the Nulu neighborhood & can I just say I'm really glad it did! It's my favorite thing when couples sessions end up feeling like a date— we started at Please and Thank You with some chai lattes, then strolled through the neighborhood looking at murals (like Liz Richter's gorgeous floral one on the side of Red Tree), and wrapped things up with the most delicious ice cream at Louisville Cream. 

I loved how easily they laughed with each other and it's had me looking forward to today for the longest time! This afternoon I'll be heading to Lexington to photograph their Mehndi, tomorrow I'll be back in Louisville for their Shaadi, then at the end of the month I'll be in Greenville, SC for their Valima. I am really looking forward to having multiple days to get to know their friends and family— if they are anything like Sof & Ro then it is going to be THE BEST time. 

I could go on and on, but it's just about time for me to load up the car and head out for all their wedding festivities! If you're looking for more winter couples sessions, then Trent & Kendra's in-home session and Will & Nate's Buffalo Trace distillery session are both perfect for you.

Cozy In-Home Couple Session

It's always exciting to get to take photos of other wedding photographers— especially when they are in-home sessions! There are so many things I love about taking photos at home that it's hard to know where to start, but I'm going to give it a try! In-home sessions allow couples to relax and feel comfortable in a way that isn't always possible out and about— they can choose their own music, they know that they don't have an audience, and if they want to take a coffee break in the middle they totally can. I also love being able to capture an intimate, casual moment in time. Spaces change and people move, but this specific stage in their lives is forever documented in a way that reflects their daily life. 

Trent and Kendra were so much fun to photograph— they are wonderful photographers themselves (check out their work!) and it was really special getting to be in their space. There were so many sweet moments during their photos— Trent singing along to Johnny Cash, Kendra measuring their coffee so precisely, and the two of them being willing to be both silly and serious with me. If you're looking for more in-home sessions Marcos & Aica's Brooklyn home is so sweet and you'll love it. 

Iceland Trip // Exploring the Southern Coast and Golden Circle

As a wedding photographer, Iceland has been on my bucket list of places to travel for a long, long time. My spouse and I planned a 10 day trip along the Southern Coast and I'm still over the moon that I got to photograph Jennifer & Tyler's engagement session while we were there! We spent the eight days we had to ourselves seeing as much as possible along the Golden Circle and Southern Coast.

We enjoyed getting to visit all those high traffic tourist locations like Geysir, Gullfoss, Seljalandsfoss, and Reynisfjara because they are obviously stunning...but boy did those crowds get to me. The places that ended up really staying with me were the ones that allowed us to experience the landscape more privately and the ones that made us feel like we discovered something new. 

One of my favorite experiences while we were there combined both of those things. We had plans to go on a specific trail, not realizing it was down an f-road. Since we didn't have a 4x4 vehicle, we pulled over at the next hike we saw instead. We walked down a gorgeous ravine, full of rowan trees, moss, & ferns, and found ourselves climbing up a couple small waterfalls with the help of ropes. It was magical enough finding this waterfall at the end of the hike, but being able to enjoy the whole experience completely alone made it incredible. I didn't take a ton of photos during this hike, but we set up the tripod once we made it to the final waterfall and got this image of the two of us snuggling and watching the falls. We ended up climbing up on top of the cliffs around the ravine, up to the mountain ridge, and then along it until we reached another waterfall and ravine. We spent four hours exploring and only ran into one other couple for a few minutes. We even made it back to the car before the storm rolled in. 

I can say without a doubt that Iceland lives up to all the hype and more. It was one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever experienced - it's right up there with Peru for me. If you are planning a trip of your own, please familiarize yourself with what you need to know before visiting the country as well as Leave No Trace guidelines for visiting anywhere. Specifically, in Iceland, you've got to be careful not to step on the moss since it can take decades or longer to regrow. With strong ocean currents, thirty active volcanoes, huge waterfalls, glacier lagoons, and geothermic hot springs you also need to make sure you are behaving in a way that protects yourself as well as the landscape.