Kristie and Ethan met on a farm in East Tennessee where they both worked. According to Kristie, before they started dating, "one day while at work, I was vacuuming up leaves with the lawn mower. As I attempted to turn up the hill on the side of the house, the mower got stuck. I hollered Ethan's name and he came to my rescue and pushed the mower and I up the hill. It was so embarrassing, but that moment was one of the defining moments that made me realize I really liked him." Their first date wasn't until almost 8 months later, but after closing down the coffee shop where they were chatting, Ethan got up the courage to ask Kristie out for a second date and the rest became history. 

When I asked the two what their perfect Saturday would be, Kristie said, "Doing work together on the farm or staying at home watching Heartland." While Ethan replied, "My Saturday is perfect as long as I'm doing something with Kristie." It was obvious we needed to do their engagement photos on a farm!

We had to reschedule a few times for bad weather, but I was finally able to drive over the state line on a gorgeous Monday afternoon. While Kristie and I weren't on the team at the same time, we knew each other through the Oak Ridge High School cross country team, so I already knew Kristie pretty well by the time of our shoot. This always helps because (even if they didn't feel like it) Kristie and Ethan looked totally comfortable in front of the camera!

We began our shoot at Oakley Farm on Tennessee Tech's campus, driving through fields to pick just the right spot. I like to use facets of our surroundings to frame my subjects, so I had a lot of fun playing in the grass, waiting for the wind to die down to create the perfect natural frame. Not to mention, I'm pretty sure we inadvertently created an ad for Dodge!

Taking photos in a cow pasture was a new one for me, but a fun location for sure. Of course, they ran to the other side of the field when we entered through the gate, but they stayed close enough to add a bit of authenticity to our farm session. 

When we'd hit the locations we wanted, we drove a few minutes down the road to Terry's farm to finish up with horseback photos. The sun was setting just at the right time to give us a perfect romantic backdrop while Kristie and Ethan toured the fields together, me chasing along behind on foot. 

In their engagement questionnaire, Kristie noted that while they wanted to "show off Ethan and I, horses, and then cattle," "[their] love is the most important." Right when I read that, I knew we'd be able to make some beautiful images because when a couple's love is the simple focus, the photo is already a work of art.

I'll drive back to Tennessee this weekend to capture Kristie and Ethan's winter wedding and if their engagement session is any indication, we're bound to create more beautiful photos of their beautiful love!