Meadow + Theo's Granite City Engagement Session

It's not every session that I get to rock hop through a cool new location AND capture the love of a couple of free spirits. Not often do I have the opportunity to shoot from exaggerated angles both high and low. And very rarely do I get to shimmy through rock crevices so narrow I have to hold my cameras in one hand and backpack in the other as I slide through sideways. Yet, I got to do all of these things last month for Meadow and Theo's engagement session!

For these two, adventure is simply a way of life. They first met in Europe when YouTube personality Theo Thomas - from Black Panthaa - and Meadow's brother attended the same conference with Meadow tagging along. They immediately hit it off and had to endure the "adventure" of long distance dating (as Theo lives in the UK and Meadow in North Carolina) before Theo popped that ever-important question on a visit to the States. Whether it's traveling the world or hiking through treacherous rock formations, these two lovers have a passion for life and each other that is not easily matched. 

For our session, we hiked up to Granite City in Highlands, NC, an extensive series of rock formations with pathways snaking in between. This location presented plenty of challenges - primarily, a lack of space so that I couldn't shoot from a distance as usual - but also got me out of my comfort zone, making me think more creatively in how I framed my couple. For me, the best part of the shoot (from a composition standpoint) was getting to work the angles; shooting from high above as though a bird watching the scene or shooting from far below to show the epicness of their love. Indeed, the whole shoot proved to be epic as I capture kisses in dark caves, sweet stares atop huge boulders and the whispers of thanks amidst moss-covered stones. 

While the close quarters was challenging, the landscape also provided perfect natural frames for both close-up shots and wide-angle environmental portraits. On top of that, what light be had filtering into our ravine gave a natural spotlight to their faces, which I used to highlight their elation at spending an adventurous afternoon together.