My alarm went off at 3 am and I jumped out of bed!

Just kidding. Well, sort of. My alarm really did go off at 3 am. I most definitely did NOT jump out of bed but I didn’t hit snooze and that was essentially the same thing.

During our first-ever conversation, Chloe mentioned to me that she loved how my images included the surroundings of wherever a session was taking place. You see, as a former landscape photographer, it’s still very much engrained in me to capture the surroundings even though I’m taking photos of you. After all, there is a reason you picked that location for your session, right?! I want to capture that, too.

Included in Chloe and Colby’s wedding package was a two-hour engagement session. Now, when you have a two hour engagement session, that leaves a lot of room for moving to multiple locations, as well as time for outfit changes. As for the locations, some clients have a specific spot in mind and some have me take the reins.

Chloe was a perfect mixture of the two. We were texting and Facebook messaging, tossing location ideas back and forth. Knowing her appreciation for scenery and that we had two hours, I wrote Chloe, “like Acadia would be EPIC!” to which she replied, “YESS! I love that idea!! Acadia would be perfectttt”

Now, I still can’t tell you how the hell we ended up deciding on a sunrise session, but somehow we did, and wow! I’m so glad we did.

At 4:30 am, I loaded up my camera gear, changing tent (more to come on this later), and Monster Energy Drink into the Jeep and began the trek on Route 1 North.

I was a little nervous on this drive. No, not because of deer and other little critters along the winding and dark coastal route, but because it was a little misty and foggy along the way. I was terrified we’d both drive all this way only to get rained out, but by the time I pulled into Acadia, the fog and mist had lifted and cleared! WOOOOOOO!

You see, something you should know about me is that I suffer thrive from ADHD. Sometimes, planning stresses me out and other times, lack of plans stress me out. There’s no rhyme or reason as to which one will stress me out on any given day. On this fall day, I went in with the world’s most unplanned “plan”- let’s just drive Loop Road and grab photos as we go. This loosey goosey plan payed off. Big time!

Chloe, Colby, and I cruised along Loop Road in our respective Wranglers with the first stop being at Sand Beach. They started our session in the cutest, relaxed outfits, so we eased into the session with some walking poses as we got to learn each other’s personalities.

Because we had a couple of hours to play with, Chloe came prepared with multiple outfits. This was the peeerfect opportunity for me to have her be the first to break in my new collapsible changing tent I bought for my clients to use at sessions.

To give you some insight into who I am as a person (🤣): You know how sleeping bags and tents never seem to make their way back to the original, smaller form to go back into carrying case and bags? Well, I wasn’t going to fall victim to that, so the day before this session I spent about an hour setting up and breaking down this changing tent repeatedly so that when the time came, I could put it back in the bag. Imagine my surprise when I go to break down the tent after Chloe changes into her gorgeous dress and this thing will not freaking fold the way it did when I practiced it like 10 times the night before. Yep, after we were done at Sand Beach, I carried this 6-foot changing-tent-turned-kite back to my Jeep across the entire length of the beach through the wind and sand while also carrying my camera gear and bag. Although we had such a good laugh, I was slightly mortified as I yeeted this thing into the back of the car vowing to burn it to the ground when I got home. Thankfully, the rest of the day went off without a hitch…well, except for when the world’s most random trash truck photo bombed one of our images.

After Sand Beach, we continued along Park Loop Road stopping at a variety of places that caught our eye. From the Otter Cliff vista to Jordan Pond and it’s whimsical trails, and other little spots along the way, Acadia National Park was enchanting as always.

Being mid-October, the weather was absolutely perfect- not too hot and not too cold (take that, April 25…iykyk). We may have had mostly cloudy skies, but because it was overcast, we were able to shoot late into the morning without worries of harsh shadows or glares. With the exception of the one trash truck, we didn’t have to pause and wait for cars or tour buses to clear the way, and after Sand Beach, we didn’t see many other people until Jordan Pond.

The trust that Chloe and Colby put into me, my craft, and my vision is part of what made this engagement session a success. As your photographer, I am telling a story- the story of you and your partner. I will never put you in stuffy poses. I will give you prompts and allow you two to interact in a way that feels comfortable and natural to you and the environment we’re in.