Sunset in the Ozarks with Delia and Timothy
“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.”
Honestly - sometimes you just need fresh air. Sometimes you need a break from the pressure you likely put on yourself. Sometimes you need to feel the crisp burn of fall air burn your lungs and the last warm rays of a long day of sun leave your cheek. Today was that day for me. It’s been a long week. Nine shoots, and a long week ahead traveling back to NYC to be a part of something pretty special with Fujifilm has had me working overtime. My team is dealing with all kinds of extra. Brandon’s wife just had surgery (she’s doing great by the way). Max is about a month away from his wedding day (and they’re beyond ready). My wife leaves in two weeks for Puerto Rico for a trip with Coca-Cola. My kids have soccer and school and reading, and the list goes on and on and on and what I needed today - if I’m honest - was a win. Here is it. Beautiful light, the sweetest couple, and the most wonderful fall day all came together to make this session powerful. One camera - one lens - a lot of neat ideas but ultimately just one goal - light. Delia told me in her initial email to me she loved the way we work with light. It’s funny because tonight she admitted to me that she initially was really drawn to that whole safe “light and airy” look (don’t even get me started about the millions of photographers who shoot so light you can’t see ANY detail in their images) but instead after chatting with her wedding planner (the oh so fabulous Jessica Kersey with JLK Weddings) she “went with her gut”. I’m so glad she did because while I’m happy to over expose by a few stops and blow out all of the emotion in an image, what I LOVE about these two is how perfectly comfortable they are together and the way the light helps to tell THAT story. We spent the evening wandering around a state they barely know. In fact - after driving for 10 hours for this shoot I think they were just ready to be out of the car! All in all this session was about as cathartic for me as it was beautiful for them. I got to just smile and hang with two people who were instantly friends and who I can’t wait to see married, and they - well they got to feel the way light can envelop you, paint it’s way around you, and ultimately - be a part of the story. I officially can’t wait for this wedding next summer and I will say it’s going to be hard to beat what we pulled off this evening with such ease.
