Intimate Engagement Session in Northwest Arkansas. Whitney + Hayden
“Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love.
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Let’s just admit something. Every once in awhile an artist has an off season. Writer’s block is something most artists don’t like to admit to, but it happens to all of us. We find ourselves in rhythm to a song we’ve heard too many times and the inspiration gets lost a bit. The truth is this is where art shines. It’s what happens next that matters. Just like when two people love eachother it isn’t the love that matters, it’s the commitment that comes with it. I spent a little bit of time last year and early this year working to find my vision again. I don’t think my work suffered a bit during this time, but my motivation did. I wanted to see new things in new ways but kept finding myself seeing things out of habit instead of instinct. Like I said though - what matters is what comes next. This year has been a whirlwind already and I’m happily at the top of my game again. It’s a fun thing when an artists, a musician, a poet knows they just did something special. That’s not arrogance, that’s joy. When you caught it in a way that expresses just what you were hoping to, there’s more than a satisfaction, there’s a quenched thirst for awhile but what it brings is a thirst for more. Whitney + Hayden are another shoot in a line of sessions that have just come together for me lately. These two stepped out of the car beautiful, in love, nervous, anxious, excited. They’ve had a tough road to get here. No doubt some heartbreak and bumps in the road but more importantly they found each other. Hayden is in the military living in San Diego, Whitney is a nurse working in Arkansas and their lives couldn’t be more different, except for love. It just works. The timing of this type of thing is everything and the timing has just lined up so that they have this future together that is so exciting they just beam with happiness. When Whitney told me she wanted a homey, cozy, intimate engagement session I felt like I was flooded with ideas. This is a guy who flew out literally hours after this shoot to go back to base, and who gets to see his fiance a day or two a month at best. To these two an engagement session isn’t about waterfalls or big mountain bluffs, it’s about quiet moments together wrapped up in each other’s arms and so I went on the hunt for the right places. A huge thanks to DANDYROLL (the absolute cutest little shop and boutique in NWA) for allowing us the chance to shoot amongst amazing succulents and one of a kind antique maps, and to Iron Horse Coffee Company for having perfect latte’s and a big comfy couch to play on. Most of all thanks to Whitney + Hayden for allowing me to carry the camera and watch as they got to enjoy a rare afternoon together. I have to admit it, I’m loving this job more and more these days and after 10 years I can say, that’s a pretty amazing feeling.
