Rachael and Travis came into our life during my travel nurse assignment in Tacoma, Washington. She, like me, was a travel nurse at a local hospital, and they were also living in their travel trailer (with their dog Bella) at the same RV park as us. Over the course of the next three months, we became very good friends and went on lots of adventures together, from date nights and late night movie premieres to hiking in national parks and kayaking in cold mountain lakes.
One of my favorite days spent with Rachel and Travis was the day we drove four hours round trip to hike to the top of a waterfall. Some might call us crazy, but Rachael and Travis believe that no distance is too far for an adventure (and I have to say that I agree!). That was also the day I had the privilege of photographing the two of them.
From Mount Rainier View RV Park (yes, the RV park we stayed at is literally known for its stellar view of Mount Rainier – not a bad view to have for 4 months!) in Graham, WA to Multnomah Falls on the Oregon bank of the Columbia River Gorge (the river that runs along the border between Washington and Oregon) is about a two hour drive, but those hours seemed to fly by as the four of us soaked in the gorgeous scenery. Before we knew it, we were pulling into the parking lot of the 620 foot tall waterfall.
At the bottom of the falls is a gift shop, and the day that we visited was sunny – which in the Pacific Northwest means “crowded”. But once we started hiking up the trail and got past the iconic bridge (which is 0.2 miles from the gift shop), the crowd thinned a lot. The trail to the top is only one mile, but with a 620 foot elevation gain, the trail is quite steep. Because of that and because of the heat of the day (it hovered around 100°F), the cold stream at the top was a very welcome sight. After splashing around for a little bit to cool down, Rachael and Travis changed into the clothes they had brought for our adventure couples session, and I got to photograph my two friends splashing around in a mountain stream. The Columbia River Gorge had been on my bucket list of places to photograph a session ever since I found out I would be taking a travel nurse assignment in the Pacific Northwest, so that day was *literally* a dream come true for me!
Friends like Rachael and Travis, days like the one we spent hiking to the top of Multnomah Falls, and memories like the ones we’ll all be able to relive every time we see those photos are honestly priceless … it’s an amazing reminder of why I do what I do, and why it is so valuable when my couples choose to invest in a photo session with me.
Here’s what Rachael and Travis had to say about their experience being photographed by me:
“Travis and I had such a blast working with Bree! My husband is not normally one to enjoy taking pictures and often feels awkward and unsure of what to do, but working with Bree he was able to relax and enjoy our photo session. Bree made us both feel super comfortable and she was so willing to go the extra mile. We asked if she would be willing to hike to the top of a waterfall to take pictures splashing in the stream and immediately her answer was yes. We got amazing candid pictures and had so much fun during our session. You can tell she truly loves what she does. Will definitely work with her again!”
– Rachael + Travis
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I’m a wife, a dog mom, a foodie, a wanderer, a registered nurse, and a couples/intimate wedding/elopement photographer … and this blog will cover it all! If you enjoyed this post, first of all thank you, and second of all please follow me on Instagram + Facebook to get updates on future blog posts, see sneak peeks of my amazing couples, and so much more! If you have any questions about elopement photography, my journey from nursing to photography, or my time spent as a full-time RVer, drop a comment and I just might write a blog post answering your question (but I definitely will)!
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