Happy Friday, y’all! I hope your week has been a good one and that you have something to look forward to this weekend – even if that something is simply to relax and do nothing (tell me why that’s actually the best though lol). This coming weekend my husband and I are spending Easter at his parents home with lots of extended family and good food. I’m looking forward to that as well as to working on the garden we are planting with his parents. I have been craving garden fresh veggies all winter and I can’t wait to get started on our very own garden. Luckily, my father-in-law is a very experienced gardener – I’ve never planted anything from seed before but I’m so excited to learn!
Devil’s Den State Park
Today’s blog post covers a pregnancy announcement session I shot last Fall in Devil’s Den State Park here in Northwest Arkansas. These photos are so special to me since they feature some of my dear friends, S + B (you may recognize them from a snow day mini session I shot for them a few years ago). This baby has been long prayed for, and it is such a cool coincidence that as I am writing this blog post, I also have about 800 photos from their maternity session in my editing queue. To say that you are not ready for their maternity photos would be a huge understatement (don’t worry, I will share them soon!).
But back to their announcement photos. Devil’s Den SP has long been a favorite photo session location of mine for so many reasons (check out a family session I shot there a few years ago!): the caves, the rock formations, the dam, the overlooks … I could go on and on.
When I was going through some of the different location options with S + B during the planning stage for their pregnancy related photo sessions (announcement, maternity, and newborn sessions), I had mentioned that if they wanted to do a more adventurous/hiking session, the pregnancy announcement session would be the one to do that for since by the maternity session it will have become a little harder for mama to get around. And then when I mentioned Devil’s Den SP as an option, S immediately said yes! As it turns out – and I hadn’t known this until that moment – Devil’s Den SP was where B proposed to S.
So it was decided, and I could not be more happy with their gallery!
Rainy Sessions
As the day of the session drew nearer, the forecast was calling for clouds and drizzle (welcome to Fall in Northwest Arkansas!). I always offer the option to continue with the session in event of (non-stormy) rain, or to reschedule the session. But they decided to go for it! I was excited because this meant that I would be able to use my clear umbrellas for the first time, and be able to break out the lanterns that I’ve used a few times for previous sessions. I also had a vision for a flash set in one of the caves, which would be the perfect shelter to take a break from the rain.
This session turned out so much better than I could have hoped for! Yes, it was raining. Yes, it was kinda cold. But S + B’s love for each other and their excitement for this pregnancy was so beautiful to witness and it was such a privilege to photograph them. I am especially obsessed with the flash photos in the cave and also the blue hour photos in the fog from the end of the session.
One of the best things about doing a session in the rain is that there was almost no one else around! We did run into a few stragglers, but for the most part the trail was clear from other hikers and that always makes photo sessions a lot easier for me and more relaxing for my clients. It definitely felt like we were in our own little world that evening, and since I’ve never been one for crowds that’s just how I like it.
Session Prep
One of the ways I prepare for a photo session is by scrolling through Pinterest and downloading my favorite images. Sometimes the thing that draws me to a particular photo is the outfit, sometimes it’s the location, and sometimes it’s the pose. Sometimes it’s just the whole vibe. So while I definitely look at inspo photos before each session and plan out a few poses, most of the time I am just coming up with things on the spot and making adjustments until I love how it looks, and I really think that type of spontaneity shows in my work.
No two sessions of mine are ever or could ever be the same, and that makes every single session so special to me. This one is no exception, and I can’t wait for you to see the second installment in S + B’s pregnancy photo sessions series! I think the review S + B left for me on Google says it all:
“Working with Bree is an absolute blast! She made us feel confident in front of the camera by helping with posing when necessary and by hyping us up! She kept saying things like ‘these are so good!’ & ‘Yall are the cutest!’ She had us laughing too which helped get some good photos! She came with a plan but she also came up with some really awesome spur of the moment creative ideas that gave us some great photos to have forever! It was really special to have her do our pregnancy announcement photos!”
Sam + Brett
*All my blog posts contain a selection of images that I’ve taken. If you are interested in booking a wedding or session with me, I am more than happy to send you a full gallery upon request!
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 and sign up for my monthly newsletter to get exclusive wedding planning advice and access to all of my new (and old) freebies! 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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