Haley + Drew: Engaged (Destination Engagement Photos)

Flying out to Nevada to take engagement photos for Haley and Drew is definitely the highlight of my summer and maybe even my life, who knows. I remember being on the plane and not really knowing what to expect at all, since I hadn’t met either of them yet. But, it’s new, exciting experiences like these that I am most passionate about and motivated by.

Before I get into my personal reflection and delve into explaining how much this trip meant to me, here’s a recap of our weekend! On Friday I woke up at 3:45am but waking up wasn’t even hard since I was so excited! I met Emma, Haley’s sister, at the airport and we quickly bonded over our love for light roast coffee and our interest in illuminati conspiracy theories. We arrived in Reno at about 9:30am on Friday and Drew picked us up and we got brunch at a local cafe. Then we picked up Haley, and I knew right away she was super awesome and sweet and that I would have so much fun photographing her and Drew! That afternoon, we packed up the car, stopped for some coffee, and hit the road for Lake Tahoe. As we awaited the golden hour, we explored the town a little bit and ventured across the state border into California. This was a mini dream come true for me since I’ve always wanted to go to California. It was awesome. Unnecessary side note: I ate a life-changing chocolate raspberry crepe there. California, you treated this MN girl well, even if it was only for a half hour.

Then we went to the lake itself and started taking pictures. Tahoe is unimaginably breathtaking — turquoise, sparkling water, all enclosed by majestic mountains and pines. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves! One of my favorite moments from the shoot was after Haley and Drew had been holding each other. As I looked at the photos, Haley had the most content, joyful expression. I asked what she and Drew had been talking about, expecting the answer to be something gushy and beautiful and emotional. Instead I learned that Drew had been talking to her about the pizza that we were going to eat after the shoot. #couplegoals. 

That night we went to an Italian restaurant and went to bed early since Emma and I had been up for almost 21 hours at that point. We woke up at 5am on Saturday morning and drove to a meadow in the mountains for engagement photos round two. It was honestly perfect — sweeping meadows with wildflowers, gorgeous mountains, and beautiful sunrise lighting. The perfect backdrop for timeless, classic engagement photos. After taking pictures we had some celebratory champagne and some hikers were pretty confused as to why we were holding champagne bottles at that hour, but once they learned about the engagement photos, they were congratulating :) After we finished the second session, we drove back through the mountains and got some amazingly gratifying breakfast food at a local diner. That concluded the photo taking, but for the rest of the day we explored Reno, visited Drew’s alma mater, did some sightseeing at some of the casinos, shopped, stopped at The Hub (an adorable local coffee shop), and hopped around to a few of Haley and Drew’s favorite local bars. 

From being on the plane and not really knowing what to expect since I hadn’t met either of you yet, to running around in meadows at sunrise, to eating crepes in California and taking in every moment, this trip was absolutely unreal and I am so thankful for it. I had so much fun editing the photos because I got to relive all the fun memories! 

Time for some personal reflection. You know when you have an experience that is so deeply impactful and inspiring to you that it leaves you high on life for a long time after? This was this destination engagement shoot to me. In my head I keep reliving the moments of the trip where my soul actually felt on fire. Many times during the trip to Lake Tahoe, I thought to myself, “This is what it feels like to be truly alive.” And, fully alive I was: surrounded by people who quickly went from strangers to close friends, in one of the most geographically beautiful places in the U.S., and two whole days to adventure and do what I love: create moments and photograph people. There was something profoundly magical about photographing two people who are deeply in love. It brings the emotional significance of photography to a whole new level. It served as a reminder to me that photographing people means so much more than snapping a photo and making someone look natural and beautiful. So, so much more.

From the moment I became connected with Haley and Drew a few months ago, it all felt slightly surreal. It was hard to believe that two people, let alone strangers, believed in my work so much they wanted to invest in flying me out to take their engagement photos in Nevada. To date this is the most incredible photography experience I’ve ever had, and as I reflect, I feel an immense sense of gratitude. This trip made all the times I haven’t believed in myself, or have gotten so frustrated with photography that I’ve wanted to throw my camera or my computer away, or quit altogether, beyond worth it. I’d experience these times all over again a thousand times for this adventure with Haley and Drew. 

Haley and Drew, thank you so much for all that you have given me and for this incredible opportunity. I don’t think I will ever be able to thank you enough! I had the best time with you two and Emma :)