One of my favorite things

One of my favorite things is showing up to a session location that I’ve never been to before 😍

When I first started out as a photographer, the idea of not scouting a location in advance of a session felt absolutely *terrifying*

I wanted to be absolutely sure I knew all of the best spots, exactly how the light would fall, pre-plan my composition…I was so nervous and had myself convinced that I wouldn’t be able to just show up and guarantee a great session experience if I didn’t know the location like the back of my hand 🙀

And now, the opposite is true: I absolutely *love* the challenge of meeting my surroundings for the first time and immediately being able to feel the wheels in my brain start turning as my eyes scanning everything around me, searching for spots to create. As soon as I step out of my car, over a decade of training my eyes & brain to see lines, light, & layers, to be able to set up and compose shots without lifting my camera, all comes to life ⚡️

I remember walking by this tree at the beginning of my session with Kat. I pointed at it and proclaimed, “I don’t know *what* were gonna do with it, but we are *definitely* coming back to this tree before we leave”

When we finally worked out way back to the spot, I took one more look at this spot and immediately visualized the image I wanted to bring to life. I then asked Kat to super casually drape herself over the tree in a skirt in 40-degree weather and, well...

I mean…have you ever seen such a gorgeous, regal tree fairy in your life?!?!?! 😍✨

In the end, the final image was even more magical than what I ever could have envisioned in my mind as I walked past the tree at the beginning of our session.