Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
So, when photographers plan styled shoots, they usually have some kind of “theme” to run with. While I occasionally operate that way, it’s not the norm for me. For example, this is how this shoot came together…
I planned a weekend getaway to Hood River, for my birthday, which meant I’d be close to Government Cove. I’d only been there once before, during an elopement a few years ago, but it was gorgeous and I knew I had to shoot there again, while I had the chance. So, I put out a model call for an LGBTQIA+ couple and went from there. Brenda has amazing red (and naturally curly) hair and she already owned a dark green dress…do you see where I’m going with this? If you know me and my love for all things Celtic, you probably have a good ideal. The location already had a Scotland/Ireland vibe to it and I think the universe gave me the most perfect models. You see, I’d also been wanting to shoot a ballgown style wedding dress, with a flannel shirt over it. Why? Because I saw it on Pinterest, okay?! Seriously, though, I’ve been wanting to do this for years because I think it’s so cute and so PNW. Vallerie just happened to be the right size and height for the lace ballgown I had on hand (plus, she is adorable) and I scored the flannel shirt, which was the exact plaid pattern I’d been looking for, at Kohl’s for $7! At this point, my theme of “Pacific-Northwest-Meets-Celtic-Kinda-Sorta” was coming together, so adding a bagpiper only seemed right.
All day, leading up to this shoot, was gorgeous and sunny and literally half an hour before the shoot, it started pouring. Super. It was really cold…and windy…and rainy…but, the models were SUCH troopers! I have to give a big thank you to Brenda and Vallerie, as well as their friend, Ace, who stood in as our “officiant” for this shoot! I would also like to thank my husband, Ben, who was kind enough to not only get dressed up, but to play some music for us, while we were shooting. As usual, Amanda Dant, of Morning Glories Floral, is responsible for the gorgeous bouquets on this shoot!
