I was thrilled after asking Alex and Nate if Palouse Falls would be a location they would consider photographing their engagement session. I had been wanting to do this for so many years but never had anyone that desired it for their location. Alex and Nate love the outdoor and hiking, so for them, this was a no-brainer, it fit right in with their everyday life and the time they spend together.
I thought he caught me sleeping in our lecture class
This is how Alex and Nate first met in her own words...
"We met in our second-year architectural studio. Nate and I didn't have any mutual friends but I caught him staring during a few lectures, but naive me thought he saw me sleeping during our lecture class and I got so embarrassed getting caught, HA! The first time we talked, our professor told me to go and talk to Nate due to the growing frustration that I wasn't understanding the concept. I responded with "Who is Nate?!" He just pointed to the guy I remembered from the lecture which I thought caught me sleeping...great. I walked up to him and just said "You're Nate? Apparently, you're the one to talk to?"
Eventually, they had their first date...
"Our first official date was dinner at Black Cyprus in Pullman and we set a no architecture or school talk....that was difficult! But we slowly learned so much about one another outside of our day-to-day"!
To you Nate, we tip our hats
Before we set off to shoot at Palouse Falls I found out when sunset was supposed to happen. I wanted us to arrive at least 2 hours before that to make sure we had enough time to scout. So that I knew exactly when and how I wanted to photograph the session. I'm lucky to have an amazing friend and second shooter for weddings (Jeana Breshears) and asked her to assist on this shoot. I needed someone to hold my lighting. I'm so glad I did, the light on their skin is beautiful. But enough about that...Did you see her ring?! It is stunning!
Nate had it custom designed at Harry Richie's in Moscow, Idaho. I personally love the main stone. It is set horizontally rather than vertically. It really created a unique stunning one of a kind piece! To you Nate, we tip our hats!
It couldn't have been more perfect
"Nate had been designing my ring with the jeweler for a few months before deciding one night to go on one of our early morning hikes and pop the question. We used to do these a lot prior to finals hitting us. One beautiful spring morning, one of our last before graduating with our masters in Pullman and moving away, just a week after our most extensive architectural graduate presentation, we took a morning hike up to our favorite spot. We were all bundled up, still almost in PJs, and just the two of us at 5:30 in the morning started walking and reminiscing about all our years in Pullman (I had no idea, not even a hint!). We got to the water tower, overlooking the Palouse Hills and he whispered at me to put my hand in his pockets because it was a bit chilly. I hit a box and froze, he said to take it. I opened it up, saw the most breathtaking ring and he just whispered, asking me to marry him. It was the most intimate and magical moment, and to share that with my best friend, just the two of us watching the sun rise...it couldn't have been more perfect".
Turn around and see the view behind
I truly enjoyed photographing at Palouse Falls, I hadn't been there in 6 years so I couldn't quite remember how things were laid out. It was really nice not having a plan ahead of time. I was able to look around and see areas that inspired me that had nothing to do with the waterfall itself. Sometimes If you have a set plan you miss out on the beauty right in front of you. In fact, one of the best things you can do when scouting locations is to stop looking in front of you and simply turn around and see the view behind.
Beautiful golden light
As the sun started to go down, we ended up with even more beautiful golden light. There is a reason why the hour before sunset is called "Golden Hour". The shadows become soft and long, skin looks amazing and the light glow on the hair is beautiful! We started our walk towards where we would shoot the falls. But, before that, we photographed the amazing crevasse.
When photographing by the falls, my main concern is safety. I would never ask my clients to put themselves in danger nor would I risk my life for the shot. So we stayed safely on the trail. I made sure that the falls were in these images. But just like any other engagement session, the falls are not the star here, Alex and Nate are! So they, of course, are my main focus. The falls are just a supporting element.
To close the evening I photographed them with this beautiful violet sky. Using a CTO Gel helped to make them look natural in the surrounding. A regular flash would be white and wouldn't look quite right.
This was a romantic end to an amazing session. We had so much fun, laughing, joking, getting to know each other better, and smacking the vicious flies away. They were no joke!
I'm so excited to photograph their wedding in October!
Nate and Alex will be saying their I do's at their church followed by the reception and the amazing Red Barn Farms!
Congratulations Alex and Nate!! We adore you!
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