The weekend we took these engagement photos, Flagstaff had received TWO FEET of snow. It was quite a lot at once for our little mountain town, but boy did it make for some playful and gorgeous engagement photos in the forest. Felipe and Victoria had come to Flagstaff for a Thanksgiving getaway and decided it was a perfect opportunity to capture some winter wonderland magic in the snow covered pine trees.

Bundled up in layers and wearing their snow boots, Victoria and her fiancé Felipe did not shy away from dancing around in the snow together. We walked around the neighborhood their airbnb was located in and found some perfect wintery spots to capture the magic they were looking for. We even took some gorgeous shots in the snow covered streets.

We found a gorgeous spot in the pine tree forest with views of the tree line. Here, I had them pose between the trees and even shook some of the snow covered branches, and threw some snow in the air for added magic. We were able to capture dreamy photos, intimate portraits, playful moments and all of the love between these two.

Looking to plan your own getaway in Flagstaff? Let us know! Or if you are ever looking to take engagement or couples photos in the snow, let Earth Below Photo show you a magical time.

Click Here to see more examples of winter engagements in the snow!

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For your photo session, let’s live a little.

This skateboarding couples photo session in Flagstaff is a perfect example of my process. When I talk to my clients about their photo session, I love to ask about, brainstorm, and talk through a vision—a photo session concept. Let’s get one thing straight…yes we are taking professional photos and your standard stand-there-and-smile-at-me photos that we can hang on grandma’s fridge will happen. Although,

Earth Below Photo is all about telling YOUR story and creating a feeling.

Lifestyle photography is my expertise and provides timelessness and excitement about your photo gallery for years to come. The photo session itself isn’t a “photoshoot” it was the day you and your partner hiked a mountain together…baked your favorite dessert together…explored the desert…chased some waterfalls…or like you’ll see here in this post…went skateboarding together.

Whether you decide to go on an epic adventure, take a walk downtown, or get cozy at home it’s all about the both of you. It’s about hearing less of “how should we pose?” and more of “wait! I forgot this was all for the photos.” Granted, getting your photos taken will never feel like normal life or authentic, but the goal is to create a comfortable and unforgettable experience.

Coming up with a photo session concept also means that when it comes to your session day, you and your partner are in that headspace already. It becomes exciting and we are all creating together!

I’m a Pinterest lover, but I am starting to steer clear of creating mood boards for photo sessions. I think sending over that photo that inspires your next session is super important, but let’s not limit ourselves or set ourselves up with these expectations. That can only lead to disappointment for both you and I, because we truly will never be able to do the exact same. Plus copying someone isn’t cool. The bottom line is: Let’s create our OWN expectations and tell YOUR story…not someone else’s. Now that’s cool beans.

So what’s the moral of the story? Let’s do something fun and create together for your photo session!

I look forward to our next session together.

-Amanda

Are you dreaming of creative engagement photos in Old Town Scottsdale?

Are you dreaming of creative engagement photos in Old Town Scottsdale?

The word creative gets tossed around so much that it can often seem like a lazy way to describe something, but a session like this reminds you what it means to be truly creative.

CREATIVE /krēˈādiv/ (adj): relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.

When Adrian and Jesse first approached Earth Below Photo for an engagement session they wanted to emphasize the idea of creating with me. They didn’t want photos just because it was the normal thing to do, in fact it was quite the opposite. They specifically let me know they wanted to create real art through the images. The day we met in Old Town Scottsdale they were just as much the artists as I was. Every direction and idea I threw at them would come back at my camera lens with their own personal twist. When a couple has as much interest in the art of photography as you do it tends to add a little accelerant to the creative fire in your  heart. 

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Adrian immediately let me know that she wanted the end result to be something out of a Wes Anderson film. She requested lots of color with a developed on film feel. Jesse on the other hand took on working the art of posing, a skill he had learned as a child model. To make their creative engagement session dreams come true I made sure to capture the two of them in colorful settings and unusual poses. You can most clearly see the fruit of our collective labor in their stoic poses outside the Saguaro Hotel and the far off shots of them dancing on an Old Town Scottsdale sidewalk.

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We had planned to create these photos together long before the onset of COVID-19 and due to the restrictions in place here in Arizona, Old Town Scottsdale was assuming the look of a ghost town. The indoor setting of Sugar Bowl Ice Cream Parlor that we had originally planned to involve in our shoot was closed down to the public. I had to make sure to keep myself at a distance from Jesse and Adrian and not get too deeply swept up in the dance of making creative engagement photos that I forgot the reality of our situation. 

That being said, this opportunity to create collaborative art with an intrinsically creative couple like Adrian and Jesse was a welcome reprieve from the monotony of #quarantinelife. I think all three of us left the session with our minds a little clearer to the possibility of brighter days ahead, and after all is that not what creating is all about? Is it not, at its core, a coping mechanism, a way of capturing the human experience, that traces its roots all the way back to even the first humans long, long ago?

I look forward to capturing your own unique human experience, wherever you are… whenever you are ready.