What better way to cozy up with your partner than to have a couples photo session in the snow! This Texan couple visited Chicago during a winter storm that blanketed the city in snow. The cold didn’t scare them off and they spent the day before their couples session exploring Chicago and ring shopping at Tiffany’s. Their whole session was later used as their engagement photos.

We woke up bright and early to capture these intimate photos in the depths of Chicago. Rhiannon and Nick knew they wanted a classy and bright session in the city but none of us were originally expecting to take these couples photos turned engagement photos, in the snow. Their groove did not get thrown off one bit and we captured many classy yet intimate moments in front of the Old Water Tower. Rhiannon was more than happy to shed her comfy coat for dramatic effect and it definitely paid off.

We cozied up in the lobby of the nearby hotel and snapped a few more intimate shots there before stepping out to brave the cold weather for some final photos. The winter décor in the Talbott made for some beautiful snow themed shots that fit in perfectly with the theme of the day.

Portraits in the city can capture the feeling of being alone in the world with your partner when they are done right, and the snow in the city certainly only increases the depth of that feeling. If you are looking for a unique way to capture you style and your love story, consider a session in the snow. Earth Below Photo is always up for the adventure!

See more snowy sessions here.

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Snowy Winter Outdoor Engagement Photos

If a dreamy Winter engagement session is what you are looking for, consider an outdoor engagement in the snow! The snow creates a stunning backdrop, whether it is actively snowing or just still sticking to the outdoor environment.

Earth Below Photo’s Top Reasons to have an Engagement Session in the Snow

Reason Number One: Uniquely Yours

Reason number one to have an outdoor engagement session in the snow is to stand out! Not many couples are willing to brave the cold winter weather for their engagement photos and would rather wait for a more comfortable season to come around. Your engagement photos will be something a little different, and if that’s your style we encourage you to go for it! Earth Below Photo is happy to meet you wherever it is that you like to adventure.

Reason Number Two: Outfit Choices

Reason number two to have your engagement photos taken in the snow is for the outfit choices. Fashion forward couples will get to accessorize beyond their wild dreams when it comes to layering up for pictures in the cold winter snow. You can choose to dress up your look with big fluffy coats, classy hats, stylish scarves and more. The way you choose to dress for your session should always be comfortable and uniquely you.

Click here to see more of Lauren and Toby at the Columbia River Gorge in winter.

See our “How to Dress for Your Engagement” guide (coming soon!) for more or check out our post “Engagement Photos for the Adventurous Couple - Free Checklist Included”.

Reason Number Three: It’s like Mother Nature decorated just for you

It’s like Mother Nature decorated just for you. No need to bring decorations or even that pretty, but environmentally harmful, confetti! Mother Nature herself brought out the best she has to offer in terms of scenery. If you are lucky enough to have a session during an active snow flurry, we can capture a glittery confetti spray of ice and snow in your pics. Or if you ask nicely, we can shake a branch or two ;)

Click here to see more of Felipe and Victoria in the Flagstaff snow.

Snow falls on a couple’s outdoor engagement

Click on any of the sessions above to see more, or scroll for more examples of what your photo session in the snow can look like!

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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.