Acadia Elopement Photographer

Emily & Chad traveled to Maine from Minnesota to elope on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. Neither of them had been to the Atlantic Ocean before, so I was excited to see their reactions to seeing the gorgeous views in the park. But the fog was crazy! We couldn't see a thing from the top of the mountain where their ceremony was! 

But I think this moody, dramatic weather fit these two perfectly. After the ceremony, I brought them down to Sand Beach so we could at least see the ocean and get some photos that showed a bit of the landscape. It was cold and wet and windy and just beautiful. 

Reid State Park Engagement

This was a really cool day to hang out with Katy and Dan. He had just finished grad school, and she'd just got a new job, so they were feeling pretty excited about life! 

This is my favorite kind of engagement session - exploring somewhere beautiful in Maine, skipping rocks, watching the sun set, taking time to slow down and be outside. 

We had fun. :)

My California Journey

Last month I traveled to San Francisco to photograph a wedding at Muir Woods. It was an elopement, actually, and tucked away cozily under the redwoods... a dream to photograph! My next two weddings are elopements too - one at Cadillac Mountain and one at Portland City Hall. I can get used to this. 

I am an nomad at heart. Even though Kurtis and I bought a home and some woods and are in Maine now to stay, I'm still obsessed with exploring everywhere I can. So naturally photographing an elopement turned into a two week solo road trip up and down the west coast, visiting my favorite spots and discovering new places. It was really important to me to do this alone, to hike and camp and sleep in the car and be as wild and free as I please. It was wonderful. Just what I needed. And will need again soon. And again and again. 

All these images were taken with the Fuji x100t, which I borrowed for this trip. Some of my adventures (like Fern Canyon!) I shot with my "real" camera, so I'll share those another time. This post includes photos from Muir Headlands (I stayed a few nights in the hostel & did a few Magic Sessions there), Wildforest Sanctuary (where Kurtis & I used to live!), Avenue of the Giants, Green Gulch Farm, random spots along 101, and the Oregon coast. There are way too many images here, but they are all special to me.

It feels appropriate that I'm typing this from a tent right now. ;)

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Muir Woods Wedding

I just got home from a couple weeks in California, visiting the redwoods, photographing everything, hiking and camping alone up the coast. It was the best kind of trip, and this Muir Woods elopement had a lot to with that. 

Laura and Matt are really sweet and laid-back. They flew out to San Francisco from Minneapolis to get married under the redwoods, and I was thrilled they asked me be their photographer! 

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Maine Elopement Photographer

What an amazing start to my 2016 wedding season. Shamus & Chelsea came to Maine from North Carolina, where they work as a filmmaker and creative director, and raise their ridiculously cute son Quest (that name!). Shamus' family is from Maine, so it was really special that they came up here for their little last-minute wedding celebration. 

I loved that Chelsea's dress was one that her grandmother made by hand many years ago. I loved that their day was no fuss. I loved that they helped each other get ready. Their sweet ceremony was officiated through facetime (hence the phones chilling nearby - their officiant was sick!), and then we explored the beautiful rocky coast at Ocean Point in Boothbay Harbor. 

It's a funny thing that happens when I'm at a wedding only two hours and end up with way more photos to blog than I usually do for a full wedding. I tried to narrow these down, I really did. 

Boston Winter Wedding // Casey & Drew

“You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known - and even that is an understatement.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald

Magic Session in Austin

It's not often I get to hang out with a couple of woodland sprites, but that's what this shoot felt like. Vanessa and Jonathan from Activate Austin invited me to photograph their magical selves while I was in town, and wow - this session was overflowing with beauty and light.

Exploring Austin, TX

My trip to Austin in February was mostly about seeing my brother. We both worked a lot while I was there, but we made time to hike and camp, cook, eat tacos and ramen, and walk his dog. Of course Austin is an amazing city to explore, but this time (and let's be honest - usually), I just didn't care about seeing the city. I'm so much more interested in exploring the natural environment, the woods, in camping and hiking, and I'm glad to have a brother who enjoys that too. My favorite part of exploring around Austin was the crystal clear creeks and pools, and meeting up with local photographers to explore the magic of McKinney Falls. Other places I visited include Pedernales State Park, St Edwards Park, Mayfield Park, and Barton Creek (more photos of these places on my Instagram). I was actually kind of disappointed I didn't see a single snake or scorpion or any other cool creature. I did see a lot of deer though! It was a beautiful, special trip, and I'm already hoping to go back as soon as possible.

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Maine Lakeside Cabins Wedding // Maegan & Tim

Oh where to start with this wonderful story? Maegan and Tim and their sweet puppy Macie became like family to me, after 2 days of engagement adventures, a few visits to their cozy home, and lots of conversations. Tim is a lobster fisherman and firefighter, and Maegan works in healthcare in Boston, and they are all about family and their puppy and enjoying time together. They are that best kind of simply loving, generous, fun, awesome people. It was cool and rainy at their Maine Lakeside Cabins celebration, but the sun came out for their ceremony just in time. Go figure - it was just magical. 

I had so much trouble narrowing down photos for their story, it was all so freakin' beautiful! 

I must say, I love that I call Maine home now, and that couples like Maegan & Tim are flocking from the city to my new state to get married in our woods. My clients are the BEST.

Exploring Quinta de Regaleira in Portugal

Rumor has it JK Rowling found inspiration for Harry Potter in the mysterious, fairytale-like, secretive landscape of temples, lush gardens, crazy palace and underground tower that are Quinta de Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal. This place is nuts. Fulllll of magic and moss and mysterious, creepy origins. I loved it. 

Traveling to Portugal last fall to photograph a women's retreat was awesome. I published Lisbon images from the first part of my trip here. This post is all Quinta. Enjoy!

Bittersweet Farm Wedding // Marissa & Dan

This early morning wedding and brunch celebration was such a fun and sweet way to end my 2015 wedding season. Marissa & Dan made everything themselves - from the fabric garlands to the lego boutonnieres. And they both surprised each other gifts from the movie Up, because that's how in sync they are. These two are a couple of amazing humans and so crazy in love. Check out their adorable wedding story. 

Portugal Retreat

This past October I had the amazing privilege of traveling to Portugal to photograph a women's retreat. I didn't have much time to explore, but what I did see was magical. The streets are full of art. My father is a Portuguese citizen (he was born there), and I'd never been, so this trip was extra special to me!

These photos are from Lisbon, and I'll be sharing more from Sintra (one of my favorite places ever!) in a later post.