After a beautiful drive to the Mohonk preserve in Gardiner, NY, I watched as Chris whipped into the parking lot in his jet black WRX and emerged in a shirt and tie – Amy also exited the car in a nice sweater and a skirt. They were dressed prim and proper for their engagement photos.
Next the gear came out of the trunk. Harnesses, ropes, helmets, a crash pad and more. I already knew today wasn’t going to be an ordinary engagement session.
When Amy & Chris met with me to talk about photography for their wedding they spoke of their many adventures – climbing, hiking, kayaking, and more. We talked about how we could incorporate some of that into their engagement photos and we came up with this trip to an area known as the Gunks, or more properly the Shawangunk mountains. When they spoke of climbing and hiking, I thought it’d be a pretty relaxing and routine adventure through trails and paths and we’d find a few spots for some bouldering where I’d be able to get a variety of images of them just enjoying the outdoors.
My first sign was the 3rd helmet. One for Chris, one for Amy, and one for me. What was I going to need a helmet for? Chris proceeded to explain to me that they wanted me to repel halfway down a couple hundred foot cliff and literally hang out while they repelled the rest of the way down and then I could get photos of them climbing back up this ridiculously high cliffside. I’m pretty sure they saw a reaction similar to this:
Luckily we had a bit of a hike before us so that I could get my nerves together and get more comfortable with the idea. I’d climbed and repelled before, but always in more controlled environments…and much lower heights!
Assured of the safety, and with Amy & Chris’ patience and assistance, we were able to pull off some really fun images. This ended up being one of the most amazing engagement sessions that I’ve been privileged to do. We spent nearly the whole day together and even stopped for dinner on the way back. It was a blast hanging out with these two and I’m looking forward to their Woodloch Wedding at the end of the month!
Join us on the adventure:
Climbing shoes, check! – Heels, check!
I hope everyone enjoys the story, as I enjoyed capturing it! Looking forward to seeing you two again in a few weeks!
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