So we’ve all heard of destination weddings, yes? I wrote a few months ago about why bringing a photographer WITH you to a destination is a better option that going with a resort photographer, but today I’m going to profess my undying love of destination engagement sessions.

I’ve had the opportunity to shoot a few of these over the past year and every time, it breathes new life into me! I love the DC area, but shooting in the same location over and over can take a toll on your creativity. And for me, it becomes “safe”- the mentality of “I’ve already shot here, therefore if I’m not feeling creative, I’ll essentially just repeat what I did last time because I know it works.” There’s wisdom to knowing which locations work well and when, but I know that if I shoot in one location too many times, it gets really hard to avoid going into autopilot mode, shooting the same way I did the last time I was there.

This is why I LOVE when my couples ask if I’d be able to travel for their engagement session. The answer is always a resounding YES! I love that, by getting out of the DC/northern Virginia area, we’ll be able to explore a new area together and come up with a portrait session completely unique and tailored to their story. And I love that they’re choosing a location that has personal meaning to them, a location that’s more significant to their relationship than any DC/Virginia-based spot that I can suggest.

William & Meg’s engagement session (part 1 and part 2) took place on Bald Head Island in North Carolina because both of them grew up spending summers on the resort beach island. It had a personal meaning to them- every spot we hit was connected to their stories as individuals and their love story together. The beach access where we began at sunrise? That’s the same beach where they spent many a lazy summer day with friends and family. The golf course where we snapped a few frames? It’s where William & Meg met while working for the BHI Club. And the images with the lighthouse in the background? They’re getting married in the shade of Old Baldy next May.

Last June I had the joy of flying up to Rhode Island for Greg & Sarah’s love-shoot-turned-engagement-session. Greg grew up in Providence and they were up there visiting family, so Greg decided it would be the perfect place to propose AND do a portrait session. It was GORGEOUS. And just being in a new atmosphere, a difference environment is enough to get my adrenaline pumping and the ideas start flowing. And this past March, Tyler & Ashley chose Ocean City, Maryland for their e-session, home to their Summer Project where they first met.

And I know it wasn’t an engagement SESSION, but then there was that one time my best friend’s boyfriend proposed in Jacksonville, FL and I got to photograph it!

Happy Wednesday!