IF YOU'RE THINKING OF Adventuring in Big Bend,
you are in the right place
Honestly, you can't go wrong with a trip down Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive or heading the opposite direction to the hot spring. However, if it's your first time on an adventure session with a photographer... there are some things you should know before you take off to have a stress free day.
Have you and your couple been together for a while and just haven't had time to do anything for yourselves? Or maybe that honeymoon you both said would come later on never did? Or perhaps you love going to parks and the outdoors but have never had the opportunity to document it?
It sounds like an adventure session is for you but maybe you don't know where to start.
Welp, that's where I come into play. I'm all for documenting those little moments that you can laugh, cry and smile about for years to come. That's because I'm going to capture them for you. Not to mention help you plan the WHOLE thing!
Time of year
This is likely one of the most detrimental decisions for your adventure session. This will play a strong role in ideal locations in the park, the look of your photos due to different plants in bloom and available light.
Crowds and maintenance of roads can also come into the equation when you look at different seasons. Lighting and timeline can also be influenced by time of day and the length of coverage you are wanting.
LocatioN
Choosing your locations absolutely requires a little bit of research to help you decide where you’d like to go. "The park is comprised of 1,252 square miles of land, making it larger than the state of Rhode Island." It also has two entrances, one on the Marathon side and the other on the Terlingua side. Choosing which entrance to start at is important and should be based off of where you want to start and end your session.
Depending on where you want to adventure and where you want to start, it can take upwards of an hour to many locations. For example, it's roughly an hour to complete the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive - where you can see the Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff, Tuff Canyon, and Santa Elena Canyon (+ many other locations).
Due to the many options on where to go and what trails to consider, my advice is to start with your top three spots and build a timeline around them.
What to bring
It can be a long day in the park. It can go south fast if you aren't prepared and no one wants that. It's important to remember that it is a desert and as much as we want to just go have fun, we should also be prepared. Here are a few things I suggest bringing with you:
Snacks on snacks on snacks!
Seriously, there are only a few places in the park where you can purchase snacks and water. There's no worse feeling than being on your adventure session and getting hungry. At that point you aren't going to be wanting to take pictures.
Water
Like I said above, the same applies to this! Make sure you bring more than one water bottle!
An extra pair of shoes, preferably hiking shoes + extra socks
Nothing is worse than wet and cold feet! Occasionally, the river at the canyon can be up and we could be walking through a little water. It's nice to know you can change socks if needed and continue on stress free. Same goes for shoes and having extra proper footwear if we need to hike through rocks for a little bit.
A jacket
Temps in the park can vary depending on location and time of day. It's nice to have a jacket if temps change on us.
These are just a few but I'm always up for being over prepared!
What to expect
Not everyone has worked with a professional photographer, and even if you have - I want you to know a bit about what it’s like when working with me.
Think of me more like your fun friend who's always coming out with the tequila shots ready for everyone to have a good time.
Count on me to capture the in between moments and all the candid moments that you dream about. I am not going to tell you to hold still and smile. Those are not the moments that I am after. I want you to look back on these photos and remember this experience how you envisioned, effortless and full of love.
I'm after the moments where you forget I am there and you connect in your own world together. I may prompt you through a playful "pose" to get a reaction but it's not that pose I am looking for - it's the emotion from the two of you that comes from the prompt.
I'm here to help you scout locations, plan a timeline, and keep it stress free. I can even help you style the outfits and I'll be sure to remind you to pack all the right things.
So if you are looking for an adventure,
