Fall Engagement Session Fun Adventurous Couple Waterfall Elopement Slateford Creek Falls PA Pennsylvania New Jersey Wedding Photographer

Oh man, sometimes you just KNOW when you make magic, and Olivia and Eoghan’s engagement session was nothing short of that! When Olivia and I started discussing ideas for their session, I was SO. ON. BOARD! Holy moly, her vision for an adventurous waterfall session has been a big dream of mine for so long now. We adventured to Slateford Creek Falls in Pennsylvania, and it was such a magical hidden gem! There were no other hikers in the area, so we were able to make this place our home for a few hours!

We started with an adorable picnic set up that felt so much like Olivia and Eoghan. They have both been vegan and vegetarian for a little while now, so naturally, they had some fresh veggies in the fridge at home already! Olivia figured that it’s the most authentic to who they are, so they enjoyed some carrots and tomatoes while hanging out in front of the falls. Before ever meeting, we discovered a mutual love for the band, The Tallest Man on Earth. Eoghan brought his guitar and sang 1904 by TTMOE and Olivia admired her man in awe. Nature was seriously showing off for us right then, and she only had eyes for him. It was such a sweet moment, I get the chills thinking about it. These adventurous ones were up for swimming in the falls even though it was realllllly cold. They did a quick dress change into bathing suits and balanced on the slippery rocks, splashed around while staying close, and getting all cute and cuddly in the falls! When they went up into the waterfall, they couldn’t hear me at all, so they literally just did their thing and it was absolutely perfect!

Photographers, the light was a major challenge in here because of how dark it was getting – make sure to shoot earlier in the day so you’re not chasing the light as much. I recommend making sure you’re using equipment that works well in low-light situations. I think my ISO could’ve been nearing 3200 or even 4000 toward the end, and it held up pretty freaking well. I had to search for patches of light coming through the trees and where it was hitting the water so I could place them in that spot! The darker setting lends itself to a darker, moodier edit, so I loved that I could really play with light and shadows here.

Honestly, I’m finding that I love the emotion so much more than the technical perfection. If an image is slightly blurry, a little noisy, or “off” in some way, oh well. What matters most is that your couples are connected and that you’re capturing that emotion. An image speaks when you can feel it, not when you can note all of the proper settings. I challenge you to run around with your couples, let them get messy and dirty and wild, get realllllly closer, get realllllllly far. Make people FEEL. Some of these waterfall images are my favorite photos to date because they’re moody, passionate, and bring about emotions I feel like I haven’t tapped into as much in my work. It also doesn’t hurt to have some rad couples. 😉

Olivia and Eoghan met at the gym they both worked at. Over the course of a couple months, they began to talk more often, and eventually Eoghan asked Olivia on a date. After the first date, they knew immediately that there was something special between them, and they have barely been separated since! They have both changed and grown over the past four years, but everything they have experienced has only helped them come together and strengthen their relationship. Olivia told me she doesn’t know how she managed to get so lucky as to find Eoghan, but she is SO thankful she did. Ahhh, how precious!

In Olivia’s words, the proposal went a little something like this: “Knowing that I love anything that is outdoors, especially if it is in the woods, Eoghan took me to New Hampshire for a late birthday present. He wouldn’t tell me where we were staying. Eventually, we turned off of the paved road that we had taken through the surrounding mountains and got onto a dirt road. At the very end of it was a gorgeous 5 acre property in the woods, and after walking out onto a little wooden bridge, we arrived at the cutest little treehouse I’ve ever seen. We stayed the weekend, went hiking to a waterfall (obviously I have a thing for them lol), and on the last night there, we went to the local dam to see views at sunset, and my very nervous Eoghan got down on one knee and proposed. We ended the night sitting by the fire near the pond on the property, eating pizza and drinking beer and wine. It was the best time and I love that he planned that all for me.”

Olivia and Eoghan, thank you endlessly for being so open to crazy ideas and for your adventurous hearts. It’s so amazing getting to connect with people like you who will remain as friends beyond just being clients. You embody so much of what I adore about relationships and love, and I am grateful you were so authentic and open to having me document this part of your lives. Thank you thank you thank you!!! Can’t wait for you intimate elopement wedding in a few weeks, it’s going to be SO incredible! Love you both xoxo!!