Fall Foliage Engagements | Flagstaff, AZ
Autumnal Engagement Photos in Northern Arizona—
Ok, I will admit, we stumbled upon fall in Flagstaff by complete accident. Megan and Max, like us, live in the more desert looking part of the state of Arizona, and, because their spring wedding features more of the desert landscape, they were hoping for more greenery filled scenery for their engagement photos. And so, naturally, we found ourselves just north of Humphrey’s Peak in early October. Joseph and I had scouted this location just two weeks prior, and it was green as ever! Last year, autumn hit much later, and having golden scenery was absolutely not something we were expecting. But, to our pleasant surprise, we arrived to our location just outside Flagstaff to discover fall had peaked here.
Now, I have pretty much only lived in places that don’t experience real seasons, so this was just the second or third time in my life I’d seen leaves change (Joseph will make fun of me for all time, so you also have permission to do so). I was so excited about this unexpected change in the foliage! Megan and Max were equally excited! We scouted a location with a really great mix of pines and aspens, and to me, it doesn’t get more Flagstaff than this!
Aside from the internal excitement surrounding the forest and the full moon and the very golden sunlight absolutely going off for Megan and Max’s Flagstaff engagements, I simply love the way these photos capture the sweet, gentle love these two have for each other. The way they look at each other simply makes me go 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲. I will say it here, because this “style” of couple photos has become quite popular in recent years. Not every couple has to fit into the box that is the crazy, movement filled, overly “cinematic” photo look. There is a unique beauty to a more quiet, peaceful collection of photographs, too—
Lately I’ve been enthralled with the way no two couples are similar, and how this is personified in something like engagement photos; with the way you can give five different couples the same exact prompt, and every single one will interpret it differently. Each love story holds different experiences, different highs and lows, different ways each person has grown and learned alongside the other over the years. Engagement photos shouldn’t have to look the same, either. In the way I used to browse Pinterest for inspiration before sessions, I now use the first 20 minutes of an engagement session to understand who the couple is and observe how they interact with each other. This determines how I prompt them the rest of the session, so I make sure I am capturing who they are, as opposed to giving them a gallery that looks like everyone else’s.
Something I’ve really honed in on this year is focusing more on the element of human connection, and less on the cookie cutter “get the perfectly composed shot” style of photography (though I do believe the latter has become at least a bit more second nature after all these years). Because what is going to carry more meaning in 5, 25, 50 years? To me the answer is easy. I want there to be life in your photos long after the season is over; for galleries to carry as much of a personality as the people in them.
To make “art” for a living is the coolest thing. To get to grow and evolve and refine this craft is a privilege! I’m really proud of these and am so excited to share them with you!
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We’re Katie & Joseph, a husband and wife team, and Arizona wedding and elopement photographers.
We are big fans of documenting LOVE in an unposed, raw, genuine, and honest way that allows our couples to maximize their experience on their day while also receiving a gallery full of stunning images that communicate how it felt to be there.
Though we live in Arizona, we’ll travel anywhere for a good love story. We invite you to follow the links below to learn more about us and our services, and to get in contact with us!
