When Ben + Mia reached out to me to photograph them for their four year anniversary, they gave me full creative reign. That’s always equal parts exciting and scary, lol. I love having the freedom to create something unique, but I also want to make sure it’s something that the couple will love. So I asked them what their hobbies were and they told me they loved being in the water, but they didn’t want just another beach session. They wanted to remember just being young and in love living in Florida.

Growing up in Florida, I went to Turkey Creek a lot. I even had a snake swim by my legs once! I knew that the creek ran out into the bay and thought that it would be a great place to create something unique. I’m also not a fan of shooting in really public places, so I knew we’d be more secluded in the bay.

I like to create stories in my mind before a session like this, so I imagined them walking on the docks by the bay enjoying the last few days of summer and being alone together. I wanted to create an intimate, yet playful atmosphere where they were out enjoying nature together. We brought a kayak with us too, but it definitely didn’t work out, lol. That’s ok though! You never know until you try.

We went waist deep a few times, with me firmly holding on to my camera, and the mud was so squishy, lol. Definitely not a session for the squeamish. At the end of the session though I suggested they jump into the water. They were a little hesitant, but after bribing them with Starbucks, they did it! The dark water gave such a moody vibe and we quickly went from The Notebook to Twilight. Shooting adventurous couples is my favorite and it’s a huge honor when they trust in my artistic vision enough to do something a little crazy.

If you’re wanting to do “not another beach session” with your person, hit me up, because I would love to get out there and get creative with you two!

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