Amy and Tony’s engagement photos in the Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge State Park

Ever since I have lived in Louisville, one of my favorite places in the region has been the Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge State Park. It is truly one of the most beautiful and scenic areas in Kentucky. When Amy and Tony first met with me, they told me the sweetest story of their engagement. Tony had the whole thing planned out, with a drive and a hike to a beautiful spot in the gorge to make his proposal perfectly timed at sunset. Just one little detail escaped his attention, however; he completely forgot that the time changed that day. So, unfortunately, they were left with one less hour of daylight than he had expected! He had to make a quick change of plans and a find a shorter hiking spot, but the proposal still went off without a hitch and her answer, of course, was affirmative :) It really was funny to hear him tell the story and so sweet to see her face watching him tell it; they actually did run out of daylight and were still hiking along in the dark, at his insistence, to the overlook destination that he had in mind. I would say that this is definitely a sweet testament to how much she loves and trusts him :) I can only imagine what could have been running through her mind--like, "Why is it so important that we take this hike in the dark?" or, "What is his big hurry to get me way out here in the middle of nowhere when the sun is about to go down?" But, of course, the story has a happy ending, and they have not only each other and the rest of their lives together, they also have a wonderful engagement story and memory to always share.

Before we had even confirmed the booking for their wedding, he brought up the idea of doing their engagement session at the gorge, at the site of his proposal. I was thrilled and jumped at the idea; I haven't had the free time to visit the area in over 2 years, and I knew what a gorgeous location it would be to do the shoot. Not to mention, what a wonderful opportunity to provide lasting and tangible memories of their engagement by shooting photographs of them in the very spot it occurred.

I thought I knew the region pretty well, as I used to visit the park all the time with friends when I was in college, but I found out that I have really only explored the Natural Bridge side of the park, and I was virtually ignorant of the entire separate area that comprises the Red River Gorge preserve. So what a total bonus for me--I not only got to shoot an engagement session for a beautiful couple in an amazing natural environment, I also discovered a whole new part of the region that is, for me, as of yet unexplored. Tony gave me a map of the area and pointed out several places of interest, so there will definitely be another trip for me and the kids in the near future.

Speaking of the kids, I had a little assistant with me on this particular engagement session. I asked Amy and Tony if they minded if I brought Wesley along; I spend so much time working that I often feel like I'm not giving my children the attention they need and deserve. Since it is about an hour and a half trip from Louisville to the gorge, I thought it would be neat for me to have Wesley along as company on the drive, and neat for him to be able to do some outdoor exploring and hiking. Amy and Tony were very gracious with my little helper, and although he chattered and acted a bit more like a clown than I anticipated, they assured me that he was doing a good job keeping smiles on their faces. I gave Wesley my iPhone for the hike, and his job was to take photos with the phone of things he saw and noticed, while I took photographs of Amy and Tony. He actually got a few good shots of the happy couple as well! He has a good eye, but I'm sure it comes only natural :)

Big congratulations and best wishes to Amy and Tony! Their wedding is this weekend, and I'm so excited to capture their special day. Look for their wedding photographs very soon!