Lisa's Beauty Session

This weekend was a sweet one spent down the shore with family. October is here, Fall is officially in the air and I couldn’t be loving it more. One of my favorite things about growing up down the shore is the “shore family” you adopt. Lisa is definitely a part of my shore family and we’ve been planning this beauty session for months. We originally planned on shooting in a sunflower field but missed sunflower season by a few days. Instead, we decided to try The Road to Nowhere - a long isolated road that was meant to be another bridge connecting Manahawkin to Long Beach Island. The bridge was never finished leaving a broken down dock tattooed with graffiti. We were so psyched in the days leading up to the shoot so when the sky turned black and the rain made a grand entrance we freaked out a bit. BUT I had this feeling that it would be ok and we decided to drive to the spot regardless. Once the car was parked the clouds parted and the sky turned a beautiful gold and lasted a full on hour. We soaked up every minute of the gorgeous golden hour. Literally. Our last shot was basically in the dark with Lisa sitting in the middle of the abandoned road and are some of my favorites.

Taking on this new role as a photographer has been an amazing thing. I see everything through a new lens. Pun intended. I make a note of which exit off the parkway has the most amazing wildflowers planted in the divider (exit 71) and seriously consider if it’s safe enough to use it as a backdrop (probably not). I don’t mind sticking my feet in the mud and rearranging marsh to create the perfect composition. I want to hike up high mountains so I can scope them out as potential locations and I welcome the wind because it adds a layer of movement.

With my camera in hand, I’m an adventurer - someone who stops to watch a field of marsh light up after a rainstorm passes and snaps a moment in time of a beautiful girl dancing in the soft glow of the evening.