Engagement at Rough Ridge Lookout North Carolina

Joey and Kaitlyn are some of the coolest and most adventurous people we've ever met. When they told us they wanted to get their engagement pictures taken on Rough Ridge in the Blue Ridge Mountains, we were stoked for a good time.

If you didn't already know about the major trauma her body had undergone just months prior to the hike, you wouldn't have believed she was in any kind of pain. She moved naturally through the mountains that have meant so much to her relationship with Joey. Already together for 5 years, these two have a comfortable chemistry with one another. They're gentle and loving and sweet and crazy and the camera loves them all the more for it! 

But when they told us Kaitlyn was trusting her body for its first hike after major surgery and extensive physical therapy, we were shocked! With the temperatures in the 30’s and wind gusts up to 23 mph on top of that exposed mountain, Kaitlyn may very well be the toughest most strongest and determined woman we've ever met, and Joey is the perfect partner for her-- supportive and encouraging without being too overprotective.

We began the shoot by talking goals and expectations. They met us at the boardwalk, a mere .3 miles up the mountain with great photo ops and even a few benches if you want to leisurely watch the sun set.  We didn’t. We wanted to take full advantage of our time together and knew the best light would yield at golden hour, roughly two hours away. Kaitlyn and Joey started the shoot in comfortable outdoors attire and we swiftly made our way to the summit of the mountain— about .5 miles— taking note of locations we’d like to stop at on the way back down when the light was softer.

The summit was cold but beautiful. We got some great pictures slightly off the trail nestled cozy on some rocks. There we were able to use the sun as a back light for the couple and get some great shots. On our way back down, we paused for a photo op under the tree-covered trail. Here, I had Joey and Kaitlyn take turns leading one another down some natural mountain-carved steps and through the trail. Our next stop was on top of a rock on the side of the mountain. This is where we first tried our “Titanic Pose”. Y’all if we weren’t cold before this, we were now! Completely vulnerable to the brisk autumn wind, Joey and Kaitlyn worked the camera beautifully. What great sports! After pausing for more photo opportunities, we finally reached the boardwalk again. It was officially golden hour and we could not have been more excited. (Insert pic of frozen Courtney here).

Joey held up a sheet while Kaitlyn quickly stripped out of her outdoors clothes and into a rust colored wrap-around dress. Joey also packed a change of clothes and swapped out his plaid shirt for a white button up— still rocking his signature mullet! We moved over to a spot just off the boardwalk where the sun pierced through the trees while the wind pierced through them! They were strong as they moved into various motions we directed them through. After the trees, we ventured onto the famously photographed rock right off the boardwalk. John got out his drone to capture a few distant shots of the couple, and while he was occupied with fighting the wind not to steal his Mavic Air II, I was getting some solid images at sunset.
It was a shoot I’ll never forget, not just because of the stellar shots, or the freezing weather, but because Joey and Kaitlyn are just such great people and I genuinely loved every minute with them. We cannot wait to capture their wedding in 2021! It’s going to be so great to see them again and check on the length of that mullet!