Jessica and Jeff's South Mountain Engagement

8 . 17. 2019

Being a born and bred Phoenician, I sometimes forget about the beauty that Arizona holds. Thankfully, when I have the chance to photograph couples who aren't from here, I get to play tour guide! Jessica and Jeff are from Chicago and came down to Arizona to visit Jeff's family and get some wedding details finalized for their wedding coming up in October!

They also took the chance to get their engagement photos taken before heading back to their home state and this meant that I got the chance to photograph in a recently found gem here in the desert. The South Mountain Preserve is the perfect little desert spot for photographing!

We started out at a well known spot, Scorpion Gulch, and then moved across the street to an unassuming desert beauty. This time of year, it is very hot and dry but the desert has a way of glowing regardless. The dry desert grass caught the light of the setting sun and lit up the ground we walked on. We ventured over to a large rock formation that was perfect for slow dancing in front of as the sun flared behind them.

From there, we drove down to the visitor center and walked towards a perfectly placed bridge. It lights up at sunset and with Jessica's red dress and Jeff's blue shirt, they popped in color against the golden colors of the desert. ☀️

As the session went on, I realized that Jeff had a sense of humor and this was made more clear when I thought I was being sneaky, snapping photos as they walked ahead of me, and then bam! Model pose! Jeff turned back towards the camera, turning Jessica with him, and they struck their best runway walk poses! It made us all crack up now the moment is immortalized!

These are the moments that can not be posed and I am thankful every time I am able to capture a couples spontaneity! Pure gold I tell ya 👏🏼

A huge, heartfelt, congratulations to Jessica and Jeff on their engagement!