When Kohl + Taylor decided to hire us for their wedding, we were ecstatic! They both live in Peoria, Arizona, so we knew that a trip out that way would mean we would have to pick an epic location to take their engagement photos.
We decided on Devil's Bridge after some research. They didn't know it at the time of the shoot, but Moe and I had just discovered we were 4 weeks pregnant. Moe (who owns a trucking business here in California) had just gotten home from work, and we immediately loaded up my Jeep and set out for Arizona.
The drive was insane! My husband drives for a living, so that's nothing new--but that happened to be a crazy week for him. so to work for 24 hours with no sleep, hop in the car again, drive another 7--it was intense to say the least. We arrived at 1 in the morning, and by 2, we were barely getting some shut eye. Logistically, I knew we would have to be on the trail by 5, so we set our alarms for 4 am. Yes--we slept for two hours.
We met Kohl + Taylor in a parking lot, they hopped in our car, and we were on our way.
We arrived in Sedona at 4:45 in the morning. Much of the trail is only accessible with an off-roading vehicle, hence picking them up at 4. The jeep took us the majority of the way there, the remaining half hour had to be done on foot. There we were--4 weeks pregnant, backpacks filled with camera gear, ready to hike what most people have reviewed as a "strenuous" trail.
Moe (the only other person who knew I was pregnant), had knots in his stomach the entire trek up there. We're both in physically good shape, so I didn't question whether or not we'd be able to make the hike, but I will have to warn you that it is steep and slippery!
Unfortunately, there was already another couple working with their photographer when we arrived, so much of the "good" lighting was gone, despite us being there so early. Moe and I took this as a lesson learned, because we should have arrived an hour earlier. Devil's Bridge is an amazing sight, and I wished these photos did it justice. Moe and I positioned ourselves at two different locations, and I photoshopped myself out of the picture above. Side note--this is why it's great to have a second shooter, we were able to get all the photos in half the time--a real Godsend since we were fighting harsh lighting.
On our descend, I told them I was pregnant. I didn't tell them sooner, because I did not want the thought of a severely pregnant woman shooting their wedding that November to be looming over their heads and ruining their day. I offered to give them back all of their money, and would have considered this entire engagement shoot a gift from us. They insisted they only wanted to work with us (which, we're totally grateful for), and by the time their wedding rolled around, I was ready to pop. Check out their wedding album here by clicking here: https://www.twotwentytwollc.com/post/dirtygoatwedding-diy-backyard-wedding-in-mira-loma-california
Interested in coming with us to Devil's Bridge? Let's chat!
xo,
Lana