Yes, you read that right. These two braved the freezing river water for their stunning engagement photos.
I've known Sky for many years, and have had the wonderful privilege of getting to photograph with her for many different occasions, but when I heard she got engaged, I messaged her really fast with a strong desire to have the chance to capture her once again on camera. Not only is she beautiful, but she's an incredibly fun person to be around, and she is a straight up model when it comes to the camera. That girl is down to do whatever. So when she suggested that we go to Austin to get IN the water for some shots, I brought everything I needed to do the job right.
Not only was I thrilled that Sky was willing to make the adventurous drive out of the Houston flatness (sorry if that's rude), but she wanted to go the whole 9 yards! I was ecstatic to hear that she was not willing to compromise anything due to the water being too cold in January and boy, did she hold herself to the standard she set.
Luckily, when we arrived on site, the weather was pretty warm, and we all even worked up a sweat during the first half of the shoot. Michael, her fiancé, was such a good sport, and helped Sky walk across slippery water rocks for certain pictures, and even carried her around when we needed to move spots. I mean, what a great guy, right?
I don't think any of us fully realized that even in January in Texas, the river water temperature was not going to budge with a mere 75 degrees for a few hours. But committed the both of them were to the vision Sky had in mind.
And I was so glad I got to capture it...
Okay, so there's three parts to this story...
So we all know that I spoiled the ending by saying that they eventually got in the water, but since I knew that we would be going all this way to climb in the freezing cold Austin, TX river, I thought before we freeze our butts off, let's see if we can do the iconic float on an air mattress thing.
You remember that scene in the "Parent Trap" where the girls push the girlfriend out onto the lake on her air mattress? I mean, it worked for her, why not us?
You would think that my adventurous self would at least invest in my own air mattress, but I don't own one. Luckily, I was able to borrow one from a friend and air it up right before we walked out to this gorgeous waterfall area in Bull Creek. And like I predicted, the mattress carried them perfectly and made for these precious shots on the winter river water.
But now, the moment you've all been waiting for...
These just make my jaw drop. For some reason, water is just so romantic. I'm so glad the Sky + Michael braved the freezing water to get these stunning shots. I seriously can't wait to share their wedding day with you later this year!
If you're itching to shoot outside of Houston, Austin is a great option with very different terrain, yet close enough for a day trip! I'd love to get creative with you and capture something truly beautiful for your next lifetime milestone or just for funsies. I'm always down no matter the time or place!
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