Nature Inspired Styled Session | North Umpqua River Oregon | Kelli & Justin

Let me get right out there and say that styled shoots are stupid. Yep, you read that right; and I mean it. There are so many photographers out there that have portfolios mostly consisting of styled shoots and not real weddings. How can potential clients judge your work when it’s not from what they would actually hire you to do? I just don’t get it. But then again, that’s me. I’m different in most regards so why not be different from the industry when it comes to styled shoots too?! That being said, I would like to show off my first ever styled shoot, haha! It was absolutely not stupid and I’m so glad it came together the way it did.

(And when I say styled shoot, I mean Rachel and I styled it and created what we wanted to create in a very loosely based manner just like we would with a couple in this exact situation in real life. No weird table halfway in the river where the couple sit alone in nature to enjoy their wedding meal that doesn’t actually exist and fake toast shots when there are no guests and nobody actually toasting… But enough of my critique on the industry.)

Melinda from the Steamboat Inn on the North Umpqua River near Glide, OR contacted us to setup a sort of promo styled shoot to showcase the types of weddings that could be held at Steamboat. We of course said yes, this is an amazing location and we want to see it succeed and book crazy numbers of weddings in the future! So we planned a date and started arranging details and went for it. No planner, no coordinator; just an amazing couple, a perfect location, and one of the best florists around. Simple, North Umpqua wedding photography at its finest.

The goal of the shoot was to let nature inspire us. Steamboat is in such an incredible setting it’s impossible to be there and not admire God’s creation. So, that’s exactly what we did. We kept things focused on nature and let the beauty around us inspire the photographs. We shot digital and film to keep things as real as possible.

For the couple we found Kelli and Justin from Bend, OR. They made the trip over to the North Umpqua on Kelli’s birthday and it was an amazing time of what we called getting “re-married” with new photos. I’ve known these two for over 20 years and their story of marriage is one of the most beautiful and heart-moving things I’ve ever witnessed. After 13 years of marriage they are just now finding themselves on their honeymoon; and though that probably makes no sense for anyone who doesn’t know them or their story, for those that know, it’s a life-changing love. It’s a story of commitment, vows that won’t be broken no matter the circumstance, struggle, passion, and a marriage that is about more than just two people being in love. A true covenant.

And for the florals. I told Kathleen from Gypsy Bleu that we were going for a nature-inspired look and we really wanted everything to be foraged and found so she came up with all the florals from her personal garden and handpicked everything herself. It’s amazing what talented people can do when it becomes second nature to them!

Hair and makeup by Rachel who is also my wife and 2nd photographer. She also picked native succulents off the river rocks to decorate the cake. Really?! That part has to be made up. Native succulents on river rocks? #fakenews for sure. (not!) So, basically all Rachel did to help was plan the whole thing, do Kelli’s hair and makeup, stylize all of the flowers, decorate the cake, and shoot half the photos you see here. No big deal.