I’ve said it before but my ultimate dream is to shoot more destination work so every time I travel, I’m always sharing when I’ll be somewhere new! I put on my Instagram bio the dates that I’d be in Iceland, just on the off chance that someone from Iceland saw it! I have a few tricks up my sleeve for finding couples to photograph when I travel and this time, I had exhausted all my options and no one was responding to me so I let go of the idea that I’d get to do a photoshoot. I was bummed but I also knew I could photograph Jessie (who I traveled with) if I wanted to, which would satisfy my photography-loving heart.

Well, a couple weeks before leaving for Europe, I got an inquiry from someone named Tara, saying she was going to be in Iceland the same dates as me and would love to book me for a shoot of her and her husband, since she had recently found out she was pregnant! Tara actually lives on the east coast, not too far from me, and she even got married at Cross Keys Vineyard, where I shoot a lot! Such a small world!

When she ended up hiring me, I couldn’t WAIT to adventure Iceland with them! The weather in Iceland is completely unpredictable, especially in the winter, and the day we picked for the shoot it was calling for 90% chance of rain at Skógafoss, where we had planned to shoot. I figured it would rain, since it did almost everyday we had been there but I also knew not every couple would want to deal with being wet and cold. I asked Tara and Jordan if they wanted to do it in the rain and they said yes! So we drove from Reykjavik to Skógafoss in the pouring rain and arrived to the most incredible waterfall I’ve ever seen. It was still raining but we got out of the car and made the most of it! When you’re taking pictures of a sweet couple in a place as amazing as Iceland, you don’t really care if it’s raining. In fact, I think the rainy photos are incredibly romantic and honestly, it’s a good, realistic representation of Iceland! They were such good sports and although we had to take breaks every few minutes to de-thaw, it was worth it!! The sun did end up coming out towards the end of the shoot, though, and that was a huge blessing!!

This shoot was a complete dream come true for me and I’m so thankful for Tara and Jordan, who made it fun despite the elements!! So here are a few of my favorites!!

P.S. If anyone is eloping or getting married in Iceland, let me know! I’ll fly out in a heartbeat!!