A dusty road winds around the Jungle Gardens at Avery Island, a southern charm in Louisiana.  Even for us, who have visited many times over the years, arriving is like stepping into a fairy tale world of cinema like wonder. I always enjoy the quiet entrance of trees that stand as a gateway into this very special place. As a photographer, nothing is more inspiring than taking a step outside the norm.

I am really at fault for not taking more time to photograph our session from a wider perspective behind the scenes. Once we get in to our shooting mode we rarely do what other’s do to share what it is like on location during a shoot. Photography is like a complex creative puzzle. We have long since learned that it is best to not approach any shoot with strong preconceptions of how the final result will end up. If we allow ourselves to see the moment as it unfolds, be it the light of the day, the scene, and even how we relate to our clients, we will often have a stronger result than if we have a checkbox of images we are trying to fill.

If you have read our blog at any point in the past, you know that our creative process unfolds as:  Light – Subject – Scenery.  Our emphasis always starts with positioning our subject in the best possible light and creating a flattering look and pose together. This creates a unique challenge in a place like Avery Island because the temptation is to shoot every landscape you see at every turn. In practice however, we still want to begin with what makes our bride look her absolute best. From around November to March we are generally swamped with portrait sessions. Besides the obvious comfort of cooler months, we really do love the quality of light as the sun sits lower in the sky. We are even so picky as to love the lesser humidity because of the reduced haze in the air that gives images an extra crisp quality straight out of camera.

All that said, we are only as good as our subject. We were one happy set of photographers at the idea of photographing Ramee, and…well just look at her. You can see why.