Portraits

Greg + Alyssa | Married

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Some of you may remember our story about our land! It wasn’t as easy as just finding something on Zillow and buying it! It took almost two years to make it official and to start building the house! We had to do some research, ask neighbors about the internet situation, and spend countless hours on the phone with Comcast trying to make sure that we could have high speed lines run out into the country! We had to get the land rezoned to be residential, and that meant several Board of Supervisors meetings and country votes. It was QUITE the process! You may have also heard us mention that the way we found our current homesite was through another lot of land that was actually for sale!

We saw 15 acres of land for sale on Zillow that was affordable and had been on the market for close to two years, and so that’s how we found OUR land that we had to ask permission to buy! All throughout the rezoning, purchasing and building process, we loved having that empty 15 acre lot next to us because it has a few little rolling hills, an old dirt road and some massive oak trees that have created beautiful groves out in the middle of the field! It’s the PERFECT location for a portrait session!

So, even though we didn’t know who owned that land, we trespassed several times and did sessions there! It was beautiful! Our land is a wide open field with some thick forest behind the house. There isn’t a space to shoot in glowy, diffused light and so I loved using this 15 acres next to us!! I knew I was trespassing and that is frowned upon… but I loved having a location that was beautiful that I could use right next door!

So you may see where this is going! After getting advice from our parents, best friends and spending a lot of time in prayer about it… we purchased the 15 acres next to us this past fall! I now have a built-in location for engagements and anniversary sessions right next to our house!!! It’s beautiful!! We’re so excited to be able to offer more KJ Anniversary sessions to couples in 2018 for anyone willing to come out to our home!! That way I can create gorgeous images without having to get a sitter for Evy!

Greg and Alyssa came to the house to help us and the Herrinton’s with a little education project that we’re working on, and we used our new land for their shoot! Now, for those of you in the KJ Posing course, you should be proud of me. I totally shot all of these images in a matter of 20 minutes! We had a massive storm rolling in and we could see lightening in the background, so we had to ROLL!!! And we did! Look at all of this variety!!!

Ps. HUGE thanks to Lauren Thompson for replicating Alyssa’s original bouquet! So gorgeous!!!!

Thanks for reading!

— Katelyn

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