My typical photographic style is airy and bright and I schedule engagement sessions and portrait times on wedding days to be when the light is golden and glorious. So when I had to submit an assignment for The International Academy of Wedding Photographers that showed the use of “natural light” (no flash) after the sun had set, I had nothing in my portfolio. Thankfully, I put out an all-call online and one of my sweet June couples, Cortney & Christian, volunteered to help me out. I was mostly so excited to see them again (they’re a dream to photograph), but was also thankful that they were so gracious with me as I tested out some different ideas for an evening engagement session.

In the end, I still much prefer natural sunlit photos, but it was good for me to stretch a bit out of my comfort zone and find other light sources besides the sun. Also, we really lucked out with that tree that was bursting with hanging lights.