the journal

Emalee’s Barn is a wedding venue in Rexburg, Idaho and I have been dying to shoot there!!!! It is so rustic and beautiful! And they just got a new window/door installed so of course it was the perfect excuse to go photograph a Rexburg engagement session there! The owner was SO sweet and just let us use the property for this session! The barn is amazing! It has a gorgeous chandelier and 2 barn wood doors. Inside it’s painted white, and outside it’s natural wood! The back of the barn has such a cute grass area that’s nicely fenced, perfect for outdoor weddings! Back inside, there are custom bar areas for serving food and gorgeous exposed wood and beams on the walls and ceilings! Talk about dreamy! 

Brittney & Kean were the perfect couple for this session! They were so fun to work with! Kean kept making Brittney laugh and they were just being SO playful! I love it when couples show me their personalities because then I can just capture how they are and their relationship! We started the engagement session out front and had them hold hands and run towards me! This is a super fun posing prompt, because it gets you loosened up! I know sometimes getting your photos taken is super awkward and usually it’s a stranger that’s the one taking the photos. That was no different with Brittney & Kean. I hadn’t met them before, but when they got to the venue, we went inside real quick and chatted for a few minutes before we got started. If I’ve never met you before, I don’t just jump right into taking photos. I definitely want you to be comfortable with me and the camera. Chatting first is a great way to break the ice and gives me an idea of your personalities and relationship! And then jumping in with a fun prompt like running helps you to loosen up even more! 

After the running, I had them wrap their arms around each other and move back and forth. Movement is GOLD for a photographer! I promise you will not just be standing still in front of the camera the whole session! I’ll put you into a pose that feels comfortable and then I’ll have you move. Movement creates genuine reactions and emotions, which I LOVE to capture! After that, we went inside and I usually turn on a song and have you slow dance together! And holy cow, Brittney & Kean were so good! You can tell they have some experience. He was spinning and dipping her like a pro! And then to end the session I had them cuddle next to each other and whisper inside jokes in each others ear! 

If you’re still curious about posing prompts you can read more about that here. And if you need a wedding venue, Emalee’s Barn is amazing and she is great to work with!!