Horsethief Butte | Washington Anniversary Session

When the people are right, the light is on point and the wind strong enough to blow you off the cliff, it makes for the perfect evening session. There are just somethings that you can't help. You can't help the way the light is going to be during a session or if you can hardly stand due to the wind. That doesn't mean you can't have a bomb Washington anniversary session. I mean, the light was perfect for this night. The morning was full of clouds, but the sky decided to open up for a fun session to run around Horsethief Butte in Washington.

Washington Anniversary Session

I can't seem to think of anything better to remember each year of your married life and your anniversary than having a session. You might think I'm a little biased, but my husband and I have started having our own sessions without the kiddo and it is seriously one of the best things that we can do to remember each year. It's my new fav thing. And spending an evening with these two made my love for doing that come alive even more.These two are making connections with the local community in the Columbia River Gorge area and you NEED to check it out. They host community dinners to get all different kinds of people connected within the community that wouldn't have been connected otherwise! It is a fantastic idea and it is definitely brightening up the community and making it more lively. Check them out here and buy some tickets for a dinner. Their next dinner is a brunch and it is quickly approaching, so be sure to get your ticket. My hubby and I can't wait for the next one. Instead of me blabbering on I asked them to share about themselves. I think it means a lot more coming from them and it gives you a better idea into their love story than any words I could come up with. Here it is. Read on and enjoy.

Jakob & Kristen by Kristen

Jakob and I are two people who were lucky to have found each other in the right place at the right time. We both were in places of life where we were looking for adventure and a change- Jakob lived in Phoenix, AZ, and I was living all the way across the country in rural SW Virginia. We both moved to the PNW within a month of each other independently, and then met a few months later and our story together began! Jakob asked me to marry him after recreating the first date we went on in our small town of Hood River a couple of years later, and I said “Yes!” We got married on the Oregon Coast in 2015, and are so happy to have met here and made Oregon our home together. Since then, we have enjoyed many outdoor adventures together and worked together to put down roots through buying a house in The Dalles, and building relationships in our community.

Getting together with Jess for a couples photo session was the first time we had taken professional photos in 3 years, since our wedding! We had so much fun walking into the wilderness and spending time together out at Horsethief Butte. Our wedding day, while special, was unforgettable in a couple of not so great ways... there was a dead seal on the section of beach we got married on, my in laws interrupted the first five minutes of pictures to ask if they could leave to get their fishing licenses for the next day, and the photographer kept telling me to “act like you like Jakob,” which was so weird to me, because of course I like this man- I’m marrying him today! When I look at my wedding pictures, I am so thankful to have had Jakob by my side, but seeing them still brings up a bit of PTSD due to all the stress and frustration of that day. 

Our experience with Jess was nothing short of redemptive. We had so much fun laughing and just being us with Jess. She never expected me to react in a way that was foreign to me, or made me feel guilty for the way I did or didn’t look. When we got the pictures back from her, it was so nice to look at how she captured us and remember the fun we had that day, rather than having images attached to a less than fun memory. I really can’t say enough how much we appreciate and treasure the images Jess captured for us! We will hang them on our wall and enjoy the memories for years to come!