Shae + Zeb’s Sedona Engagement Photos
We met Shae and Zeb on a cool, sunny, winter day at one of our favorite brunch spots in Sedona, The Pump House. We got to know each other over coffee and lunch. The meeting was supposed to be short; to decide the location for their Sedona engagement photos. Quickly, it had turned into an awesome and fun conversation and went longer than planned! Kaleo and Zeb (short for Euzebiusz) instantly connected about having unique names and how, in grade school, they KNEW when a teacher came across their names while taking attendance. They could see the mental struggle of the teacher grappling with a best guess at the correct pronunciation.
Through the conversation, we got to know how they met. Shae’s boss sat across from Zeb’s, and so walked past Zeb’s desk whenever she needed to talk to her boss. She tried making small talk multiple times, but he was not getting the hint. Not even with a deftly timed hair flick! THEN, she learned how much of a car nut he is. Once car talk caught his attention, the idea of getting to know this woman finally entered his head. After confiding with his best friends, he decided to go for it. They started hanging out, getting to know each other, and fast became close.
We met up again later at the trail head. This trail is not the easiest, with steep ascents and some rock crawling. Due to that, it’s a photographers dream to find an adventurous couple willing to hike up in nice clothes for fun, outdoorsy, Sedona engagement photos. The sunny but cool weather was perfect for hiking. On the way up, we took advantage of back-lighting, stellar Sedona views everywhere ya looked, and the contrast of green plants and her azure, blue dress, against the red rocks. Not only that, the way Shae and Zeb would make each other laugh and the perfect golden glow at the summit, made it such a fun and unforgettable experience.
I want to give a big props to Zeb for facing his fear of heights to get those last, magical photos! My favorite part of the photoshoot was when I shared a sneak peek image via the back of my camera and Shae legitimately started to tear up, while Zeb just kept saying, “Woah!”
The photoshoot couldn’t have gone better and we had so much fun exchanging stories! On the hike back down, Shae and Zeb shared their romantic engagement story that happened on a beautiful day in Vail, Colorado. They spent an exciting day together mountain biking and decided to take it easy the second day. That next day, they took a ride on the gondola to enjoy the views from the top. Once there and finding a private spot, Zeb started to pour his heart out to Shae, saying that she was his very best friend and how they understood each other on such deep level. Shae quickly agreed without a thought as to what he was doing. When she turned around and saw he was proposing, she was caught totally by surprise. Once she realized he had a ring, she started crying tears of joy!
After we hiked down, we felt flattered when they asked us to have dinner together before they drove back down to the Valley. I had blast uploading a few shots on my phone to quickly edit and show the bride to be. Shae and I updated our IG’s, while the guys geeked out and talked about video games. Kaleo and I are happy to have made two new friends, and are honored to photograph their wedding at West Fork Trail in April 2019! Cheers!
(Please excuse me for posting so many photos, I couldn’t help myself!)
I enjoy the efforts you have put in this, thanks for all the great posts.