Ben & Aleah's Antelope island engagements

The only word I can think of that would describe this delightful Saturday afternoon photo session is PERFECT! Of course, it didn't start that way. This was our last engagement session prior to the COVID19 lock down situation here in Utah. Fortunately, we were able to shoot at this beautiful park prior to all the bugs invading and before Governor Herbert changed his state park directive into an executive order; which prevents non-local residents from visiting state parks. A decision which might have been warranted because for the first time EVER there was a nearly an hour long wait to enter the lonely state park.

Never in my years have I ever waited to drive through Antelope island's gates (unless I was parked in the waiting-lot at dawn waiting for an attendant to arrive and open the gate). The one word that best describes this place is generally isolated, because besides a few buffalo, and well Antelope, there's hardly anybody here.

We left about an hour beforehand, as is typical for the long drive to Antelope Island. Only to run into a locked down line of cars waiting to enter. For those that don't know, Antelope island is really more of a peninsula nowadays. From Syracuse, UT only a small narrow road connects the island-peninsula to land—or a fairly long walk through some pretty marshy mud.

Once we got in the park we quickly forgot our worries because it was a beautiful bright and sunny day! Which is absolutely terrible if you're a photographer LOL.

See bright and sunny days are nice for picnics, but for photographs it can be very limiting in terms of lighting. You have to be very careful with bright overhead sunshine or you'll end up with shadows and bright spots in the wrong places. However, we had a whole hour listening to a pretty chill play list before we arrived, and there was just a general feeling of we got this.

Once we arrived we met Ben and Aleah and right from the get go we just clicked. Even after a long wait, it was nice we could all laugh about and just jump into a laid back, but super fun, photoshoot.

We started the session at the marina on the north side of the island right as you come in. I had a thought to start by a grassy hillside just on the left and to do the this really fun composite image with the sun overhead, but sadly we never got back to it. Lesson learned: don't count on later. Even so, we captured some brilliant shots on the docks. These two are just so in-love it probably wouldn't have mattered where we started.

Ben and Aleah felt pretty good about it too. Ben even said we could have called it a day and they would have still been happy with their images. However, we're not the type to settle and neither were they.

After totally knocking our first set of images out of the park (pun not intentional), we moved on to my personal favorite part of the island ladyfinger point; so called because it's a narrow section of rocks and dirt that juts out from the island like a lady's finger, I guess? Listen if you're a lady and your finger looks like this, use some lotion or something, 'cause dang.

This next set of images is probably my favorite (get ready, there's a lot!). You can really see the deep connection these two share. Their stares are mesmerizing, their love is 100% genuine, and you can tell these two are just so stoked to have found their person. Not to put anyone else down, but this might have been our best antelope island shoot to date. Just the combination of lighting, the mood, and this super-in-love couple just put it over the top for us.

Gall aren't those just some of the most beautiful images you've ever seen? As I sat there photographing these two it just felt like they were on top of the world, and I felt so happy for them. Wherever Ben and Aleah go, I hope they always look back at these images and remember what they have and how lucky they are.

As we made our way down from the peak of ladyfinger, we wandered into a little alcove of rocks and captured these gems:

To end the day, we wandered down to the west side of Antelope Island where there is a lovely field of grass and great expansive and sandy beach (one of Utah's best kept secrets). It was a pleasant feeling to walk through the tall stalks of grass and enjoy the warmth of the sun as it set over the Great Salt Lake.

As the evening started winding down the lighting, the mood, and energy for everyone was just on a high. The whole shoot was just like a really fun outing with a bunch of friends. At some point we should've just dropped the cameras and started throwing a frisbee around because it was just so chill.

Ben and Aleah, you are both fantastic people and we can't wait for our next shoot. Here's hoping this whole virus situation blows over real soon so we can meet up and toss a frisbee lol.

Thank you for reading and joining me on this photoshoot recap. I hope you enjoyed these images. If you would like some magical Antelope Island photos of your own, please reach out! We're always happy to go back to visit this wonderful place.

However, It may have to wait until the parks open to visitor's again. Also, the mosquitos and biting gnats will be hatching soon—they're immune to bug spray and they are NOT fun. So... it may not be until August or September before we get to come back.

Also, a huge shout out and thank you to my cousin Josh and his wife Jenn for assisting us with the shoot. They captured an absolutely amazing video which I'll post just below. Check out their site Goodwin Visions for some incredibly beautiful wedding films.

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