Jaclyn and Marc's Anniversary Session at Elephant Rocks State Park in Missouri
Jaclyn and Marc
Elephant Rocks State Park - Arcadia, Missouri
Missouri, you don’t get enough credit for how beautiful you are. If you want rolling hills peppered with evergreens, freckled deer and giant boulders that transport you back in time, visit Elephant Rocks State Park.
Jaclyn is a beyond talented hair stylist and we’ve been lucky enough to photograph her work on a number of local brides. (Missourians, HIRE HER.) After working with her, I knew that she and Marc were going to look incredible for their pictures. She’s not a model, I promise, but after seeing these photos, you might think she should be!
In our initial conversations, Jaclyn and I dreamed of a dramatic landscape that would make their photos unique and beautiful. She want a darker, moodier vibe and their outfit choice combined with golden hour gave us the exact look we wanted. Make sure you peep that little moon at the end!
As we hiked through the park, I thought that it would look amazing to get a shot from up above with the two of them below. (You’ll see it in the photographs following.) I scaled up a giant boulder with my camera gear in tow and hopped across gaps to get to where they were. Good shots! Yes! Great! There was only one problem, I couldn’t get back. The gaps I had leapt across led to to boulders that were higher than I was currently. It would be dangerous to try and go back the way I came, and impossible to leap the distance forward. I laughed at myself because it was embarrassing, but a slight pang of fear hit my stomach. Zach continued the session while I calculated distances and probabilities of death. lol There were rows of boulders to my right and left, one higher than me and one lower at a distance I wasn’t entirely sure I could make with 30 pounds of gear on my back. We were losing the sun quickly, which meant Zach had to keep photographing and also meant that I was running out of time to make it down before dark. With the sun dipping below the horizon, I gritted my teeth, tossed my camera bag onto the row of giant rocks beside me, and jumped across the ravine. I made it! After only a minute or two I was able to route a new way down and sprinted to where Zach, Marc, and Jaclyn were. Thanks to my non sponsored, Chaco’s grip, I made it out alive! lol
-Rosalie
PS.
My two favorite photos are blurry black and white portraits at then end!
