Believe it or not, today’s session on the blog is the first engagement that I’ve photographed in the Columbia River Gorge since the Eagle Crest fires consumed and closed down so many of my favorite trails and shooting locations. Luckily, the ever dependable Latourell Falls is still open, and Melissa and Adam really wanted to capture some of those good old Northwest vibes, so it worked out to be a great spot. However, seeing as how Latourell Fall is now one of the few easily accessible waterfalls on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, a whole host of people had the same plans to visit. With the closures in the Columbia River Gorge, Latourell Falls can be easily swamped with Portlanders looking to soak up some nature. Go on a weekend and it’s a veritable zoo, but I can’t really blame anyone. It’s beautiful out there. That said, with a strategic eye, patience, and a subtle hand at editing, I was fortunately able to make it appear as if we had the run off the place. But what matters most is we had a fantastic time. After a few minutes of shooting, Adam got quite excited and exuberantly proclaimed, “You know what? I’m kind of getting into this!” I make special note of this because when it comes to guys and photo shoots, it’s a little harder to coax them into opening up. So I’ll be honest, I take a bit of pride in convincing Adam that the shoot would be fun after all. — KC
