Doing wedding and engagement photography takes me all over the place while constantly shows me new things and new places.  This session was no exception. Late October on a farm outside of Petersburg, Illinois, the spectacular backdrop for this unique story began to unfold.

I’ve known the bride-to-be for years, and was honored and excited when she asked me to capture this event for them. Both are highly involved in the livestock and cattle industry, so we wanted to include in the photographs places and things that meant something to the couple.  For this reason, we did the traditional poses and shots, but also included props like the cattle tags with their wedding date to add that story telling element.

This is the amazing side to photography; you explore the world around you in new ways. You tour a country road you never explored or see a field from the other side of the private property sign. When doing sessions like these, I always think it’s important to cover your bases of the traditional shots like a newspaper announcement picture, but it’s also important as a photographer to capture the couple as the people they are and the places that mean the most to them; those amazing “off the beaten path” places down a country road.