Engagement Session in Marfa and Big Bend National Park TX

Camille, Aren and I became fast friends after they requested me to take their engagement photos. When they asked if I wanted to plan a weekend trip to Far West TX (not be confused with West, TX), I jumped on the opportunity. Not only is this region one of my favorite places in the entire world, but the prospect of hanging out and crafting a unique engagement session experience for these two was one I was genuinely excited about.

We hit multiple locations throughout this trip- namely, Marfa, TX, Terlingua and Big Bend. The drive from Austin to Marfa takes about 7-8 hours, depending on how quickly you drive and how much you stop. The shifting landscape and vistas that comprise the drive are something I have come to really appreciate- I love how, along the way, Austin Hill Country slowly dissolves, giving way to a more arid desert landscape until you reach an area of the state that is vast and beautiful in its desolation.

I arrived bleary-eyed in Marfa following the long journey by car, and promptly met up with Camille and Aren at the Chinati Foundation to begin creating some photos among Donald Judd’s incredible 15 Untitled Works in Concrete, an installation that continues to impact me deeply every time I experience it in person. After this stop, we drove to the iconic Prada Marfa installation 45 minutes outside of the city center (a generous descriptor given the utterly sparse and tiny core that comprises the town). We were greeted with a spectacular west Texas sunset that made the drive entirely worthwhile. Upon our return to Marfa, we visited a newer cocktail bar and took some additional night photos among one of my favorite neon signs in the city.

The following day, we drove into Big Bend National Park and hiked the stunning Lost Mine Trail to create photos amid the incredible, sweeping vistas found in this section of the park (click here to see more photos from this location). To conclude our photo journey, we drove out to Santa Elena Canyon and soaked up the remainder of the afternoon light before returning to our respective Airbnbs in Terlingua.

Thanks again to these two for trusting me to their west Texas engagement session.