Danny (he/him) and El (she/her) celebrated their first Valentine’s Day together with a couple’s adventure session at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Virginia. Their early February portrait adventure session was a bit chilly, but it was an incredible experience capturing their playful and loving bond with the stunning mountain views from the museum’s balcony.
Wait, what is an Adventure Session?
If you were reading this and thinking to yourself this question, here’s your answer!
An adventure session is whatever you want it to be! It’s usually an engagement session, but it can also be an anniversary session, a day-before or day-after photo session that happens prior to or following your elopement, or a couple’s session. This type of session usually involves going to an epic location for amazing photos and, as it’s mentioned in the name, involves some element of adventure.
Adventure is completely subjective and could mean something different to each person. An adventure session to you could mean hiking, climbing, or braving the cold (or heat!), or it could entail visiting a place you’ve never been before or experiencing something you’ve never done before.
El and Danny’s Taubman Museum of Art Couple’s Adventure Session Experience
In late January, I received an inquiry from Danny and El. They were looking for a unique way to celebrate their first Valentine’s Day together and they thought a couple’s adventure session was the perfect thing! They wanted their photos taken in Roanoke, Virginia, with the beautiful mountains as their backdrop. While they were looking for a mountainous landscape, they weren’t excited or interested in hiking. After some careful consideration and scouting on my part, I ultimately recommended Danny and El to have their session at the Taubman Museum of Art (check out the museum here) in Downtown Roanoke. Its second-floor balcony offers stunning (and accessible!) views of the surrounding mountains, which made it an ideal location for our session.
We scheduled their adventure session for early February, as I wanted to be sure they could properly celebrate AND get their photos back in time to plaster all over social media for Valentine’s Day. Although it was a bit chilly, Danny and El embraced the cold with enthusiasm and warmth, making the best out of the weather. To help with the overall vibe of our session, I curated and played a personalized playlist featuring some of their favorite artists, including Chase Atlantic, Hobo Johnson, Chris Renzema, Machine Gun Kelly, Greta Van Fleet, Backseat Lovers, and Megan Thee Stallion.
Creating playlists is a huge part of my adventure session experience. Each playlist is customized for each adventure session and, as I’m making them, I aim to keep the playlist upbeat and fun, so that my couples feel their absolute best during their session. This playlist is curated based on the couples’ favorite songs, artists, and/or bands. My goal is to make my couples feel confident and comfortable in front of the camera and I’ve found that adding music for these sessions really helps to enhance the overall vibe of the session.
During our planning call before the session, we discussed everything from their love story and how they met to what outfits they’d wear for their session to their must-have photos. This helped me understand their vision and ensure we captured their unique personalities and relationship. All of my adventure sessions come with a one-hour planning call because I want to set you and your partner up for success for your adventure session! You’ll not only get to meet me before we have your session, but we also nail down all of the details so that you show up to your session knowing what to wear, what to bring, and what to expect.
About El and Danny
El and Danny described themselves as “not serious people.” Their playful, light-hearted attitudes, which shone throughout our session, only made this description more evident and true. They shared that what they love most about each other is how well they complement one another. They said, “We’re SO similar yet really different that it works.” They feel their best when they’re “just jiving… free balling,” which I think we were able to capture in their photos.
Danny and El had a few specific shots in mind for their adventure session. Since the session was their first Valentine’s Day gift to each other, they wanted something super fun and memorable. Their first request was to have their special handshake documented. Knowing this, I was sure to snap as many photos as I could during their session as they performed their handshake. Not only did they receive photo stills of each moment as they were doing their handshake, but I was also able to make and deliver a GIF using the photos I’d taken. They were super surprised and excited to see their handshake turned into a GIF for them to enjoy and view on repeat.
Their second request was to showcase their tattoos in some of the photos whenever it made sense to do so. El has a memorial rose on her left wrist and Danny has writing on his right forearm dedicated to his mom and a trans tattoo on his right arm. I was really happy to create an image for them that focused on both of their memorial tattoos. I was also sure to have Danny remove his jacket at some parts of their session, both for variety but also to show off his trans tattoo. It was very important for Danny to show his pride in his trans identity in this session and I wanted to be sure to reflect that in the images.
Reflecting on El and Danny’s Taubman Couple’s Portrait Session
Reflecting on our session at the Taubman Museum of Art, I can’t help but smile at the moments that were captured that day. The museum’s balcony provided the perfect mountain backdrop they were looking for without having to hike. The chilly weather was no match for Danny and El’s warmth and energy. They made the most of every moment, resulting in photos that were both fun and heartfelt.
Danny and El’s review of our session meant the world to me. Here’s what they had to say about our time together:
“Cameron was so respectful and so incredibly understanding and fun to work with. We had such an amazing time making memories!” – Danny (he/him) + El (she/her)
Working with Danny and El was a wonderful experience. Their love and connection were inspiring and I’m grateful to have been a part of their first Valentine’s Day celebration. The Taubman Museum of Art proved to be the perfect setting for their adventure session, offering beautiful views and a comfortable environment. I’m looking forward to many more sessions that celebrate love, laughter, and the unique stories of each couple I have the honor of photographing.
If you’re looking for a photographer who will help you two get updated photos, document your proposal and/or engagement, or celebrate your anniversary, you’re in the right place! My name is Cameron (she/her) and I’m a photographer based in Southwest Virginia. I primarily photograph half-day, full-day, or multi-day elopements, but I also have availability in my calendar to photograph adventure sessions as well.
Adventure sessions can be booked separately or added onto any of my elopement packages. And get this: An adventure session is already included in my 12-hour elopement package! So, if you’re planning to elope in Virginia and are yearning for as many opportunities to enjoy the Southwest Virginia hollers as possible, I’d love to be your photographer and capture all of your special moments! Fill out an inquiry form to get started or check out my pricing to learn more about my philosophy, practice, and packages.
I encourage you to check out some of the elopements I’ve planned and photographed for LGBTQ+ couples: Courtney and Nadine’s Duck Pond elopement and Ryanne and Meredith’s Roanoke Airbnb elopement. I’ve also had the privilege of photographing other LGBTQ+ couples to celebrate their engagement or anniversary, check out these couples’ photos and their stories: Sarah and Sarra’s Anniversary Portrait Session in Newport, Virginia; James and Pedro’s At-Home Photoshoot Adventure Session in Downtown Roanoke; and Levi and Zach’s Fae Cottage Flower Farm Adventure Session in Roanoke, Virginia.
Maybe you have plenty of inspiration, but you need planning resources, here a few blogs I’d recommend to help you get started:
