Pedro and James hired me to photograph their Downtown Roanoke at-home photoshoot at their studio apartment and it was a perfect opportunity to celebrate these two and their partnership of 7+ years! Cheers!
James and Pedro’s Downtown Roanoke At-Home Photoshoot
What made their photoshoot, or as I call it “adventure session”, incredibly special and unique was that, at the time of the shoot, Pedro (he/him) and James (he/him) had been together for over seven years, with an anniversary coming up in the fall but hadn’t had any formal portraits taken as a couple. When I reached out to them for this at-home photoshoot, I truly had no idea just how significant this session would be for them.
In our consultation prior to their session, I got a great inside look into how they met, what their relationship meant to them, what they valued about one another, the significance of their partnership, and what they felt was important that I capture during their shoot.
We were able to discuss how they serendipitously met on a chilly day on January15, 2016 at an New York City bar one evening and how they later became a couple just days after that meeting. It was a real Hallmark moment! They would later elope on September 9, 2016 at Fort Tryon Park. Pedro and James admitted that they never had engagement photos or wedding photos taken, other than the few iPhone photos they managed to take.
Pedro and James look at their relationship as a powerful partnership that they both take very seriously. In their words: “We are partners in life, in business, in changing the world, and, above all else, we are partners in building. We are always building. Building remarkable lives, building an empire, building wealth, building careers, building influence, building all the things.” After discussing all of this with Pedro and James in their consultation, I knew how I was going to execute their vision.
You’ll notice their gallery includes some quaint shots that really tie in the different elements of their relationship journey. The cocktail portion is a nod to how they met in NYC on that magical night and the intertwined arm toast was a nod to their seven years of marriage approaching. They were also able to include their fur babies, which I am always excited to photograph!
Wait, what’s an adventure session?
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 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.
What vibe were Pedro and James going for with this at-home couple’s session?
When I asked Pedro and James if they wanted a cozy, at-home session, they both quickly said “We don’t do comfy. Imagine these photos being on the cover of E! Magazine” and they followed up with three adjectives that they wanted to photos to embody: “Regal. Stately. Dignified.”
With that in mind, I leaned slightly more editorial and posed for this session more than I normally would, which made for a fun challenge that resulted in fantastic images.
What type of music was used for this Downtown Roanoke at-home photoshoot?
First, let me start by prefacing that creating playlists is a huge part of my adventure session experience! Each playlist is specifically curated 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 my couples favorite songs, artists, and bands. My goal is to make my couples feel confident and comfortable in front of the camera and have found that adding music for these sessions really helps to enhance the overall vibe of the session.
Pedro and James have slightly different tastes in music while also having some general commonalities. James’ music tastes ranged from classical to hip hop to R&B whereas Pedro said that he usually listens to a playlist on repeat until he gets sick of it and that his current playlist rotation was the RuPaul’s Essential playlist on Apple Music. They both mentioned that they liked musicals, with Hamilton and In the Heights brought up multiple times during our consultation.
So, for Pedro and James’ at-home photoshoot playlist, I included hits from Glenn Miller, Barbra Streisand, and Beyoncé, songs from Hamilton and In the Heights (which I saw as a way to further nod to their budding relationship in New York), and numbers from RuPaul’s Drag Race like “A Little Bit of Love” and “Lucky”, along with other vibe-setting artists that helped set the mood.
Testimonials
This at-home couple’s adventure session was so fun and, I thought, went super well! However, don’t just take it from me. Here’s what James and Pedro had to say about our time together
“Cameron was a joy to work with for our in home shoot. We were kept involved and engaged through the entire process. Cameron brought a great environment for our season and really highlighted who we are as a couple!” – James (he/him) and Pedro (he/him)
Are you planning to elope in Virginia? If so, I would love to be your photographer! Fill out an inquiry form to get started or check out my pricing.
