A Couples Session on Cape San Blas | Katie + Derek at the Stumps

For the second year in a row, I had the privilege of photographing two of our dearest friends, Katie and Derek. Their 2022 couples session took place on Cape San Blas, at a location affectionately known as the stumps—a stretch of shoreline marked by weathered remnants of old pines, shaped slowly by time, tide, and salt air. It is not a conventional backdrop, and that is precisely what makes it compelling.

Katie and Derek relocated to the Forgotten Coast around the same time we did, back in 2020. There is something uniquely grounding about walking parallel paths with friends—learning a new place together, building community, and settling into a rhythm shaped by the coast. Photographing them again felt less like documenting a session and more like preserving a season we’ve shared.

To bring the vision for their session together, Katie borrowed a dress from my client wardrobe—one chosen for its movement, texture, and ability to echo the quiet strength of the landscape. Derek wore a shirt from my client collection as well, a small but intentional detail that allowed the focus to remain on connection rather than coordination. I love offering these pieces to my clients; they remove the pressure of decision-making and allow us to create something cohesive and considered, especially in places where the environment plays such a strong role in the final images.

Locations like the stumps on Cape San Blas offer a creative challenge I genuinely enjoy. The terrain is textured and imperfect, shaped by years of change, and it asks you to see differently. These kinds of spaces invite restraint and thoughtfulness, they require you to lean into composition, posture, and connection rather than relying on obvious beauty. The result is imagery that feels honest, grounded, and deeply tied to place.

Photographing people you truly care about carries a different weight. There is an ease that comes from familiarity, a trust that allows moments to unfold naturally. With Katie and Derek, that trust was present from the beginning. Their session felt calm, unhurried, and reflective—two people rooted in friendship, shared history, and the life they’ve built together along this coast.

Cape San Blas continues to be one of my favorite places to photograph couples, not because it performs for the camera, but because it allows space for presence. If you’re drawn to imagery that honors connection, story, and place—and you find yourself here on the Forgotten Coast—I would be honored to photograph your season with the same care and intention.

You are warmly invited to inquire when the time feels right.

During nearly every session, I take time to step back and photograph the landscape itself—the quiet details, the textures shaped by wind and water, the places that hold these stories. These images often become part of my growing collection of coastal landscape art, created alongside my family and couples' sessions as a way to honor the places that frame our lives.

If you’re drawn to the natural beauty of the Forgotten Coast and would love to bring a piece of it into your home, take a moment to explore my landscape artwork. Each piece is created with the same intention and reverence as my portrait work—designed to live as fine art, long after the tide has moved on.