Stephen + Adrian // LGBTQ Austin Forest Engagement Shoot

I met Stephen and Adrian the week of their wedding when they came down to Austin. They live in Oakland, are moving to Seattle, and their families came to the wedding from Houston and Colorado.

They came to Austin the week before the wedding to get everything ready for the wedding and do their engagement session with me (You can check out their wedding photos here). They decided that the 360 Bridge and the Long Center were their two favorite spots for photos.

Stephen and Adrian really wanted their shoot to be really organic, fun, and outdoorsy, and it was all of those things. We headed to the Long Center first, which thankfully didn’t have a concert going on, and then on my way to the 360 Bridge around sunset they texted and let me know they got a little hungry and wanted to do the 360 Bridge another time if I could.

They had just flown in and were still trying to figure wedding stuff out. I’m pretty flexible during the week in terms of booking things, so we arranged to meet up another day at the bridge and I’m so glad we did.

The 360 Bridge aka Pennybacker Bridge overlooks the city, the river, and the bridge. It was such a beautiful spot to watch the sunset and it’s probably one of the most popular spots in Austin to do proposals, but it’s also just a cool spot to go to on any random day if you’re up for a little hike and a beautiful view.

PSA, you do have to do a little vertical hiking up the side of a cliff to get there. Once you get up there, it’s really just beautiful. The photos we took there are some of my favorites. Stephen and Adrian were wearing perfect outfits and were ready to go, and the sunset was incredible.

When you get photos taken with someone once, it’s kind of an icebreaker. The next time it’s so much easier and less anxiety-inducing. That’s one of the reasons I recommend engagement sessions to everyone— they can really help you feel more comfortable on the day of your wedding.

Scroll down to look through some of my favorite shots from this organic, outdoorsy engagement shoot.