Blowing Rock, Blue Ridge Parkway, Boone, Engagement, Fun, Hiking, Romantic

Kati & Patrick’s engagement session was a literal dream come true! Earlier this year when Kati & Patrick booked me, Kati expressed that she really wanted to do her engagement session when it was green outside, which if you’re a High Country resident, is wayyyyyy later than the rest of the world. Thus, we originally scheduled their session for mid-May. We were in a bit of a time crunch because Kati was scheduled for surgery. So when May wound up being “Boone monsoon” season, we were all bummed and decided to wait until June to shoot their session. I’m so glad we did!

For those of you who have traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway through Blowing Rock, you would have experienced the grandeur of Thunderhill Overlook. Located about a mile north of Hwy 321 on the Parkway, Thunderhill offers stunning views in both directions and is one of my favorite sunset locations. I’ve wanted to shoot a session there since moving to the High Country in 2016. I’ve done several portraits at the overlook, but not a full session. Until Kati & Patrick!

We arrived at Thunderhill fairly late in the evening to maximize that golden hour yummy light. The special thing about Thunderhill is that you can get full-sun, shade and that post-sunset soft light (my personal favorite). The weather was *perfect* and we timed everything just right. Like I said… an absolute dream come true.

Kati & Patrick were so cute together. They couldn’t stop snuggling and showing affection. It made for AMAZING photos and we all had a lot of fun.

Right at the end of the evening we were lucky to get big sky drama with massive clouds rising out east. Thank you, Thunderhill!

And thank you, Kati & Patrick! I’m so excited to photograph their wedding this September. <3