Katya & Andrey’s photo adventure in Poconos, PA

Imagine your dream photoshoot. Is it a family photo shoot? Is it just you and your partner? Is it somewhere in the countryside or maybe in the cozy corner of your house? Or maybe you are a city dweller and the most comfortable place for you to be is among the concrete jungle? We, the photographers, have an image of an ideal photoshoot as well. And I'm not talking about the one where the photographer is a model, the main character.

When Andrey and Katya reached out to me, they specified a special place where they wanted the photo shoot to take place. Katya heard about a mesmerizing waterfall in Pocono Mountains, PA. And right at this moment, I've realized. Here it is! My perfect photoshoot. I have a gorgeous couple who are adventurous enough to wake up early as hell to drive to the mountains. These people were ready to hike to a hidden waterfall, and make some awesome photos together! Oh, and have I mentioned that Masha was even ready to jump into the water to wet her outfit, all in the name of Art!? My head is still spinning! For those who don’t know me well enough and even to these who do, I have to confess. I love the mountains! I love hiking and there is no better morning for me than the morning spent in the mountains. Vladimir Vysotsky, one of the greatest Russian singers and poet once said: "And to me, the one thing that is better than heights is the height that nobody has reached!" The morning spent in the mountains and making the photos there at the same time is a dream to come true for me. So you can get my anticipation and excitement about this coming photo session from here.

On day X we all got up pretty early. The plan was to beat the crowds and get to the waterfalls beforehand to be able to catch this gorgeous dawn sunlight. The guys were driving from Philly while I set off from New York. Two hours later we met at the forest of Pocono Mountains ready for our little adventure. A short hike and here we go! There were no people around, just beautiful location, fresh air, and cold mountain spring. We spent some quality time here enjoying the views, nature, having fun, climbing rocks to get better angles. I have to mention, Andrey is not a big fan of hiking. At least not as big as I am. So I want to thank him for his stamina during this photoshoot. After a while, the place started to get a bit packed with other people. Lucky for us we were almost done with the shots.

Let me give you a little piece of advice here. No matter where are you shooting at, get there as early as you can to have a place to yourself! People are lazy to get up early so you can use this to your advantage. Also, the best time for timeless photos is just a couple of hours before the dusk. It is the time when the sun starts to get low towards the horizon and show the warmest rays of light. Trust me, your photos will come out amazing!

So that was our little adventure in the mountains! The result you can see below. I hope you will enjoy this session as much as I did. In the comments below feel free to share your favorite hikes and places to shoot in the forest or the mountains. I'm always up for new ideas!