Blood Mountain Wedding
It is not unusual to find me on a hike in northern Georgia or neighboring states. Love the outdoors and all the friends it has opened up since becoming a part of one of the southeast’s largest and most active hiking groups, Georgia Adventurers Group. I also use my outdoor time to find the photo opportunities which sometimes comes as the dedicated photographer for some group events.
About four months ago, I had planned to join my hiking friends for a long weekend in Dahlonega, Georgia at a hiker hostel. Having done this in the past, I knew it would likely be a good time with new and old friends. Little did I know 6 weeks later I would be contacted by one of the old friends and asked if I could do photos of her wedding ceremony on top of a nearby mountain that weekend.
So Saturday morning, we awoke at the hostel, and nearly thirty of us had breakfast together. Soon after a week packed up our gear needed for the ascent up Blood Mountain and then all gathered for car pooling.
I stayed with the bride and groom most of the way up and would take some candid shots when stopped for breaks or when I saw a nice moment from the front as the group climbed. We also stopped for a few posed shots near overlooks.
Nearly two and a half miles later, we reached the summit where bride planned to have the ceremony. After asking some boy scouts and few other hikers to give us space, we all gathered around and I setup position for photos.
Was a tough situation with mid-day sun beating down on us all. Beautiful day but harsh for photography. Using some flash for fill, I tried to offset the contrasting dark shadows and do what I could.
Later we headed back down and took off to the hostel where we celebrated with a reception that had been set up by those choosing not to climb the mountain. Nice weekend and was happy I could provide friends with some memorable moments that could be saved and cherished throughout their new life together.