Winter Session at The Ozark Mill
The New Year had just arrived. Strong winds whipped the air. Temperatures in the 40s. The sun flickering in and out of a moderately cloudy sky. Patches of mud and damp grass scattered across the ground due to recent snow melt. Finley Farms was closed for the evening. Kelsey, Nathan, and I were essentially the only ones on the property surrounding the Ozark Mill. Plus a few construction workers stationed on the bridge. đ This session had to be re-scheduled due to cold temperatures. Believe it or not, the day we originally scheduled their session it was 20 degrees colder. I don't know if we would have lasted half in hour in those temperatures. đ So glad we moved the day you two!
I want to start off with a sincere congratulations to Kelsey and Nathan. They are about to welcome their sweet baby boy in March. The name they are keeping secret until baby is born....but I cant wait to know! Arriving to the session, Kelsey was dressed in a floor length forest green dress. Nathan in a grey collard shirt with red pants. Pulled together with brown leather shoes. I had never shot a Finley Farms before, but Kelsey and Nathan looked like they were hired to model for the property. Their outfits complementing the esthetics of their surroundings. Personally, I thought it was like a picture perfect Hallmark movie. đ
Starting at the Ozark Mill, we wandered to the back of the building, across the bridge, to the Chapel, back across the bridge, to the front of the building...I zigzagged them across the property. To outsiders, it probably looked like we were lost. Or extremely confused đ. But the end result to so worth it. Due to changing light, we switched up locations periodically. Something I'm so glad I did because once I saw the end result I was blown away! In between locations, I got to hear all about Kelsey and Nathan. They told me about their four pets. â¤ď¸ Nathan's job at the bank and Kelsey's first year as a preschool counselor. Big shoutout to the Early Childhood team at SPS. I miss you all!!! in the midst of all the conversation, we would pick a new spot, they would have to quickly take off their coats, get in position, take photos, and quickly throw their coats back on. The cold wasn't too bad until we were on the bridge. The wind was truly whipping up there and all of us started to shiver.
As the sun went down, we finished up our last couple of shots in front of the Ozark Mill. I think I said one more about 20 times đ. I may take way too many photos đ.Temperatures dropped as each minute passed without sun. Saying our goodbyes, we hopped in our cars. The last bit of sun highlighting the horizon in bright pinks and purples. A beautiful end to a gorgeous session. Thank you to Kelsey and Nathan for giving me the opportunity to capture these memories!
Baby Valis
March 2022