We have to take some time and brag about this AMAZING session with Jeanine and Eric!! From the day we met with them in our office, they wanted to learn more about our night sky portrait sessions, and after learning what they’re all about, insisted on upgrading their engagement session to a night sky session!! One of our favorite places to travel for this is Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, one of Florida’s ONLY dark sky parks, due to an overwhelming amount of light pollution across the entire state.
We met Jeanine and Eric on one of the most beautiful days we’ve had this year at the park, and began capturing their daytime session around Kissimmee Prairie! Throughout the daytime session, we encountered awesome campers and guests, wild critters including deer and turkeys, and ended the session watching a gorgeous sunset over the prairie! Now that the sun was down, it was time to relax a bit, start a campfire, make some food, and spend time getting to know each other as the night sky made its dramatic arrival! These sessions are so great for us because it gives us a lot of time to not only become familiar with each other, but talk more about the wedding day, family, and share such a unique experience outside together!!
After we finished dinner, we looked up, and what we saw took our breath away, especially Eric’s! ;) Eric didn’t actually say much around this time, he was simply in awe, staring at the stars! We packed up, cleaned up (remember, leave no trace!!), and starting exploring the park after dark, capturing some amazing night sky portraits!! We hopped over to the park’s signature Astronomy Pad, where astronomers welcomed Jeanine and Eric over for a couple of photos with their telescopes as a backdrop! They even let us sneak some peeks into their scopes and we saw galaxies, nebulae, and, Jeanine’s favorite, globular clusters of stars! :) In the background we could hear owls and nearby coyotes howling away, with shooting stars soaring by on occasion! How can you say no to such an amazing, unique experience!?
We had SUCH a fun time with Jeanine and Eric during their session, and of course we sent them home with some brochures about why we should care so much about light pollution and responsible lighting practices! We are active members of International Dark Sky Association, trying to educate everyone about how responsible we need to be with our lighting, not only to benefit our view of the natural night sky, but for our nocturnal wildlife that we actually depend on for natural pest control and pollination during the day!! We can’t wait for Jeanine and Eric’s wedding day next year at the Hyatt Regency Orlando!!
Night Sky Photographer: Steven Miller of Steven Miller Photography Orlando
Dark Sky Engagement Location: Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, Florida
Orlando Wedding Venue: Hyatt Regency Orlando
Learn More About Light Pollution and What You Can Do at Home or at Work!