Anna & Andy’s Pre-Wedding Photo Shoot | Vieques, Puerto Rico Engagement

Anna’s parents own a house in Vieques, Puerto Rico and over the years the beautiful island has become a second home to Anna and her family, as well as to Andy. Deciding to have a destination wedding in Puerto Rico was a breeze. The island of Vieques has special meaning and significance to Anna and Andy and I am so honored that they invited Matthew and I to share their special day and festivities under the magnificent blue sky and by the crystal waters. Island time is amazing. Life is so simple and lovely and one week felt more like three. The days were long and sunny. We truly lucked out that there was no rain, as it had been pouring before our arrival.

Anna and Andy have a deep love for Vieques that they wanted to share with their closest family and friends. I was thrilled when they wanted to do a pre-wedding engagement shoot around the island with me because it gave us a chance to explore. It was the  perfect excuse to take amazing photographs in adventurous locations. My wanderlust cannot be ignored for long!

For the engagement I photographed in both digital and film. What you see here is all the digital work, as the film has yet to be developed. It takes a little bit longer than digital, I’m afraid, but the result will be worth waiting for. Vieques is close to the equator so the sunshine is amazing, yet intense. Shooting midday in sun presents its own challenges, but Matthew and I said bring it on! It was so bright that determining if a shot was too over or underexposed was a throw back to my film-only days. There was something so thrilling about photographing on instinct and skill alone and waiting until later to discover what I captured.

Anna and Andy, thank you for taking us along on the journey and for teaching us about Vieques. I hope that I was able to capture the island through your eyes, in the way you experience, cherish, and remember it.

Viequs is not just another destination, it is Anna and Andy’s home-away-from-home.

See the sailboat in the background? We were walking through the town Isabel Segunda II and stumbled upon the same sail boat Anna and Andy chartered for their honeymoon island hopping adventures. After the ceremony they shipped away on this lovely sailboat you see pictured here. This is the bar where Anna and Andy celebrated their after-party. Note the sign at the old lighthouse: it warns visitors to stay on the cleared path because of leftover bombs and missiles. Sadly, the island was taken over by the U.S. navy for almost 60 years. They used the island for testing bombs. When the navy left in 2003 they left active bombs behind in the jungle and much of the area is now blocked off as a “nature preserve.”

The old lighthouse rests atop a large cliff over the water. The water looks so close, but it is a long way down.

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