The Lutheran church near Genesee ID is quite scenic, and a lovely spot for a bride with her bouquet.
Palouse photography is catching on. People around the world are seeing the work of some of the locals like Charlie Gurche and Nick Page and they are starting to see the Palouse as a bona fide destination. Of course, going out with a professional photographer on a shoot has its advantages. However, if you’re looking to photograph the Palouse, you might want to consider doing it with an enthusiastic model as well. Alanna Ellis and her husband Evan live in Pullman, and she’s known as wsufarmgirl on Model Mayhem. Probably the easiest way to book a shoot is to email her at lanna_wsu@msn.com.
This wide shot features a bride on her journey…posed on the train tracks that follow the Snake River.
Alanna is in her 30’s, a bit older than many models, which is a great thing if you are hoping for someone reliable and who communicates clearly and promptly. She’s only been modeling for a year, and Pullman is not the center of action, so she’s not at all jaded and burned out. To the contrary, she’s willing and able to go the extra mile to see that a project comes together. I was looking for a bridal shoot and thought the rural setting would be a nice opportunity. She told me she found a dress, so we scheduled the shoot. Once I got there, I learned that she had not borrowed one from a girlfriend, but had bought one on Amazon to make the shoot work! That’s beyond the call of duty.
The fall foliage was lovely mid October. Here’s a shot of my guides together, Alanna and Evan.
She and her husband were fabulous guides, familiar with every little side road. They should know the area. Alanna’s family were some of the original pioneers here, and even the town of Tekoa was named by a family member for the Biblical town of the same name. They took me to the old homestead (no longer occupied) where she spent the first 5 years of her life, but also took me to a family cemetery. We stopped at the Artisan Barn (now a retail business) and I learned that her family donated funds to help install the elevator in that building. Backroads and shortcuts later, it was terribly clear they know the Palouse like the backs of their hands.
Palouse photography is made very easy with a competent guide and model. We got lovely shots by the Snake River, The Artisan barn, the Genesee Lutheran Church, and more. I have many traditional pictures of the rolling hills, grain elevators and such from the Palouse, but in this blog I’ll feature the shots made possible with the enjoyable assistance of Alanna and Evan. Thanks for a fun day of exploration and photography!
The farms and farm stores offer unique opportunities to compose photos. If the bride has gourds on her registry, this is the place to go!