More From The Hottest New Venue in the Hill Country {Hill Country Wedding Venue}

Yesterday I shared some images from Eagle Dancer Ranch last fall during Meagan and Layton's engagement and bridal sessions. They managed to pull together a gorgeous wedding despite the shutdown and had a big celebration before the wave of Cobid hit Texas.

It was super hot that day but everyone came together and safely threw a party in the heat to send this happy couple off.



Lisa On Location Photography

Eagle Dancer Ranch is the Hottest New Venue in Central Texas (Hill Country Weddings)

I was honored to check out this amazing venue before the virus hit last fall for Meagan and Layton's engagement session and then later with Meagan's bridal session.

Eagle Dancer Ranch is a gem tucked away between Sisterdale and Kendalia.
,br> The wedding barely made it in before the rage of the pandemic hit Texas. I'll share the images from the wedding tomorrow. But for now I thought I'd share some of those sweet engagement and bridal sessions.



Lisa On Location Photography

Socially Distant Senior Portraits {New Braunfels Senior Portraits}

My hats off to the class of 2020. This has been one for the record books. You're the class born during the world trade center aftermath.

You're the class who's parents brought you into a world that scared them. They were unsure of what each day would bring to them and to you.

You were raised into tighter security and a splurge of national pride.

That national pride has morphed into political division and uncertainty.

In walks the Coronavirus.

And now the world is changing once again just in time to ruin all your plans for this spring and, potentially this summer and fall.

It's a dangerous time once again in the world as you make your plans for college, the military, or entering the work force.

Here at Lisa on Location Photography, we're seeing those changes in painful ways too.

I told you in my last blog what was happening within the wedding industry. All my spring weddings were either cancelled or moved to the fall. All my fall weddings are worried they may have to move again if there's another wave of illness.

I can't say what will happen in the wedding industry. But I can say what's happening right now in the portrait world.

I have been able to open up for senior portraits again with the inclusion of socially distant guidelines.

All my sessions are shot outdoors for the time being and will long lenses. That means I have to be pretty far away from you to shoot. My lens of choice at this time is the 70-200. That lens forces me to be at least 20 feet away from you to get a full body shot. I also have the ability to zoom in for a nice headshot from that distance. It's the lens I typically use at wedding ceremonies to get those nice closeups from way back at the end of the aisle. It also has some gorgeous bokeh (the background blur behind you).

It's not too late to get those senior sessions in. In fact, you can really shoot them any time this summer too. It's just important to get them in during this time of your life to forever commemorate this period.

I also like to do a shot or two of you with your mask on. You'll be able to look back on this time years from now and remember that mask, which will hopefully be in a box in your closet by then!

Take a peek at just a few of the resilient class of 2020 below. And then give me a call to get you on the calendar!



Lisa On Location Photography

Lisa On Location Photography

An Open Letter to Happy Couples {San Antonio and New Braunfels Wedding Photography}

What was that book that was so popular a few years ago? "Love in the Time of Cholera"?

Call this new version "Love in the Time of COVID-19."

I'll state this frankly. The wedding industry is experiencing unprecedented changes really fast and really painfully.

I had a full calendar of weddings for April and May and I'm suddenly looking at a lot of free time as those weddings get pushed to the fall. The fall. The busiest wedding month in Texas is October. That and September are now filling up fast with the weddings that were supposed to be in March, April and May. Not just for my weddings but for all the weddings of all my industry friends.

What does this mean for you if you're recently engaged and were hoping for a nice fall wedding. It means you better move fast of you're out of luck. It means all these venues and photographers and caterers and florists, and cake makers and DJs and bartenders are suddenly booked up.

But the problem with those of us in the industry -- and this will hurt us for a while -- is that they're not filling up with new business. They're filling up with old business. It means the income we expected for this spring won't be there, but it'll be moved to this fall.

For some of us, it's not as bad as that. It's worse. Think of the florist who had to order the flowers for that late March or early April wedding and now that order will arrive and there will be nothing to do with all these fresh flowers. They've been paid for. But now they'll go to waste with a loss for that florist, or that floral company. Think of the caterers who already ordered all that food for that late March or early April wedding and now that food is not needed.

Think of the venues that will sit empty this spring. A date with no wedding is a date that can't be gotten back.

Who knows what this will mean in the long run. It could mean many in the industry will be forced to get other employment if they can find it. The servers who are hired by the caterers will be let go. They'll have to rehire old staff or bring in new staff when this is all over.

For us photographers it will mean some lean times. I won't be taking a vacation this summer that's for sure. I'll be happy to pay my bills but I can't plan on anything extra. That will hurt the travel business even more than this virus already has. I won't be able to eat out so much or buy nice new shoes. That will hurt the people in those industries. This just sucks all around.

So that brings me to my point of this lovely letter in the first place. Newly engaged lovebirds. Book now for that future wedding. The industry could really use that retainer or deposit. And be patient with us. We really really want to fit you into our calendar, but we're stuck having to reschedule a lot of dates.

On a brighter note it's the perfect time to schedule senior portraits. The kids are out of school for who knows how long. I suddenly have plenty of open dates. And senior portraits require little close contact. I use a long lens and we can maintain a distance of 6 feet at all times as we shoot our session in a lovely outdoor setting.

You can also use this time to purchase photography gift cards for you or your loved ones. Once this virus is finished with us I know you'll want to grab life by the horns and capture those beautiful faces of your family. Knowing that you made it. That you survived the scare. Use this link to take advantage right now and look forward to brighter days.

Get your gift cards here!

Here's to all of use. We'll get through this.

Lisa On Location Photography