Fall Engagement Session Quarry Hill Rochester MN

Today, I will come back to Nana and Heather’s engagement session, which took place during the fall at Quarry Hill Park. But first, let me introduce these two and how they met.

First Meeting in the Neighborhood

It all started with a coffee shop. You might believe that happens only in movies, but this gentleman found the right words to speak to this lady he saw in a coffee shop. After exchanging text messages, they quickly had their first date.

Nana is an IT guy, and Heather works in social media.

Several months later, he made his proposal and they were looking for the best photographer in Minnesota to cover their wedding and their unique ceremony near the Twin Cities. In consequence, it was obvious that our first meeting would be at this local coffee shop.

We quickly felt the connection, and a few weeks later I was about to shoot their photo session and drove to the Med City.

Quarry Hill Among Several Options in Rochester, MN

They could have chosen among a variety of other backgrounds. Let’s think of the Plummer House, the sophisticated Mayowood Mansion, a golf club, or another park for their photo session. But, given they love nature, they decided to trust me and pick Quarry Hill.

Indeed, the Plummer House is nice, but mostly under the shade, while the Mayowood Stone Barn required a reservation first. Also, Quarry Hill was the simpler but also one of the best places among the three parks in town.

If you want more information about other options available in the Med City, check on our dedicated webpage.

Nature, A Great Source of Inspiration

If you don’t know Quarry Hill, it’s a park located 10 minutes driving from downtown, spreading on 329 acres offering all a variety of landscapes.

From the meadow to the little creek, to the pond and the limestone rocks, each photo shoot is a new exploration of this recreation area.

Located 1 mile from downtown, I have discovered almost each of the 329 acres through the seasons, and it became my favorite photography playground.

What’s more, it offers a number of amenities, such as the Nature Center, which is convenient for the couple, for instance if the fiancée needs to change her outfit. By the way, the Nature Center also showcases a different live species of fish, turtles, and other stuffed animals like bears, squirrels, geese, deer, etc.

Engagement session, another opportunity for adults to play like kids

What I strive to offer to my clients is a real fun experience during each photo session taken in Rochester, MN.. And this, whether it’s snowing or raining! I don’t want them to pose in cheesy portraits. Instead, I want them to play, have real interaction that I can catch in the picture.

In those photos, I like how Heather and Nana have complicity and fun. They were a bit nervous at the beginning (who is not?), and they ended up enjoying it a lot. We first started close to the lake (the Harry L. Buck Pond), trying to avoid the natural “gift” left by the geese, which turned out to be a funny exercise.

Then we used the bridge that connects to the island. Nana was scared to fall in water, and Heather made fun of him. After that, we walked to the top of the hill, where stands the oak savanna and the high grass. With the sunset light, it was just perfect. After that, we went on top of the limestone formations, having fun between some evergreens. This place is my favorite playground of the park.

Finally, it was getting dark and we headed up to the parking lot, where I took a close-up shot of the diamond ring.

With all that, we probably walked 1 mile or 2 miles, but having a lovely, happy couple definitely made it worth it!

Looking for another option in the Olmsted County, check out Oxbow Park

The second-best park for engagement session is Oxbow Park. Located in Byron, it’s crossed by the Zumbro River and offers a variety of options to take photos. It features, among other things, some stunning pine trees, some high grass fields, and the Zollman Zoo.

The zoo has several species of animals and amenities for ladies. This recreation area is very large, and each photo session is a new exploration.

Surprisingly, the park is not crowded at all. I figure that people prefer going to the Apache Mall than enjoying nature.

The only inconvenience you could face is that the Zumbro River can flood the entire area during the fall. So you must pay attention to that!