Mentally, we are still in Aruba. We had SOOO much fun doing this “tropical desert” shoot exchange in Aruba with our friends Nick and Alexa of Folded Crane Films!

How this Shoot Exchange Came to Be

In case you missed it, these two have become good friends of ours and we had the pleasure of shooting their engagement session, Alexa’s bridal shower AND their wedding! While working with them a few weeks before their own wedding, they started to tell us they hadn’t yet booked a honeymoon location. We told them that we were actually headed to Aruba the week after their wedding and they should look into it! Not to say we were forcing ourselves into their honeymoon, lol, but we planted the seed. We all ended up in Aruba together during roughly the same week! We told them to enjoy their honeymoon privately, BUT since we recommended the island – they would have to spend *a little* time hanging out with us.

This trip coincided with my 30th birthday, so they met up with us for drinks on our second night. Next up, we met a few days later for an awesome exploration day. We rented UTVs and drove all around the island of Aruba. We discovered just how special the landscape was on this tiny island. There is so much variation. Yes, there are sandy beaches with clear water and palm trees, but there are also natural bridges and pools that can be found within the rocky terrain. The far end of the Noord, Aruba offers a scenic overlook near the California Lighthouse, which we discovered during my birthday dinner at Faro Blanco.

Choosing the Spot

After seeing this unique, arid landscape at the end of the island, we just HAD to do a couple’s session shoot exchange surrounded by sand and cacti. We noticed this one area that just looked like another planet. I knew we HAD to go back to that exact spot. We timed the sunset PERFECTLY. The sun goes down quickly there. We started on Arashi Beach around 5:30pm, but between 6-6:30pm drove up to the lighthouse area and it was awesomely golden. And although it’s true what they say, Aruba can get incredibly WINDYYY, but we think it added some dynamic movement to the photos!! (Even though Alexa and I were struggling with our hair down, haha).

It was fun doing this destination shoot exchange all around Aruba with these two friends!! It was nice for us to also get some photos of ourselves for a change, too! We grabbed tacos and drinks afterward at what became our go-to spot, Craft. It was just an extremely fun, unforgettable night and overall trip that we’ll always fondly remember!!

 

 

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And here are some phone snapshots!