Funny enough, it’s not for anything bridal!
In the summer of 2015, Jon took a photo of me in my favorite place in the world: Scott Beach on St. John in the US Virgin Islands. Now it’s in the Feb/Mar 2017 Issue of Brides Magazine!
What I want to share with you is that this pic, in a magazine, was taken with my iPhone 6. Isn’t that cool? While we are now trying to become better photographers with more substantial equipment, the iPhone was the only camera I had at the time of this photo. Even now with my fancy Fuji XT-2 I still find myself reaching for the iPhone for Instagram posts, when I’m around the house, or when it’s at hand to catch a moment before it’s lost. I even use the iPhone camera for setting up shoots. And did you know: all the photos from my road trip were taken with an iPhone. I guess the best camera really is the one you have with you.
Here’s the story behind the photo: I asked Jon to help me take a few snaps of me in the water for my Instagram. While I was just hoping for something usable, he took this one and hit it out of the park. It’s one of my favorite photos. I love the colors, particularly how the blue and turquoise gradient deepens as you look out towards the islands in the distance. I also love the messy hair on my shoulders and the subtle ripples in the water. It helped that the location was gorgeous, so we can’t take much credit for this photo!
Afterwords, I edited it with a few of Instagram’s enhancement tools and posted it (I’ve reposting it again recently during the summer). Many months later I was contacted by someone from Conde Nast, asking if they could use it in a beach honeymoon spread in Brides. I said of course, as long as they credited us, which they did, right next to Getty and National Geographic (their photos are stunning)! And for all those people out there who think hashtags are silly and a waste of time, I know this photo would have never been published without #scottbeach. Even though the hashtags feel cheesy, they work.
What’s even better, to me, is that they used this photo to represent Scott Beach, my favorite place in the whole world. There’s nothing better than waking up for an early breakfast, heading over to my usual chair, and reading a good romance novel on the quiet beach. There’s a teeny tiki hut that also makes drinks, so ordering a strawberry daiquiri is always a top priority. I guess I should also mention, and this is a little morbid, but I love this beach so much that I want my ashes scattered on its shore. That way I can always be like this photo.
Want more She’s So Bright? Follow me on Instagram @evagrall!
