The Best Mountain Location Near Boise, Idaho

Bogus Basin

Erika and Cole chose to have their engagement session at the closest mountain location near Boise, Idaho- Bogus Basin! Bogus Basin is one of my favorite places to go for engagement sessions with the beautiful views and fresh cool air. Read to find out the story behind this beautiful engagement session at Bogus Basin.

The Original Plan for the Engagement Session at Bogus Basin

The original plan was to first meet at Mores Mountain Loop Trailhead for the engagement session. This trail is located past the main lodge, on a dirt road. I had driven there before, about a year ago.

As soon as I hit the dirt road it quickly became apparent that I *regrettably* drove my mini van. I should of taken my other “off road car” which had more clearance. First face palm moment. The road was full of deep divots and pot holes. “No problem”, I thought to myself. “It shouldn’t be much longer on this road!”.

When I was about 6 minutes away from the trailhead, I turned the corner and saw that the road up ahead was closed! I quickly called Erika, with was little cell phone service there was, and told her “It’s time for plan B!”

Plan B was probably a better plan anyways

Part of being a good photographer is knowing how to think on your feet. Knowing how lighting works and how you can best use the location. It’s a good thing I was on time and knew the other location possibilities well with the sudden change of plans.

Erika and I played phone-tag for a bit; the service kept dropping out. I sent her a pin via text message to where to meet me, and crossed my fingers that they got the message. For plan B I decided to meet up near Pioneer Lodge at Bogus Basin. This is a spot I love to do sessions at, like this one.

We met at the plan B location, my mini van now having a new set of “idaho pinstripes” or “trail rash” along the side from getting a little too close to a bush. Face palm moment #2. (I’m just hoping that my husband doesn’t hate me too much because we both know he’ll be one buffing out that trail rash on the mini van. Sorry honey!)

But I gotta tell you. Above all, it was worth it. The crazy drive. The windy road. The extra gas and time it takes to get up there. The mountain views and neat rock formations up at Bogus Basin are always worth it.

Embrace the awkwardness at your engagement session

After we made our introductions, I quickly got to work easing Cole and Erika’s nerves by making them laugh and do silly things to break the ice. “Sniff her like a dog!” After all, this was their first photo shoot together; I enjoyed walking them through the whole process.

By the way people, it’s completely normal to feel awkward in front of the camera! Embrace the awkwardness. Trust me, I only take pictures of normal people and don’t expect them to be perfect models. I always make it a point to make every client feel as comfortable as possible and give lots of direction.

The other thing I like to do while photographing my couples it to encourage them to never stop moving. The more Cole and Erika moved and played with each other, the better their photos turned out.

Cole and Erika love to dance together. In fact that’s how they met- dancing at a country bar. I made sure to include dancing into their photos.

Cole and Erika- Thank you for trusting me to capture this special moment in your lives. I can’t wait to dance along with you, talk more about disc golf, and capture your beautiful wedding next year in September at the White Barn in Emmett, ID.