Lake Ontario Shore | Chimney Bluffs

Are you ready to adventure with Alex and Christina during their Chimney Bluffs engagement pictures blog post?  If you are, lace up your hiking boots (flip flops will not do!), your walking stick and let’s get started!

I’ve been to the Chimney Bluffs plenty of times, just never for shooting engagement pictures!  So when I suggested this spot to Alex and Christina for their engagement pictures, I was thrilled when they chose that option!  I love exploring different places and shooting with different scenery and lighting!

Alex and Christina are so adorable together and you can tell in these pictures how well Alex takes care of her!  During their session he was always holding her hand, making sure she didn’t trip or fall.

If you’ve never been to the Chimney Bluffs, it’s so worth the trip!  Nestled along the shore of Lake Ontario in Wayne County, this landmark was actually used by smugglers transporting liquor to Canada during the prohibition era according to Wikipedia.  (I’m such a history geek! I love learning the back story of different places). NY state acquired the land in 1963 but it lay undeveloped until 1999 when they added trails, a bathroom, grills and other things that make state parks inviting.

There is a place to park your car on both ends of the park and the northern end allows access to Lake Ontario’s rocky shoreline.  This is where we started Alex and Christina’s session!

I just love this picture of Christina!

Alex and Christina initially met during a work day at a retreat center where they were both volunteering.  As Christina tells the story, she kind of scared him off and they didn’t run into each other again for a year.  When their paths did finally cross again, they were at a young adults event at church where they reconnected and saw each other on and off for a few months.

In June 2018 they ended up going to the Greek Fest in Syracuse together with a group of friends where Alex decided he wanted to ask her out.  A week later they went on their first date!

Originally we had planned to do their engagement session on a Friday, but after looking at the weather forecast and seeing lots of clouds and rain, Christina was flexible enough to be able to get someone to cover work for her so we could meet on Wednesday instead!

I’m so glad we did because the sunshine could not have been more perfect!  I was also thrilled that the sun was in the section of the sky that I could use the Chimney Bluffs as the background for their engagement pictures instead of just the lake!

Chimney Bluffs

After we had done a good section of their session along the lake shore, these two were adventurous enough to climb a little ways up into the bluffs for some AMAZING pictures!

I mean, just check out how the sunshine lights them up from behind and how Christina’s curly hair glows!  So magical!

Look at how sweet they are together!

 

I just love this close up shot of Alex kissing Christina on the forehead. Such a sweet picture of love and care!

And of course he gave her his hand to help her down from the rocks!

Top of the Cliff

From the shoreline to climbing up into the bluffs, we then took the trail and stairs to the very top of the bluffs to finish out their engagement pictures at the Chimney Bluffs!  The light up here was also gorgeous and gave us an opportunity to get some more close up portraits of Alex and Christina!

Christina also gets props for walking around the rocky shore and climbing into the bluffs in these heeled boots!

I LOVE this one not only of the two of them up also the view of the Chimney Bluffs and Lake Ontario behind them!

I am so glad that you went adventuring with us today to the Chimney Bluffs for Alex and Christina’s engagement pictures!  I hope you found it well worth it!  Andrew and I are so excited to be able to capture their wedding memories this coming May!  Be sure to stay tuned for their wedding blog next spring!  In the meantime, if you’d like to check out some of my other work whether it’s wedding, engagement, family or senior you can find them in the links here!  Or send me an email with any questions you may have!

 

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