Simpson Beach Adventure Session | Amanda & Darrell

What do you get when you combine two Washingtonians, two Oregonians, a rainy day at Simpson Beach outside of Coos Bay, OR, and a bull elephant seal as a party crasher? You get probably the most fun rainy day engagement session someone can have on the Oregon Coast in March!

Amanda and Darrell drove down from Battle Ground, WA to Shore Acres State Park and Simpson Beach for their epic engagement session. I brought along my makeup artist, Erika. While she did Amanda’s makeup, I went down to the beach to scope out the situation. That’s when I discovered there was a gargantuan elephant seal on the beach. At first, I thought he was dead because I couldn’t detect any breathing. I kept my distance and when I circled back around, I saw his rostrum (nose) flutter from a big huff of air. Oh my! He was very patient with us and even lifted his head a couple times to check out what we were doing.

The rain wasn’t letting up, so after a few images with my clear umbrella I bring for such occasions, we decided to embrace the weather and went full out in the rain. It turned out to be the best decision. I was armed with gloves, umbrellas, and jackets and Erika and I held coats when necessary. In between takes, we loaded Amanda up with gloves and whatever else she needed, since she was the one with less clothes on.

On our way to our final location, Amanda and Darrell stopped behind me. I sensed them stopping and turned to see Darrell buckling Amanda’s shoes. It was the most tender moment and I’m glad I still had my camera out. It is those in-between moments that sometimes hit you the hardest.

Waves crashed and displayed behind Amanda and Darrell on the sandstone bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. What an amazing way to end a beautiful and adventurous engagement session!