Nine-Pin Bowling, Riverbanks & Murrah's Field | Eden + Payton
Updated: 2 days ago
An old-school bowling club, a little vintage fishing inspiration, and one final stop before the sun disappeared over Blanco, Texas.
A Little Nine-Pin Nostalgia at the Blanco Bowling Club.
When Eden and Payton and I started planning their couples session, we weren't exactly thinking about the usual engagement photographs. We wanted something with personality, something a little unexpected, and a few locations that would give us completely different looks.
And somewhere along the way, bowling came up.
Not just any bowling alley, either. I'm talking about the Blanco Bowling Club, where they still play old-school, nine-pin bowling. It's a place with a whole lot of character, and the moment I started looking into it, I knew we needed to make it happen.
What began as an idea for a bowling alley session eventually turned into an afternoon with three very different settings, all within a few minutes of each other in Blanco, Texas.
A Little Nine-Pin Nostalgia
There's something about an old bowling alley that you simply can't recreate in a studio. The wooden lanes, the vintage details, the lighting, and the atmosphere all have a personality of their own.
And the Blanco Bowling Club has plenty of it.
I'd done some research beforehand and arranged for us to photograph there on a Sunday afternoon. And once we got inside, I knew we'd made the right call.
We started with photographs around the bar before moving onto the lanes, where Eden and Payton had a chance to relax, have some fun, and just be themselves. Between the bowling balls, the score sheets, and the two of them hanging out together, there were so many little moments that made this part of the session feel different. And as it turns out, bowling was already part of their history.
On their first date, Eden won the first game, Payton came back to win the second, and apparently he wasn't about to let her take the third. Somewhere in the middle of all that competition, they decided they rather liked each other.
That same first date also included a flower Eden nearly sat on and a first kiss Payton almost talked himself out of. So clearly, these two have been keeping things interesting from the beginning.
I photograph couples in all kinds of places, but this was one of those sessions where the location was just as much a part of the creative process as everything happening in front of the camera.
And I have to say, some of these bowling alley photographs have become personal favorites of mine.
Fishing Poles and the Blanco River
For our second look, we headed over to Blanco State Park, where the Blanco River winds through enormous trees and grassy banks.
The idea here was something a little more relaxed, with a vintage summertime feel. Eden and Payton changed outfits, brought along the fishing gear, and we traded the darker atmosphere of the bowling alley for the afternoon light along the water.
Fishing wasn't just a convenient theme, either. It's something they've enjoyed together for years. Eden grew up fishing in Minnesota, and when they lived along the Guadalupe River, fishing and paddleboarding were part of their everyday lives.
So while we were photographing along the Blanco River rather than the Guadalupe, the setting had a personal connection for them.
There's a playfulness to these photographs that I really enjoy. Some of my favorites are the simplest moments, with the two of them sitting beside the river, wandering along the bank, or Payton scooping Eden up in his arms.
And according to their questionnaire, one of their biggest concerns about being photographed was that neither of them could take anything seriously without cracking up.
Personally, I don't see the problem.
The striped outfits, fishing gear, and riverside setting gave this part of the session its own character without making it overly complicated.
And that's one of the things I enjoy about planning sessions like this. You can take a simple idea, find the right setting, and let the couple's personalities do the rest.
One Last Stop: Murrah's Field
The final location almost didn't happen.
A few days before the session, I was scouting Blanco State Park when I noticed a field on a neighboring property. It had the kind of tall grasses and open space I was hoping to find for our sunset photographs, and it was close enough to the river that we wouldn't lose precious daylight driving to another location.
So I went looking for the owner.
That turned out to be Tom Murrah, who graciously gave us permission to photograph on his property. And I'm awfully glad he did.
By the time we made it to the field, the sun was getting low, the light was warm, and the entire atmosphere had changed again. We went from the dark interiors of the bowling alley to the riverbanks, and now we had wide-open skies, tall grass, and the last bit of evening sunlight.
These photographs have a completely different feel from where we started the afternoon. There's more movement, more open space, and that beautiful late-day light coming through the grasses. Even an old, weathered trailer made its way into a few photographs.
And a special thank-you to Tom for letting us finish the session in his field. Sometimes the best locations are the ones you stumble across while looking for something else.
A Little Bit of Everything
What I love about this session is that none of the three locations looks anything like the others.
The bowling alley brought the nostalgia and personality, along with a little connection to their first date. The river gave us a relaxed, playful afternoon and something that had been part of their lives long before this session. And Murrah's Field was just the right place to finish as the sun went down.
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