Whisper the word “elopement” and it breathes romantic adventure into the air, conjuring up images of a clandestine rendezvous worthy of a Jane Austen novel. Had the elopers of days of yore wanted photographs of their stealth proceedings, Flora Gibson would have been the natural choice.
Based in Big Sur, California, Gibson captures intimate elopements set amid the area’s iconic grand scenery. Artfully bedecked couples stand on craggy coastlines, brave the wind, fog, and rain, and gingerly embrace in front of austere mountains. She tells her clients she’s a “dance-in-the-rain type of photographer,” that messy hair is eclipsed by sparkling eyes. Her imagery, she explains, calls to the “dreamers and romantics” who prize authenticity in their nuptial storytelling.
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
Gibson credits a childhood informed by adventure and creativity for leading her to this photographic niche. She was raised in her parents’ darkroom, with its chemical smells and telltale red light. As a result, creating photos became a normal part of her self-expression, in the same way other kids might express themselves through drawing or coloring. Exploring the wildlands around Big Sur was also a typical family activity—her father recorded their exploits with a Nikon F.
“My dad was super adventurous,” says Gibson. “We were the kind of family that would be out on a hike or a walk and see a bunny trail and decide to follow it just to see where it went. My dad always photographed the landscape in such a unique way. It wasn’t technical; it was about a feeling, and I was always so drawn to that.”
Becoming an elopement photographer was a lot like following one of those bunny trails. Gibson took up nursing after earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology, but as is often the case for hobbyist photographers, she was pressed by a friend enamored with her work to photograph a wedding. Her initial reaction was intimidation, and she politely refused. But after strong insistence and encouragement, she gave in and shadowed another local wedding photographer to learn their approach. Her photographic skill was never in question; it was the business of wedding photography and working with couples that eluded her, she says.
“I’m actually super proud of my first wedding,” says Gibson. “There was this crazy backlighting and it was raining, so I put the flash behind them and had them kiss. It was the coolest thing to me. I realized I wanted to do more, especially outdoors.”
The challenge of capturing the intimacy of an elopement in an unpredictable outdoor setting inspired Gibson. She bought a wedding dress that she wouldn’t mind getting dirty and engaged a friend as a model. Armed with insider knowledge of spectacular locations off the beaten tourist path, Gibson put together a portfolio that adventurous couples wouldn’t be able to resist.
“My goal client is someone who loves photography, truly values it, and also wants to enjoy themselves in the outdoors,” says Gibson.
ADVENTURING WITH A PLAN
By the time she quit nursing in 2020, Gibson had been photographing couples and elopements for six years, and was fully booked for the next two. It was a simple decision to go full-time. She currently takes on about 60 elopements and weddings each year, with a heavy emphasis on elopements. She also travels for weddings in epic locales. For example, last year a client had a large wedding ceremony in France but took two hours out of their wedding day to do adventurous photos in the Alps. More typically, though, her elopements involve just a small number of people and a handful of locations. For example, she’ll start by photographing the couple getting ready, then capture a first look, cover a ceremony in the redwoods followed by a small adventure, and end by photographing a beach picnic at sunset.
“I still want those traditional triggers of a wedding to be there, like the first look, the getting-ready pictures, et cetera,” she says, “so I do try to incorporate those as much as possible into elopements. I’m just not the person for the more traditional church weddings. But people like to have those trigger moments captured.”
Gibson is transparent from the beginning about what clients should expect. She makes sure couples are OK with getting a little dirty or stuck in the rain, and essentially makes sure that everyone is envisioning the same scenarios. Are they afraid of heights? Do they have an affinity for the beach or the mountains? How do they feel about getting a little wet?
“I don’t want to scare people,” she says. “It’s not about being dangerous, it’s about matching people with the right places.”
If someone is nervous with high cliffs, for example, she has other options that get the same mountainous feel without the steepness. Or, she’ll find a beach location with mountains in the background.
“At the end of the day, I just ask my clients to trust me,” says Gibson. “And things change when we’re out. I’ll see something that’s truly unique to a location and let them know they won’t see that anywhere else. We have to do it.”
Gibson’s website has several planning guides for popular places around Big Sur as well as San Francisco, Yosemite, and Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor on the Oregon coast. She lays out what permits are needed, which seasons are best, where to eat, where to find a good Airbnb, and even a sample timeline. She offers tips to keep clients safe and happy, such as wearing shoes with good grip for rocky places (she won’t shoot unless they sign an agreement on that one), wearing leggings under a wedding dress for added warmth, and educating them on poison oak (she brings Tecnu poison oak and poison ivy skin cleanser just about everywhere).
When photographing in a new place, she’ll arrive a few days early to scout the best spots, get a handle on the weather, locate the sunrise and sunset, and evaluate any other logistical challenges. In France, for example, she found that the gondola to a specific overlook was closed during the week she was there, so she identified an alternate overlook that was just as spectacular.
“Doing the research is one way that my clients recognize that I truly care about them,” says Gibson. “It helps them trust me.”
Because Gibson often works in the same locations, one of her biggest creative challenges is to make each session unique, she says.
“I’ll try taking five to 10 steps away from where I normally stand, or shoot through the trees,” she says. She might switch from a 28mm to an 85mm lens to “submerge the couple into the landscape.”
If her clients add on a film package, she’ll play around with Polaroids (she has a vast collection of them). Her favorites are the truly vintage models, which have fun light leaks. Playful experimentation is important to her process, as it should be for any artist, she contends.
“I think social media sometimes makes creative people scared to do anything different,” she says. “When other creatives say that something isn’t art or become so critical, it doesn’t help. I don’t think Picasso sat around worrying about what other artists thought about him. Just go out there and do some weird stuff and see what you can do differently.”
Stephanie Boozer is a writer in Charleston, South Carolina.
Tags: wedding photography
