Henry Tieu took this portrait of couple Deanne and Ricky at Rattlesnake Lake in Washington state, where the pair eloped. “Rattlesnake is a popular location around Seattle and I’ve shot there so many times,” Tieu explains. “I needed to challenge myself creatively so whenever I photograph anyone at this location, I try to create something unique for them. Deanne and Ricky flew in from Dubai to Seattle to elope. My husband was the event planner and also the officiant for this elopement.”

Tieu says Deanne and Ricky chose this spot because of the tree. “They had seen my photos where I had other couples sitting on the tree, but due to the length and structure of Deanne’s dress, we couldn’t get them onto it. I told her to trust me and that I could incorporate the tree into the image and make it unique for her and Ricky. Since my Sony A7R III can’t do double exposures in-camera, I photographed two different photos and put them together in Photoshop. When I saw that the main branches matched up with their spines and the smallest branches looked like roots, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s so simple yet unique and regal in its own way. This is one of my proudest photos I’ve ever taken.”

(Shot on a Sony A7R III with a 35mm f/1.4 Zeiss lens.)

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