Cinematic Love Story Photoshoot in Edinburgh

I swear I manifested this couple coming into my life. It happened so suddenly and with just a few days notice - Jenny and Hendrik were travelling from Philippines to the UK for their friend's wedding in London, spending a couple of nights in Edinburgh, and wanted to have that part of their adventure documented. When their inquiry appeared in my inbox, every sentence I read gave me more and more goosebumps: the level of alignment I had with their vision was the highest of highs.

"For our dream engagement shoot, we picture something that feels like it’s straight out of a romantic-comedy movie - warm, playful, and full of genuine moments. We'd love to capture blurry snaps of us smiling, slow dancing in the middle of the street, laughing, sharing coffee, and just being ourselves... just natural, playful, full of heart, wandering the streets and getting lost in the moment."

They instantly felt like my couple. Thankfully, I was free on the dates they were in Scotland. We jumped on a call to meet (which was fun with the time difference!), talked through all the creative details and logistics of their vision, and reconfirmed that we were 100% on the same wavelength. They booked me straight away so I could arrange my flights from the Gatwick airport and accommodation for two nights, and four days later I was flying to Edinburgh. Honestly, this job is a dream.

It was early May, and the Scottish weather was kind enough not to freeze us at 6pm anymore. We took around three hours - until the sun started to go down - to wander the streets of one of my most favourite cities in the world. I was showing Jenny & Hendrik my favourite places, learning about them two, sharing a bit about my story, as well as some history facts that I know about Edinburgh. We started our journey at one of the coffee shops in Cockburn Street, continued through the multiple gorgeous stairs and closes, popped to a pub half way through my improvised itinerary for them to have a quick drink to warm up (which I also, naturally, documented), and had the most amazing moment finishing the night at Waverley station, which felt straight out of a movie. Hendrik is into photography as well, and I encouraged them to take photos as well throughout the evening - I'm obsessed with incorporating my couples' passions into our sessions, and it helps with the flow of the story as well.

This love story photoshoot in Edinburgh was one of my most favourite sessions that I've done this year - the way everything came together filled my heart so much, and I'd come to Scotland time and time again to document more love stories and adventures.

This is Jenny & Hendrik's love letter to me:

"Dearest Anya, Hendrik and I just wanted to send you a quick note to say thank you - we absolutely loved the photos! This shoot turned out even better than I had envisioned. The way you captured the atmosphere, the intimacy, and especially the emotions - we’re honestly blown away. Your close-up shots are some of our absolute favorites. You have such a special way of bringing out real moments and making them feel timeless. Thank you again for being such a joy to work with and for giving us these beautiful memories to look back on."