Destination | A Stunning Badlands National Park Engagement

In my early 20s I stumbled upon Terrance’s Malick’s film, Badlands. It was an instant favorite for me, and I was completely enchanted by the strange remote rock formations from which the film took it’s name. Since early 2021 I’ve been working on experiencing as many National Parks as possible, so you can imagine my excitement in particular when Shannon and Devin asked me to join them in Badlands National Park to capture their engagement session.

Badlands NP itself is quite remote. Flanked on either side by two tiny South Dakota towns, each with populations of less than a thousand, the park seemingly rises out of nowhere and brings in many visitors to experience its glory. I was on the tail end of a two week trip across the Midwest when I arrived in the area for Shannon and Devin’s shoot. Any sense of travel fatigue instantly vanished once I saw the location. It was absolutely unreal.

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect couple to photograph in Badlands. These two had just finished a whooping three day, 23 mile hike the morning of the shoot yet they didn’t seem remotely fatigued. Up for pretty much whatever I had in mind, they had no issue climbing, hiking, and visiting many locations throughout the area,. And as for Shannon, she did all this while in heels. Color me impressed.