Chanté + Josh / Joshua Tree / Playful desert couples session / California Photographer

Chanté + Josh
Joshua Tree, CA
Playful desert couples session 

When I got to our airbnb in beautiful Joshua Tree my friend Dakai and I were talking about how cool it would be if we had a session with a couple by the old airstream just on the property. Not only was there a sweet outdoor shower attached to it *hint, hint* it seemed like the perfect spot to host a playful desert couples session.

Fast forward and our dreams came true…introducing Chanté and Josh, a super cool couple with magical voices and a ukelhele to boot. Between the energy going around with everyone at the Kin Workshop, the sizzling connection between our couple and the soulful sound of the Ukee….it was freaking epic!! This playful desert couple session even ended with our couple enjoying an outdoor shower….ummm ya, I said that…you read that right! Actually one of the photos ended up featured on Beloved Stories, which was rad.

Honestly I had so much for at this workshop that every single session has a huge place in my heart. It was a great opportunity to try new things and get a little weird. and who doesn’t like getting weird?!

Let’s talk a little bit about this couple because clearly their chemistry is on FIRE. I had Josh write up a little story of how they met and ladies, get your tissues out because it is soooo beautifully written and you can feel the love!

so without further adieu…..

Their Story 

Chanté and I met through friends, and what started as mutual interest and attraction, quickly blossomed into being fully head over heels lovestruck. Something about her completely mesmerized me, and all I could think about was that I wanted to know more about her. Beyond the fact that she is so wildly beautiful, creative, and funny, Chanté carries with her a very contagious sense of magic about the world and all its endless wonders. Our love was so strong and so intense from the beginning, and it was made even more intense by the fact that she had made plans to travel indefinitely in Europe prior to our meeting. We spent a few passionate weeks exploring the forests, mountains and beaches of Santa Barbara, quickly getting to know each other and finding that we had so much in common and that even our differences were a source of inspiration. We are both very creative people, and getting to see little glimpses of the world through each other’s eyes left us tingling with electricity of new love. It felt like it could never end, and then, it did. Or so we thought. When Chanté was preparing to leave, we both were overcome by such great joy at having the chance to connect at the level that we did, and also felt remorse at the thought that we might never meet again. The day she left, we gave each other tattoos. She gave me one behind my ear, I remember telling her it was so I could hear her whispering to me while she was away. I gave her a tattoo of an Ouroboros (snake eating its tail) on her finger, symbolizing eternal return and the cyclical nature of things. We cried and parted ways, she was off to Scotland to see an old friend, and I was finishing up a marketing internship. We talked almost every day she was gone, shared our dreams, our thoughts, our adventures of the day and she told me all about Scotland. Durning this time a thought welled up inside of me. My internship was soon ending, I was finishing my lease where I was living at the time. Somehow, all the right circumstances coalesced so that I had little to no commitments holding me in place, so I decided to visit her in Scotland. At first I tried to keep it a secret, but then my excitement bridled over and I told her my plans. We were both so elated that we would have the chance to see each other, even if only for a few more weeks. I flew to Scotland and I remember taking a train from Edinburgh to the small town where she was staying. Through the jet lag and tiredness I was buzzing with excitement. I waited at the train station, and when we finally locked eyes as she walked towards me, we both smiled uncontrollably. The first night I was there, she took me and a friend to a traditional Scottish dance called a Ceilidh, and even though I didn’t have a kilt and was sleep deprived beyond reason, we drank and danced the night away. We were to spend the next few weeks traveling all over Scotland, exploring ancient glens and forests, sleeping near abandoned castles and meeting so many wonderful people along the way. And then, just like before, came the feeling of remorse as we neared the end of my trip, both wishing I could somehow stay longer, just to spend another night by her side, to wake up and share another dream, and to make each other laugh. The day came, and she traveled with me back to Edinburgh, where I would fly back to California. We got to the airport and shared another teary eyed goodbye, both of us trying to keep sight of the other as long as we could as I went through the security line. And then, I breathed a sigh and waited to board my plane. Once on the plane, I took my seat and looked out the window. In my mind I kept turning over the thought that we were somewhat meant to spend more time together, that it somehow wasn’t over. I looked out the window at the drizzly grey sky, and in the background heard the familiar voice instructing preparations for takeoff over the intercom. The plane taxied down the runway and as we prepared to take off, I closed my eyes and held the thought in my mind again, strongly, firmly. We were not done, we were meant to have more time. The plane lurched forward and quickly accelerated, first the front wheel, then the back wheel came off the ground and we were airborne. Everything got so small down below, and as we made our way to altitude, a voice came on the intercom, it was the captain, and he was saying that unfortunately a sensor had gone off on the plane and due to protocol he would have to turn back and land the plane. My eyes popped open, I couldn’t believe what I heard, here was my chance, at the final moment when I thought there was no possible way I could spend one more day with her. As I looked around and noticed the look of alarm, frustration and anger across every passenger’s face, I became acutely aware of how excited and happy I must have appeared. We landed the plane, deboarded and waited in line to talk to the desk clerk. I was more that happy to forgo my spot on the next flight, and while I was at it, why not reschedule for a flight in two week’s time? As soon as I was out of the airport, I contacted her and found she was already on a train back to the small town in the countryside, so I hopped on the next train. Chanté and I spend the next few weeks growing even closer and I think we both honestly believe that the extra time we spent together was the tipping point for us to commit to a relationship together. We have been traveling, adventuring, and creating together ever since. That’s the story of how we fell in love, the rest is magic!