Meet Matt and McKenzie. Matt is a sales manager for a roofing company and McKenzie runs the family farm. They love Michelob Ultra and pepperoni pizza. And they are just the cutest couple.
They recently had a couples photo shoot with Danielle Esparza of Eye Rock Photography in Hockley, TX (right outside Houston). Danielle was really able to capture the couples fun and playful side as well as their more sexy and sultry side.
But what makes Matt and McKenzie any different from any other couple? Well they aren’t a couple at all. They are complete strangers. That’s right. Complete strangers.
Danielle has been a self taught photographer since 2015, and really started building her portfolio in 2017. In February of this year she finally launched her business. She had seen an idea similar to this and thought what a challenge this would be. Photograph two complete strangers to look madly in love.
Danielle posted this stranger photo shoot on her website on April 13th and it quickly went viral. She said she knew it was a hit when she could no longer keep up with all the messages and comments. “Every time I looked at the stats it jumped by thousands. It was unreal. I never thought my work would be seen in other countries,” Danielle said. People just could not believe this beautiful couple were strangers.
Danielle said to get them to relax she prompted them to whisper different cereals in a sexy voice or accent in each other’s ears. This would always lead to a laugh and help them to just have fun with each other and the idea of being in love.
Since the internet was introduced to Matt and McKenzie they have been begging for more. What is their story? Have they seen each other again? When will there be engagement photos? People from all over the world have started following their story.
Danielle says she thinks the obsession is due to the fact that “most people can’t imagine being that comfortable with a stranger. I know it’s super awkward but that’s what makes it fun. I also think that as humans we have a strong desire to love. These strangers look like love at first sight which we all know people love. Human connection is just so fascinating.”
We love a good love story. Although this isn’t a love story these pictures allow us to image what Matt and McKenize must be like. It’s like watching a love story unfold in a movie or reading a good book. It is a break from our reality.
This is a true example of the issues with social media. Not everything is as it appears. We allow ourselves to get sucked into the excitement of Matt and McKenzie. Their energy, their playfulness. We may even wish we looked liked her or our man looked like him! We may even think to ourselves, “I wish (insert name) and I looked like that,” even when in reality there is no Matt and McKenzie.
Meet Holly and Kellen. The perfect couple or perfect strangers? To find out more check out Eye Rock Photography on Facebook and Instagram. You can also see the complete shoot at eyerockphotography.com.
