Engagements

Jake + Karen | An Engagement Session at Sunken Gardens

Mar 20 2023

A couple of months ago I was putting together my wording of what I might say on a post for the Rochester Area Wedding Swap Facebook Group and advertising for fun Engagement sessions in the snow. I put together the post and sent it on it’s way. A little while went by and I received a notification that Karen mentioned they needed an Engagement session and she wanted to have theirs in the winter also! Yay! We booked their date for this past week and luckily there was still snow on the ground, even following a couple of warmer days!

As we pondered over what time we should meet due to the sun’s activity, we decided to meet at noon, a time that I normally do not shoot at due to over powering sun rays and shadows underneath eyes, etc. But this day was perfect for a 12 o’clock session and Jake and Karen brought their A game.

Within minutes I could tell they were going to be easy to work with and they were nailing their poses effortlessly! We moved onto more advanced poses and some from Karen’s Pinterest inspiration board within no time and I am in LOVE with how they turned out!! Here are just some of my favorites from their session!

Tyler + Maryna | Engagement Session

Jun 02 2022

Maryna and Tyler contacted me back in March of 2019 to book their Wedding date and before we knew it – Covid was taking over the world. They contacted me and asked to move their date to September of 2022, I was so glad I wasn’t booked! We moved their date and just scheduled their Engagement session a couple months ago. Our first session date got completely rained out so we shifted to this past Tuesday and we met at the beautiful Webster Park in Webster, NY. Let me tell you – it was meant to be! The lighting was perfect, the air was not too hot, not too cold, slight breeze, it was gorgeous!

We started at a section of the park where I spotted some sun coming through the trees while scoping the parks out and knowing it would grow dark in this location first, I knew we had to start there.

We made our way from this part of the park and went down to another little section that would soon be dark and used the bridge! They were such naturals!! They picked up on my posing within minutes and magic was happening!

After the bridge we made our way to the water front part of the park, giving the sun just enough time to start departing for the evening and gave us an awesome show!

We ended our evening and I knew I had to come home to edit these right away! I couldn’t wait! Here are just a few of my favorites from the session! They brought the HEAT and I can’t wait to celebrate their wedding in September!

Joel + Katie

Apr 07 2022

Katie’s Mom contacted me a few months ago asking if I was available for a date in June for her daughter’s wedding and was elated to say that we were! I chatted with her about their day and when I looked up their venue (to be announced at a later date), I was over the moon in love! Joel, Katie and I discussed some of their details and I knew it would be a dream wedding!!

Over the next few weeks, Joel and I texted a few questions and answers back and forth and we finally landed on a date for an Engagement session! Yay!! We met at Black Creek Park in North Chili and the weather was nice 61 degrees, little breeze and some nice clouds but I could tell Katie was a little chilly so I knew tonight was about cuddles to keep warm!

Within 3 minutes I could tell we were going to have a great session! Their smiles were contagious and immediately I could see why they were getting married, they beamed for each other. They told me they hadn’t had a lot of practice before and I told them I didn’t believe them lol, they were NATURALS! No fake smiles here guys!!

We had so much fun walking around the park and showing them our posing techniques for their wedding day and by the end, I knew we would be golden on their wedding day. I can’t wait to celebrate with them in June but for now, here are a few of our favorites!!

Matt + Sarah

Feb 11 2022

Matt and Sarah contacted me last year to discuss their wedding plans for May of 2022 and all the beautiful details to come. I couldn’t wait to start planning their Engagement session this winter however the snow didn’t seem to come at the times we needed it to or with little warning for planning so instead I suggested one of my favorite locations, Lamberton Conservatory at Highland Park. I love the gardens inside and the private session time gives us the freedom to walk through without anyone in our shot. I must admit though, the cactus room is my favorite, it has the most beautiful glowy light coming in!!

We made our way from garden to garden and while I was showing them some of the most common posing we will be using for their wedding day, little by little their confidence started to come out and their natural smiles started to shine! It’s very normal to feel a little shy when first starting your engagement session but it is my job to show you how to relax and enjoy your time with your fiancé. They did just that! I am so excited I had the chance to work with them for the first time in a non stressful environment, they will be ready for their wedding day when we are in much more of a time crunch!

Here’s a few of my favorites from their session!

Dan + Amanda

Aug 23 2021

Amanda and Dan both connected with me back in 2019 regarding their wedding planned for October of 2020. As the story goes for 2020, Covid brought everything to a screeching halt and Dan and Amanda chose to postpone the wedding until it was a bit safer for everyone. They planned their new wedding date for October 2021 at a beautiful location (that you will see coming in a future blog post!).

As I always tell every couple, their Engagement session is more than just pretty pictures to have in your memory box of a short lived milestone but a great way for you to learn how your photographer will work with you on your wedding day. We met at Al Lorenz Park in Mt Morris and after just a few short minutes, Dan and Amanda were like naturals and gaining confidence throughout their session. It wasn’t long before I had them doing some advanced posing techniques and the sun was falling right into line behind them! Their Engagement photos are forever documented and they will also be a lot more confident on their wedding day with their posing! I am so excited to share this next chapter with you when they finally say “I do!”

Here are just a few of my favorite images of their Engagement session!

Ryan & Briana’s Engagement Session

Aug 07 2020

Ryan & Briana | An engagement session at sunset

During Covid, I REALLY needed a pick me up session. One that would just make my soul feel good. You know what I’m sayin’. Who didn’t need a feel good moment after all of this? After foot surgery in January and not being able to pick my camera up again until June made my heart sad. When it came time to schedule Briana and Ryan’s Engagement session, I couldn’t wait! We booked our session for last night and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect!

I learned so much about them at our session! They are from the same town that my kids are now growing up in and we know a lot of the same friends! We took a stroll down to the pond and I introduced them to a few of my favorite relaxed poses. They are planning on getting married in 2022 so this was a fun way for them to get some practice in before the big day!

Once we were done with the pond and the beautiful sunshine behind it, we quickly made our way over to the stunning sunlit field that was close-by. Briana had told me that she wanted a field in some of her photos so when we chose this park, I knew just the place! This little spot is off the beaten path and probably doesn’t look very picturesque to the normal person but I knew it had some glow at sunset!

We made the short walk over and of course glow happened! These two were amazing with their guidance and knew exactly what I was looking for (which comes in handy when you’re directing from 6ft away 😉 ) What happened next was nothing short of magic! Just look at these two! SO MUCH LOVE!!

I could have shot this session all night!! GAH! We had so much fun! I hope you enjoy their session as much as I do! Here’s some of my favorites from their session!

Matt & Nichole’s Engagement Session

Jun 29 2020

I first met Nichole when she was my daughters’ cheer camp coach at school. We didn’t have a chance to talk much but we clicked instantly when Nichole asked me about wedding photography! I was so excited to hear all about her and Matts’ Wedding day plans next year and when she said she wanted to do an Engagement Session, I was over the moon! I love working with couples before their big day, it just helps everyone the day of to feel confident and helps the portraits turn out so much more natural! I also wanted to make this super special for them as Nichole has been one of the front line workers of this pandemic and I cannot express my gratitude for her braveness!

This was my first session back from Covid shut downs so it was a little different to direct the entire session from afar but they were perfect together and made it so easy! We made our way from one end of the property to the other, enjoying each bit of different light from all angles. We worked our way to the weeping willow trees for a bit and ended our session where the perfect amount of sunlight was glistening through the trees of the beautiful driveway.

Here’s just a few of my favorites from their session! I can’t wait to be photographing their Wedding day next May! Congratulations you two, I am honored to be your photographer!

Sean & Helen

Jan 08 2020

Sean and Helen called me about a month ago to discuss their wedding day plans for next September. They shared their dreams and hopes of their big day and Helen goes “Oh! And I would LOVE snowy engagement photos!!!” Shriek! I LOVE winter engagement sessions!

After Mother Nature had other plans for our first date, we decided that everything happens for a reason and rescheduled to the following weekend. What a great decision! We arrived to find a soft blanket of snow across the beautiful Livingston County Park in Mt Morris which offers a beautiful gazebo, snow covered bridges and some beautiful walking paths.

We walked the length of the park with their pup, Ellie and laughed our way through their session. It was chilly but so worth it! We had a lot of fun creating these memories and I’d love to share some of my favorites with you!

Dustin & Brittany’s Winter Engagement

Feb 04 2019

The Session

Brittany and Dustin have been dating for 7 years and on December 10th, Dustin proposed. When they contacted me to do their Engagement Session, I, of course got really excited but in addition, I was swarmed with beautiful snowy photo ideas; and since we had never met before, I also wanted to help them feel super comfortable with me so that their images reflected the love they have for one another. Anytime I meet a new Client, my first priority to get them comfortable with me and my second goal is to get them to forget that there’s a camera on them. I know, that sounds impossible but my documentary style photography tends to be shot from afar and work my way closer as the session goes on. This helps them loosen up, understand that it’s “really not that bad” and within, honestly, just a few moments, love starts taking over.

The Ring

During their session, I quickly learned that Dustin had custom designed Brittanys’ Engagement ring himself. It was a stunning solitaire diamond from the front view with accent design underneath. It is breathtaking, especially hearing how proud he was at his design and it looked fabulous on Brittany!

They’re such an awesome couple and we had such a great time at their Engagement Session (even though it was 32 degrees) and while they are still working on their Wedding date and plans, I am so excited to start seeing their new chapter of life starting and what a FUN couple they are to work with!!

Below are some images from their amazing gallery!

Josh & Jacquie’s Engagement

Jan 04 2019

The Couple

Josh and Jacquie met in high school when they were 15 years old. They volunteered as camp counselors at the same park as my kids attended during the summer and Jacquie (and her family) have been very involved with Cheerleading at our school district for many years and Josh’s step mother was one of the Mom’s at parent pick up, so I was lucky enough to have some common ground to strike up conversation at the beginning of their Engagement Session.

The Session

When I first started talking to Jacquie about what her visions were for their session, she told me they had recently moved to Georgia and they wanted their Engagement Session in the town that they fell in love. What an amazing idea!

When I shoot in a more urban location, such as a town or city, I always think contrast. I want to see everything around the area pop all around them and this was the town that brought them together! We live in a small town so all the scenery around sparks joy. *Quoting Marie Kondo*. When selecting a location, I like to have an idea of what textures we can play with and brick is one of my favorites!! The session started with them telling me that they had never had a photo shoot before and were super nervous about posing. I educated them on my style and how this is meant to be a FUN experience and not stressful in any way. It’s a way for them to connect mutually while experiencing something new and that when they rely on each other for the laughs, (and me for casual posing and direction) that they would be professionals in no time. This photo was taken 3 minutes after we started. As soon as I educated them on what to expect and how important this milestone is to be captured in the light of them, they immediately softened up and so many laughs came afterwards!

Half way through our session, we had hoped in our own cars to travel to another location close-by (not walking distance in the freezing cold) and when we arrived, Josh had just received a call that he had landed a new position at work and was super excited. This brought even more to our session with their excitement and I was so glad to share in this moment with them! One day at a time, their lives just keep getting better and better!!

While light was fading fast and the wind picked up, I wanted to finish our session up on some old train tracks that aren’t used anymore. I love leading lines and while it’s INCREDIBLY dangerous to shoot sessions on train tracks, this is one of the few tracks that is no longer in use so we took advantage of the leading lines! (and their puppy came along for some too!)