Engagements

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!

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!

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!

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!)

Want to see more!? Check out some more of their beautiful gallery below!