Rob + Cheli: The Engagement Session

Posted on April 25, 2018 Posted in 2018 Weddings, Engagement Session, Investment, Lifestyle Sessions, Maine Weddings, Seacoast Weddings, UncategorizedTagged City Life, Dancing, details, Engagement, Getting Married, Investment, Laughter, Maine, Nikon, Outdoors, Photography, sunset, True Love, Wedding Photography, Weddings7 Comments

In the midst of the madness of wedding season and working hard for my clients, I try to fit in working with my friends as often as I can, too. Working with friends gives me an opportunity to experiment with new photographic possibilities without the pressure of worrying whether my experiment will go awry–not something I love doing with paying clients. I’ve photographed Rob twice before at each of his sister’s weddings, and I’ve known Cheli for the last several years, so I was super excited at the opportunity to photograph this last minute engagement session (I’m photographing their wedding May 12th) because I knew it would provide that opportunity. They are beyond adorable together, they’re both very comfortable in front of the camera, and they’re totally game for any of my suggestions: “Run into oncoming traffic? Sure!” “Ask that maitre’d if he’d mind us sitting at one of the window tables for 5 minutes? Sure!” I so love the results–even more so because I love the two people in these shots.

Ashley + Matt: The Engagement Session

Posted on November 5, 2017November 5, 2017 Posted in 2018 Weddings, Engagement Session, Investment, Lifestyle Sessions, Maine Weddings, Mountain WeddingsTagged Dancing, Engaged, Engagement, Engagement Portraits, Engagement Session, EngagementRing, Higgins Beach, Investment, Laughter, LoveLaughterLife, Maine, Nikon, October, Outdoors, Photography, Scarborough, sunset, True Love, Wedding Photography, WeddingsLeave a comment

I knew from the moment I first talked to Ashley when she called about booking me for their 2018 Sugarloaf wedding this past summer that we were going to get along swimmingly. My instincts are rarely wrong, and they didn’t fail me this time either. As Ashley and Matt approached the benches in front of Higgins Beach in Scarborough, where we had planned to meet for their engagement shoot, I could see her warm, friendly smile from a block away. It was colder than we’d expected–a warm front would blow in the next day causing large portions of the state to lose power for days, but Saturday was brisk and breezy. Still, Ashley’s smile never dimmed, and she was game to dance, sit on the wet sand, or explore the landscape of Higgins Beach without a single complaint about the weather or the wind whipping at her long dark hair.

In between shots we got to know each other, chatting about their work and mine, their progress on their wedding plans, and so on. This is what I really LOVE about engagement sessions, and why I’m a firm believer that even the most camera-shy couples should include one in their package: it’s an awesome opportunity to get to know each other before the big day. And Matt, Ashley’s fiance, confided he’s not thrilled to be in front of the camera, but you’d never know it to look at his pictures. That’s because over the course of a session, we’re all getting more comfortable together until before you know it, you’ll stop noticing my camera clicking away in front of you, and you’ll stop formally posing, and instead, you’ll just start being who you are with the love of your life…while someone happens to be taking a picture of you doing it (yay me! This is why I love my job!).

Ashley and Matt are my last engagement session of the 2017 season, and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to work with each and every one of my couples in 2018. Here’s to an awesome year, guys!!

xoxo

Eliza + Ryan: The Engagement Session

Posted on October 30, 2017October 30, 2017 Posted in Engagement Session, Family Session, Investment, Lifestyle Sessions, Maine Weddings, Mountain WeddingsTagged Dancing, Engagement, Getting Married, Hobbitland, Investment, Laughter, long-distance, Maine, Nikon, October, Outdoors, Photography, sunset, True Love, Vaughn Woods, Wedding Photography, WeddingsLeave a comment

Goofball isn’t a word I throw around lightly, but when it comes to Eliza and Ryan, they may be the most adorable goofballs I’ve ever met. Ryan is the man of a thousand hilarious faces, and once he got over his initial wariness of my camera (zoom lenses and stalking them from afar helped), he quickly warmed up his inner actor, and had Eliza doubled over in laughter for most of the shoot. We spent the couple of hours before sunset tooling around the Vaughn Woods in Hallowell for their shoot, and it felt like I was hanging with friends I’d known forever; they’re just that easy and comfortable to be around.

Eliza booked just the engagement shoot because their wedding isn’t planned until 2019, and she thought it would be a good way to see if we were a good fit–so I was thrilled when mid-way through the shoot she started to say things like, “When you shoot our wedding…”. These two drive 7 plus hours to see each other, as he lives in Canada and she lives here in Maine, and they don’t even think about the distance or the time–that’s serious love.

I’m so excited to work with them over this coming year and a half…and I love how their session turned out: I think it captures them and their love and laughter perfectly. 🙂

Nolan + Liz: The Engagement Session (Extended Cut)

Posted on October 23, 2017October 23, 2017 Posted in 2018 Weddings, Engagement Session, Investment, Lifestyle Sessions, Maine WeddingsTagged Camden, City Life, Dancing, Engagement, Getting Married, Investment, Laughter, Maine, Mount Battie, Nikon, October, Outdoors, Photography, sunset, True Love, Waterfalls, Wedding Photography, WeddingsLeave a comment

I first met Nolan and Liz when I photographed Sean and Johnna’s wedding earlier this year, and we hit it off almost immediately, so I was thrilled when Nolan asked if I was available to photograph their February wedding next year. Nolan is a goof ball who helped Sean and his other groomsmen to perfect their modeling faces, and Liz is a quiet, beautiful complement to Nolan’s big personality. I can’t wait to open next year’s wedding season with them (especially since they plan to do a swing for their opening dance!).

I think my favorite engagement shoots are the ones where I follow a couple around doing things, and Nolan and Liz’s was no exception. We toured all over Camden’s pretty downtown area (Nolan and Liz were completely uninhibited about having pictures taken in the middle of crowds of tourists, which was AWESOME!), and then we headed up to Mount Battie for the sunset.

The shots we got were totally worth all the walking — enjoy!