It's always an extra special honor to be asked by someone I have known for a long time to be their photographer for their wedding. I met Ben, almost a lifetime ago. We met where I began my photography education and knowledge - back when I was 12 years old! When he was getting ready to propose to Amanda, he sent me a Facebook message saying that he knew he wanted to talk to me about their soon to be official engagement. Fast forward to last week when we planned their engagement shoot. I met them near Old City in Philadelphia. Amanda and Ben - like most people... myself included - told me they didn't feel comfortable in front of the camera. No worries though, I told them, this was just gonna be a chance for them to interact with each other they way they usually do, but while I happen to be off to the side taking pictures at the same time. They did great too. After about 5 minutes, they fell right into the session as if we had been working for hours already. It was great to catch up with Ben and really get to know Amanda too. They are getting married in a few weeks at the Ballroom at the Ben, and I can't wait for their fall wedding!
Janine and Mike - Engagement Session
A couple of days ago, I met up with Janine and Mike at Longwood Gardens for their engagement session. They are getting married in a few months in Florida, and I was lucky enough to have them choose me to photograph their portraits here. We all walked around the gardens on a warm July day and had a nice relaxed time making some really nice portraits for them. Even if I don't photograph a couples wedding, it's still an honor to be selected to capture any type of pictures for them.
Adriana and Peter
Last week, I met up with Adriana and Peter near their home in Hoboken, NJ to photograph their engagement session. They are getting married in Texas later this year, but wanted pictures in their home town. Living right near Pier "C", we took advantage of the amazing sky line of New York City, in the background, and had some awesome golden sunlight the whole time! From the time I walked in their front door, these two were so friendly, but Adriana seemed a bit nervous. A few minutes a final prep and some jokes to break the ice further, and the 3 of us were off. I would say, about 5.... MAYBE 10 minutes into the actually shooting part of the session, those nerves wore off and these two just had a great time with each other. LOTS of laughs, and I mean LOTS OF LAUGHS. As we walked around, we were able to use the Empire State Building and also the Freedom Tower (I was told Peter has a fascination for it) as back drops. Not to be out done by the buildings, their chiuaua, Diego, was brought down for the last few pictures. He was kinda tired, and I think he was ready for his dinner, but we got some fun shots with him too.
Adriana and Peter - It was a blast working with you two - Best wishes on your wedding in Texas - here's your engagement session preview!
Krista and Mark
It's already starting to seem that the theme of 2012 will be to shoot engagement sessions and weddings of friends - and there's nothing wrong with that... I'm honored that they want me to capture their important memories. I've been friends with Krista's sister for a long time, and Krista, nearly as long - I regularly get called part of their family :) With Krista and Mark's Aldie Mansion wedding coming up soon, we were getting crunched for time for their engagement session. We ended up picking a day that once we started thought it was gonna be major bust - super windy and nothing but overcast clouds (I may have been hear shouting at the sun to peak out). Well, the shouting must have worked. After we found an area just out of reach of the wind, coming off of Lake Galena at Peace Valley Park, the sun made an appearance for the rest of our shoot.
It may have been cold, but these two kept each other warm. The entire shoot was so easy and relaxed. The exact reason I love to do engagement sessions. While I have met Mark a few times in the past, it's always a little tough meeting someone for the first time on the day of their wedding and getting them to feel 100% comfortable in front of the camera.
Here are a few from their engagement session.
Kari and Joel - Engagement Session
Just because my scheduled weddings are done for the year, that doesn't mean I still don't get to see more of my awesome couples. Kari and Joel are actually friends of my brother-in-law. I've met these two in the past, and when we met to talk about their wedding, we all knew that we'd have a really fun time working together. They are getting married in January at Normandy Farms in Blue Bell. Kari and Joel are the type of couple I really like. They are extremely nice, fun to work with, and they trust me while I'm working. We walked around Frenchtown, NJ for a little while over the weekend. We were waiting to see if the ski slopes, since they are both big snow boarders, would be open in time before their wedding in just a few weeks. Unfortunately, the weather has been just a little too warm and they didn't open till just last minute. Not a big deal though. We walked up and down the main street and all braved the chilly weather together (finished off by a really good mexican meal).
Enjoy the preview!