Hayley and Jorge wanted to head back to the grounds of their alma mater to kick off their engagement session, so we met at the CU campus in Boulder on a classic Colorado afternoon. The skies were blue and the sun was kind to us, though we got a bit chilly at times – perfect […]
Getting married? Hiring a professional photographer? Always, always include engagement photography. Always. Whenever I meet with clients for the first time, I try to stress the importance of having an engagement session with their wedding photographer – regardless if it’s me they end up hiring. You may not need save-the-dates, you may not need or want to have engagement photos on display at your wedding, but what I really think you need is an opportunity to work with your wedding photographer before your wedding day. In my case, I want to put clients at ease in front of the camera and have a chance to goof off a bit and have a good time together. That way, when the wedding day comes along, and the groom sees me in a tree or rolling around on the floor to get an interesting perspective – he won’t have to worry – it’s just me doing my thing. The more comfortable you are in the presence of your wedding photographer – the better your wedding photos will be.
Meet Katie and Nick. They wanted an urban setting for their engagement shoot, so we headed into downtown Denver to photograph for a bit with plans to wrap at dusk under the lights in Larimer Square. We ended up with some amazing scenes. I drove the few blocks from my home in the Denver Highlands (riding my bike with my camera gear makes me crazy nervous) and found THE best parking spot ever – right in the exact spot we had planned to meet – only to realize that I had forgotten my wallet. My car is usually spotless, but I searched for loose change anyways – no luck. I happen to have a resolution set for 2012 to not earn any parking tickets (yes, I usually earn them- a bad habit to break. I can only imagine the amounts of sushi I could enjoy in lieu of paying parking tickets) and I had stayed true to that goal for all 13 days of the year so far. Up walks Katie and Nick – looking adorable and so excited for our session. I was laughing at myself as I explained the scenario, and Nick kindly filled my parking meter to the max. Lifesaver! I sent Nick and Katie a complimentary enlargement from our session in thanks for saving me from a ticket – scroll down to see which photograph they chose, it’s one of my favorites too. (No parking tickets to date as I write this post, by the way.)
My camera has seen dozens of engagement sessions throughout Colorado and Texas this summer, so it’s always tough to pick ones to feature here. Sharing these stories during the peak of Colorado wedding season has been a challenge, too – definitely working on that one.
I think Jie (pronounced ‘jay’) and Ryan’s session grabs me immediately because of the vibrant colors and diversity we stumbled upon in Boulder. I guess it’s kinda hard not to stumble upon vibrance and abundance in a Boulder engagement session, but everywhere we ended up that day just seemed to fit perfectly for us. Bonus: Jie and Ryan are new to Colorado and had not explored Boulder yet, so it was a treat for me to show them some favorite spots. We danced (Jie with Ryan, me with my camera) to some live music on Pearl Street, checked out the Boulder Theater and soaked up the town a bit before heading to the Flatirons for a little hiking and picnic time. These two will be super happy as Coloradoans – I love their happy-go-lucky, adventurous spirits and they were so sweet and comfy together, I can hardly wait for their Chatfield Botanical Gardens wedding this fall.
Lots of Colorado wedding couples invite me to Boulder for their engagement photo scene and I love that it challenges me to see the area in a new way each time. Here are some favorites from what I saw with Jie and Ryan:
While my weekends are filled with photographing weddings, my weekdays are generally packed with engagement sessions. I suppose you could say I’m a professional third wheel Monday through Friday, always hanging out with couples in love, hunting sweet little scenes for engagement photos. Just me and the bride and groom to be. They’re smooching and I’m clicking. No complaints here, though! The engagement session is a great time for all 3 of us and I always leave these photo opportunities knowing more about each couple and how they interact – perfect info to stash away for the wedding day.
Between engagement photography and wedding day photography, a Colorado couple has the opportunity to find themselves in some of the best locales the state has to offer. Amy Beth and Drennen wanted photographs that show off their love for each other and their love for Colorado. Lucky me! I knew from our first emails that a wedding at the Sanctuary was in the plans, but it wasn’t until a few months after we’d met that the engagement shoot ideas started to unfold. Wanna head to Vail for a spring engagement session? Yep! Yep, I do. And so we did.
We brainstormed an idea of getting dolled up for a casual but classy set of photographs throughout Vail Village, followed by a change of clothes for a cozy mountain feel. We wrapped that plan up in some prayers for good weather, and were on our way.