Category Archives: Engagement Session
We won the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards 2012!
This means we are in the top 5% of Wedding Pros nationwide! The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes the top local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ are determined solely by the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds.
Wedding Photography Tip #3 – Engagement / Lifestyle / Getting to Know You Session
As a wedding photographer, I’m often asked what I enjoy photographing the most. Of the wedding day, I’d say it’s the time between the ceremony and reception and/or the first dance.
If a person has booked a wedding package with me, they will receive a complementary engagement session (this is sometimes called a “getting to know you session” or a “lifestyle session”…among other things). This is truly the most fun I probably will have with the couple and is the session I enjoy the most. Why, because there are no rules. Usually there is no time frame, usually there are no boundaries and I get to losen the couple up and get them to just have some fun.
I, as a photographer, have an ulterior motive. I want to learn how far I can push the couple, how they interact with each other and quite probably how they will interact with each other on the wedding day. I am very upfront about my objectives and tell the couple what I’m looking for and what I expect from them at the beginning of the session. The guys usually roll their eyes, the girls usually say, “we ARE going to have fun.” In the end I’ve only had one guy, in over 100 engagement sessions, ever say he thought it was a lot of work. Mission accomplished…some super fun photos for the couple, a learning day for me, a day I get to experiment and push my boundaries a little and in the end a couple that will be happy they spent that 1.5 hours with me…getting to know their photographer.
Katie and Eric – Fall in the D
Katie and Eric’s wedding isn’t for a year yet, but they wanted to get some engagement photos this fall. We decided on Belle Isle and, to keep Eric fired up about the whole day, Joe Louis Arena also. Belle Isle is truly Detroit’s hidden gem, and I hope with the Grand Prix coming back there, they will continue to improve the condition of the island and facilities. We were able to get some fun shots at the Casino building on the island. Also we utilized the wide open spaces on the island for some backgrounds. At Joe Louis, we have some classic shots of the front entrance and then headed around to the river side for some beautiful late afternoon shots on the Riverwalk. I look forward to Katie and Eric’s big day in October 2012.
Vence and Katie – Engagement Session in Corktown
You will be seeing lots of Vence and Katie this week…they are in Detroit for their wedding on Friday and we thought we’d squeeze in an engagement session / pre-wedding session this week. Vence and Katie were both from the Detroit area, but now live in Phoenix. They wanted some fun yet gritty images for the engagement session. They chose the Corktown area in Detroit and we visited the old Michigan Central Depot and some of the buildings, art projects, and other areas around Corktown. It was definitely a fun shoot for me and I truly enjoyed exploring an area I haven’t been to before. Watch for their wedding photos this weekend.
Claudia and Tony – Detroit Engagement Session
Claudia and Tony chose downtown Detroit as their e-session background. We had a great time on a Sunday afternoon, wandering the streets of Detroit, the night before the Tigers came home for the Divisional Championship Series.
We explored the Comerica Park and Foxtown area. Then we headed down to Campus Martius Park where it became a wind tunnel, so we headed inside the Compuware Building where we got our cool silhouette shot. Then it was out to Belle Isle for a request by Tony and a skyline photo.
I’m looking forward to Claudia and Tony’s winter wedding on Jan. 28, 2012
Courtni and Shane – Rochester and Clarkston Engagement Session
Courtni and I met a week ago and she decided to book my services. She asked if we could do an engagement session quickly, so she would be able to get save-the-date cards out soon for their March 2012 wedding. We were able to work out a time on Sunday and had a super fun time, exploring both Rochester and Courtni’s parents beautiful yard in Clarkston. Courtni and Shane met in Rochester several years ago and so they have some meaningful ties there. Although Shane was following opening Sunday’s football happenings throughout the session, I think we convinced him, it could be kind of fun. I am truly looking forward to their late winter wedding. Enjoy.
Carolyn and Elra – Detroit Engagement Session
Carolyn and Elra told me they didn’t want to have posed, looking at the camera, engagement photos. The one thing I learned quickly about Carolyn and Elra is that they like to have fun. That means I can be a little more creative and look for some off the wall or kind of edgy backgrounds. I don’t know we got too edgy, but we had a lot of fun. A stop at the Red Grape Lounge on Woodward Ave. gave us a great background/venue for some fun “bar” shots. We found some fun alleys, great worn brick walls and a parking structure. Ask Elra (not Carolyn) about the baseball glove story. Can’t wait until their Thanksgiving weekend wedding.
Jessica and Scott – Engagement Session Royal Oak
We had a fun time getting to know Jessica and Scott…oh and I can’t forget Izzy, in Royal Oak. Izzy was excited about her internet debut and came out to play for the first half of our session. Then we headed to downtown Royal Oak for some fun photos on a beautiful summer evening. Royal Oak never seems to disappoint when it comes to different and unique backgrounds. Jessica and Scott’s mid-October wedding at Iroquois Club should be a lot of fun and we look forward to some more fun and beautiful images of the happy couple.
Emily & Dan – Armada Hometown Proud
Emily and Dan grew up in Armada, Michigan and were proud enough to want their engagement session done there. I hadn’t been to the area in years, but it’s still a great place to grow up and raise a family. The orchards are the core (no pun intended…ok I had to think of that) to the area, but it’s great they still have a vibrant downtown and a yearly festival that is still one of the best in the state. I’m looking forward to Emily and Dan’s wedding coming up this fall, partly because it’s going to be a lot of fun and secondly…Emily’s hair is one of those colors that pops off any background. Enjoy the photos and follow the blog for some awesome wedding photos soon to come.
Christina and Rick – Lexington Engagement Session
Christina and Rick wanted to do their engagement session in Lexington, Michigan one year after they became engaged. We had a beautiful night on the water and were able to visit the spot Rick popped the question last year. Lexington is exactly what I needed to get out of the “same old, same old” rut and I really enjoyed spending the evening with Christina and Rick. Keep watching the blog for their wedding coming in October.
