Jorgensen Farms, The Gardens, Engagement session

It’s such a fun time getting to know couples during an engagement session. Truth be told it’s as much a get to know you session as it is make photos for an engagement session. I love the slower pace of meandering around, with the couple trusting me to catch pretty locations to stop and make some images that will serve to show this time in their lives. Talking about the wedding, but mostly just learning about their lives, love, and of course PETS. Enjoy a few from Gina + Ryan’s engagement session at Jorgensen Farms Garden venue. A year from today they’ll get married at Oak Grove!

summertime (+ the livin's easy)

The absolute DELIGHT of summer weddings is that you can basically get away with doing photos in short bursts anywhere until about 9pm. Is there anything better than that? Long summer nights make me happy unlike anything else in the world. Not even as a wedding photographer, but as a whole entire human :)

so what, right? WELL! Whenever I get to talking with a couple about their day, we’re, of course, going through the timeline. The hill I’ll die on includes: Make sure you ENJOY your wedding day and don’t just schedule everything around the photos, kay? I say this with the caveat that: your wedding needs to be a summer wedding ;) I know I know, FALL THOUGH! But hear me out.

The freedom that comes with a summer wedding means you can schedule your photo time in a way without getting overwhelmed. If you’d like to do a first look, do that (those photos? they’re the best because you require about ZERO PROMPTING).

What’s great about first looks, and, well, me is that I won’t make you do anything that doesn’t feel right. I can pretty much guarantee my prep will sound like, “ok, you’re in line together, now….take it as it feels right. Do it your way.” There is way too much pressure in how we live now + all the wedding images our eyes consume to be perfect. Guess what? You’re going to see each other, it’s gonna be perfect.

So once that’s done! You get to spend the day with your partner! Such a relief, wow! What I do next is assess the day. Is it hot? How are you feeling? ready to knock out some portraits of one side of the bridal party? Need a drink? SO MANY OPTIONS BECAUSE, you guessed it (!), SO MUCH LIGHT LEFT IN THE DAY!

When it comes to couples portraits, here’s a controversial take: there’s enough time in the day that everything you choose to do is actually your choice. I’ve seen photographers insist on golden light photos…but guess what? I’ll never make you do anything. Don’t want to rush out after dinner? Cool, we’ve gotten enough during the day! (but here’s some goodness that you just have to see!)

what do you think? Is it relieving to get to make your own choices in this digital world of doing all the things we live in!? If you’re here for winter wedding advice, I’ll get ya on that soon, too!

an otherworld engagement session

AH! I guess I haven’t blogged this yet!? It’s been shown over on Columbus Monthly, but here’s my quick take on some images I love from Cat + Chris’ engagement session at Otherworld…in preparation for their wedding this weekend! Cannot wait to travel to Saint Elle in Nashville (traveling! we haven’t since FOREVER!)

whenever I look back at their images I’m reminded, ooooh yeah they don’t let you use flash in there! I catch myself thinking why didn’t I…._____ excited for full creative allowance this weekend + can’t wait to see what C+C do to LED up their wedding decor!

pepper in some highlights

the off season is the time we photographers do all the things we try to do all year, but - for me - something’s gotta give, and it’s always the blogging and website updating!

and, as it’s Monday, there’s an advent calendar to attend to (anyone else out there scramble to get their activity in each morning before their kids wake up!?), and so I’m going to give this a little update here with some images I’m digging….hope your eyes enjoy this little visual party!

another round of things I'm digging

there’s like a constant pressure to do all the things, and you know, I’m just not ready to blog some of the sessions I’ve recently shot because I feel like I certainly haven’t hyped them up enough. SO here we are on a Tuesday and we’re going to look through some of the things my eyeballs are getting stuck on - with awe + deep desire for warmer weather (!) through these last few cold weeks. ENJOY!

pretty little details

sometimes, (ahem, January, February, March in the northern hemisphere) it’s just nice to look at a few unrelated, but equally gorgeous, styled details. Let your brain stop thinking and just enjoy it with your eyes. For me, it’s often my flowers I am scrolling through (one of those kinda posts coming soon so you can see the glory of THAT)..but here’s some wedding pretty for no other reason that maybe you need a mid week grey winter pick me up!