Mary and Ben traveled to me from Chicago to get their engagement photos done. During our phone consultation, they shared their love of beer with me, so I suggested we incorporate the beverage during their engagement session! These sessions should be all about your relationship and you as a couple. What do you like to do? Let’s try and incorporate it!
We started at Market Garden Brewery, and I give Ben and Mary major prompts for being photographed in front of other people right off the bat!
Ben’s sister tagged along to be my sidekick as the Ultimate Hype Woman™. Partway through the sesh, she pointed out that, if I crouched down just a smidge, I’d be able to see West Side Market reflected in the window. How. Cool.
There comes a point during every session when my couples will hear me say something along the lines of, “I have a vision” or “Can I try something?” During this engagement sesh, we had some extra time to spare before heading to our second location for sunset, so we wandered aimlessly around Ohio City to capture a few more shots. As we were walking and chatting, I stopped and said, “Wait, I kinda dig this teal door. Can we try something?” The photos below are an example of a teeny tiny moment of trust. Trusting your photographer is important, and that trust should be built from the first moment of communication. Posing in front of a random teal door on a side street might not seem like that big of a deal, but to me, it’s a sign that you trust me; you trust my vision for a location, and you trust that I can turn an unassuming spot into something magical just for you. ✨
After exploring Ohio City, we drove a few minutes over to Edgewater Park. When Ben and Mary walked out in their new outfits, I immediately sensed some Prince Eric and Ariel vibes. 😍🧜🏻♀️ If pictures could talk, you’d hear Ben’s sister scream-squeal in the background. Can you blame her?!
The sun had fully set into a chilly October night. They took a brave run into the lake. While returning to shore, I took this photo. The last shot of the session. A final snap before saying goodbye. I took it blindly. It breaks a lot of composition rules. But I like it. It’s an end and also a beginning.
I am seriously obsessed with these beach photos. Every engagement session I shoot becomes my new favorite, but I have a feeling I’ll be squealing over these two for a long while.
