Flannery + Pat - Downtown Engagement

Connection. Do you feel it?

The two of them, talking, giggling, touching. Seated in the front of the bar they've been going to since they once lived in the neighborhood. Sharing memories and enjoying each other's company, sipping on familiar drinks they could've ordered for each other without question.

It's these moments, these stories, that we capture with our little photographic boxes. The physics of a camera system can be complicated, but they way photos make us feel is not. The way an image passes through a series of glass elements and makes an impression on a physical surface mirrors the way that same image passes through our minds and makes an impression on our soul. This emotional connection to photography is what keeps us going. This emotional connection with our work is what we look for in new clients. It's the fuel for what we do.

Do you feel it?

Anne Marie + Connor // Columbus Ohio Backyard Wedding

These two. So laid back, so fun, and so friendly. There's just something really special about a casual outdoor wedding, and even better when it's held at the property of the bride's grandparents. The style and sophistication here is impeccable, and yet Anne Marie and Connor both had such a relaxed approach to their wedding, which we really loved. I mean, come on, food trucks are the best catering idea EVER. There were a few hiccups that they took in stride (like Connor not having his tie for the first look, which ended up happening at the edge of the driveway), never taking things too seriously or getting stressed. At the end of the day, it was just such a genuine celebration of who they are and the relationship that they share.

Megan + Paul // Just For Fun.

We're pretty excited about the session (so much so that we blogged it out of order). This isn't an engagement session, per se. Let's go back probably six months… Mindy and I were sitting in Dorothy Lane Market (a fancy local grocery store with an awesome dining area and great food), minding our own business. Sort of… we noticed this couple down at the other end of the cafe. They were über stylish, they looked like they were in love, and they looked like they were saying goodbye. We watched as they embraced, and watched him leave, hop in his car, and take off. She sat there, silent, pretending to read. Maybe even crying a little bit. We joked about how we figured they were from out of town. People don't dress that well to go to the grocery here in Ohio. As we cleaned up our lunch and headed out to our car, we had a mini conversation about something our friend Andria Lindquist talked about earlier that week. She talked about her own boldness and how she will approach random people and ask them to take their photos. We said, "man, we should totally just ask them if they'll model for us…" as we started the car and began to drive away. At that point Mindy stopped me, and said, "Wait. Screw it, I'm going in there and asking. Do we have a business card?" To which I responded they way I usually do when I get that question. "Umm… not on us. But we have this napkin and a pen."

I waited in the car while Mindy gathered up the courage to walk in and talk to Megan. She told her about how we noticed them for their fashion sense, and then saw a little bit of their story unfold in front of us as they said goodbye. She asked Megan a little bit about their relationship, and if they would be interested in spending some time in front of our cameras, because we felt like they might be a good fit. Turns out they were engaged, but also graduate students working through a long distance relationship. And we were right, although Megan grew up here in Dayton, she is originally from England, and Paul is from Nashville. "That explains a lot," we thought.

Megan was actually surprisingly warm to the idea of doing photos with us, but with all of their traveling and studying, it was a crapshoot at best. Mindy thanked her, handed her the napkin (apologized for how unprofessional we are when it comes to business cards), and we went on our way. It felt good to step up and ask, even if we'd never hear from them again. We had done something new, something we had never done before.

Fast forward a number of months. At this point we had nearly forgotten about the whole thing. Obviously we would never hear from them, so we moved on. Then we got a surprise Facebook message from Megan, asking if we were still up for it. They were going to be in town visiting family, and her and Paul were interested in having their photos taken. Wow! It worked? We were able to coordinate a day that worked, we got the absolute perfect evening, and this is what happened.