Becca + Andy - Adventure Engagement Dayton Ohio

These two are getting married this weekend, and we could not be happier for them!

A few weeks ago we spent a little time exploring a waterfall in the rural areas north of Dayton. It's hard to explain, but there's something magical that happens when we have a couple who trusts us 100% and is willing to get their feet dirty. None of us really knew what to expect (we'd never been to this area before), and the resulting images are some of our favorites. Not only because of the gorgeous landscape, but because Becca + Andy were outside of their comfort zone, experiencing something new together, and somehow it brought them closer to each one another. They had to rely on each other to navigate the rocky path, holding hands for balance. It was exciting and romantic and exactly the kind of thing more of us should do on a regular basis.

Emily + Dan - Downtown Engagement

Walking away from an engagement session with two new friends is one of the best feelings. Emily + Dan are the perfect example of a couple who's absolutely in love, and trusts us completely. Before we all ended up sitting down together for the most amazing Thai food, we took them downtown, and explored an area that we've shot in many times, but looking for spots that we've never photographed before. We often have couples ask us for location suggestions, and our response is usually not what they were expecting. "Let's just meet somewhere and find what we find. It's not so much about WHERE we shoot, but WHO we're shooting. We'll make you look amazing anywhere we go." Case in point:

Jaime + Ryan // Peach Picking Engagement Session // St. Louis, Missouri

I've known Jaime for a very long time, and I've never seen her smile quite they way she does around Ryan. Their wedding is going to be amazing, and we can't wait.

 

Peach picking at Eckert's Orchard in St. Louis, Missouri.

Louisa + Patrick // Adventure Engagement // Anchorage, Alaska

How do you follow up a destination wedding in Mexico? How about a trip to Alaska! When Louisa + Patrick first contacted us about their upcoming wedding in Cincinnati, we couldn't help but notice that they live in Alaska. After talking with them, we all agreed that the only way we could truly tell their story is if we photographed them in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Ali + Brock // Engagement // Seattle, Washington

Holden and I spent the majority of last year at home together while Mindy was still working full time. If you've ever met anyone who has kids, they've probably complained once or twice about their sleep schedule. Ours was super weird, but I'll spare you the details and just say that I spent a lot of time working really late at night. As a result, any time I spent on twitter was while local people were sleeping, but because of the time zones, west coasters were still up. It may sound silly, but I really felt like I bonded with a lot of photographers in Seattle, I felt like they were my colleagues. They were the people I talked with in the break room that is the internet. Seattle was a city that was on our hit list for years, even before we knew so many people there. We wanted to visit. We wanted to experience the culture (which, as two kids who grew up in the midwest, is actually really interesting). We wanted to make photos there. Thanks to the power of the web, and the relationships we've formed with some amazing people out there, our friend Jeff sent Ali + Brock our way. The whole thing seemed kind of surreal. I spoke with Ali for the first time while we were in Florida visiting our friends that we met in Vegas, talking on the phone about how we'd be on the complete opposite side of the country a month later. Nevada. Florida. Washington. Wild.

Hopefully it's pretty obvious by now, but we do an engagement session for every one of our couples. We think it's incredibly valuable to have a chance to work with each couple before their wedding day. We've been challenging our couples lately think of their engagement session as an adventure. To put some thought into it, to choose a location or an activity that has some meaning for them. Ali + Brock took the idea and ran with it.

We traveled across the country to finally shoot in one of our dream cities,  and this is what happened in the little town of Port Townsend.

Cherilyn + Ben :: Cincinnati Wedding Photography

Downtown Cincinnati. Need I say more?

Cherie and Ben had a fantastic idea. They drove around downtown and mapped out a “photo adventure” for their wedding day. They picked some of their favorite spots around the city and came up with a plan ahead of time. It worked out great (as you would expect), and we were able to shoot in some really unique locations with a wide variety of textures and colors.

We love it when couples are excited about their photos! One of the most important services your photographer can offer is the ability to help you plan your wedding day schedule. That’s why we take time to work together with our couples to make sure their ideas and our expertise mesh. It not only helps things flow smoothly, but it lowers your stress level and allows us to take the great photos that you expect!

Oh, and we’d be silly if we didn’t mention her amazing CHEESECAKE wedding cake. Umm… delicious.