There are so many ways I could start this post.  I could talk about how fun they are.  I could talk about how I’ve photographed 3 of their friends’ weddings over the years. (Lauren & Brent, Grace & Lucas, Ashley & Blake)  I could talk about how over the top Jennifer is for architecture.  You know what?  Why don’t we start at the beginning.

March 16, 2013

That was the day Ashley & Blake were married.  It was also the date Jennifer caught the bouquet.

A few items of note.

1. She was the shortest one out there.
2. She had poor positioning.
3. She was barefoot.

That’s how it’s done ladies.  I mean seriously.  Look at the girl in the blue dress.  Clearly not even trying.

Jennifer wanted to get married.  She went for the flowers.  8 months later.  Engaged.  Just like that.

OK, on to our session.  We started off at the Modern Art Museum of Ft. Worth.

I LOVE Jennifer & Ryan’s story.  These two grew up in the same church but didn’t really start hanging out ’til they were in the youth group together.  Jennifer really had little to no interest in him because he was “so much younger.” (1 year.)  Anyway, homecoming came around and she asked if he had a date.  He did not, so they agreed to go as friends.  A year later they were at a Halloween party together and Jennifer realized just how fabulous Ryan was.  (Plus he had a pool so that didn’t hurt.)  Fast forward 9 years and now they are friends with benefits.

One of my goals as a photographer is to capture authentic images of my couples.  Just because you are engaged does not require you to go to a field at sunset for your session.  I love getting couples in their environment doing what they love.  I feel that adds so much depth and an extra layer to the images.  And, as time goes by, when they look back on them, they will remember those places and seasons of life even more.  Man, is that ever true of this session.  Jennifer is an architecture major.  She also loves her some Tadao Ando.  (He is the architect who designed the museum.)  She went on and on about him and the process.  (At times it felt like she had memorized the wikipedia entry.)

fter we finished up at The Modern we walked over to the Kimbell Art Museum across the street.  More fun, more art.  More photos.

The only instructions Jennifer’s mom gave was to not have any awkward smiles.  You mean like these? :)

Jennifer’s favorite part of the buildings was the super smooth concrete and perfectly aligned circle hole thingy boppers. (architect terminology)  I figured we should end the session with those.

Get Excited!  It’s your chance to help someone win a 16×20 print!  Voting is open till midnight.  Tell your friends.

Today’s category: Engagement Sessions

Take a look at the entries then vote at the bottom of this post.

1. Cooking:  I loved watching Amanda & Clayton cook with their little girl.  Such fun memories and tasty cookies were made that day.

2. Checkers: True story. This is the moment in time when Karl taught Justine how to play checkers.

3. Austin: Hayden & Alecia are good at kissing.  They also like Austin.

4. Class: This is the classroom where Emily & Lucas met.  This is the very place their story began.

5. Paint: 1 sure fire way to improve your engagement session.  Paint fight.

6. Paddle Board: Kayla & David like each other & paddle boards.  In that order.

7. Home: This is the foundation to Lindsey & Jonathan’s 1st home together.

8. Hunt: Jessica & Casey like to shoot things.  So I shot them.

9.  Cars: Megan & Stephen met because they both loved their cars.  Now they love each other.

10. Hockey: Katelyn & Chris are both hockey fans.  Blackhawks won that night 6-2

Lindsey & Jonathan are the kind of people I want to be when I grow up.  The trouble is, they are younger than me so I think I’m a bit behind schedule. :)

One of the questions new couples ask me right away is “Where should we do our engagement session?”

This typically leads to them telling me about an old abandoned building they saw, or a run down gas station they passed somewhere.  I normally point couples away from those locations because although they make for a “cool” background, they really have little if anything to do with their story.  I would much rather stick someone in their kitchen, a library, or a go kart.

Those are the places where their lives started to mesh.
Those are the places their story was written.
Those are the  places they fell in love.

Well, as it turns out.  For Lindsey & Jonathan, old run down buildings are kinda their thing.  They work for a non-profit called Burn Ministries.  Jonathan has spent the past 3 years pouring his life into the Lake Como community and Lindsey is signing up for the same challenge.  This building is right next to their office and too good to pass up.

You know how some people work in a community and then go back to their “real lives.”  Not so with these two.  This is the slab for their home.  They poured it in a “shady” neighborhood.  A neighborhood most of us would drive around or hope to not break down in.  They are being intentional with their careers and with their lives.  They are not athletes, celebrities, or millionaires.  They are regular people making irregular choices. They are my heroes.

Here they are in their living room.  I got excited thinking of all the meals they will share there.  The kids that will come over when they feel they have no one else to talk to.  The lives that will get changed because they opened their home.

It’s not often you can stand on a concrete slab and get goosebumps.

After showing me around their neighborhood, we hit up Qdoba.  These two met while working at a summer camp of sorts.
While at camp Jonathan found out Lindsey was a stylist, so he got her to cut his hair.  (Smart Move #1)
After the hair cut, he then invited her to “grab a bite to eat.”  (Smart Move #2)

This is where they went.

Realizing Lindsey was totally a keeper, Jonathan asked her on a “real date.”  (Smart Move #3)  The Reata is where that happened so we returned to that location to retell a bit of their story.

Thank you guys for being amazing people.  I left your session with a full heart.  You are the best.

The past few weeks have been pretty busy so I have not had a chance to blogs as much as I would have liked. Here are a few little peeks at some of my rad couples.

(Yeah, I said rad. What of it?)

Ashley & Chadd are super chill and total “country folk”  I love people like them.  The Stockyards in Ft. Worth were the perfect location.

Caitlin does not play golf but Jared does.  She comes along and watches him play.  That makes her a good catch. :)

Ericka & Justin were so kind.  I love their personalities and their session con sited of being outdoors in amazing places like this one…..

… to maybe violating a city code and jumping in a fountain in the middle of the afternoon.
 I am amazed that I am blessed with such great couples.  A HUGE thanks to all my couples who trust me to peak into their lives during this season of their lives.

OK peoples it’s that time again.  Time to look back on the best images from last year and pick your favorites.  Voting will continue throughout the week with new categories every day.  Each category will only be open for voting for 24 hours so come back each day and vote on your favorite new image.  The winners will receive a swanky 16×20 print.  Let’s kick off the first day with some engagement images.  Ready…. Go!