One of my favorite things to do when shooting an engagement session is to make the photo relevant.  Not just for a save the date card, but relevant for your grandkids.  I love the idea of documenting a couple in their everyday life and space.  Telling a story of this very real season of life.  Not an imaginary, made-up, stylized season that you kinda feel out of place in.

Kally & Kishan love to cook and they were so generous to invite me into their home to tell this little story.
(Bentley was also very nice to me.)

While we waited for the pizza, they did what every couple does while waiting on the pizza they just made…

They went out onto the porch and drank coffee.

PIZZA TIME! Cowabunga!

One of the things I loved about these two is how expressive they both are.  Kishan is great at saying and asking just the right questions, and Kally’s facial expressions are the best.

These two met at a pharmaceutical conference while in school.  One evening, they were in a group hanging out and everybody had “paired up” and was talking to someone.  Kally was very eager to pair up with and talk to Kishan; so she made her move.

“OK. Everybody rotate!” she yelled, as she instructed people to move in the direction that would partner her up with Kishan.  It seems to have worked because here they are all these years later still partnered up.

I had them whisper the generic names of meds into each others ears.  It was both super funny and slightly uncomfortable as Kally started to enjoy the process a bit too much.

You couples at home, feel free to steal this idea.
Next time you are alone, slowly walk up behind your spouse and whisper acetaminophen.

(You can thank me later.)

Thank you guys for sharing your day (and pizza) with me.
Thank you Kally for letting Kishan wear his super cool Apple watch.
Thank you Kishan for remembering to shut the cabinet doors.

And a HUGE thank you to both of you for sitting on that bench and talking marriage with me for 10 minutes.  It was my favorite part of your session.  The fact that you guys are ALREADY actively working on your marriage fills my heart.

Because many, many years from now, no one will care that you had pizza for your engagement session or how beautiful your wedding was.

All that will be left is your marriage.

(Well, your marriage and a bottle of sildenafil citrate.)

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.