halida & jeff--engagement

The story of how Halida and Jeff found me is my favorite to date...my friend Amy works in an awesome shoe store in downtown Portsmouth (bestplaceonearth). Halida was in there..and I guess they got to chatting, and Amy mentioned that she knew a wedding photographer. They exchanged information, and I think Amy sent Halida the link to my website.

I was actually in dialogue with another couple in Ohio for that particular date, and I've never been so happy when plans fell through. Halida and Jeff are GREAT. They're getting married this coming Saturday, so I was amazed (and honored) that they found time to meet me in Portsmouth to do engagement photos less than a week before their wedding. We had a great time though; the day was unbelievably beautiful and the light was stunning. I had a hard time picking my favorites!








this is her grandmother's ring...as is! so, because they had an heirloom ring to use, Jeff gave her an engagement bike...today they're actually biking from Portsmouth to Newburyport, or Hampton Beach...or some other ridiculously long distance to go on a bicycle. They're hardcore.
















the rest of the photos from this amazing session are here.
Check 'em out, because I had a dickens of a time narrowing down my choices to just 8!

H&J--I'll see you guys on Saturday. I can't WAIT!

the stars aligned...

last Tuesday, I had the most amazing engagement session ever. Everything was perfect. And I am so addicted to the internet, that I was mentally composing this post to share it with you as I was taking the photos.

Ben and Aimee are some friends from church whose wedding I will be photographing in September. They weren't super concerned with engagement photos, but I insisted. We decided to meet at a central location and go together in one car...when I saw them, I'm not going to lie-I jumped up and down a little. They looked that good. From that moment on, it just got better. Ben turned on the music, and in amazement, I asked, "is this Brave Saint Saturn?" "Yes." "SHUT UP!" He was playing one of my all-time favorite bands...that about 4 other people in the world have heard of.

It was the perfect time of day, just before twilight, so there was plenty of that muted shade, and patches where the soft, golden sunlight spilled over and illuminated their sweet kisses. We went to downtown Portsmouth, which is quite possibly my favorite place in the United States. They were up for anything and really got into it. As we walked around, Ben would say, "oh, I like these stairs...let's do some here!" and "can we do one in front of this door?"



There was never a moment where they didn't want to do something I asked because they'd feel silly...their commitment and comfort totally showed in the photos. Which I'm getting to...I promise.

It would be hard to pick a highlight from such an amazing session, but if I had to, it would be a toss-up between these two:

We were in Prescott Park (don't miss it if you're in Portsmouth!) next to some blossoming trees. There were a couple of teenage guys nearby, and in a sudden flash of inspiration, I approached them, "Hey guys, could you do me a favor?"

"yeah, sorry--we'll move!"

"No, you're not in the way...just, could you guys stand off-camera and shake the branches so that the petals will fall on them?" And those two beautiful men smiled and created a petal shower. Magic.

A little later, we found a brimming-with-character brick alleyway with a blossoming canopy. Of course I needed the correct perspective...which required climbing a tree. I asked them, "If I die, will you take me to the hospital?"

"No. If you die we'll bury you. If you fall we'll take you to the hospital."

Thanks guys--it was a great time. I can't wait till September!