Last weekend we went down to New Jersey to spend some time with Kathleen's Godson Aidan to take some photos for his 3rd birthday. We have been photographing Aidan since he was about 5 hours old. He is like family to us, in fact he only knows us as Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Rob. I really can't believe how quickly time flies by and how incredibly fast he is growing up. I remember when he barely fit in our hands, now he is a little boy who loves football and loves helping his mom take care of his little sister Keira.
We photographed Aidan around his yard. We played with his New York Giants football, had a little fun with some driveway chalk, and took some relaxed portraits with his stuffed giraffe that he has had since he was a baby. We finished the session with a couple of photos with both him and Keira. Hope you enjoy!!
Melissa and Matthew’s beautiful color scheme was very appropriate for their summer wedding this August at the Riverview in Simsbury. The beautiful flowers(by Elisabeth of Blush Floral Design) in green, ivory and coral looked soft and romantic against the salmon-colored bridesmaid dresses.
Melissa tied in the lime green again the reception at the tables, which really stood out against the chocolate brown linens and created a fresh, summery feel. The lime green spider mums on the cake added just the right touch of whimsical drama – and provided a great backdrop for some fun ring shots of Melissa’s custom-designed ring.
We thought this inspiration palette was perfect for this month since this is probably the time many summer brides are picking out their flower and table linen colors!
It was a cold day in February. He took her for a drive to show her some beautiful scenery. They arrived at their destination - a lake. It was a gorgeous location: the trees were covered in ice, the lake was frozen. He suggested that they go for a walk. She was having none of it, It was way too cold. He tried again, suggesting the walk. She looked out at the frozen trees and thought it over. She gave in and got out of the car, gripping her coat around her. He took her hand, led her down to the side of the lake, and got down on one knee. All of a sudden she didn't even notice the cold. She was sure glad she got out of the car.
- ANN & JEFF-
We met Ann and Jeff on another cold day in February in Cold Spring, N.Y., an adorable old-fashioned town along the Hudson River. Driving along the main street, it felt like you were transported back about 50 years - what a cool place for their engagement session. Of course we loved it, since we have a weakness for all things vintage (as you can probably tell from our blog).
Ann and Jeff were such troopers in the freezing cold. Ann would insist that we share her gloves with her to warm up - how sweet is that? Jeff wouldn't even flinch when we asked him to take off his coat - anything for a picture. Plus you could just feel the warm between the two of them - they were radiating love. After a while it was like we all didn't even notice the cold.
This was our first time in the small Hudson Valley town or should I say Village of Cold Spring. It is such a quaint town filled with small antique shops and and restaurants. We noticed this small store front and just had to take a picture here. We also thought this would be a great shot to start this post.
There was this great little fire-escape on the side of a building that Kathleen got very excited for. She really liked the stairs and I really liked the vines going up the building. I think it made for a really fun shot.
After walking around the town for a little while, we headed over to take some photos by the water. While walking over there we had to walk underneath the train tracks in this really cool tunnel. It was filled with so many cool textures and lighting, we had so much fun shooting there.
It was also much warmer down there so it gave us a chance to warm up and to prepare before going back outside.
We finally did get to the water and had a ton of fun there. The sun was really bright but that didn't stop us because we love doing non-traditional things with photography. For all of you photographers out there, I shot right into the sun for the photo at f/22, which made the sun look really cool and created a beautiful and colorful shot.
It was REALLY cold and windy by the water (just look at the ice in the background) but Ann and Jeff had each other to keep warm.
We headed back to town for some more photos, because it was just too cold by the Hudson. This is one of our favorite emotion shots from their session.
As we were walking by a side street we saw this doorway that for some reason we just liked. It seemed interesting and the perfect spot for a straight on shot.
The bricks and textures throughout the town provided so many beautiful backdrops and we definitely took advantage of them. The smile on Ann's face in this one makes us smile.
Kathleen captured this really sweet moment...
...and this is my photo of the very same moment. It always amazes us to see how differently we photograph the same moment.
Ann's eyes in this photo are really beautiful as Jeff gives her a kiss.
This red wall provided a really cool backdrop as Jeff and Ann practiced a couple dance moves.
This is one of Kathleen's shots and probably my favorite photo from the whole session. It is so simple yet is filled with so much emotion. I love it!!
The thing that we noticed about Ann and Jeff is how happy they are just being with each other.
Jeff and Ann, we had such a nice time with you. Thank you for introducing us to Cold Spring. We can't wait for your wedding!!
Rob & Kathleen
She grew up up loving planes. From air shows with her Dad, to taking up flying herself, aviation has always been a passion for her. When it came to finding someone to spend the rest of her life with, it goes without saying that he had to love flying too. That was one of the things eHarmony searched for when looking for her perfect match.
And there he was. An Army pilot, who loved flying (both helicopters and planes) just as much as he does. They hit it off right away. He's always willing to do anything to make her laugh, and it's clear she's just crazy about him. They just fit together.
He knew she was the one, and he knew the perfect way to ask her to marry him. Dinner would follow the proposal, but the real magic would happen on the way there. What better way to get to dinner than for him to fly them both there? That was really the whole point of it all, of course, because up at 5,500 feet, with him flying he asked her to spend the rest of her life with him.
- DAGNEY & MICHAEL -
Dagney & Michael live in California, but are getting married in Connecticut where her parent's live. We met them in Santa Barbara as well, so they could have their engagement pictures in the state they call home. The session along the beach and in the courthouse is the perfect compliment to their wedding, which will take place at an airport hanger here in Connecticut.
After a really wonderful Sunday morning drive up Highway 101 from the Malibu area we met Dagney and Michael in downtown Santa Barbara. The weather report was calling for clouds and possible rain as the day went on, so we thought it would be best to start by the beach while we had the beautiful sky and weather. The pier was the perfect place to start. Immediately we saw how connected these two are.
We found this little shady spot on the pier that was just the right place for a nice portrait.
They fit together so perfectly, we really love Dagney's smile in this one.
The simplicity and feel of this photo is nice to us, it is very relaxing and comfortable.
Kathleen captured this shot and I love it! As many of you know we love seeing emotion conveyed through a lot of different ways. Hands and hugging is one of those ways. To us there is so much emotion flowing in this photo.
This is another one of Kathleen's photos. It always amazes me how the simplest photos are the ones that make me the most happy.
After spending some time on the pier we went down to take a run on the beach. The water was really cool but Dagney and Michael didn't seem to mind. It just made them smile even more! :)
While we were under the pier with Dagney and Michael the water splashed up on their legs and was colder than expected. This was their reaction to that cool water that Kathleen captured, it makes me laugh everytime.
Michael flies planes for the military and thought it would be fun to do a couple of pushups with Dagney on his back. He got quite a few in and didn't even break a sweat.
We headed over to the Santa Barbara Courthouse where we spent some time on the grounds surrounding the building. We wanted to photograph our other couple (Meredith & Craig) the day before on the grounds but since it was Valentine's Day there were numerous weddings happening. While on the grounds with Dagney and Michael, we started with a quick portrait...
...and then a nice kiss on the steps.
We love shooting photos from above, it gives such a unique view. The titles made for a really nice backdrop and gave an interesting feel to the photo.
Dagney and Michael then joined us on the balcony (where we just shot the last photo from). We really love palm trees and wanted to incorporate them into some of their photos. This is my one of mine...
This is Kathleen's view from just a moment later and one of my absolute favorites from the entire sesion. I LOVE IT!!
There was this construction worker who had asked me if I wanted to go on an hydraulic lift for some more shots from above... obviously I jumped right up there.
Kathleen photographed this really nice moment on one of the staircases of the courthouse.
One of my favorite things to do with photography is to create really artistc silhouettes. All of the hallways in the building were open-air and I couldn't resist shooting a silhouette in one of the archways looking out onto the beautiful grounds. I have to say that Dagney and Michael were very brave jumping up to this archway considering we were a couple of stories up. This is also one of my absolute favorites from their session.
We went into one of the courtrooms while walking around the building. The window added some nice light to this photo.
We finished their session with a simple portrait as we were walking off the grounds of the courthouse.
Dagney & Michael, we had a great day with you both! It was so great to finally meet you in person. We can't wait till your big day - it'll definitely be one-of-a kind, like the two of you!!
~Rob & Kathleen~
Sunday is their day. No matter what else happened during the week, they always know that once Sunday came around, they'd be together. They didn't need to have fancy plans, it wasn't about that, it was just about spending time one-on-one.
It was a casual afternoon - cleaning out the garage, laughing and joking as always. They sat down on the couch, relaxing after the day and then he pulled out the ring. Even though they had talked about getting married, and she had a feeling it was coming, he still managed to surprise her – something that was very important to him.
She says that it was the perfect way for him to ask her to marry him. These were the types of days they love; and she knew that he was asking her to have days like these for the rest of their lives.
- MEREDITH & CRAIG -
Meredith grew up in Connecticut and moved out to California several years ago to continue her career in the wine business – what better place to be than in California to do that? The move to the West Coast ended up being even more beneficial - she met Craig (a life-long Californian) through a co-worker at the winery. If it hadn’t been for her love of wine, Meredith might never have met the man of her dreams.
They’ll be married in Meredith’s home state, on the grounds of the beautiful Darien Country Club. In order to incorporate their current home, they wanted to do their engagement photos in California (an idea we loved!) Until the day of the engagement shoot, we had only talked to Meredith & Craig over the phone. We met them in person for the first time in Santa Barbara. We met at the stunning Santa Barbara Courthouse and even if we didn't know what they looked like - we would have been able to spot them a mile away. They were clearly so in love - they even stood out in a sea of couples on Valentine's Day. They have the kind of connection that is visible to all those around them, and it made it so easy to photograph them!
We started Meredith & Craig's Engagement Session at the incredibly beautiful, spanish-style court house in down town Santa Barbara. It was Valentines Day so we couldn't spend to much time on the grounds as there were multiple weddings going on. We didn't mind though because we got to enjoy the architecture of the building and create some nice artistic shots.
We really loved the outside of the building as well, the detail on these huge doors was really incredible.
Kathleen caught this really sweet photo of Meredith & Craig while sitting in front of those same doors.
While walking around the courthouse, we had Meredith & Craig sit down for a classic portrait on the stairs.
The way that they look at each other is simply wonderful.
There is something special about Spanish style design. I think it is so beautiful and Kathleen did a really great job capturing that detail as a background for this image.
Craig is a physical education teacher for a high school in the area. He thought it would be fun to go to a local football field to get a couple shots as football is a very large part of his life. This was such a fun place to photograph. The field and the stands were located right on the water so you can imagine how beautiful the view from the top of the stands is. By the way, I thought I would point out that I totally broke one of the rules of photography in this photo (Meredith's left foot is outside the frame) but I think it works really nicely and adds to the visual interest.
Kathleen captured this shot of me photographing Meredith & Craig...
...Here is the photo that I captured.
Right before grabbing some lunch with Meredith & Craig, we ran down to the field and took some shots right on the 50 yard line. We were shooting right at noon so there were some really harsh shadows that I think added to this image, right by her shoes.
This is one of our personal favorites from the day. We really loved how the water was splashing up and they way that Meredith and Craig were so into each other. It was a beautiful California day.
Such a nice moment!
We thought it would be fun to walk down to the calm water of the harbor. Once we got down their, I took a break to switch lenses and saw Kathleen walking almost into the water to capture the shot.
While I was capturing this image, I kept thinking to myself how beautiful the low white clouds were right above the mountains. Such a wonderful backdrop.
We walked over to the beach where Kathleen photographed this beautiful silhouette.
I have a thing for Palm Trees, maybe it is because we don't see them very often. I think they are really beautiful so I had to make sure that I incorporated them into some of their photos.
When Meredith and I spoke on the phone before we came out to CA, she had mentioned to me that she was worried that it might rain as it has been raining for many days in a row. We (and they) were very lucky that the day we arrived for their session was an incredibly beautiful sunny day. So gorgeous!
We finished their session back in downtown Santa Barbara. As we were walking back to our cars we spotted this really fun bench built into the side of a building, I thought it would be fun to get a quick shot there.
Meredith & Craig – thank you so much for such a wonderful day! We loved getting to know you and can’t wait till June! ~ Rob & Kathleen ~
