Anyone who knows me, knows that picking up on vibes is my thing. Oftentimes, I can read a person’s energy as easily as I might read a children’s book. Whether I listen to my inner voice or not, my first impression about someone is almost always correct. In everyday life, I would say this is a much-needed survival skill that I ignore more than I should, but when it comes to preparing for a photo session, I lean on this talent and use it to help craft the perfect session for my clients.
Be it maternity photos, engagement photos, or boudoir photos, I always try to gather a true sense of my model's personality and taste. I reflect on all of my interactions with the model, even if those interactions are just through email. Did they seem relaxed or anxious? Do they seem like they prefer quiet or a lot of attention? Will playing games during their session help them relax, or make them more nervous for their photos? Using this information, I head over to Pinterest and scroll through photos for inspiration until something CLICKS (like really- it’s another gut thing). Once I find a fitting aesthetic for the given session, I create a vision board for inspiration and run through any prompts (games, conversation pieces, thought provoking questions) that I have used in the past or have been waiting to try to see if any fit well with the vibe I have picked up on from my model. It’s a whole process, you guys.
The preparation for Kaylee and Jeff’s engagement photos in Frankenmuth, Michigan was no different. Because Kaylee was my coworker at my full-time job in Frankenmuth, I had a tiny bit of a head start on this process. I knew Kaylee to be somewhat quiet at work, a little silly, and very sweet. In discussing her engagement to Jeff and her wedding plans, I picked up on a couple of other items as well.
1) Kaylee was keeping her wedding plans simple. To me, this signified that her and Jeff would be more relaxed during their engagement photo session and easy to work with (I was right.).
2) Jeff proposed to Kaylee on the Holz-Brücke, Frankenmuth’s wooden covered bridge, on Christmas Day. This little bit of heartwarming information told me that Kaylee and Jeff’s love was sweet and that they had a love for their home. Upon talking to Kaylee, she confirmed that Jeff and her were not afraid to show affection towards one another in public and that they would like to have their photos taken in Frankenmuth, and specifically, on the Holz-Brücke.
Taking all of this information into consideration, my vision board for Kaylee and Jeff’s engagement session was filled with cute poses for bridge photos, piggy back rides, physically active prompts, and super cuddly seated poses. The aesthetic was perfect.
At the time of their session, the weather was flawless. Golden hour was beautiful. Frankenmuth was relatively people-free for a nice, spring weekend. Everything was immaculate.
And then, I met up with Kaylee and Jeff.
Imagine my surprise when one of the first things Kaylee said to me at the start of their engagement photo session was, “So, Jeff fell down the stairs yesterday and is in a back brace. We might not be able to do any sitting poses or piggy back rides!” I couldn’t help but laugh and immediately think about how grateful I was for my preparation, because while I had planned to do many photos that Jeff now couldn’t participate in, I had also planned out some adorably cuddly standing poses.
their engagement photos in frankenmuth, michigan
Regardless of this change in plans, Kaylee and Jeff’s engagement session was great! As I mentioned before, we met just before golden hour at the wooden covered bridge in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The sky, which had been threatening us with rain all day, cleared up in the hour before we started, making for magical spots of light throughout Frankenmuth. To kickoff their engagement photos, we took a few photos near and on the Holz-Brücke in honor of Jeff’s perfect Christmas proposal, and from there, moved on to what I think must be one of the prettiest spots in Frankenmuth. The sun sparkled through the leaves into this small semi-isolated area on the Cass River where a blossom-filled tree stood. Someone else must have appreciated this spot too, because the ground around the trunk of the tree was covered in roses, tulips, and sunflowers from, what we’re guessing, was a romantic proposal from a couple of days prior. We were able to use some of these flowers as props for Kaylee and Jeff’s photos, and even better yet, Jeff was able to sit for a couple of poses without being in too much pain!
We spent the rest of their hour and a half engagement photo session walking through Frankenmuth’s Heritage Park along the Cass River. It’s filled with gorgeous weeping willows and lush green grass. Estevan and I actually had our engagement photos taken in Heritage Park too, but ours were in the winter, and the park looked completely different with snowflakes and bare trees. Compared to our winter photos, Kaylee and Jeff’s engagement photos look as if they were taken in another world! The amount of green and sunlight in their photos brought a whole new energy to their gallery.
One thing I really appreciated about this session was how much the lighting varied from location to location. We had areas of the park that were in direct sunlight, some areas that were shaded, and eventually, slightly clouded skies as well. This created varying challenges in taking the photos, but also varying levels of beautiful vibrancy in the photos themselves! Additionally, this session allowed for plenty of black and white photos. While I am a total sucker for color, I love myself a high contrast, high emotion, black and white photo. Because the grass was so bright, and Kaylee and Jeff wore light colors, the high contrast needed for a black and white photo was automatically there. Add in their laughter and their love for each other, and all I could see was the need to create black and white masterpieces!
At one point during their session, I had Kaylee and Jeff walk through Heritage Park as if they were drunk. They held hands, bumped into each other, laughed, and spun each other around. I managed to capture several quick shots of these little moments.
Kaylee and Jeff were so sweet and so fun to work with! Their wedding is in just a couple of weeks, and I couldn't be happier for them. I can't wait to capture more moments for their little family in the future and to see how their love grows over time. Thank you, Kaylee and Jeff, for such a beautiful night and for letting me into your lives!
A few of my typical side notes:
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