Your friends have already taken lots of pictures of the two of you or you don’t want to put a photo in the newspaper or your groom just isn’t that into pictures. There are lots of reasons to avoid an engagement session. It takes time. You have to be concerned about what you’re both going to wear. You have to get your groom to agree to it.

So stay with me on this…you need to have an engagement session with your wedding photographer because you will get awesome photos of you and your groom (if you’ve hired the right photographer–if you don’t get fabulous photos, maybe it’s a good time to find another photographer for the wedding!). It’s a time for you and your photographer to really get to know each other. From the photographer’s point of view, we can see how you and your groom relate to one other another. Some people are very comfortable being physical with one another in front of the camera; some people are a bit more conservative. We learn about you and will use that knowledge to bring out the best of you on your wedding day.

Being comfortable with your photographer, especially on your wedding day, guarantees better photographs because you will be more relaxed in front of the camera. The more relaxed and “yourself” that you are, the more the images will capture your relationships and the emotions that will be felt that day. With wonderful photographs, you will be able to have those same emotions every time you view your images. (If you have a bad experience with your photographer, you’ll have those feelings, too!) Be sure to take advantage of your photographer’s engagement session. It will serve both sides well.

The smile after the kiss

Kristen and Trey are alumns of Birmingham Southern so it was only fitting that we went there for their engagement session last week. I had never been on the campus before, and I absolutely loved it! We had so many interesting places to shoot, and we didn’t scratch the surface! The architecture is amazing, and the grounds are spotless. Kristen and Trey are so fun together–I think we really show a lot about their relationship in these images. I’ve also included the slideshow from the session. They haven’t seen any images, yet, but Kristen asked me to post so they can see their images before they come to the studio in a couple of weeks to pick up their slideshow. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!

The smile after the kiss

What did he say?

Just having fun

We had such a great time with Joey and Liz at this beautiful home on Highlands Avenue. Check out their slideshow!

Sunday afternoon we had the pleasure of photographing Sam and Hannah, and some photos include their two beautiful and well behaved black labs! We had a great time getting to know them while we encouraged them to act naturally with a camera lens pointed at them. I think we all had a terrific time. Enjoy the slideshow…

What a wonderful time we had with Scott and Tatinia at Birmingham Botanical Gardens last weekend. Tatiana is delightful! She is Russian and is learning to speak English. (She and Scott met while Scott was serving our country in the Navy.) She is a natural model! She and Scott are absolutely adorable together. We are looking forward to their wedding on April 10 at The Tutweiler. Enjoy!

Wendy and Frank are just adorable together! They have known each other most of their lives and seem to be absolute best friends. The wedding is in March–we had their engagement session a couple of weeks ago on Morris Avenue. We had a beautiful afternoon with perfect weather. Here are several of my favorite images from the day along with their “love story” slideshow. Please feel free to comment.

This afternoon was a blast with Frank and Wendy! I just uploaded their images–took a quick look and was drawn to this image. There are lots more so watch for another post of this wonderful couple. They are so much in love, and it shows in the way they interact. I can hardly wait to put their engagement slideshow together! Please feel free to comment. Thanks!

Tiffany and Chris will be married tomorrow at The Sonnet House! If you haven’t seen this venue, you really should put it on your list. I know we will make some wonderful images with Chris and Tiffany–there are so many different places around the property to create some happy memories. I wanted to share some photos from their engagement session last year. We got together with them exactly one year before their wedding date. My goodness, how fast time flies! I can’t believe it’s been a year already. Anyway, here are some of my favorites from the beautiful fall day in Helena. And, I think the weather tomorrow is going to be exactly the same!

Chappell and Ashley were married in the same church where Chappell’s parents wed a number of years ago. Their wedding was absolutely beautiful! The weather was perfect for their outdoor reception at Riverside Park in Montgomery. Some of my favorite images are below, and I’ve included their wedding highlights video. We had a great time with Chappell and Ashley and their friends and family.

Travis has been serving our country in Afghanistan and recently returned in time for an engagement session with his beautiful and sweet Annette. They are getting married in Scottsboro at an intimate chapel called Vintage Vows. We had such a good time with them at a park in Helena. It was a humid day with lots of bugs–in fact you can see the “noseeums” in some of the images! Here are some of my favorite images as well as their slideshow for your enjoyment.