ashley + jordan, hartford engagement shoot

I feel like I am FREAKING OUT over here! For so many reasons! First, I love Christmas. I do. I love giving and planning surprises and decorating and Yankee Candles and Christmas Trees (I love them enough to capitalize them!!) And Holiday music! So I have ALL of them going right now in my studio! My Christmas Wreath Yankee candle is ablaze; Nat King Cole is singing away, I have my fuzzy orange slippers on and I just brewed a giant pot of Coconut Macaroon coffee! Yes, I will drink the whole pot- call me in 2 1/2 hours- if I can peel myself off the ceiling I will answer the phone.
I just went shopping for my family and have some awesome tricks up my sleeve for my people... I could just about implode all over my pretty keyboard trays with excitement!

And then there's this whole ENGAGEMENT SHOOT that I just shot with Mr. Mike Romano on Saturday. In my most favorite place, Hartford.

The thing I am the most pumped about is that it is totally new to me- I shot in places that I have never done an engagement shoot in before! It was like I was seeing my city in a whole new light- around every turn I was like - WHAT???!!! You can see the Travelers building from HERE? Like THIS???? Or the Colt Building? Or the hoo ha crazy metal shipping sculpture thing by the riverfront?? Yes, that is the official name.

Ashley & Jordan are so easy to be around- even though they kept telling me they were nervous, I was like, really? Are you sure? Mike and I both agreed that the normal beginning part of a shoot where we all kind of feel each other out lasted like, 2 seconds with them!

And without further ado... I bring you....

We started off heading towards the riverfront. But anyone who has been photographed by me knows that I am prone to stopping- something will inevitably catch my eye and I just have to give it a go! These stairs were no exception :)


And then I just had to get a little bit closer...and go all dark and mysterious about it! It's one of my favorites!


There was something about this view that really drew me in- the highway signs, the stairs... I have a thing for shots that kind of look like I am spying, but I of course am totally not! But I just like that 'unaware' look that these have...like I caught them just snuggling on stairs in public by the highway!





There were a fair amount of stairways involved in our shoot, now that I stop and think about it! They got quite the workout... I was like 'OK, go down the stairs! Now walk back up...slowly... OK now sit down! OK now go back down! Now drop and give me 20!'
Ashley is catching her breath here.... ;)


This view required them to scale an awkward little hillish thing- and was very weird for them to stand in as it was so off kilter- but- I LOVE IT!!! The background is SO Hartford! And so super pretty and architectural, and I have not yet seen anyone get this particular view of Hartford yet...!


YIKES! Jordan is looking pretty smokin' here.... I love this shot of him (and the Traveler's building ;)

Then by the riverfront there was this textured cement wall where I just asked them to cuddle and stuff...I love how Ashley was laughing here!

But then could rock the serious look just as well

On the walkway thing to the riverfront I knew I wanted to work this sculpture in somehow but not the same way that everyone else does... so I whipped out the 14-24...and froze! And then handed it over to Mike and was like 'Here you go! Rock it- this is SO your shot!' I know I am not wrong. Mike loves to gank my lens and rock the wide shots, it is something that he is really good at! So I took his 85 and I gave him the 14-24 and I am SO glad I did- this was a challenge for me to get something that SCREAMED 'SHOOT ME WIDE!' and I was like, Nope, it's an 85 1.4 for you, or nothing!
OK, enough nerd talk :)

love. love. love. They look so incredible in this shot, so happy, so pretty, so in love!

Oh it was cold out too! So what better way to spend a brisk cold day than by the water? Here I broke out my 105 2.8 MACRO lens- I really wanted to see what the compression did for this scene and I have to say I am digging it.


This next set up reminded me of the overpass shoot I did with my October Ten Eyck Tuesday class- it just screamed for a wide angle lens- or so I thought! But, I kept that macro on for this shot and similarly to the 70-200 we used in our workshop- The compression just looks so super pretty here. The moral of the story here? change it UP!!

An underpass can look pretty nice! Who knew!




Dusk is a great time to shoot in Hartford.... check out the Colt Building under their hands!

The blue sky played off the lights nicely...

And we're back to the Traveler's building again!! But different. This is one of my favorites!!!!

Now, how do you shoot the lights at Constitution Plaza in a new way? At dusk for one- what a great time to get the sky color in the shot




We stopped in to Spris, this really great restaurant right on Constitution Plaza to warm up, have some drinks and then dinner! (I would strongly advise making reservations, this place gets PACKED!) We had the best seat in the house (I asked ahead of time when I made the reservation) so that Mike and I could shoot for a bit outside


One of my most favorite shots of myself is one that Mike took last year, right in front of this wreath...so we had to revisit it and rock a shot for old times sake!!

So then I turn around? And see this super cool metal wall...and even though it has absolutely nothing to do with the lights, and the fact that you can't see them at ALL...I had to just shoot there. And OUT comes the trusty video light!!!

It was fun playing around with stuff and trying new ways of lighting them!


The lights are just great, really! What more can I say?? Here we used the video light to add a nice rim light along their faces for all of these shots







Ashley & Jordan I had SUCH a great time with you guys and am beyond happy with how these came out! Thanks for letting us play and try some new things...we are stoked for your BEACH wedding when it will be much, much warmer out...!

xxoo

Make sure you check out Mike's shots too!