A sunset engagement session- Murrell Park at Lake Grapevine

As spring approaches, I find myself looking back on this session from last March with Asun and Robert. They met me for a sunset engagement session at Murrell Park in Lake Grapevine, just before sunset.

We started our session as the sun began to set over the lake. The warm golden light cast a beautiful glow over everything, and the stunning views of the lake and surrounding landscape created a breathtaking backdrop for the couple's images.

As the session progressed, so did the sunset! The best part about sunset portraits is that it allows me to create a collection of images that takes the viewer through the full transition of light from golden hour until the last bit of light leaves the sky.

Asun and Robert's sunset engagement session was a beautiful way to celebrate their love and revisit the day they met. When we were discussing locations, Asun mentioned that they really wanted to use a picnic table for some of the photos as a tribute to the first time they met, which happened to be at a picnic table!

I am so happy with how this session turned out and I think the clients loved it even more! It was a great opportunity for us to get to know each other before the wedding day. I think I may start calling engagement sessions, “icebreaker sessions” because that’s really what they are! Clients get to know me, my posing style, and gain confidence in my ability to capture their wedding day, and it helps me to figure out what poses work best for you and learn what types of things you like or dislike about yourself in photos. I mean, it helps that we also get stunning images like these to show for it!

Zach and Katie's Dallas Skyline engagement portraits

When My good friend Zach and his fiance Katie announced they were getting married, I couldn’t wait to congratulate them! I was so excited when they reached out to me about doing an engagement session before their destination wedding in Jamaica. Unfortunately we were unable to travel for their wedding so I knew that I wanted to give them a great gift that they would enjoy for years to come. I offered to do their session as my wedding gift, but they had to agree to do what I wanted! hahaha I know how much they love living in the heart of Dallas, and I am currently obsessed with nightscape portraits, so I suggested we do something that incorporated the skyline of Dallas. I had done some photos of the skyline form the continental bridge before, but not with a human subject, so I wanted to give it a shot! (pun intended) Since Zach is a musician I thought we could start out at one of the most recognized music venues in Dallas, the Kessler theater. Zach brought his “sexiest” guitar (his words, not mine hahaha) and we had some great shots that make him look very Johnny Cash, in my opinion! All in all it was a fun time to get to work with dear friends and we ended getting some amazing captures along the way! Enjoy!

Hollow Hill Farms Engagement Portraits

This "golden hour" portrait session was so much fun!  Last fall I photographed this engagement session with a great couple, Diana and Howard, at a beautiful wedding venue in Weatherford, TX called Hollow Hill Farms.  Hollow Hill is always adding new structures and features so every time I work there, I get to play around with something different!  I got to explore the grounds at Hollow Hill a bit more than I do during a wedding day at that venue.  Timing is everything when it comes to portrait sessions, so I like to start around an hour before the sunsets.  That way I have some time to do some sun-drenched images before getting a great post-sunset landscape with the couple.

First, I wanted to capture them in the bright golden light of the sunset in a wooded area to highlight the golden leaves on the trees.  Then we moved over to the mission. The sun was hiding behind a hill, so I was able to capture the deep blue sky and the moon!  Finally, we headed over to the pond and I got in some silhouettes and a couple of shots that I lit with some off-camera flash.  Did I mention I was 8 months pregnant and laying in the grass next to the pond in order to get the angle perfect?  Oh yeah, that is just how far I am willing to go to get the perfect shot!  

Overall, this was a really exciting a fun shoot for me!  I have 2 weddings coming up this season at Hollow Hill Farms, and I couldn't be more excited to explore their gorgeous wedding venue even further!

Katie and Shawn's White Rock Lake engagement session

Check out my latest engagement portrait session at White Rock Lake!  Katie and Shawn are just the cutest couple and we had so much fun hanging out with their doggies at the lake for this stunning portrait session.  

I am so excited to photograph their wedding in November!  As a wedding photographer, I offer an engagement session to all of my wedding photography clients so that we have a chance to work together before the wedding day.  It helps me to get a feel for what poses work best for them, as well as giving the couple an opportunity to get accustomed to my posing style.  The best part is that we get to know each other a little better and it makes things go much smoother on the wedding day when you have had a chance to work together before.  

Take a look at this awesome session and tell me what you think in the comments!

Tracee and Anthony Downtown Dallas Engagement Session

This session was so much fun to plan!  I met with Tracee at her friend's building downtown to scout out a rooftop that she was interested in incorporating into their engagement portraits.  We had initially thought we would do an outdoor location and then go to the roof for a couple of night-time shots with the Dallas lights.  As soon as I walked into the lobby of the building, I fell in love and knew that we needed to do the session indoors with studio lights!  The colors in the lobby worked so well with this gorgeous couple.  The results were outstanding and I couldn't be happier with the images we had to choose from.  Proof that success in photography has so much to do with planning!  I am so glad I decided to go look at that rooftop with her or we may have missed out on that awesome lobby!

Lee-Taylor and Riley: an engagement session at White Rock Lake

Who doesn't love a sun-drenched fall afternoon???  Hanging out with Riley and Lee-Taylor on a sunny afternoon by the lake, I was happy to realize that this gorgeous couple photographs like they just walked out of a Ralph Lauren ad!  I just love my job!  Enjoy this beautiful sunset shoot by the lake: