Blog— 2020 —
Goddard Park Engagement Photos
Alex & Evan
Goddard Park, East Greenwich, Rhode Island
October 12th, 2020
I feel like an engagement session says a lot about a bride and groom. From the location they choose to the outfits they wear and the poses they feel most comfortable in, you can learn a lot about a couple prior to their wedding by getting together and taking some photos.
Alex and Evan were the perfect example of why I feel this way the afternoon of their October engagement session at Goddard Park in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Prior to getting together for their session, Alex and I traded text messages back and forth debating whether or not to move forward with the shoot because of rain in the forecast and dark skies.
Ultimately, I left it up to the bride-to-be and, like most of the awesome people I'm fortunate enough to work with, she and Evan decided to roll with the punches and I'm so thankful they did as not only did the dark weather help make the already beautiful fall foliage stand out even more but I got the chance to work with these two and capture some really lovely photos that, if nothing else, made me almost as eager for their wedding day as they are.
And that's something no amount of sunshine is worth trading for.
Alex and Evan's engagement session took place at Goddard Park and, by the time it did, I was practically calling it my second home as it was the third session in less than 24 hours that I had at the park.
Luckily, Goddard Park is one of my favorite places to shoot and I knew right away things would still feel fresh with this bride and groom as the cloudy weather gave us access to their first location, the stairs near the old carousel, in a way sunny weather just doesn't.
And, like all of the fun couples I work with, it didn't take long for Alex and Evan to settle into a rhythm for their shoot and ease into my posing suggestions. By the time we got to the windy beach, they were practically pros and I could tell by their laughter they were having as much, if not more, fun than I was trying to deal with the elements.
One thing I loved about working with Alex and Evan was the way the bride had no trouble falling right into her soon-to-be husband's arms and that comfortability led to some really sweet portraits. You can see it on Alex's face, with the way her smile naturally crept out wherever we were or however I asked her to pose. She and Evan have a chemistry you just can't fake and even if the groom was a little camera shy (like most guys are), it was fun to watch him relax as he realized I didn't have anything TOO awkward for him from a posing perspective.
This was most evident as we hit the fourth location for the couple as the ever-popular bridge on the eastern side of the park looked gorgeous with the remnants of a fresh rain coating the area and a slight chill lingering in the air.
One of the great things about knowing ahead of time that Alex and Evan were a "roll with the punches" kind of couple is that I knew they'd be down for traveling wherever I asked them to and we were able to hit up so many spots that I've come to love this fall and finding new ways to shoot these locations was a fun challenge the couple was more than up for.
I was especially thrilled that the pair didn't mind getting down on the ground and a little dirty for some shots I had in mind, though I tried not to make it too tough on them.
The only downside to shooting an engagement session on an already dark and dreary day is, when the light starts to fade, it fades fast.
As Alex, Evan and I hit the western entrance of the park for what I knew would be the last location, we had to work quick as Mother Nature was starting to make the conditions difficult to work in. Not only was it getting crazy dark, crazy fast but it was also starting to rain.
I'm so glad we toughed it out, though, as the conditions led to some seriously moody colors that were my favorite photos of the session and some of the best portraits I've taken this fall ... and it's all because of the challenges presented by the things we couldn't control, as good a lesson for engagement photography as any you'll ever see.
Within moments of saying goodbye to Alex and Evan, the skies opened up and the rain kicked into high gear but nothing Mother Nature could throw at us this day could dampen my mood.
As I left Goddard Park for the third time in two days, I couldn't help but smile knowing the last engagement session I had there was one of my favorite all year. Alex and Evan are a great couple to work with and super open to any and all ideas and I appreciated that so much.
If nothing else, that bodes great for their spring wedding in North Kingstown. My only hope is that, maybe, we can just a LITTLE more sunshine on that day. I don't think I'm asking that much ... even if this bride and groom have already proven a little rain won't stop their parade.
So thanks Alex and Evan for a great engagement session and enjoy the rest of your fall and winter. I'll see you in 2021!
-Paul J. Spetrini
