Blog— 2021 —
Roger Williams Park Engagement Photos
Catherine & Sean
Roger Williams Park, Providence, Rhode Island
July 7th, 2021
Whenever I talk to couples about planning a potential engagement session, one of my biggest "selling points" on booking said session is the idea that they will have a chance to work with me before their wedding day and get an idea of how I like to shoot and what kind of poses they might like or not like.
What I don't tell them is these shoots are often a chance for me to get an idea what's it like to work with them and, over the course of an hour or two, engagement shoots tell me a ton about how flexible and relaxed a bride and groom will be on their wedding day.
Because of that, I know Catherine and Sean are going to be a ton of fun when their November wedding rolls around later this year.
Catherine and Sean were a blast to work with and super amendable not only to my ideas but to working around a really dark and rainy day at Roger Williams Park and I'm so glad they did as the stormy clouds hanging ominously over our heads lit up the park beautifully and gave their engagement photos a perfect vibe.
I knew minutes into Catherine and Sean's engagement session that we were in for a great day as their first pose — what I like to call an icebreaker pose where I give a couple no instructions and see how they come together naturally — actually looked great.
More importantly, the first few minutes of their session, which are always an awkward feeling out process between me and my clients, went smooth and I figured out quickly that Sean is a super relaxed groom who was actually not against taking photos. In my line of work, that's an automatic win any day of the week as most of the grooms I work with are reluctant, at best, to photograph cute and romantic shots with their brides-to-be.
Catherine, Sean and I started their engagement session in the Japanese Gardens portion of Roger Williams Park and it is always one of my favorite spots to shoot but the dark clouds made it so much nicer than I'm used to, and we took full advantage of the reflections on the water and empty bride areas.
I adored these photos a ton but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't even more excited a little while later as we headed to our second location of the Iron Footbridge.
Just getting these soon-to-be newlyweds on that bridge was victory enough as the rain started coming down little by little as we were setting up photos on the water.
Thankfully, Catherine and Sean were good sports and the Iron Footbridge led to some of my favorite shots of the entire day, particularly as the pair did their best to keep their balance walking from one side to the other.
After a brief rain delay following our Iron Footbridge shots, Catherine, Sean and I made our way to the Temple to Music and made the most of the dwindling sunlight to get some really sweet shots using the white pillars first in the background and later as prominent set pieces for some super sweet portraits.
My favorite shot in this entire portion of their shoot, however, was an unplanned one as I had the pair grab a seat on a set of stairs facing east. This is traditionally a photo I can't as typically the sun is blinding in this park in the evening hours but the rainy weather really helped us end the shoot in the best way possible.
It doesn't help that the "pose" I chose here was actually a natural photo Catherine and Sean took with no direction from me but, honestly, I'll take credit for it and pretend it was my idea anyway. Sure. Why not?
Catherine, Sean and I ended their engagement session with an unsuccessful drive around the park trying to find a great spot to capture the sunset but it came and went too quickly to get to. Still, I call it a win as it showed me that this bride and groom are super flexible when it comes to their photographs and I know that only bodes well for their wedding in four months.
So, thank you Catherine and Sean for a super fun engagement session that I absolutely adored. I can't wait to work with you again this fall and know this is just the start of some great photos of the two of you.
See you in November!
-Paul J. Spetrini
