Brian & Sarah
Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island
October 8th, 2017
There are few things I enjoy seeing more during an engagement session than a couple's complete shock at how casual and normal posing for photos can be. I'm not sure if these folks come into the session expecting me to move them up, down and around in awkward positions or if they're just bracing for the worst but after about five or so minutes of awkwardness, most of the bride and grooms-to-be that I work with feel a sense of comfort overcome them when they realize it's not going to be as bad as it seemed.
This was especially true for Brian and Sarah, whose October engagement session I photographed at Roger Williams Park in Providence.
Even though I assured them the session would be easier than they expected, it wasn't until a few minutes in that I saw them really start to enjoy themselves and, despite a somewhat rainy and cloudy day, we still put together one of my nicest sessions of the fall.
And, more importantly, this engagement session got me incredibly excited to shoot their upcoming wedding next June. Because if it's half as fun as this was, we're in for a great time.
Brian and Sarah, who met at Holy Cross and will be getting married there in June, chose Roger Williams Park for their engagement session for the variety of locations inside the park and I'm glad they did. We had a ton of fun traveling from spot to spot and I loved watching the way these two interacted as they were never more than a moment away from a full belly laugh and always seemed so excited.
I loved the way this bride and groom-to-be incorporated their love for their college in their photos as well as the great props they brought along with them as Brian's sister proved invaluable at writing their wedding date on a chalk board in some of the best handwriting I've seen for an engagement session prop.
After shooting at the Iron footbridge and making our way in and out of the Japanese Garden, our group headed down to the Temple of Music to discover it was under construction. But, hey, I'm a man who knows how to pivot and we even made that location work.
By the time Brian and Sarah's engagement session came to a close, I really felt like I could have photographed them for another two hours. The quickly-setting sun, however, had other ideas and after a quick stop at the Casino (Where someone else was getting married as we walked by), it was time to call it a day.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this bride and groom and know they did. Not only were Brian and Sarah super sweet but they came to the session with a ton of cool ideas for photos and I could tell they were super excited to see the results as we shot ... as was I.
In the end, I left this slightly chilly October afternoon feeling great about this young couple in love and I can genuinely tell you that while I'm looking forward to my upcoming off-season and break from the wedding world for a little while ... I'm looking forward to their June wedding even more. So congrats Brian and Sarah! See you in 2018!
-PJS
