Blog— 2023 —
Roger Williams Park Engagement Photos
Amy & Ian
Roger Williams Park, Providence, Rhode Island
October 16th, 2023
I don't shoot engagement sessions nearly enough. While it's true that I like to let my clients choose their own packages, and choose what items to add or subtract from their ideal wedding photography experience, there's a part of me that wishes more brides and grooms felt like a one-on-one session with me prior to their wedding was as key an add-on as pasta is during their wedding meal or an extra flavor of cupcakes is for their dessert.
I only say this because, when I've gone a few months without an engagement session, I always get worried I'm going to forget how to even shoot them. Thankfully, that feeling didn't last too long on the October session I recently shot for Ian and Amy.
Amy and Ian are set to walk down the aisle next fall and our time together at Roger Williams Park last month rocketed them right up to top of my most eagerly anticipated weddings next fall because not only were they fun to work with but they were practically pros at posing right away and seemed to have as much fun as I did finding ways to bring their personalities out in the photos.
Whether it was taking photos with their dog, pretending to be Captain America and Wonder Woman or making silly faces behind each other's backs, Amy and Ian's engagement session was easily one of my favorites of the 2023 season and a great reminder of just how much I love working with a couple without the proper stress of a wedding day timeline weighing us down.
I met Amy and Ian back in September after they found me through their venue's preferred vendor list. The pair will be getting married at one of my favorite places to shoot a wedding and I had a feeling from our initial interactions that they're the exact kind of couple I love working with.
And if that didn't sell me on their big day, laughing and making jokes with them within minutes of their session did.
The three of us started their engagement photos sessions on a random road above the carousel parking lot as I like to run through some test shots with a bride and groom before we really get rolling into a session … only I liked these shots so much I simply had to include them.
I especially loved the photos of Amy and Ian with their dog and he was such a good boy as we posed him wherever our travels took us on this lovely fall afternoon. My favorites, I think, were the ones we took a half hour in at the Japanese Gardens. Talk about a well trained pup!
Speaking of the Japanese Gardens, it's no coincidence that Amy, Ian and I spent the bulk of our time together at that spot in the park. It was a beautiful fall day in my favorite time of year and it seemed like everywhere we went, things looked amazing.
One of the nice things about the Japanese Gardens is they are perfectly placed in the park and they're just a short walk from a lot of cool spots nearby. My favorite during this portion of Amy and Ian's session were the shots near the water fountain between the Japanese Gardens and the Casino.
I think their dog agrees as he was just as excited I was to see how the lighting looked in this amazing spot.
Amy, Ian and I got a LOT of steps in throughout the park but there was no part of their day more fun than the final outfit change as the pair visited the Temple to Music and had a lot of fun figuring out if they knew how to dip, posing like superheroes and ultimately wrapping their session with a pair of matching red outfits that looked amazing as the sun began to slowly set on our time together.
As Amy, Ian and I made our way back to our cars at the end of their session, we couldn't stop talking about how fast their two hour session flew by and how much we're all looking forward to their wedding next fall.
As I'm still in my busy season for 2023 at the time of this writing, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't eagerly anticipating the offseason but, honestly, I still can't wait to see this future bride and groom walk down the aisle.
If their wedding is anywhere close to as much fun as we had on this amazing fall day in Roger Williams Park, I know we're all in for something special and I'm so glad I'll be there to capture it all with camera in hand.
So thank you Amy and Ian for a wonderful engagement session. Enjoy the rest of your year and your engagement session and I'll see you in 2024!
-Paul J. Spetrini
