Jill & Chris
Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island
October 21st, 2018
One of the things I love the most about shooting an engagement session is it's really the first chance you have to get to know a couple.
While I can learn a lot about a bride and groom during our initial consultation, there's still a lot of the "business" side of wedding photography hanging over any conversation we have and it isn't until they're fully booked and we're standing together getting ready to start their engagement session that you can get a genuine sense of who two people are.
And it didn't take me but three or four minutes to get to know Jill and Chris during their October photo shoot at Roger Williams Park. And it took me less time to know I'm going to have a ton of fun working with them next year for their fall wedding in New Hampshire.
Jill and Chris came to me through a photographer friend of mine who was previously booked for their wedding day and, boy, am I glad he was unavailable as they're the exact type of couple I love working with.
I knew moments into our shoot at Roger Williams Park, a place they had never been to but that I routinely visit, that they're super easy going and a lot of fun to talk with.
Best of all, they have a genuine affection for one another that you can see in the photos and while it took me a little while to warm them up (both literally and figuratively as it was a bit chilly on this day), once we got them going, I could see how much they enjoyed the session.
Jill, Chris and I began their engagement session in the trees behind the Carousel parking lot of Roger Williams Park but it wasn't until we got to the Japanese Gardens that I really saw their personalities beaming through the photos.
I loved the way their outfits complimented each other so well and the brown bridges of the Japanese Gardens, combined with the early fall foliage, really popped and led to some of my favorite photos of the entire shoot.
My favorite photo of the entire day, though, would come later in an expected spot: a random tree on the side of the Iron Footbridge that we only utilized because a different photographer was working with a teenager for senior portraits on the bridge itself.
Talk about a happy accident!
Jill, Chris and I capped their engagement session by casually walking around and looking for one last spot and boy did we find it. I loved the photo above, shot from a tall rock looking down as it isn't one of my "go to" spots in the park but, after this shoot, maybe it should be.
Jill and Chris were my first of three engagement shoots on this beautiful but chilly October afternoon and I'm super glad they were. Not only did they start my day off wonderfully but they were amazingly fun to work with and, judging by the email I got from them a few days afterward, they enjoyed the shoot as much as I did.
I love finding new couples months ahead of their wedding day and though I may not have known much about this bride and groom before we ventured together into one of Rhode Island's most picturesque state parks, I left knowing this much: I can't wait to capture their wedding day memories next October. If it's anything like their engagement session, I know I'll leave with a huge smile on my face and some truly beautiful photos to remember the day by.
-PJS
