Katie & Steve
World's End, Hingham, Massachusetts
July 14th, 2018
The biggest benefit to having experience as a photographer is, most of the time anyway, when a couple asks to do an engagement session at a pretty well-known location, you've been there before and know what you're in for.
So when Katie and Steve approached me to photograph their engagement session at World's End in Hingham, Massachusetts a mere three months before they say "I do.", I knew EXACTLY what kind of shoot it was going to be.
I knew it would be a physical day full of hiking around the beautiful 4.5 mile long walking path that overlooks the Boston skyline. I knew we would have a wide variety of places to pair the couple and give a slew of unique looks. I also knew we were in for a beautiful day ... regardless of the weather.
Thankfully, the shoot played out precisely as I thought it would and, together, Katie, Steve and I captured some really great shots that I think are going to look good on display at their October wedding.
And I'm glad that we did as it made what was one of the most physically-challenging shoots I've had all year totally worth it.
Katie and Steve's engagement session started as I'm sure almost all shoots do in this park as we stopped for some "break the ice" photos (as I like to call them) at the beginning of the shoot to get this future bride and groom comfortable in front of the camera and teach them how to pose.
I loved the bridge we started with as it was a great way to begin the session. It's too bad the water had receded since the last time I was at the park back in March but, honestly, I didn't even mind as it doesn't take away from the photos in any way.
Following our first stop, I asked Katie and Steve if there was any place in the park in particular that they wanted to stop and, since they didn't, we decided to make our way along the hiking trail and stop whenever the mood hit us.
It didn't take long to see a beautiful tall grass area with plenty of trees and foliage and really kick this session into high gear.
What I love about World's End is how expansive the park is and how much you can see in a short time and, as Katie, Steve and I made our way to the beach area, we couldn't help but stop every now and again if we saw a cool-looking hill or hidden path into the forest.
It really made for some unique photos that look like they could have been taken in a variety of locations.
Plus, it didn't hurt that we had great sunny colors in the sky as we hit the beach either.
By far the most challenging part of Katie and Steve's engagement session was making the trek up a giant hill to get to an area I knew would provide a beautiful view over the city below.
Thankfully, the hill itself was quite photogenic because when I stopped this bride and groom for some spontaneous photos on the actual hill, it was half me wanting to capture that location and half me wanting to catch my breath.
Hey, whatever works, right?
Thankfully, the view on top of the hill was worth it.
My favorite photos of the day, though, were still to come as we captured some really sweet shots as the sunset was at its peak.
By far my No. 1 favorite shot of Katie and Steve's engagement session, however, was the silhouette photo below.
I love the way Katie's slightly frizzy hair sways behind her and the way the sun peeks out perfectly below their kiss.
To me, this was the best way for us to end a really fun engagement session and I knew the moment we made our way back to our cars that their October wedding at the Villa at Ridder Country Club, one of my favorite venues, will be a night to remember for sure.
Now, if I could just find a way to make sure we have the same kind of sunset ...
Here's hoping. :)
-PJS
