Engagement sessions have always been a fun experience for us.   It’s a great way to start the relationship with our couples with camera in hand.  It’s one thing to have great conversations in the studio about wedding plans and photography, but it’s something entirely different once the shutter starts to click.  So, it’s our job to help ease that transition, keep things light, and get the laughter going.  In the end, what we hope for is natural smiles, funny moments, and a great set of images.  For Alex and Paul, we’d had a great time in planning and talking about the wedding, but Alex was decidedly nervous about the idea of being photographed.  If I’d handed her the camera and asked her to photograph me and Paul, I’m pretty sure she would have taken me up on it.  But, as we moved our way through the shoot, indeed the laughter started and we had a blast.  But, enough chatting…

We happily allow messes to happen.

Lindsay put a yogurt spoon in our 4 year old’s hand and let her go to work on feeding our 10 month old, then set about to document the occasion.  Annie never met a grown up task she didn’t want to attempt immediately and with haste.  Vivian never met a spoonful of yogurt she didn’t love.   Here’s the process, the visual evidence, and the effect of Vivian trying to chase down a spoon in the hands of a giggling toddler.

So much rain, so much rain.  But, rain can only get you down if you let it.   I don’t think Katelyn or Cal let it, do you?  You be the judge…

The rest of the wedding coming soon!

Road trip?  Check.  Kids in tow?  Check.  Fabulous Austin, TX wedding for my cool nephew and his beautiful new bride?  Check, check, and check.

We loaded up the whole family and braved the twenty four hour (yes…that’s 2, followed by a 4) trip to the capital of the Lone Star State.  Ever since we met, Lindsay and I have loved to hop on the road.  There’s just something about the long distance and freedom of movement you get on the road.  With a few scenic stops along the way (hello, Greenville, Jackson, and Monroe), we pulled in the night before the rehearsal.  I’d been to Austin a few times in the past and, since my very first visit, I was in love with that town.  Funny enough, the Richmond city planning upper-ups just got back from Austin.  I’ve always thought there were so many parallels between the two cities.  I hope they can find a way to encourage the kind of kitsch and cool that Austin seems to naturally develop.  If Richmond had that, on top of the amazing history and unmatched natural beauty it already has, then we’d probably be complaining about all the traffic in a few years!

But, enough urban planning talk.  Let’s get some images up, shall we?  Welcome Nicole and Jason to the married life and congratulate them on an incredible wedding day!