Autumn is upon us and that means it’s peak season for weddings and engagement sessions! The vast majority of people who book me mention they do so as they like my use of available light and my documentary style, but also want a few relaxed portraits together. Obviously, when we take photos like this, the whole documentary approach has to go out of the window, but I do want my engagement photos to capture the true personalities and dynamics of each couple and their relationships. To do this, I look for the light, position my couples in that light, and then throw out some ideas in order to get a reaction, or not, as the case may be. I also try to keep things moving along, so we don’t hang around too long setting up lights or doing any crazy posing.
The situations below may have been fabricated, but the authenticity of the emotions on offer are totally real. This is Krystina and Justin’s engagement session, which I photographed recently in downtown Durham and out at Sarah P. Duke Gardens. As you can see, they are a super fun couple with a lot of natural chemistry which I really think comes through in the images. I’m really looking forward to photographing their wedding at the Umstead next autumn!
Geek info: these were all shot on a Sony a7iii with a variety of prime lenses both ancient and modern using available light only.
