Derek and Sirena met while working at the courthouse in downtown Richmond, so this past weekend we met near the Capitol and worked our way around downtown. I always have fun shooting a portrait session or engagement session, but I really am not lying when I say that I had so much fun with Sirena and Derek, I could have hung out with them ALL DAY. They are both so funny and easy going! Sirena is one of the happiest and bubbliest people ever, and Derek’s sense of humor is hilarious!

Derek and Sirena – hope you love these images! I can’t wait for May!!

You might remember Melissa and Chris from their wedding post last week!  A couple days before their wedding they met up with me in Richmond for a few portraits since our last session was rained out. Melissa and Chris are always a blast to work with because they are so affectionate and sweet with one another!

Enjoy a few of my favorites from our time together!

One of the most fun parts of my job, is shooting engagement sessions with couples like Holly and Gary! I love getting to hang out and spend some time getting to know such great people from all different walks of life. I had already had the chance to photograph Holly earlier this summer when we met for bridal portraits, but this was my first time seeing these two together. It was such a treat to photograph them together…the way they interacted was so sweet and sincere!

Holly and Gary also brought their puppy, Zoe, with them to their session! She was so sweet and well behaved…I want to get a dog now!!! HINT, HINT…

Lately I have fallen out of pre-writing all of my blog posts ahead of time. Yeah, I know…way to practice what I preach, huh? But somewhere after going full time I fell into a really bad habit of waiting to write my blog post until first thing the morning of. I guess this method is okay, and it probably would work really well for some…but despite all of those teen romances I wrote back when I was fifteen, I am not the strongest writer. This is why it makes waiting until the last minute very hard…I have to think of something to write, and then I actually have to put the words together outside of my head!

A new week is a new start though, which means I once again have the opportunity to start fresh and do things differently! So this week I am going to start with pre writing the rest of my posts so that I don’t get stuck and freak out every morning when I can’t decide what to write about. Maybe that’s the way we should try new goals and resolutions…maybe a once a year proclamation we’re going to change our lives is not enough…or maybe it’s too hard. What if we started every week with a few goals and just took them seven days at a time? Working out, dieting, saving money…they all seem more manageable to me when I know I only have to make it seven days at time.

Today is Monday the 13th, and I want to start a petition that Monday the 13th is as happy and lucky as Friday the 13th is unhappy and unlucky. Anyone with me??

Here’s a preview of Holly and Gary’s Norfolk engagement session! We met them last night at Waterside and power walked our way around downtown Norfolk with the two of them and their little pug, Zoe!

This has got to be one of my favorite sessions to date. Robin and Patrick have such an easy going spirit about them that is really just a joy to photograph. We met up with them this past Sunday in downtown Richmond and walked around near canal street before heading over to Brown’s Island.  Though almost every other day last week was at least 100 degrees with the heat index, Sunday was actually pretty mild and seasonable!

Sidenote: it was Robin’s idea to include the balloons! Those are their wedding colors…gray and yellow:) I whole heartedly approve!

Hope you enjoy some of my favorites!

I took a couple weeks off from shooting because we’ve had family in and out of town since my birthday and I was actually pretty nervous to shoot again this weekend. I don’t know why that happens to me, but it always does! Anyone else still get nervous before they shoot? I shouldn’t have been worried though, because the sessions I shot this weekend couldn’t have been more fun! I think the break was really helpful because I felt so refreshed and ready to be creative. It also helped that I had lots of beautiful light and gorgeous clients to shoot!

Sidenote: Has anyone else been watching the Olympics? I am soooo obsessed with men’s swimming (I have a crush on Ryan Lochte) and women’s gymnastics. I like gymnastics because it’s nice to see fellow short people compete and kick ass in a sport for a change. Ha!

ANYWAY…you should get excited about this week on the blog! I have lots of fun stuff scheduled that you won’t want to miss, including the August giveaway on Wednesday:)  And more of this ADORABLE engagement session will be making it’s way to a blog near you (this one).

Though we had to reschedule Hayley and Graham’s engagement session (and a crazy thunderstorm threatened to ruin our new date!) we were finally able to meet up in Yorktown for their session! The storm that afternoon actually worked out in our favor…the beach was deserted and we had this beautiful, glowy, overcast light to work with! I love when things work out like that!

Hayley and Graham…can’t wait for your wedding this October!

Before this weekend, I had only shot a sunrise session two other times…but after seeing the amazing light at the Manassas National Battlefield when I met Rachel and Jade for their engagement session, I’m going to have to make getting up early for sessions more of a thing. Rachel and Jade, thank you so much for getting up early and walking through the damp grass with me! I loved hearing about all of your wedding plans and can’t wait for September!

I absolutely love getting emails from people who are not only super excited about their wedding, but about their photography as well! Becca emailed me a few months ago about her wedding next January and from her very first email I knew we would be a good fit! When we were finally able to meet in person and I asked about how she and her fiance got to know each other, I was excited to hear that they spent lots of time hanging out at Busch Gardens (John and I did too!!) and had their first official kiss on one of the roller coasters! I have been dying to shoot a session at Busch Gardens for a while, so when she said that, I meekly suggested we do their engagement session there. I was thinking she would think it was a lame idea, but she lit up and said she thought it was an AWESOME idea!

John and I met up with Becca and Matt to hang out and shoot their session last Sunday. It was drizzling, but that ended up being okay because it drove a lot of the tourists out. And really, Matt and Becca are such a gorgeous, fun loving couple, they could make the park look beautiful in any weather conditions!

Matt asked Becca out on their first official date on the Loch Ness Monster! We definitely had to get a few shots with it:)

I LOOOOVE this last one. Big puffy heart LOVE IT. But it’s not technically ”right” and not my usual style, but I thought it was cool and decided to share it too!

When I first met Amanda and Jordan, I knew they were the clients for me. Amanda is SUPER stylish and cool…so is Jordan for that matter. Oh and they brought me cupcakes. Yes, you read that right. Who brings cupcakes to a meeting with a potential photographer???

I have been looking forward to their engagement session for a while now. Unfortunately due to weather and scheduling conflicts we had to reschedule it a couple times, but FINALLY this past Monday I was able to drive out to Richmond to shoot these two lovebirds. Yay!!

Amanda!!! You are so beautiful!!!