Three Engagements
No weddings this week but I had plenty of adventures doing some engagement sessions. Three sessions with three very different couples.
Session 1
The first couple was local and took me to an apple orchard in Acton, Maine. I followed them from their house to the orchard and they zipped right past the main entrance and took a hard turn right into the woods. I did my best to follow them on a ragged path up a very steep hill for about half a mile in some very tall grass (my car has hilariously low suspension). They stopped at the top of a massive hill which turned out to have THE BEST VIEW I'VE EVER SEEN IN SOUTHERN MAINE. It beats the two little mountains I like to hike up in the area. The couple was sweet, pretty reserved, and rightfully laughed at my reluctance to go off-roading with them.
I'm usually the one trying to get my couples to loosen up and be more adventurous but these guys made ME feel like a stick in the mud, in a good way. The next couple was even cooler.
Session 2
This session was unique because I'm actually shooting their wedding this coming weekend so we did this session as less of a formal engagement session and more as practice/"calm before the storm" pictures.
They brought me on a trail that led to a secret waterfall and I asked them to stand in front of the water for a typical, camera-aware, "Hi, we're smiling" shots but they were like "NOPE" and climbed up to the top of the waterfall, their little dingo-dog following right behind them.
Then they came down and I said "Okay, stand by the water and look cute" and they said "NOPE" and walked across a rickety fallen tree to get to the other side of the stream.
"Impish" is a good word to describe these guys. So often the couples I work with are so nervous and reserved that I have to spend a lot of energy to get them excited and to open up. Working with a couple like this, who kind of took the lead and refused to fall into any kind of traditional, stereotypical engagement poses, was a real treat.
After the waterfall we headed to the beach so the dingo could be a little more free.
Apparently their wedding will have a water slide.
Session 3
The last couples was a nice combination of the other two. Calm and reserved but also very adventurous. They live out west and are very outdoorsy. They're slowly making their way through all of the national parks. We had plans to hit up Palace Playland in Old Orchard Beach. We wanted to take fun pictures on rides and in the arcade. The only problem was that it was the first really sunny, warm day in about a month and the place was SWARMING with tourists. The couple was cool with just hanging out on the beach. It was totally chill and fine. To keep things interesting I got way too close to the water and the incoming tide swept in quickly and I got soaked. That was my contribution to the adventurous vibe of the day.
If the rain holds off this weekend then the impish couple's wedding should be a blast. If it rains it'll still be a blast, I'll just be curious about what kind of shenanigans they can get into being stuck under a tent all day.