One of the first things people always ask me is “What should we wear?”  I think it is important to keep 2 things in mind when picking out clothes for an engagement session.  The first thing is to complement each other without matching.  We don’t want any 1980’s matching Christmas sweater photos.  Chose colors that are in the same family, we don’t want one of you wearing a maroon shirt and the other one wearing a hunter orange shirt…YUCK!  :)   The other thing to consider when picking out clothes is you…Chose something that reflects your style.  I am a jeans and t-shirt gal, so if I wore a little cute dress it would look nice, but it would not be me.  :)  Chose something that you are comfortable in and that you feel confident in.  Nothing is worse than worrying about your shirt riding up constantly, or cleavage, etc.  Comfort and confidence is key.  If you look in the mirror think you look awesome…you probably do!  :) 

So you have an outfit picked out (do this in advance, not the day of…it will stress you out to be running around trying to figure out details day of)…now what?  I think it is fun to make your engagement day a day of love.  Get your girl a rose, or write your man a note.  Something to show them you love them.  This helps set the tone for the day, and makes your engagement photos that much more awesome because the feelings of love are fresh in your mind.  : )

The second most common question I get is “What time of day is best for lighting, and do you have location suggestions?”  The answer is easy.  My favorite lighting is always about an hour before sunset.  However, I can make any time of day work.  I encourage you to choose a location that means something to you.   Maybe he proposed somewhere cool, or the place you met or where you had your first kiss.  Or it could be the ranch you grew up on, or  the place you want to live…you get the drift.  :)  If you do need location suggestions, I would love to help you out. 

Last tip…how to be yourself.  I know this may sound weird, but it is true.  I know I get crazy weird on the other side of  the camera.  When I get my photos taken I feel like a giant goof.  The truth is, the best photos happen when you relax and forget the cameras are there.  Don’t forget to laugh, hug, kiss, even dance.  I’ll let you know if what you are doing is wrong and redirect you.  Ill also give you suggestions of things to do.  But lest be honest, nothing is more beautiful than a couple comfortable around each other to be themselves.  Even if that means a snorting laugh, or a silly grin.  Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Be in love. And be beautiful. 

First we stopped at a little grassy field on the way up to Table Rock.  When I asked Heather how Chase proposed, she told me that he had her daughter bring her the ring box… I thought that was so cute so I wanted to incorporate that into the photos.   

Isn’t she cute?  And its no wonder, her mom is drop dead gorgeous!  :)  One thing I LOVE about this couple is they have fun together.  Look at them.  

Then we headed up to Table Rock.  Table Rock is a great place for photos, but is not an overshot location like some places in Boise.  I love that there are some structures with graffiti and textures there, but there is also AWESOME views and scenery.  It is a great place for a photo shoot.  Just look at these photos and see for your self.   

Next, one of my favorite series of photos.  I could not have asked for better light, or a better couple to make this amazing spot work.  (oh, by the way…this really pushed me, because I am VERY afraid of heights).

It was a little windy and cold, so after we got back to our cars we headed to coffee.  :)  I grabbed this quick shot of the daughter and her little pooh bear that she takes everywhere with her.  

Heather and Chase~

Thanks for choosing me to be your photographer!  I am really excited for your wedding.  I know it is going to be AWESOME!!!  :)  It was great to get to know you all alittle better.  I hope you enjoy your preview!  :)

To see more photos of Heather and Chase’s engagement session head on over to our facebook page.  Be sure to  LIKE US on FACEBOOK to receive updates and discounts, and see more photos! Want your picture taken? CONTACT ME!

She is one of my best friends from collage.  Christie is a caring, nice person, who is VERY smart and always willing to entertain me with her crazy stories!  ;)  I love Christie!  One thing about Christie that i love is that she has always been alittle shy around the boys…She has told me that she thinks kissing is gross…even though I was kissing my own husband   Though I always wanted Christie to find love…I was skeptical, I mean if she thinks kissing is gross…you get my drift.

Meet Sam:   

Sam is a teacher and an inspiring author.  He is a funny, yet gentle person who knows how to have fun, and approaches life with optimism and enthusiasm.  He likes to kiss girls, namely one girl…Christie!  :)  

CHRISTIE KISSED A BOY!  ;)  AND she LIKES it!!!  ;)  I am so glad she does…I could not have picked a better person for Christie!     I seriously Love this couple!  Sam chose to propose by starting a journal for the two of them.  the ring was in the journal.  

Sam~

I am so glad you and Christie found each other!  I love seeing Christie so happy and in love.  I have known Christie for quite some time now, and I have never seen her so happy or full of life as she is with you.  Thanks for being awesome and loving my friend.  I cant wait to get to know you more as your life with Christie continues.  I know your marriage will be blessed, I can see it by the way you look at each other and communicate with one another. Congrats!!!  

Christie~

You are getting married!!!!!  I am SOOOO happy for you.  I am so glad that you have not only found love, but love with an awesome man!  :)  You deserve it!  :)  I Love watching the two of you together and seeing how much he loves you and makes you happy.  The journey of marriage is a fun and exciting one.  It can be hard at times, but it is worth it.  I know you and Sam will have a great life together and I cant wait to see you two grow old together.  I love you Christie, Christie (soon not to be) Grove.  Thanks for your friendship through out the years.  Now got get married and be happy!!!  :)

and now for your viewing pleasure…a slideshow!  :)

I love shoes shots!

We found some old cattle shoots so I had them pose inside and took a picture form the outside looking in…love it!  ;)

The couple also brought their dog for a few photos…this dog is HUGE, a dane/ mastiff mix…but sweet as can be!

We ended the session in front of an old barn…

Then things started to get goofy!  :)  We decided to try the spiderman kiss from the rafters!  

And then pose like some great american paintings…can you guess what this is?  

And we ended with a chain link fence.

I am so excited for your wedding!  you guys are awesome and I really enjoyed getting to know you!  I hope you enjoy your preview.

You can see more of this awesome couples engagements on facebook.

T

And this (got to love some sun-flare):

I decided to bring some balloons to this engagement shoot to add a little interest (and keep the kids entertained while I was taking photos of mom and dad)  We got some awesome close ups of mom and dad holding the balloons.  

I love getting casual shots of families, this family had the great idea to play ring-around-the-rosie.  I took the photos from two different angles.  First I took them while standing on a bench so it was looking slightly down at them, then I curled up and laid down inside the circle and took some of them looking up.  Here are the results:  

I know so far I have shown you mostly photos of the happy couple, but fear not, we defiantly got plenty of family photos too.

Can I just say that this couple makes me so happy!  I am so glad that they are  getting married because I can tell that they really love each other!  After an outfit change, we went to the Boise Train Depot where the couple first got engaged!  ;)  Unfortunately all the water features were under construction, but we still got some awesome photos!  :)

Thanks for spending the day with me.  I loved getting to know your family and I cant wait until your wedding!  Each of your kids are amazing, and your love for each other is an inspiration to see!  :)    Enjoy your preview.

As we walked around I was some cute little families.  I can not wait to take my son there!  ;)  The Botanical Gardens are filled with lots of gazebos, swings and all things you would want to find in a garden.  We put some of those things to good use.

They also had burn buckets to help people keep warm.  We stopped to warm our hands more than once!  ;)  

And of corse, being a garden there had to be some flowers lit up too!  :)  

If you have not gone to the Winter Glow…GO!  It is awesome!  They have so many things to see.

Jillian and Colin~  Thanks for the awesome day!  I loved getting to know you two better and capturing a little part of your life.  I hope you Love the photos!  ;)  

Want your picture taken? CONTACT ME! You can also become a FAN on FACEBOOK to receive updates and discounts, and see more photos!

Then we went to play in the snow!

Jillian had given me some photo ideas that she liked, and this hear in the snow was one of them. I love it when my clients have an idea of what they want!  ;)  This turned out harder than we thought!  The First heart we made was too big, then the second hear we made was to small!  ;)  And I tried to climb an ice covered fence to get above them enough to get the heart, but I think we finally pulled it off!  :)

Colin is in the Air Force, so when we saw this spot, all of us knew it was perfect!

Then it was time for some sledding!  

And a pretty sunset!  

We almost had two sessions because the location change was pretty drastic, and we had some time we had to waste in between, so I am going to do two blogs!  Come back tomorrow for more of Jillian and Colin!  :)  

Want your picture taken? CONTACT ME! You can also become a FAN on FACEBOOK to receive updates and discounts, and see more photos!