i woke up the morning of mairin+joe’s engagement shoot and looked outside to see what kind of weather we would be working with for the day. i was happy to see it was going to be a beautiful afternoon. when the time came to drive an hour to old city, philadelphia to meet with the happy couple my mind began to flood with ideas for their engagement shoot images. i was trying to think of all the cool ways i might be able to shoot on the streets of philadelphia. then naturally, my brain couldn’t get that bruce springsteen song out of my head. damn you, Boss. before i knew it i was walking around old city towards our pre planned meeting spot. i initially thought i would be incorporating a lot of the city’s elements into the shoot: alleys, urban walls, concrete, brick, etc. but, after arriving in old city i was very surprised to discover that my intensions and ideas would be blown right out of the water. the city was filled with the amazing colors of fall and there was just no way i was going to avoid it’s beauty and charm.
now it was just a matter of finding the sweet spots to photograph within the city. the sweet spot for me always begins with good lighting, followed by background & composition. on sunny days the best portrait lighting is usually found in open shade, which can be next to a building or under a tree. once you find good lighting, you will need an awesome couple to enjoy it. cue: love magnets – mairin+joe. i had such a nice time with these two throughout our little engagement session in philadelphia that i really can’t wait to rock out more portraits with them on their wedding day in may 2010. thank you mairin, joe, the Boss, mother nature, mr. sunshine, and thank you most of all, philadelphia. it was good vibes all around. enjoy.
i’m totally digging the dreamy, watercolor nature of this reflection shot : sweet spot, win
you might also be interested in checking out another engagement session i photographed at philadelphia’s boat house row a few months ago for maria+kevin.