By Mariah Ashley

Colleen and Omar’s Charlestown RI engagement session is the EPITOME of why I love Fall. It is my favorite season and my favorite time to shoot. The sky is grey, the colors of the foliage pop, the textures of dead wood, dried grasses, and interesting plants are a feast for the eyes. The location we chose for this shoot was Ninigret Park in Charlestown. Trish had been there once on a walk and remembered it being pretty. I had never been there before. Pretty?! That’s an understatement, this place is amazing. We arrived early and scouted the area for all the best spots before Colleen and Omar arrived.

…And by the way they literally JUST arrived… especially Omar who was fresh off the plane from Bermuda. C & O moved to Bermuda a few months ago. Colleen is accustomed to riding her scooter around in the warm weather drinking in the pink sand beaches and palm trees. That’s a departure from this day. They got a cold, chilly, raw day that kept sprinkling intermittently. I promised them it would be worth it and I hope they agree, there’s nothing prettier than NE in the fall… (except maybe Bermuda…anytime).

The first spot we chose had these tall brown weeds that reminded me of cactus, so of course I asked Colleen and Omar to stand amongst them. Luckily they only LOOK like cactus.Colleen and Omar met in NYC at a “silent disco.” I’m old, so of course I’ve never heard of this. Apparently it’s a disco/party in an apartment building and everyone wears headphones so as not to disturb the neighbors. I love the softness of the colors and grasses in these two photos. With the photo on the left, the crushed shells on the path make a nice natural reflector below and the dark trees make a great frame on top.This looks fake. Could it be any prettier? I usually tell our couples that the background really isn’t that important for the engagement photos, but this is an exception to that rule. This kind of photo is perfect if you are thinking of framing for your home. You’d never get tired of the scenery.Colleen and Omar are so sweet and natural together. Snuggling is no problem for them. Basically a good snuggle makes the photo!

This shot would make a great “save the date” because all the text could go on the right.I love the photo on the right, talk about being in synch!I love the foreground of the photo on the left. Omar and Colleen were good sports. The position they were in was not terribly comfortable, but they went for it anyway!

While Omar and Colleen changed in the shrubbery, Trish and I styled this very exciting ring shot. Please wear a red dress… please wear a red dress… it would be so perfect with this background. She wore a red dress! (And she rocked it).The photo on the left is a classic. If you can only get one shot…this is the one to have. Strolling through the woods Trish had a vision… and this was it. This would also make a great portrait for the wall!You want us to do what? Okay. Wheeeeeee!!!!Colleen and Omar, THANK YOU for being so adorable and so in love. Thank you for putting up with the cold and the drizzle. Thank you for changing in the woods and enduring the sketchy restroom! We cannot wait to see you again for the wedding.

P.S. When do we get to visit you in Bermuda?

*******************

Its’ that time again… BEHIND THE SNAPS WITH THE SNAP GIRLS

As I mentioned earlier, we always arrive early and scout our locations. It’s good having a plan going into the shoot so that time and daylight is not wasted. It’s especially important on a day like this when daylight is running out quickly and a rain storm is fast approaching.

The very first spot we picked was actually in the parking lot! As we pulled in we noticed all this fluffy white wild flower action. The only way to highlight the cool texture of the weeds was to have Colleen and Omar sit on the pavement while I shot low to get the photo. We decided to ask them to do this toward the middle of the session after they had already warmed up to our antics a bit. We’d never throw a couple right into the deep end, we’d wait at least 20 minutes- we don’t want anyone getting a cramp!