Take a stroll with us {and Maria and Jay} for this historic Benefit Street Providence Engagement Session. We love this location because within just a few blocks there’s a wealth of textures, interesting architecture, and fun photo nooks. Also, the colors are soft and muted and the light is always lovely from the shade of the old trees. Even on the hottest of summer days, Benefit Street is a great choice.

In this case, it wasn’t a hot summer day but a warm spring one. The first fun spot we encountered was this sunken blue doorway. I don’t remember what Jay said to Maria to make her laugh but he was like a one man comedy act and kept us all chuckling the whole time. Comic relief during these shoots is important. It can be a little awkward at the beginning of the shoot having so much focus directed at you. We always tell our clients that if you can handle the engagement shoot the wedding will be a breeze! At the wedding, you are surrounded by friends and champagne which helps with the jitters. At the engagement shoot, you are much more on “stage.”

Of course, a glass of champagne or a shot of whiskey {or both for that matter} could take the edge off a bit at the engagement session too. I highly recommend it.

Maria claims that she is not photogenic. Pretty girl…please.

Maria is absolutely stunning, but I think she’s not alone in her photo insecurities. We hear this from a lot of our clients. Here’s the thing… We’ve got a lot of tricks up our sleeves; proper lighting, lens choice, posing expertise, jokes to elicit natural smiles, etc.

We promise there will be at least a few photos that you love in your set of engagement pics, no matter how critical you are of yourself.

I think it’s especially important to do an engagement shoot if you feel this way because it will give you a level of comfort and confidence on the day of the wedding.

There’s kind of a mental list of photos we try to achieve during the engagement session; a classic close up portrait, a cute walking or “action photo”, a laughing photo, a snuggling photo, and a creative interesting photo {like the one below}. Channeling our inner Wes Anderson here. He shoots his cinematic scenes in a very symmetrical, centered way which we find highly appealing. I think this shot would make a fun wall portrait. In terms of wall portraits, I think you should hang something on your wall that would be a cool conversation piece at dinner parties, a photo that’s a piece of quirky or unexpected art that gets people talking!

Maria- you are a dream to photograph and when you let your guard down you are a goddess. Jay- you made this shoot so fun and we love the way you make Maria laugh! Keep it up! XO M&T