Engagement Shoot at McDaniel College

Martha and Ryan's engagement session at  McDaniel College was filled with tons of sunshine and also very cold temperatures. Of course, this is to be expected when you plan a photo shoot in January. Martha wanted to use some of the engagement photos for the invitations, which should be sent out at least 6 months prior to the wedding date. Since the wedding is in October we wanted to make sure we had the shoot in the bag with plenty of time to get the photos to the printer. Both Martha and Ryan had time off work for Martin Luther King's holiday, so the three of us kept our collective finger's crossed that the weather would be nice enough to take photos and that we wouldn't have to reschedule.

Dressing for the Occasion

"What to wear, what to wear?" is a question that I get all the time. My answer usually is to think about what you want to say in your photos. How will what you wear reflect your personality or the occasion? Do you want to use your photos for the invitations? What type of wedding will you have. Formal, casual, beachy? For example: if you are a casual couple that hangs out together on Sundays watching football, wearing formal wear in your engagement photos will not reflect who you are. However, I nice pair of Jeans, a button-down shirt for the guy and jeans and a blouse for the woman says "Hey, this is special enough for us to get dressed but it still reflects who we are. We are keeping it real." 

Style Matters

I could tell right away that both Martha and Ryan are a couple that like style and form. They have a kind of synergy around them. If you see Martha by herself you think" wow, what a beautiful woman." Ryan is so handsome he could be a model. However, together they are twice as good looking. I am not sure how to describe it in words, but there is something when those two come together that is simply more than the whole. 

Walking About, Trying Not To Freeze

Since I was behind the lens, I was able to dress as warm as necessary to keep warm while the cold northern wind blew across McDaniel College. The college sits on a rise overlooking Westminster, Maryland and from the top of the hill, you can see the beautiful Catoctin Mountains. As beautiful as they are to look at, the mountain range brings cold winds to Westminster and the college. I am sure the temperatures dipped below freezing on several occasions while we walked around. 

Dream, Dream, Dream

Martha and Ryan are a photographer's dream couple. Outgoing, engaged, and up for just about anything. Ryan's smile lights up a room and his love for Martha is so obvious it makes my heart sing with joy. This is why I am in the game. Seeing and watching people so in love brings a smile to my face just thinking about it, and I get to take photographs of that love!!

I am always trying to get as many different photo opportunities as possible so I suggested we take a walkabout on the college grounds. And even though Martha wore a black, sleeveless dress in the first part of the photoshoot she was all game. My hat is off to that beautiful and determined lady!

Walking And Talking And Having Fun

We toured the campus and took some amazing photos around all kinds of different places. We also took some breaks so Martha could warm up for a little bit in her winter coat. When she couldn't stand it anymore, we walked back to the car so they could change the outfits for the next set of photos. While I was waiting in my car (that heat on my feet sure felt good.) I spotted a train trolley sitting next to the football stadium. I love props like that. They are just fun to come across and even more fun when you can utilize them in pictures. The only problem was that we had to climb down a very steep hill and Martha was wearing high heels. Let me just tell you, it took a team effort making sure she was going to make it down and then up the hill on those shoes. Teamwork is everything!!

One More Place

After we felt like we explored as much as we wanted on grounds of the college, Martha had one more place in mind she wanted to take photos.

So we got in our cars and drove to a very charming park. The problem was that by the time we got there the temperatures had fallen even more and the sun was starting to set. So, we quickly jumped out of our cars and made the best with the few minutes we had left. When I told Martha and Ryan that we are going to lose the light in a few minutes, Martha smiled at me and told me that she was ready to pack it in any way. 

Below are some of the photos we took that day on our adventure around McDaniel College and beyond. 

Hugs to all of you!

Andrea

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