I met Tiana and Bernard on a chili afternoon at Blue Stone Park in Baltimore.
Ever less Beauty
When I first saw Tiana, I was struck by how effortlessly beautiful she is. I am not talking about made-up beauty; I am talking about beauty that seems is effervescent. Sure, her hair and make-up were done perfectly, and her dress accented her body in the right way. However, there was something more to Tiana than this outer perfection. She is the kind of woman that makes you stop and take a second look.
Finding Beauty Everywhere
As a photographer, this is what I try to capture; the underlying beauty that lingers in us all. When I say that all women are truly beautiful, I mean it. We are all unique and beautiful, regardless of age or bust size. Some of us don't believe it or try to hide it from the rest of the world. Perhaps because at one point we felt uncomfortable in our skin, or someone made fun of us. But I know it is there even if you don't want to show your beauty. I see you!
Oh, but I digress, again...stay focused Andrea!
Back to Regular Programming
Back to my regular programming, this blog is about Tiana and Bernard's engagement session.
Baby It Is Cold Outside
So, I see Tiana walking towards me in this beautiful, perfectly fitting black dress, and my first reaction was: Oh, we are going to have so much fun, and the photos are going to be amazing. My second reaction was: Oh my universe, she is going to be freezing in about 2 minutes. This session is going to go fast.
My first words were: "Hi, I am Andrea, so nice to finally meet you in person," and "I hope you brought a warm jacket!"
Tiana smiled and as she was hugging me said: "No, I didn't bring a jacket, but I will be fine."
Better Be Prepared
"I always bring an extra scarf just in case. At least we can wrap it around your shoulders in between moving from one location to another. It is not much but it is better than nothing." I said as I was walking back to the car to retrieve the scarf.
As Bernard and I were hugging he told me that he was wondering about the chili air but Tiana insisted that she would be fine. "Well, at least the sun is shining and we will just be as efficient as we can so our bride is not going to freeze out here," I told him.
Making the Best Of It
Since this was my first time at Bluestone park, I didn't know what to expect and where to go. And, to our dismay, the main park was closed and we had to restrict ourselves to working in a pretty small area. I usually like to look for several different locations and backdrops. But here we were on a street with a few trees and one sculpture. And since it was Saturday afternoon, the sidewalk and streets were busy which added another layer to the challenge.
"So, let me see what we can do here," I told Bernard and Tiana, "we have a few trees, a sidewalk, a sculpture, and a strip planted with Tulips. Yep, that should be enough," I told them smiling.
"I am so sorry, Andrea, I didn't know the park was closed, it look great on Google Maps and it was close to home. It seemed perfect," a very apologetic Tiana told me.
"Please, don't worry! When I looked it up, I couldn't find any information on the park other than looking at it via satellite. There is no way you could have known We will have fun and make beautiful photos. But we better get started before you freeze to death."
As we started taking pictures, Bernard and Tiana told me a little about their love story:
Highschool Sweethearts
They both attended the same high school. She was the bookworm and he played football. So, their path never crossed until one day they found themselves at the same party.
"It was my charisma, that she couldn't resist," Bernard said smiling. "No, it wasn't," Tiana giggled, "You looked like a big teddy bear, and I imagined getting the biggest hugs from you. That is why I allowed you to talk to me."
"We just got along so well, from the beginning. Bernard is really smart even for a football guy and I liked that we could talk just about everything. I guess, we just never stopped talking." Tiana told me with the biggest smile on her face.
Making Beautiful Memories
As I am sitting writing this, I smile thinking about that Saturday afternoon. How lucky am I to be part of Tiana and Bernard's wedding. How lucky I am that they trust me to document one of the most important days in their lives.
Thank you!