Welcome to the first blog post on this new website of ours. We hope this makes everything much more convenient for everybody. Those who are coming to look for past work, those prospective brides who want to see current work, and anyone trying to find themselves! We like simple. It’s what we tell all our couples, so finally our blog is on our homepage 🙂

First post belongs, rightly so, to our first shoot of the new year! Well, it was December, but almost January! Mike and Devan came to us for a wedding consultation and we were so excited when they said they wanted to book an engagement shoot. Generally we prefer to get to know our couples before their wedding day and an eshoot is the easiest way to get to know them, while also getting them used to the camera. Luckily for us, Mike and Devan were naturals, and wanted to shoot at some of our favorite local spots. Fun story: Amy and Mike actually knew each other from high school! Yay Hamden High connections!

We decided to start downtown Yale on this terribly chilly day, so we’d end up at Lake Wintergreen for sunset. Turns out the lighting in New Haven was just as perfect at 3pm as it was at the lake for golden hour. We had a slight cloud cover which made for some beautiful light. Also, the Sterling Memorial Library (and courtyard) make for the perfect backdrop!

We walked around the grounds, talking about their wedding, their love story, and how cold our noses were. Our eshoots are lifestyle based, which makes them a lot more candid. Oftentimes I’m (Kay) known to stop walking, stare, and say “right here!” as we wander around. It makes the posing much more natural when I find pockets of perfect light and tell our couples to go cuddle up in them. Like under this perfect arch!

Or this spot of sun, where I told them I promised I knew what I was doing shooting directly into the sun. Plus, it was a reason for them to warm up a bit out of the shadows 😉 I’m so glad they trusted me this whole shoot and stopped anywhere I asked them to, I couldn’t be happier with the way all their photos turned out!

After leaving the courtyard we chased down beautiful gates (always a good reason to shoot downtown New Haven in Yale!) and even more perfect light. The sea foam colored gate was actually a great find because they pulled out the blanket they’d brought as a prop and it matched! Turns out it was a wedding color for them, so of course we had to spend some time in front of it. 

We decided it was time to hop in the car and drive back to Hamden to make sure we arrived at Lake Wintergreen in time for some golden hour sunlight. But on the way we took a quick stop at the cutest little red shed. Have I mentioned how big a fan I am of how lifestyle engagement shoots give you the option to have so many different backdrops than just one setup? Because I am! They used this opportunity to switch to more casual clothes, and matching boots, *swoon* as well.

We made it to Lake Wintergreen just in time to catch the sun setting on the lake, so of course I took advantage of that to do a few silhouettes. The best part? It was so bright and windy I couldn’t see anything in the camera and hoped for the best! Turns out they’re some of my favorites! After braving that arctic blast we went and hid in the trees for the rest of the shoot 🙂 It was the perfect ending, complete with more blanket snuggles, and cute coffee mugs. 

Thanks Mike and Devan for hanging out on such a cold day and letting us take a million photos of you. It was the perfect shoot to bring in the new year and we’re so excited for your wedding!

-Kay & Amy