Pizza + Arcade Games | An Engagement Session
Noell + Alex
Welcome to my first ever session blog post! I’ve been sharing samples of my photo work scattered throughout my portfolio and on my newer Instagram profile, but it hasn’t felt like enough. One photo is powerful by itself, but put together with context from the rest of the session? That’s when you really feel the emotion. When 2019 started, I made a professional goal of documenting more romantic love. I’ve been craving a level of intimacy behind the lens that encourages couples to be both vulnerable and passionate in front of my camera. In taking on several weddings for the coming year, I finally started chipping away at my goal of showing off big love.
Noell and Alex are getting married in June 2020. Their uniqueness and creativity as a couple are boldly showcased in this engagement session. I honestly would never have suggested this location for an engagement session myself (perhaps I should think a little more out of the box), but the second Noell asked me to look into it, I was sold on the idea. Both Goodfella’s Distillery District and The Burl Arcade capture the perfect amount of moodiness I wanted to show off the love this couple has. There are so many picturesque backdrops in these places and I chose not to use flash to capitalize on the emotion darkness brings out. Not sure if it was the pizza, the beer, or the arcade games that really sealed the deal, but this was one of the easiest sessions I’ve shot all year. And if you think the color photos are great, you wouldn’t believe the black and white images.
I’ve known Noell and Alex as a couple for years, and Noell as a friend for even longer. You would be really hard-pressed to find a love more honest and resilient. Alex’s easy-going nature matched with Noell’s kindness and optimism make this a future household anyone would want to be a part of. Noell and I lived together in college, adventured to Costa Rica together, and now I’m honored to play just a small part of one of the most important days of her life. Grab a slice and a cold one + say cheers to the future Hamlins!
