Jeremy + Megan // Engagement Photos

“She was a sweet, pretty thing and he'd have walked the world over to get her a blade of grass she wanted.” 
―  The Secret Garden

You might remember that post not too long ago where I hid in the woods to catch this guy proposing to this lady... well in case you were wondering, their engagement shoot was pretty amazingly fun too! It had been storming off and on all day and I was worried a little bit about where we were going to take pictures. The plan had been to meet at some gardens and go from there, so we decided to stick to it and see what happened. 

I met Jeremy and Megan and it was still raining, but as we chatted Jeremy noticed that it had slowly ceased. After a little convincing, we got out and decided to make do and use the time we had. Here are a few of the pictures from Sunday.

Being cold... haha they made me laugh so much!

Then we were just about done and Jeremy saw one more place he wanted to go. We looked at the dark, black clouds and went running to his location. 

I'm so glad that we did! It was like the secret garden and it was so pretty! It started to rain as we were there and I asked them to dance in the rain... 

 

Seriously. So cute! It made me so happy to see them so in love and giddy :)

Thanks guys for once again being an absolute blast to work with!

Luke // 1 year portraits

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you’ll ever know.” 

Winnie-the-Pooh

I have loved getting to know this adorable little boy and his parents this year. I got to take his first-Christmas pictures this last winter and was beyond thrilled when I got asked to do his one-year photos! I've spent some recent Tuesdays hanging out with Luke and watching his curiosity as he explores his world. I love his smile and how readily he gives it.

 Favorite smile! Such a sweet boy!

 This face cracked me up! He was watching someone walk by... when I found it during editing I was laughing so hard :)

It is obvious that this little fella is a well loved baby. I love seeing how he interacts with his parents and how their love for him is so beautifully evident. Happy first birthday Mr. Luke!

Jeremy + Megan // A Camp Barakel Proposal

 It was a Saturday night and I was already excited. I was planning on going to Camp Barakel the next day and staying through Monday evening. I hadn't seen Xavier in five weeks and was so glad that I finally had a chance to take the day off of work and go visit him and some other friends. Then I got a text asking me to bring my camera, if I was willing, so that I could take pictures of my friend Jeremy proposing to my friend Megan at camp. IF I WAS WILLING. I have wanted to do a sneaky-proposal-mission photo shoot for so long and now it was actually going to happen. To make matters better, it was for dear friends of mine! I eagerly said yes... five or six times just to make sure he didn't ask someone else, and packed my gear. On Sunday night, when I arrived at camp,  Jeremy showed me the ring and described his plan. There wasn't much to the plan, my job was to lay in the weeds on the other side of the soccer field while Jeremy led Megan to where they first talked, then all I had to do was wait for him to get down on one knee and take pictures. 

We went to the field early on Monday morning to scout out a place but realized that the other side of the field was too far away. Then I noticed this clever little hiding spot...

 

I brought along a towel just in case and it ended up being handy since it had rained the night before!

 

My range was limited, so Jeremy practiced a few times so that he knew exactly where he should stand. My instructions were 1) to not be seen until after she said yes (otherwise she might get distracted and forget) and 2) to not take pictures until he was on one knee (so that the camera noise wasn't too loud). (Side story: when they finally came down the hill I had been waiting for at least fifteen minutes and I couldn't see them at all. I heard them talking but I didn't dare move from my spot to peek... I kept thinking "don't do it in the wrong spot Jeremy".  My hands were shaking and I'm pretty sure that I held my breath the whole time. Finally they came into view. The sun broke out from behind the clouds and suddenly I realized that Jeremy was on one knee.) I started taking pictures and then realized the sun was making it super bright, I adjusted the settings really quick and kept going.

 In my top 10 list for cutest things ever... (It may have been a little teary in my cave)

Then Jeremy said I could come out and take some more :)

 

So many adorable, happy squeals! It didn't matter that there were gnats everywhere or rain in the grass, these two were beaming from ear to ear.   

Megan "I don't have my nails done...". My lady, for not having your nails done, your hands have got to be the most beautiful hands ever. You should be a hand model or something! 

Such a joy to be a part of this happy occasion! I was so blessed that I got to witness and capture such a sweet moment. The best part is, I get to do their "real" engagement pictures too (although this is about as real as it gets)! 

 Final side note: I love this... and would be more than willing to do this again! I am good at being stealthy and I am just a phone call/text/email away :)

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