Downtown Engagement Session
Planning
Ella, my close friend of three years, was in need of save the date pictures and I knew the best photographer for this job. Me, of course ;) I was so excited to capture Ella and Brock’s love for their save the dates. Ella and Brock have been friends of mine for a few years now, but now that they are in a new stage of life, it has been SO exciting getting to support them in my own way. I was there to take thier proposal pictures which was so so fun, but I was very excited for a less stresfull session. Ella knew she wanted classy, timeless, and elegant photos. I’m talking sophisticated, dreamy, and smart. Think old money that is dynamic and full of life. We were originally thinking about the personal touch of staying in the town where the college sweethearts met for the pictures, but we wanted to go bigger and bolder. After all, you only get married once. When I brought up the idea of Fifth Avenue in Naples, Florida, we got SO excited. Fifth Ave in old town Naples is a curated balance between the elegance of old money and young life energy. We just knew it’d be the perfect location for this session, the epitome of classy, timeless, and elegant. We planned on an evening shoot to catch the sunshine rays that beam down Fifth Ave. In the shadows created by the setting sun, the palm trees that line the streets would be lit up in warm white lights, adding to the dreamy, depth background of Fifth Ave.
Shoot
When we got to Fifth Ave for the shoot we were surprised to find it bustling and full of sight-seers. Something I wasn't expecting on a Monday evening. But the added people did not deter Brock and Ella’s amazing chemistry. It was also a chilly and windy January day for southern Florida, poor Ella in her cute white dress :/ Brock however had a lovely pullover that he brought for a style change, that kept him warm and added a country club vibe to the shoot. Add that mental note to have the guy add a jacket or sweater for an easy fit change! Brock and Ella are naturally comfortable in front of the camera which made the session SO fun. I did however find that Ella and Brock thrived on prompts rather than poses. This allowed for an organic feel to the pictures. They loved the prompt of walking across the street for a soft and natural picture that captures their easy love. I focused on traditional prompts that maintained the classic mood Ella wanted in the pictures. I wanted to hop over to Third Ave to get some of the greenery in the pictures. But when we got there it was already a bit too dark so we ditched that idea. Luckily, we walked past this cute little trolley booth and lightpost that was to DIE for! I just knew that we had to take time there. It offered a nice contrast to the new buildings of 5th ave which captured Ella’s vibe so well. The building behind the ticket booth was illuminated by the setting sun and glowed a beachy orange. This offered a lovely contrast to the light blue of Brock’s sweater and Ella’s neutrals.
Editing
When it came to editing, I wanted to explore past my comfort zone a bit and try a more documentary style. I began by trying new angles. I experimented with shots starting from further away and then moving in closer. This allowed for the dreamiest pictures ever! I’m talking movement, sunrays, and beautiful kisses. Just like a Hallmark movie. I was really happy with the outcome:) One of my favs is one where I shot from the side and had Brock and Ella standing under a beautiful lanai that was covered in flowers and vines. When I tell you it was like a scene from a movie, I am being modest. The beautiful metal work on the railing created a French Riviera energy that captured a love that will last a lifetime. Brock’s favorite part was the Lamborghini that was stopped at the traffic light while they were walking across. It even matched Brock’s pullover sweater. I kept with my signature coloring which brought out Ella’s beautiful blue eyes. On some of the pictures I added a soft action blur for an indie romance movie feel. One of my favorites was when I edited one of Brock and Ella crossing the street and made it black and white. And much to Brock’s chagrin I edited the Lamborghini out of the shot, so sorry Brock. I did, however, leave the Lamborghini in some of the pictures just for Brock :) When I went to edit the trolley ticket booth pictures I ran into a challenge of having a bright sunbeam glare off a window. This required the task of refocusing the light onto the lovely couple and off of the window without making the picture so dark that the moment could not be seen. After some tweaks I got it down and had the perfect balance of light and dark contrasts with the focus on Brock and Ella. Patience pays off - ironically my word of the year! I also made one of these shots black and white for that classic, old fashioned kind of love vibe. I am SO happy with how these pictures turned out and can’t stop geeking over the life that Ella and Brock are soon to be beginning :)
-xo sofie :)
