This creative, colorful engagement session involves red velvet cupcakes, murals & even a wheelbarrow…

Heather and Vincent first reached out to me looking for beautifully executed, artistic, photos.  They wanted vibrant, fun photography with some drama and “pop,” something that would be unique and fit them well.
They shared, “We had a lot of fun during the engagement session itself. Lisa’s energy and enthusiasm jived well with our personalities so it was easy for us to relax, be ourselves, and bring a sense of  fun and positivity to the photos.”
They expounded, “We chose you because you are the best photographer in the Central PA area by far!  You have a flair for the imaginative and great color and composition, fair prices, and are fun, too!”  Heather shared about Vincent pulling up my work on multiple monitors and calling her over with a, “Hey look at these!”

Heather and Vincent love art, it was the subject they bonded over from the beginning of their relationship.  While Heather’s recent interests have been in painting, photography, and interior design projects, Vincent’s art is how he makes his living– he is a video game animator!

While I like the color and composition in the opening photograph, I really dig photos like this that push my creative boundaries.
I love how the little mirrors reflected certain parts of the couple and how different those expressions look dependent on the angles of the mosaic tiles– eyes, lips, hair…
Pieces of you…
While I love creative photography, I also capture a few more traditional shots during each photo session.

Vincent shared, “Heather and I are lucky enough to have found that fun, corny, but very real love. Even though it’s been years that we’ve been together, it really feels like we just started only a few weeks ago because Heather continues to surprise me with everything that she is capable of.  We will shape a future together that we could never have created on our own.”
For me this photograph captures their energy and enthusiasm for life and each other and shows that they are connected, blazing the trail forward– I love the sign, too ;).

Modern romance: An Investigation is a book written by actor & stand up comic Aziz Ansari and NYU professor and sociologist Eric Klinenberg.  Heather highly recommended that I read it, not only because it is so funny, but also because it really shows a lot about love in the digital age, which would relate to my couples!
Thanks lady, I think I will 😉
Heather shared a bit about her own modern romance…
Heather explained, “We met on Match.  Vincent sent me a very well constructed message inquiring about the painting class I had written about in my profile. Obviously, Vince did his homework, so I wrote back to him. Our exchanges eventually transitioned to lengthy phone calls and texts. We kept in daily contact for about a month when Vince told me he would drive the entire way to meet me in Central PA for our first date.”
Vincent’s perspective, “I saw Heather’s profile and thought to myself, ‘This gal is out of my league for sure, but whatever, I’ll give it a try.’  After pouring a double shot of Whiskey I got to typing… eventually, I drove to a little coffee shop near her place which was about two hours away and I was early. I am rarely early, so you can tell how important this was to me. ”
I like to play with perspective and color, so this shot was fun for me…
Vincent continued about the first date, “I sat in the middle of the coffee shop near the entrance so she couldn’t miss me when she came in. I tried to play it cool and pretend I didn’t notice her when she came in. Not really sure if that played into my favor, but I was trying to be mysterious or something. I don’t know. I was nervous! Leave me alone! Anyway, she came to my table and I stood up to greet her. We sat and had a lovely conversation over coffee.”
Vincent’s reactions to Modern Romance are priceless, haha…

Heather and Vincent met me at Nathan Miller Chocolate for their engagement photography session, one of my personal favorite places to go out on date nights or with friends.
They shared, “Our first date was at a little coffee shop in a small town similar to Nathan Miller Chocolate. The location made our engagement session feel almost nostalgic.  Our favorite treat was the red velvet cupcake.”
I used a shallow depth of field and focused only on her ring and the fresh-picked raspberries on her cupcake… oh wow, this makes me *hungry*

Their first date also included a high-spirited debate…
Heather shared, “Our conversation turned to baking (one of my passions), more specifically, I was planning on baking a confetti cake. Vincent looked at me and asked “What is confetti cake?” I looked back at him and thought to myself “How does he not know what confetti cake is?”
She went on, “I explained that its the type of cake that has sprinkles in the batter. Vince responded “Oh, do you mean birthday cake!?” After a playful debate over the cake’s name, Vincent asked me if I cared to bet that the majority of people in the coffee shop would not know what confetti cake is. I said “You’re on!” I mean, how could I lose, everyone knows what confetti cake is!”
She explained, “Vince stood up and walked over to each of the patrons at the little coffee shop and proceeded to survey them. To make a long story short, I lost the bet by one person but I was really impressed by Vince’s outgoing, fun-loving nature.”

Heather shared, “Vincent is a charismatic, outgoing, fun-loving, personable, and kind man.”
Vincent shared, “Heather and I are similar where it counts but different enough to help us grow.”

Heather said, “I knew Vincent was someone special because Decker (my cat) liked Vince instantly upon first meeting him!  Decker literally fell asleep in Vincent’s lap, something she doesn’t even do for my own mother!”
Yep, he’s a keeper 🙂

It was one of those days of mixed sunshine and rain which added to this very dramatic looking light.  I took it a step further with this reflection, love the sparkle!
Heather was nostalgic, “That first date was by far the best first date I ever had. It will also be my last first date, which makes the memory of that day even more special.”

Vincent shared, “Lisa, I appreciated the way you took the time to get to know Heather and I.  We came into the session fully trusting you to do your thing.”
While I leaned on my knowledge of them to plan and shoot,  I incorporated their ideas and interactions as well– like the time Vincent jumped into a wheelbarrow and Heather pushed him around the parking lot!!!  Did you hear that Nathan Miller?  Not my idea to borrow your wheel barrow… though I am super happy with my use of shutter speed and panning here, haha :).
This just makes me smile!  You two are the best!

Vincent shared, “As the sun set, you asked me to look over at Heather.  When I did, it struck me deeply and I became very present during that moment.”
He continued, “While soaking in the warm colors of her skin and hair against the sun, I felt like I saw my past and a glimpse of my future all at once.”
He recalled, “I thought to myself, ‘I’m looking at my wife.”

Heather and Vincent, thank you so much for opening up to me and for choosing me to capture your playful, artistic images and to tell the story of your modern romance ;).
I am beyond ecstatic to be photographing your upcoming wedding at The Bond in York, Pennsylvania next year!