After moving across the country *twice* together and visiting *sixteen* different countries, these two are ready to tie the knot and chose Union Station in Washington, DC as the location for their engagement photographs…
Julie shared, “Charlie and I fell in love with images from weddings you had shot at our venue and your ability to capture intimate moments in that space. We especially loved your use of light and color and that you offered a mix of creative and stunningly artistic shots, in addition to classic portraits.”
Charlie shared, “We also hit it off during our first meeting, so we knew, personality wise, you would be a great fit to have with us on our wedding day.”
In the opening photo, you can see me playing with light, color and architecture, and in this next photograph you can see a more traditionally lit, candid moment, that also incorporates some architecture and the reflection of the blue sky in the windows behind them…
Charlie shared, “I love that she has ambitions and goals that drive her each day.”
Julie shared, “Charlie makes me feel safe and unconditionally loved.”
He continued, smiling, “I’d say that we are a team on a shared journey. Also, she’s really cute.”
Here is one of those more traditional portraits Julie was talking about…
Julie explained, “We’ve moved across the country together twice now and traveled to 16 different countries; there’s no one I’d rather be with to navigate the rest of life’s crazy adventures.”
The iconic marble fountain in front of Washington Union Station felt more like Europe to me and fit with this “world travelers” part of their story. I loved the blue sky and white fluffy clouds and the dramatic lighting of the couple…
Julie shared, “We wanted our engagement session to be a reflection of the part of our relationship that got us to this point. Our meeting and falling in love in Washington, DC.”
Here they strolled in the crosswalk together with the United States Capitol in the distance. I love her bright smile and the tree lined drive. In the future I can imagine them looking back at this image with these “vintage” “retro” cars in the background…
Charlie explained, “I like how Julie is very serious and has a plan for everything, but is also very silly and willing to indulge my silliness.”
Julie shared, “I love that Charlie pushes me to be a more thoughtful version of myself, but also helps me not overthink the small things.”
Julie added, “Charlie is the one person who I feel I can be my most true self around 100% of the time.”
Charlie explained, “I like how even we are doing our own things, we come together and lean on each other, which makes even the things we do separately seem like we’re doing them together.”
Julie shared, “We chose Union Station because this was a frequent meeting place for us early in our relationship. I lived nearby in NoMa and Charlie loved all of the food options available at Union Station. We loved the reference to a significant place, but also the beautiful architecture – especially after the renovations were finally completed!”
I love to play with light, color, architecture, reflections– so this location was so much fun for me!
I love the lines, contrast, textures and just photo journalistic feel of this architecturally focused image and the fact that Julie and Charlie would descend this very staircase frequently on their way to shared dinners during the beginning of their relationship.
I like the leading lines of the banister that envelop the couple and even the people shopping, the historic columns and the mean resting on a bench with her luggage. There is something about it that feels both transient and timeless and romantic like an old movie… I thought black and white fit best.
I kept an eye out for yellows and blues throughout the session– Julie’s blue dress popped and there were so many interesting opportunities to spot the colors. Even on this escalator ride to the Metro, the cool blue shadows on the wall and the warm yellow lights and lines, the leading lines and the light hitting the couple.
I like to play with motion as well and saw the perfect opportunity with the moving train.
It took a bunch of math/science to get just the shutter speed, aperture, flash power, light sensitivity etc, but I love how it all came together…
When the train stopped, Julie and Charles stood chatting as people filed out. I watched as people passed…
This was my favorite moment, with a single person on one side of them and a family on the other. It seemed fitting for them to be between the two.
Julie shared about Charlie’s proposal, “We had made reservations a month or two earlier for dinner at a restaurant in Chicago called Carnivale, because we won a gift certificate at an event the year before. He thought this was the perfect cover – surely I would never suspect something planned that early would be cover for a proposal. Well, he was right. In fact, in the middle of the dinner, I requested strongly that he NOT propose to me in a restaurant. This was actually fine, since his plan all along was to propose after the meal, and he somehow managed to convincingly have a conversation about *not* proposing while having the ring in his jacket pocket the whole time… ”
Their train arrived and they boarded. I couldn’t get over the vibrant blues and all of the interesting shapes and lines….
Julie continued, “Meanwhile, I accepted his cover story and focused on what was most important to me at the time — the craft cotton candy that was served for dessert. I was so excited I text friends pictures of this cotton candy, all without realizing they were already on their way to a bar to celebrate with us after the proposal.”
I love how bright her blue eyes are here and Charlie’s dimples…
She smiled, “After the meal, Charlie “spontaneously” requested we stop by Millennium Park to see the Christmas decorations, all of which I still thought seemed normal until he suddenly became very interested in some specific columns. Turns out he had friends stationed there to take photos of us. After a wonderful, heartfelt speech and an excited “Yes!” the friends emerged and joined us at a bar to celebrate. Only then did I learn the full extent of his planning and coordinating for the proposal, which made it even more the sweeter.”
I like to play with visual elements and bright the metro logo into this image– I like how you can see them both smiling and just that natural, comfortable body language…
There is something so timeless and classic about this shot– perfect for two adventurers ready to board the next leg of their journey together.
When I asked about the overall vibe they wanted for their engagement session, they said modern, urban, romance… when I pushed for a little more they said architectural and colorful…
For me this says all of those things…
Julie and Charlie, you two really are the perfect pair and I’m so excited to photograph your upcoming wedding at the Carnegie Institution of Science this spring!
I hope you and your friends and family enjoy these images and please feel free to share, like or even leave comments below….