Lincoln, Washington and the Tidal Basin at sunset! You won’t want to miss this vibrant, unique winter engagement session on the National Mall...
It was such a treat to see Kerissa again! I spent the day at her side during her sister, Lauren’s wedding, I also saw her parents at Steph & Ryan’s wedding, too– kismet!
Kerissa shared, “We chose you as a photographer because we trusted you really would know how to play to our strengths and catch us in unique and romantic moments. We knew you could bring a very creative approach and find angles and see opportunities that other photographers wouldn’t even notice.”
She continued, “For my sister Lauren’s wedding, you were able to catch their raw emotions and beautiful moments. I’m so excited for you to do the same for us!”
I opened with a super creative shot at the tidal basin during sunset. I love color and really maximized all of that vibrancy. In the image below I got something much more traditional. I like to give my couples lots of options, a nice variety of photos.
Kerissa shared, “We knew DC would be the perfect location for our engagement photography session. It’s where we met and fell in love!”
We spent our time on the National Mall & by the Tidal Basin. Here you can see the Reflecting Pool, Washington Monument and Capitol Building as well as the happy couple. I played with depth of field as I focused on the DC icons and allowed the couple to fade more subtly into the foreground, while still capturing their emotion.
Can we please do this at the Eiffel Tower some day?
I knew I wanted to bring in the Lincoln Memorial in a way that was a little different and capture some of those sweet moments that Kerissa loves so much…
While we were here we got so lucky! I was playing around with my white balance to really pull out the blue from the sky when a plane sailed right into my frame.
I silhouetted the couple, plane and even a flock of geese (see if you can spot them) along with the sun and crisp, dark details of the Lincoln Memorial.
Aw, I loved all the sweet details from the blue bows to her sparkling engagement ring!
This is probably a more unusual spot that might go overlooked, but I loved how the smooth lines of the wall lead down to Kerissa & Phillip and how the trees create a perfect frame.
Of course Phillip whispering something that made her laugh and her little kicked up foot, beaming smile and hair blowing in the wind totally made the shot!
They took a moment to check out the ring and reflect about the proposal!
Phil pointed to the opposite side of the reflecting pool. “That’s the spot!”
I said well let’s go over there! Phil demonstrated down on one knee, just as a school tour was coming around the bend, they were floored!
I love classic DC architecture and like to incorporate it when I can. Here I pulled in two large columns. I love the pop of blue in Kerissa’s dress!
I played with the branches to frame Phillip and Kerissa. I loved the interesting lines and shapes they created!
A little practice for the first dance….
Symmetry is a visual element that I really enjoy– the Lincoln, the trees, the couple– so much balance, I think it’s a lot of what is needed for a successful relationship!
Kerissa reminisced, “The night we first met always stands out to me. We started it off on a rooftop in Washington. After that we went to a local diner…”
She continued, “… We talked and talked, literally for hours, getting to know each other.”
She laughed, “Each trying to prove that the pizza from our home states was better. Naturally, Jersey won over Chicago!”
A more traditional portrait of the happy couple. I used the branches to create a living frame around them…
I wanted to pull in the marble– it’s so classic DC!
Sometimes the most expressive part of your body is not your face.
Kerissa’s stance kind of says it all! Totally head over heels 🙂
The Tidal Basin in winter honestly gave me a ton to work with. First off, it was empty. Phillip and Kerissa had the place the themselves for the most part and could really get comfortable and let loose … here Phil twirled her around a bit and kissed her cheek!
The walk ways were brilliantly illuminated (without the light filtering through the green trees) which really allowed the colors to pop brilliantly!
Phil was pretty quiet in general, but always whispering something into Kerissa’s ear. I have no idea what it was, but she was always beaming!
Kerissa shared, “For our engagement session, we wanted it to be by the reflecting pool as that’s where we got engaged, so the spot meant a lot to us. We also thought you’d find a lot of great photo opportunities around the surrounding area with the monuments.”
Another nod to the proposal…
So this was like my favorite moment of the session. It was so intimate, authentic and sweet!
It was winter so naturally, Kerissa was in her short dress…
Phillip took of his jacket and wrapped it around her holding her tightly. With the weeping cherry trees almost joining in on the embrace!
Shortly after, the sky seemed to catch fire! I’m always pushing what I’m able to capture and maxing out all kind of things in my camera.
In this shot I opened the aperture wide, literally as far as it would go. I wanted to focus sharply on the couple and allow the trees to frame them but be soft. I also maxed out the shutter speed too at 1/8000th of second, so that I could silhouette them and really punch up the colors of the sunset. As a photographer, knowing the technical side of things, running the numbers and pushing limits definitely has its advantages…
Kerissa & Phillip, Thanks so much for entrusting me to capture such an important part in your lives and at such a significant place! I hope that you will be able to look at these for years to come and remember how it felt to be newly engaged! I’m really looking forward to photographing your upcoming wedding at Saint Francis Hall this autumn!
