Posts tagged Cleveland engagement photography | Page 12 of 23 | Columbus Wedding Photographer

Merrill & Tim – A Valentine’s Day Styled Engagement Session

In January, I had a rather special opportunity. I took a short trip to California. The trip wasn’t to escape the cold Ohio winter, but for one very special purpose. I was attending Caroline Tran’s Propel workshop high in the Malibu hills. Ten photographers, stylists, countless coordinators, and others were all sharing one mansion for four days. The entire workshop was pure creative rehab.

Each day was a little different. We learned together, shot together, shared meals and talked late into the night. On the first day was a beautifully styled engagement session featuring Merrill & Tim. They’re a real couple and they’re really (recently) married. For the workshop attendees, Merril & Tim agreed to model for a special engagement session re-enacting their actual engagement. Tim, thoughtfully, proposed on valentine’s day. Merrill clearly said yes.

The styling pulled together by Wilmarose Orlanes of Lovely Jubilee was perfect (she’s also a new best friend). Each outfit was perfectly tailored. Little details were added to fit the Valentine’s Day theme. Of course, Merrill & Tim were perfect together as well. He’s got an amazing sense of humor. She’s beautiful, spunky, and expressive. I think their personalities really shine in the photos below.

Want to see more? Stop by 100 Layer Cake to see the entire feature, including photos from other amazing photographers. I’d also like to offer a special thanks to Ngoc and the team at Skybox Events. Their meticulous organization made everything run tick-tock.

Propel styled valentines engagement session
As you can see, the whole experience was amazing. It simply could not have gone better. A special thanks to Merrill and Tim for being so awesome. They’re really special together. I will have more coverage from Propel and California coming soon. There is certainly a lot more to share, including more styled sessions and coverage of the actual workshop.

Vanessa & Ryan – Wild Weather Engagement Session in Cleveland

Sometimes you just can’t catch a break – literally. As I drove away from the office to meet Vanessa and Ryan for their engagement session in downtown Cleveland, I thought we might catch a break in the weather. It had been raining on and off all morning, but it looked like the weather was clearing. The sun was even shining by the time we started the session. Little did we know, the break in the weather wouldn’t last.

Vanessa and Ryan wanted a mix of urban and pastoral landscapes for their session. The sun was shining and it was a little warm as we started their session along the river in downtown. We chatted about their upcoming destination wedding in Mexico as we moved from location to location. Before long, things started to get a little cloudy. We were flexible though, and worked around the rain. We stopped by a couple sheltered, but outdoor locations so that we could keep the fun going.

As the cold and harder rain moved in, we decided to bag the session for the day. Sometimes you just have to know when to call it quits. We had wrapped up the urban locations, but had yet to capture the more pastoral photos. Instead of fighting the rain, we simply agreed to start fresh on another day. Before breaking, we got everything scheduled and we were off.

A couple weeks later, we met up again, this time in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The park is a personal favorite of mine. Both Vanessa and Ryan were in awesome new outfits and I had my film cameras ready to go. Then it happened AGAIN – rain! It was a light sprinkle, but it was definitely rainy. No worries though – we got what we needed. I had suggested the park because it has sheltered locations in case of rain. In the end, everything still turned out beautifully, thanks to some flexibility. Below are my personal favorites. It was hard to choose, as Vanessa and Ryan naturally look amazing together.

Wild weather engagement session in Cleveland with Vanessa and Ryan

Despite the session(s), I love how everything turned out. By now, Vanessa and Ryan are off to their wedding in Mexico, if not already back. While the engagement session may have been a bit rainy, I’m sure their wedding was gorgeous.

Megan & Pezh – A Perfect Autumn Engagement Captured on Film

How they found me, I do not know. It’s actually kind of strange. Megan lives out of state and they are getting married in her home town, Pensacola, Florida. Still to this day, I’m not entirely certainly why they wanted to do an engagement session at Holden Arboretum, near Cleveland. This is a healthcare city, and they’re both doctors. Maybe they met here. Truthfully, it matters not. The session could not have come out better, and at the height of autumn.

We met at Holden Arboretum near the visitor’s center. My lovely wife Brooke decided to join in, mostly so she could see Holden for the first time. We’ve been members forever, but this was her first chance to visit. Megan and Pezh arrived with their lovely dogs and a friend to handle to pooches. With Megan and Pezh being dermatologists, I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn their dogs are named after topical ointments. No seriously, one is named Retin-A. I kid you not. As always, we started off with the furry friends, who were perfectly stars. After the dogs had their moment, it was down to just Megan and Pezh.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Holden, stopping here and there to capture a few frames on film. It just seemed like the perfect day for an all-film engagement session. We chatted about their current work and their upcoming wedding. We share a lot in common. For instance, I’m from a deeply Southern family. My mama has retired to Pensacola, where Megan and Pezh will have their wedding in November. At this point, I know Pensacola pretty well. It’s a gorgeous Spanish-era city and the perfect setting for a wedding.

We even took the time to jump over to Patterson Fruit Farm to capture some rather special photos. On the list was a photo for their Save the Date card. We also wanted a quick photo among the apple trees, all of which you can enjoy below.

Holden Arboretum autumn engagement session with Megan and Pezh

Megan and Pezh really got lucky. The day of their engagement session was also the height of the fall color. Every leaf was so saturated with color that they looked to glow. We had to celebrate a little. The last frame took three tries, but we got it. That is all for today, but stop back soon. More sessions are coming.

Tagged: Cleveland engagement photography