Tagged: West Flats

Katie & Tim – A Downtown Cleveland Engagement with Love

Sometimes I amaze myself. And not because I’m exceptional or particularly gifted. Every once in a while, I get photos back from the lab and I’m blown away. When this happens, it’s never about me.

It is always about color, light, but mostly my stunning clients. Katie and Tim definitely fall into that category – stunning. More than anything, they’re just sweet people. Katie and Tim are also gorgeous. They’ve got a great sense of style which definitely eclipses my own. And they’re smart. Like really, crazy smart. They are the type of people that anyone would be proud to call their friends.

So it’s deserved that their engagement session turned out so well. The soft light in downtown Cleveland was simply perfect. The colors turned out like a fistful of spring. In fact, this session was my first official spring engagement session of 2013. I’m certainly looking forward to their upcoming wedding. Returning to Westwood Country Club once more will be a treat. The staff at Westwood are wonderful. But it’s Katie and Tim that will really make it special.

I thought you might enjoy a few highlights from their all-film engagement session, seen below –

A downtown Cleveland spring engagement session with Katie and Tim. A downtown Cleveland spring engagement session with Katie and Tim. A downtown Cleveland spring engagement session with Katie and Tim. A downtown Cleveland spring engagement session with Katie and Tim. A downtown Cleveland spring engagement session with Katie and Tim. A downtown Cleveland spring engagement session with Katie and Tim. A downtown Cleveland spring engagement session with Katie and Tim. A downtown Cleveland spring engagement session with Katie and Tim. A downtown Cleveland spring engagement session with Katie and Tim. A downtown Cleveland spring engagement session with Katie and Tim.

I have to say that my favorite is black and white of Katie with her eyes closed. The expression is simply perfection for me. That’s all for today, but I will have more coming soon!

Carlene & Arlo – Rock n’ Rollers Downtown Cleveland Engagement

Carlene and Arlo are real rock n’ rollers. They first met at a concert benefiting a friend at the House of Blues Cleveland. Like so many love songs say, things started with a bang. Now, they are planning their upcoming wedding, conveniently also at the House of Blues.

I actually know Carlene from a prior wedding. I met her first as a bridesmaid in her cousin’s wedding. She made the entire day A.W.E.S.O.M.E. It was such an amazing wedding, simply made better by Carlene’s amazing sense of humor and bright personality. For the same reasons, her engagement session was also that much better. We lucked out an had amazing weather, despite the early March session. To match well with their upcoming wedding, we chose a city-scape theme, highlighting some great areas around downtown Cleveland.

Being huge music fans, we had to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for Carlene and Arlo. With the warm weather, we were even able to spend some time by the lake shore. I recommend to clients that they plan something special for the evening after their engagement session. “Do you have anything special planned for this evening,” I asked. Carlene replied with the expected – “We’re going to see a concert at the House of Blues!”

Below are just a few highlights from this amazingly fun engagement session, all caught on film.

Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo. Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo. Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo. Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo. Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo. Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo. Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo. Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo. Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo. Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo. Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo. Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo. Crisp winter dowtown engagement session with Carlene and Arlo.

I love the broad scene caught above. It’s the only frame shot digitally. For the photographers lurking about, the rest are all Fuji 400h (even the B&W) shot on a Contax 645. That’s all for today. More to come soon.

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

Wild weather engagement session in Cleveland with Vanessa and Ryan

Wild weather engagement session in Cleveland with Vanessa and Ryan

Wild weather engagement session in Cleveland with Vanessa and Ryan

Wild weather engagement session in Cleveland with Vanessa and Ryan

Wild weather engagement session in Cleveland with Vanessa and Ryan

Wild weather engagement session in Cleveland with Vanessa and Ryan

Wild weather engagement session in Cleveland with Vanessa and Ryan

Wild weather engagement session in Cleveland with Vanessa and Ryan

Wild weather engagement session in Cleveland with Vanessa and Ryan

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.

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