The day after, I received this message from Kimberly:

Thanks for making yesterday so much fun! Adrian & I had both had a stressful, flustery day. He didn’t know what to expect of the photo session, and ended up loving it. For the rest of the night, he kept saying, “That was nice. Good idea.”

And that’s what I love about engagement sessions. I like for my sessions to feel like a date—without food and activities. Just time to spend with each other. Everyone is so busy nowadays. To just hold hands, to hug, to just look at each other for a bit longer. That’s a nice change of pace, I’d say.

They’re also dog people. I’m really glad Marty and Waffles made the trip. They provided much comedic relief.

One of my favorites…

Waffles is generally hesitant to jump in water, but today the urge got the better of him. He and Marty had a blast.

So sweet. Love this.

To Kimberly and Adrian—I’m glad you enjoyed the session. You two are super-cool. Looking forward to seeing you again soon!

I’ve tried to be all those things. None seemed authentic. More exhausting than anything, really.

So what’s my style? It’s something no one ever again will be able to replicate exactly…It’s how I see the world. Without filter or enhancement. I’m a happy guy. I’m best when I’m with people. What is recorded by my camera is the optimism I feel toward the human spirit.

If there’s any advice I could offer up to other photographers (there are a few of you that frequent this blog), it would be this—-Don’t find your style. Just be it. Go with your gut. Maybe spend a little less time on other photographers’ blogs and spend a bit more time getting in-tune with your own creative instincts. Instead of researching the newest trends, try learning a bit more about how your camera works so that it can be an effortless extension of your vision. Maybe it means getting inspired in other ways—music, films, literature, dance, art, daydreaming even.

To Mia and Chris—Thank you for choosing me. For recognizing that we fit perfectly together. You and Chris are beautiful individuals, and I just love how perfectly imperfect you allow yourselves to be around me. That’s good stuff.  I can’t wait to shoot your wedding. It’s going to be a trip, y’all!

Here are some shots I’m particularly fond of:

It would be an understatement to say these two like baseball.

The dynamic between Chris and Mia is incredible. If they were competing in a couple’s World Series, they’d be unstoppable. They’re a team. Even Ted Williams wouldn’t be able to stop them.

Just happy.

This is the spot where Chris asked Mia to marry him last year.

Mia and Chris have this inside joke where they feign the beginnings of a scuffle. You can almost hear them saying, “What. WHAT. WWWHAAAT?!”

The tried to mean-mug it a bit on this one…

But they’re happy people. Smiles work best.

Mia likes throw deuces occasionally.

Chris thinks she’s totally normal.

Did I mention they have a new puppy?

Vicious, I tell you.

That’d be me. Awesome.

Thanks, everyone, for stopping by! Stay in touch!

Josh has stayed in touch with me since 2008 when I photographed him at UK. It’s been fun hearing about all the cool things he’s been doing since graduating (like living in NYC, Chicago and working for MTV…haaaaaay). Josh has always popped in from time to time to comment on my blog posts, but since meeting Ashley, I’ve noticed more and more interest in the wedding photography.

A couple months ago, Josh contacted me to see if I’d be available to meet him at Natural Bridge. He said that Ashley might be the only person more obsessed with my work than he was, so he’d like to have me there as a surprise to Ashley to capture the moment that he proposed. Sweet guy, eh?

Plans changed, though, and Josh realized that their trip to Kentucky would be shorter than expected and that proposing at Natural Bridge wouldn’t be logistically possible. He assured me, though, that he would be in touch in the future to talk about the photography for their Chicago wedding.

He came up with an even cooler way to propose–at a concert hall in Chicago where they had first met. He arranged with the owner to have exclusive access to the venue. He printed up fake tickets to an event, took Ashley there, and much to her surprise,  they were there all alone. It was then that he proposed. Well played, sir.

But another surprise was brewing. You see, Josh’s best friend Ashlee (who I’ve know as long as Josh) arranged for me to come to Kentucky’s Rough River Lake  the day after the proposal. It’s there where Josh and Ashley would be coming to celebrate with friends and Josh’s parents at their lake house. They were told to bring something cute to wear that night, because they would be going out to a nice restaurant near the lake to celebrate. I arrived after they were all inside the house, got my camera ready, and then cued Ashlee to bring them outside. They came walking out, and I was there with my gear, ready for an engagement session. Josh, who prides himself on being unsurprisable, was speechless. Ashley was surprised, too, but came up to me immediately to chat. She’s such a sweet (and beautiful) person.

And Ashlee is an amazing friend to them both for putting this all together. I was happy to be a part of something so fun.

Josh’s parents have the yard of their lake house decorated with so much interesting, colorful and eclectic decor. The colors you see in the foreground of this next shot are from a Mississippi Bottle Tree. They keep bad spirits away.

The best way to know that Josh was surprised? Had he known he’d be photographed, he might have brought different socks. Ashley swears that he was wearing hers…lol

From left to right, Giancarlo (another good friend), Josh, Ashley, and Ashlee.

The rest of the fam—Brittany, Priscilla and Coconut.

Love this shot of Josh and Ashlee.

Told you it was eclectic!

Next, we went to the marina. Ashlee stayed behind with Josh’s parents to help them prepare dinner. Giancarlo came along to help out with the reflector.

Ashley and Josh “borrowed” a couple items from a nearby boat.

Being there to surprise them the day after their engagement was a treat for me, too. They were still glowing from the proposal.

This was not staged. Bwahaha.

The sun had already set while we were driving back to the lake house, but there was still just a bit of that sweet dusk sky left to rock out some off camera lighting.

Giancarlo was a champ.

My favorite from the day.

Back at the house, we enjoyed a tasty vegetarian dinner and sat around swapping stories. I got to know Ashley better, and she’s just as amazing as Josh has been telling us she is. I’m so happy for them, and that they have a good friend like Ashlee that helped put all this together. Great weekend.

And no post would be complete without one more shot of Coconut.

Thank for stopping by, everyone! Please leave a comment below and hit me up on Facebook if you feel so inclined. Here’s the page for the studio, and here’s my personal page. Bye!

On their wedding website, Paras tells how he first saw Purvi at a graduation party they both happened to be attending. He saw her from across the room and couldn’t take his eyes off her.  I love when that happens. When something unexplainable draws people together. That’s the good stuff.

Another fortunate coincidence for me was that Purvi’s father knows the Holly’s father. You might remember Holly and Vinay from last year, when I photographed their Indian wedding. Purvi and Paris came to know my work through seeing those images. So thanks, Mr. Enaker, for spreading the word!

To Purvi and Paras—-you guys rock. I had so much fun hanging out that night, and I’ll look forward to seeing you soon!

Here are a few of my favorites from my time with Purvi and Paras. Enjoy, and please feel free to connect with me on Facebook and Twitter, and to keep up with my newest work and upcoming promotions, you might want to go to the studio’s Facebook page.  Thanks for stopping by!

They invited me out to Brett’s family’s farm in Lawrenceburg for their engagement shoot.  And of course, our first location for shooting was next to Brett’s first car, a classic Trans Am.

The sun was filtered just right through some clouds to create this soft look.

Their dog Darby loves them…and the camera.

I really like how the wind caught Anna’s hair here. Gorgeous, right?

My favorite.

Or maybe this one is my favorite.

To Anna and Brett—It was so nice to hang out with you in the country for a bit. I’m pretty well locked into Lexington for the foreseeable future, but I’d like to think that one day I’ll have a some land well outside of the city limits, too. You two are beautiful people, and I can’t wait to see you in July for your wedding.

And special thanks to Lexington photog CJ Cruz for accompanying me and helping out with the shoot. Talk to you soon, bro!

Everyone else? Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to stay in touch with the studio via Facebook.  Take care! -shaun

Below are some of my faves…

I’ve been dreaming about doing a shot like this for a long while. I knew what it would take to pull it off technically, but didn’t have the opportunity. Glad they were up for it!

Devie wowing Otto with her dance moves.

Smokin’ hot, eh? I hope Devie talks Otto into ordering a canvas as big as a wall for this one! Ha!

To Devie and Otto—stay tuned! Your wedding images will be up very, very soon. I’ve had so much fun getting to know you. Can’t wait to keep in touch!

To everyone else—I hope you enjoyed this post! If you’d like to stay up-to-date on new work and upcoming promotions, I’d love for you to connect with the studio HERE.  Bye!  -shaun

To Aubrey and Brad—Awesome job. You were totally yourselves with me, and we made beautiful images. Thanks for trusting me with such an important time in your lives. See you soon!

I grew up with Nick in Mt. Sterling. Our names both begin with R, which mean that we ended up sitting next to each other alot in classes. He was always an awesome dude to be around. Now he’s joined forces with Ashley, who might just be even sweeter than him, if that’s even possible. Together they’re a dynamic duo, using their superhero abilities to make people smile and feel valued. I love being around them.

Their session turned out so cool. 100% them. Laid back and sweet. Here are some of my favorites:

What a moment.

Candi came with me to this shoot and scored this next shot. Gorgeous.

So pretty and timeless.

Here are some of my favorites:

Love this.

Check out Otto’s Pumas!

HOT!

Poor guy…just trying to get some studying done…

To Devie and Otto–Can’t wait for your Cincinnati session! You two are a freakin’ blast!

Thank you all for stopping by!  If you haven’t yet connected with me on Facebook and Twitter, I’d love to hear from you. Take care!  -shaun

You’ll get the back story on them later next year when I blog about their Louisville wedding, but for now, feel free to enjoy these handful of favorites from their engagement session in Frankfort.  You can see all the images HERE.  By preregistering at that link, you’ll also be notified when their wedding images are posted.  And you get a gift certificate to use toward purchases.

To Ben, Kaitlyn– I totally want to get us all together sometime this winter.  I want you all to meet Katie and Carson.  Bring Newman so he can meet Cera.  And thank you for the cookies you made for Carson, Kaitlyn!

So we found this cool outdoorsy spot for some shots.  Gorgeous, right?  We joked that it could be like that big open area in the woods on the Twilight movies.  Except we’d need for Ben to throw glitter all over his bare chest in order for him to look like Edward.  Funny stuff.

In this shot, Ben was offering have Kaitlyn ride on his back as he dashed lightning-fast through the woods (another Twilight reference).  These two are a hoot.

Looks like a fairy tale.

Saw this on the side of the road, so we stopped for a few shots.  We knocked first.

Love this.

We stopped at Kentucky Coffeetree Cafe in downtown Frankfort for a little something to warm up with.  Kaitlyn and Ben hugged each other.  I hugged my latte.  BTW?  I love that cafe.  They have musical instruments hanging on the wall that anyone can go in and jam out on.  Very cool.

I love Newman!

If memory serves me correctly, Ben was attempting to Dougie.  Kaitlyn was, as I recall, quite amused.

So sweet.

When Kaitlyn was in high school, she and her friends would go to the top of a downtown parking garage and hang out.  We revisited that spot for the conclusion of the session.  I rocked some off-camera lighting, and they rocked some sweet  boots.  I look ridiculous in hats  Ben looks awesome in hats.  I hate you, Ben, for being so cool. 

Iconic Frankfort shot.

And the slideshow with more highlights from the day…When you’re finished watching it, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment below and then connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.  Ben and Kaitlyn are super-cool, so I’d looking forward to meeting all of you that are friends with them.

Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy the show! -shaun