Springtime Engagement Session - Sophie & Ross
When setting up a dedicated wedding brand for my business I knew I wanted to explore more than just wedding films. Being a photographer that has transferred skills over to video, I knew at some point I would want to take what I had learned from making wedding films back over to stills photography.
Engagement sessions were an aspect I wanted to try my hand at, through photography and video, so when Sophie and Ross got in touch with me back in March, looking to book me for their wedding, I knew I had an ideal chance to offer this.
The couple had previously seen my work having filmed and photographed their friends Karla & Eric’s wedding last year, Sophie having been on bridesmaid duties for Karla too!
Having offered the engagement photoshoot, this would be a great way to catch up again and let the couple get a feeling for how I work as well as help push myself a little with something a bit different.
Sophie and Ross were more than up for an engagement session…with only two conditions. Firstly that they could bring their dog Harris along, and secondly that they could visit the Annan beach, a place very close to them as they have spent a lot of time there, and also happens to be the location where Ross popped the question to Sophie.
And what a lovely location to have on our doorstep, with stunning views over the Solway towards the Lake District in the south, and Dumfries & Galloway’s Criffel towards the west. In fact, the villages of Bowness-on-Solway and Port Carlisle are a literal stones throw away across the estuary.
We agreed a time and day for the shoot, and a few days beforehand I went to scout the beach and also a nature trail alongside the River Annan at the village of Brydekirk for potential scenes to make use of. I felt the two locations would provide a different feel and some variety to the set of images.
We were extremely lucky to be blessed with beautiful golden light, a sign that Spring was really getting in to its stride. Also lucky was the fact we managed to squeeze the shoot in before the UK Government announced the lockdown restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak. For the record, we kept a safe distance for the entire shoot and only a few elbow bumps were had upon meeting and greeting!
The couple were extremely natural in front of the camera, requiring very little direction and once settled in to a few photographs the session flowed really well…not to mention some rather hilarious moments with Harris the whippet making sure he wasn’t left out!
The shoot would also happen to the the first time this year that I would get out with my new Lensbaby Edge lens I had just added to my kit with the hope of being used on weddings and couple sessions to add another slice of creative flair.
Everyone is experiencing various degrees of hardship right now, so the couple were delighted to receive their images and helped shine a positive light on this difficult situation we face ourselves with at the moment.
I’m very much looking forward to shooting their wedding next year but for now, take a scroll through this selection of images from their engagement shoot and see what we got up to!
When lockdown restrictions are lifted I’d love to shoot more engagement sessions, so why not get in touch, let’s go an adventure and make some beautiful images!
Dan