This has been the week of beautiful, heart stopping sessions for me and last week’s engagement session at Elizabeth Park in Hartford was no exception! When we were planning their engagement session, the few things that would make Colleen and Kean the happiest was some floral goodness… so as soon as they said that I was ALL over it and suggested one of my favorite places to work, Elizabeth Park. I grew up going to this gorgeous park, and it is host to the oldest municipal rose garden in the country, and also one of the most stunning. People legit come from all over the world to see it, because when the roses are in bloom (late June to about late July) it is a thing of beauty. So a lot of the times people forget how gorgeous this place is year round, if their only focus is the roses.
Since I am a sly stealth of a human being, I know many nooks around the park that may get missed if all you are seeking are roses. It being late August, yes, the roses were gone, but holy guacamole the annual garden is in full, crazy gorgeous bloom! I could not believe that there was almost no one there photographing this last Friday, when the sun was doing its slow sink to the horizon and flooding the gardens with such warm and buttery light. It was magical, and Colleen and Kean and I had a blast finding spot after spot, with me chasing the light and finding the absolute right spot for photographs. They were both up for anything, and brought their A game to this cuddle sesh!
During the beginning of our session I typically dive in and explain how I work, what to expect and how yes, they will feel super duper awkward in the beginning. It’s normal and will pass, I promise them. Then, I stopped them as we were walking through the parking lot and grabbed a few warm up shots and showed them what I was seeing. To them, we were just walking through the parking lot, no big deal. But to me, I was inspired by the light, knew what lens would do what, and wanted to show them how I saw the parking lot. They immediately said ‘WOW’ and followed that with a hearty ‘We trust you, we will do whatever you say!’
So we all win, when that happens, I think! Not just for my ego, because, honestly I am not fueled by that here, it’s about doing the job I was hand picked and hired for by THEM. They saw my work, loved the vision I had and trusted that I can create photographs that represent who they are, together. (Parking lot image below)
Colleen and Kean, I can’t wait for your wedding next year- and also can’t wait to cheer you both on during the Hartford Marathon!! Thank you for trusting me XOXO
To see more engagement sessions by Carla Ten Eyck, Hartford’s Premier Photographer check below:
Lynn + Dan’s Autumn Engagement Session at Northwest Park, Windsor CT
Jenna + Jasmine have a beer in the Hog River and then go to the Hog River Brewery, Hartford CT
Anna + Eddie’s Daffodil Filled Engagement session at Harkness Park, Waterford CT
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