Valley View Farms was host to an engagement session for Rayne and Colin and is one of the most beautiful properties I have been on in a long time. My friend Michelle works at Valley View Farms in Haydenville MA and reached out to me about coming up for a site tour and visit and I jumped at the chance. Enter Rayne and Colin and our need for a rustic farmy type location and I was so excited to connect these dots and bring them to the amazing Valley View Farm!
I have known Rayne since before she was out of the womb, literally, since her Aunt Saide is one of my oldest and dearest childhood friends in all the land. In fact, when I loved back to CT after graduating from RIT and I had no job yet, I became Rayne’s babysitter. I loved watching her grow and change and babble along, she was legit the cutest little baby. Years later she was the flower girl in my wedding in 1999 alongside her mom being one of my bridesmaids and Susannah (her Aunt Saide) being one of my co maids of honor. When her grandfather got married when I was still a photojournalism student at RIT I photographed his wedding on my old film camera, with practically no wedding experience (not only photographing them, attending them, even!) and captured some real photographic gems. Years later Rayne’s dad remarried and I was their photographer with a combo of film and some seriously bootleg digital camera that I thought was the absolute bomb dot com!
Fast forward to present day, 2019. I am armed with literally the best of the best technology and decades of wedding and photography experience and am even more love for this now young woman Rayne and her sweet beau Colin. The two of them are absolute magic together, cuddly, loving, sweet, funny with just the proper touch of awkward to make them even more lovable and picture perfect for me! Scroll below for the proof!!
We started off in the woods. The light was making me squeal and so we had to jump in with both feet and just start! There was lots of laughing- at me, with me- it all worked and I was having the BEST time with them, just seeing them be so happy together.
This sweet little lady. Sigh.
We had the best time in the dead sunflower field. Rayne and I both agreed that while a thriving field of flowers is certainly beautiful, there was something really lovely about this dying field of sunflowers.
We realized that Rayne had left her phone in Colin’s car and couldn’t text her grandfather when he arrived with his vintage awesome VW bus. This photo was her looking down the road to see if he was coming and I was all about it! Then we laughed our butts off about it.
Then! I terrified Colin by singling him out in the crowd; I saw him and how he was just so comfortable with Rayne and was like YOU! And he was scared, and I laughed and then hello, look at Colin!
Cutie Pie!
I love these little in between moments, when there is no expectation of anything, really. How they interact, how they care for one another in these ‘off’ moments is very telling. Who leads, who looks back to make sure their partner is OK? Who just foges ahead with nary a care for the other? These moments I love. They are real and true and honest.
But then again I also love these super structured moments of ‘stand here’ and laugh and cuddle! Hello VW Bus!
This bus is in absolute MINT condition. So gorgeous and wonderful and fun to work with! Thanks Mike and WJ for making the trip up!
I love this little image here, so much. On my tippy toes, using my fun little mirrorless Nikon.
Then! We got off property slightly and navigated this wonderful little fall…!
I joined them on this little rocky island thank you Sperry boots! My feet stayed DRY even though they were fully submerged – albeit momentarily- but still!
Colin and Rayne, what can I even say? I am beyond excited for your wedding next June!! We have both come so far in our lives since we first met, and I am honored beyond proper words to be your photographer. I love you both!! XO
To see more engagement sessions by Carla, click the links below:
Carla’s Engagement Favorites on her site
UCONN Law School + Hog River Engagement Session, Hartford CT
Elizabeth Park Engagement Session in Hartford CT
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