Claya & Patrick - A Rainy Engagement

I love getting to know the couples that walk into our studio.

But it is also an amazing joy when I get to know a person over time and watch the journeys down which life takes them.

I met Claya a few years ago when one of my assistants introduced her to me as yet another great person to help out spontaneously.  Now, I've had the awesome opportunity to chronicle Claya's engagement and then her wedding to Patrick next month.  The engagement shoots went wonderfully and I am looking forward to more camera time with this gorgeous couple when they wed in late September!

We had already met once before for an engagement shoot, but for lengthier engagements it is fun to capture more than one season before the wedding arrives.  This also provides an opportunity to learn a couple's make-up and get to know them better from a camera perspective.  So, after one great session, we decided to go for more.

We were set to meet at Unity Village Sunday evening.  Claya and I had been communicating throughout the day and were a little nervous about how foreboding the sky had looked all afternoon.  No raindrops had appeared yet, and we decided to just go for it.  The minute our cars were pulled up side by side in the parking lot the sky finally let loose.  Fat, wet raindrops started splattering the ground all around us.  But, we were determined to stick to the plan!

Here is just a sampling of what the drizzly day brought forth.
This picture is one of my favorites of the bunch!

We grabbed some lights, an umbrella, and the camera and headed into the storm.  We shot some quick pictures beneath overhangs, the umbrella, and wherever we found a dry spot.  At the end, we ventured straight into the rain.  We were all so delighted with the results!  We were able to capture some incredible effects and really portray the rain and the beautiful colors of our setting as well as Claya and Patrick themselves.  If you want to catch a fuller array of the results of this engagement shoot check out the full slideshow.

One never knows what a day will bring, but one rainy day definitely brought us a spectacular engagement shoot and plenty of fun!  Can't wait for their wedding next month!