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meet hope →

Destination wedding & portrait photographer fascinated by stories & people. This blog is the home for some of my favorite things — from weddings, engagement sessions, branding & more personal things.

Grab your favorite cup of hot tea(or coffee), and stay a while.

Hi! I'm Hope!

Why should you have an engagement session? It’s simple. You get the images to keep forever, it creates a great working relationship for your wedding day, and you get to practice so you know what to expect.

Would you want to see how I can help you in this way?

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3 Ways An Engagement Session Can Help You Have Beautiful Photos on Your Wedding Day

Firstly, I think it goes without saying, but having beautiful images you get to keep forever is a huge reason for even having an engagement session. But more than that, it gives you a glimpse into what my style is going to look like for your big day.

This leaves no surprises when you get your wedding gallery back. It sets up an expectation that you may not even be aware of. An engaged couple sitting in the middle of a colorful wildflower field. The man's fiancee reaches up to touch the flower he placed behind her ear, as she smiles sweetly at him

Secondly, it establishes a great working relationship between us.

Most people don’t realize how intimate it is to photograph a wedding.

I get access to the most private moments such as seeing the wedding dress before even the bridal party sometimes, photographing sweet moments of a bride & groom doing private vow readings, reading letters they have written to each other, father/daughter first looks, bride/groom first looks, etc.

These are delicate, and intimate and you want to be able to trust the person you’ve hired to capture them in the way you have envisioned it or beyond what you envision. A black & white film aesthetic image of a bride reading a letter from her soon to be groom.

Lastly, you get to practice different prompts & poses before your wedding day. We will explore what worked out great, and what didn’t. I use most of the same prompts on a wedding day so that it moves the timeline along quickly, & effortlessly. As an added bonus, you’ve already done the pose or prompt before so it’s not a surprise.

The best thing I’ve heard my other couples say are, “OOhh I know that one!!”, or “We got this. We’ve done this one before.” It creates excitement, and it’s almost like an inside joke between them & me. An engaged couple leans in towards each other as his fiancee cradles his face in her hand. They're both smiling, eyes closed as they touch noses. A black & white photo of a just married couple taking husband, & wife photos after the ceremony. The couple is touch noses gently, while holding an umbrella to shield themselves from the light rain falling down.