kim + ryan | patterson park + gunther & co engagement with their adorable dog

To say I’m looking forward to Kim and Ryan’s wedding at the Belvedere would be an understatement!! These lovebirds are two of the most beautiful souls, inside and out… the foundation of their love story was built on kindness, respect, a love of good food and drink and being the best parents to Millie, their super sweet and adorable #urbanrowpup who will be with us for portraits on their wedding day — I CAN NOT WAIT!!

But first, let’s relive this beautiful Fall evening at Gunther & Co and in Patterson Park for their engagement photos. It was golden, glowing, and full of gorgeousness!

Their meet-cute is literally the cutest story I’ve ever heard… here’s how Kim tells it:

“I was out in Federal Hill with my girlfriends when one of them (Casey) introduced me to her cousin (Ryan) who had just moved home from New York. Over the next few months we kept running into each other, since Ryan and Casey have a very close relationship! We became very good friends. One day I was at Nordstrom Rack with another girlfriend of mine, Jenny, and I had asked her if she thought it was weird if I was starting to have feelings for Ryan. She replied, "Omg no, not weird at all! He's so cute!" A few more weeks pass, and Ry and my friendship grows stronger. Then, FINALLY, we are out to brunch with a group of our friends, and this older man starts to hit on me and make me really uncomfortable. Ryan could see that I was getting very grossed out and quickly comes over. He says to the creepy man, "I see you met my wife! Isn't she beautiful? We're leaving for our honeymoon in just a few days." (I'm basically on the floor at this point in awe...) And then BOOM he plants a big smooch on my lips. The rest is history…” :)

And the proposal… I love that we got to take their photos in Patterson Park near where they actually got engaged!

“One of our favorite things to do is go on long walks around Canton. By far our favorite location is Patterson Park! One Saturday in December, Ryan wanted to go on a long walk to Harbor East for dinner, and stop off at Patterson Park since it was on the way. Halfway through our walk at the park, Ryan guided us to a pebble stone path, dropped down on one knee, and popped the question! I said yes, of course! Afterwards, we walked back to our apartment where Ryan had organized a surprise engagement party with both of our families. He did great!” :)

Cheers to celebrating your love with all of your family and friends in one room, finally, Kim + Ryan! I can’t wait to see all the dance moves you’ve been practicing!! ;)

xoxo,
Naomi

lizzie + jon | an urban industrial engagement session at clipper mill

Lizzie and Jon are one of the most laid-back, down to earth, and kind couples you could ever hope to meet. Lizzie’s smile lights up a room and Jon’s sense of humor is the perfect compliment.

These cuties are parents to the sweetest #urbanrowpup Molly, who of course had to be included in their engagement photos and will be at the wedding too (SO EXCITED)! I’m so glad Covid had other plans in mind for their original date since it meant I will be able to document all of the gorgeous elements they have planned: mixed metals, muted neutrals, plenty of textures and organic / natural flowers to play off the natural beauty of the industrial venue... 100% MY. KIND. OF. PEOPLE!

Cheers to celebrating your love story with all of your favorite people, FINALLY! I had so much fun with you both (+ Molly!) during our time together and can. not. wait for your wedding!!!

xo,
Naomi

10 tips for natural, non-awkward and real engagement photos

Ready to hear something crazy? Engagement sessions aren’t really even about the photos themselves. The photos are a bonus. Yup, I said it.

So what the heck are they for, then?! And how do we get those candid and unposed moments to our engagement photos? Hint: READ ON…

What are engagement photos really for?

1. Establishing a relationship between the 3 of us so you don’t have a stranger documenting the most intimate (and stressful!) days you’ve ever experienced.

   Why would you want to have the first time you meet the person you’ll spend the most time with on your wedding day other than your partner, be the afternoon of your wedding?

2. Building trust… between the 3 of us but also for your immediate family to see photos we took together, to know my style and work in advance.

   Once they do, they will know they can relax on the wedding day and trust us to work our magic and be creative while also capturing everything important to them, as it happens.

3. Enjoying a lighthearted night out together during the stress of wedding planning.

   An excuse to spend an hour outside together having fun with the person you love the most in this world during one of the most exciting times in your lives? Yeah, it could be a lot worse.

As a wedding photographer who prioritizes real moments, natural expressions and genuine laughter, my goal whenever you’re in front of my camera is to allow you to feel comfortable enough to laugh, cry, smile, kiss, hold hands and embrace the way you would (and do!) when no one’s watching. If there’s anything I hear time and time again, it’s one of these statements:

1. “We’re really awkward.”

2. “My fiance doesn’t like having his/her picture taken.”

3. “We don’t need engagement photos because we already have them / my friend / uncle / sister took them for us right after we got engaged…”

4. “Where should we take them? We don’t live in Baltimore and don’t know any places that would be meaningful to us.”

5. “What should we wear? We’re casual people and it’s not our style to get dressed up.”

I’m excited to share this list of 10 tips with you so that taking engagement photos doesn’t have to be something you dread. Instead, it can and should be fun, memorable and refreshing. If you think of it as just another date night, wouldn’t you jump at the chance to do it?

Without further ado, here are…

10 tips for achieving candid and non-awkWard
engagement photos (in other words, cheesy and overly posed is not my style either)!

Read it, save it and share it… and then read it again right before we meet up. ;)

1. DO YOU. If you take nothing else from this list, stop putting pressure on yourselves to be models or pose a certain way. None of my clients are and NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR HANDS WHEN THEY START! I’ll worry about how you look in front of the camera and give you tips, direction and confidence as needed, as long as you worry about having fun with your boo.

2. Wear what you feel best in and you will automatically feel less awkward. If your groom doesn’t go anywhere without wearing a hat, bring the hat (we’ll take it off for a few, I promise).

3. Put your ‘fancy’ clothes on. I personally feel that we don’t have enough reasons to get dressed up these days (hellooo, people used to get dressed up to ride trains!), but refer to no. 1... fancy can mean whatever you want it to. Maybe it’s just red and cute heels or new and crisp, dark denim!

4. Bring the champagne. Shake it up… magic! I don’t discriminate though and highly encourage all types of liquid courage to be enjoyed! ;)

5. Don’t wear your Fitbit. Take off your ️Apple watch. Give me your keys (but just remind me I have them when we’re done)!

6. Eat a snack before we start but save the meal for after. No one does well with a grumbly belly and dinner at your favorite spot will give you something to look forward to.

7. Choose your location strategically. Think through the places you’re most comfortable in together and the things you like to do in your free time.

8. Weave in your personality and story. Did you meet in college? College campuses are THE MOST photogenic. Do you brew your own beer? Let’s start at your fave brewery. Was your first date at a winery? Bring a bottle of that wine to enjoy. Do you run together? Let’s stroll the trails. Do you own a ️boat? Tell me when and where and I’m there.

9. Don’t bring extras... as in parents/friends. Unless they’re coming to bring home your pup once we’re done with them, I like being your one and only third wheel. Adding others is when it can actually get awkward.

10. Don’t rush the process. I’ve found one hour to be the sweet spot for getting comfortable and used to having a camera near you, having fun and having a bunch of conversations about anything and everything that will allow your wedding photos to be that much more natural and full of real emotion... because that’s the ultimate goal in the end, right?

After reading all of this, 1. you deserve a sweet treat and a glass of wine and 2. I hope you’re looking forward to your engagement session! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll share my thoughts and answers ASAP!

7 tips for taking better candid engagement photos

So, you said YES (or you asked someone if they’d say yes) and now you’re engaged! Once you’ve had a chance to pop multiple bottles and share the news with everyone, the first official act of your new status as an engaged couple may be to take your engagement photos… the most common concern I hear as a photographer is that you don’t take good photos together / hate having your photo taken / want candid moments together that don’t look posed or staged…

I get it! No one is naturally photogenic when told to “SMILE!”… seriously think about it. I’d rather ask people to lick noses since that elicits more of a genuine expression than asking you to smile on command ever will. ;)

Here are 7 do’s and don’ts that hopefully help get you in the right mindset when it comes to taking photos together!

Do feel confident.
Shop for a fun new outfit or go to an old classic you know you love the way you look in. Make an appointment to get pampered (meaning, scheduling a hair/makeup trial for the day of your engagement session can kill 2 birds with 1 stone!) if it’ll give you an extra boost of confidence. If not, just do you!!

Don’t worry about how you look.
That’s my job. I’ll tell you if something’s out of place and remind you to empty your pockets. ;) You don’t have to be models! The quality and range of emotion real couples have and want to celebrate together, is why I love what I do.

Do think of our time together as a rehearsal for your wedding day.
Having casual and everyday photos of you both that aren’t phone selfies is wonderful and something I think more couples should absolutely have, but the main goal of our time together is to get to know each other. I want to feel like a good friend that happens to have a professional camera by the time you’re saying ‘I Do’… not some random person you can’t remember the name of who asks you to smile in my direction. I want to see how affectionate you naturally are together and learn what inside jokes you make that result in nose crinkling laughter and eyes smiling so brightly, it’s unmistakable that your love is unique and special.

Don’t worry if one of you is more enthusiastic about taking photos than the other.
Just being a good sport and going along with the crazy ideas your fiance has or the prompts that may be out of your comfort zone will encourage them to love you that much more for it… and if nothing else, will earn you a beer right after we’re done.

Do hold hands.
Touch noses, faces, fingers, hips, hair, neck. Seriously, you’re getting married! You found your person!!

Don’t overthink it.
If thinking of it as a photoshoot makes you nervous, think of it as a date and pretend I’m not there!

Do eat before (nothing good happens on an empty stomach) and drink during.
I’m a huge supporter of liquid courage in whatever form that takes! We can start at your favorite bar, break open champagne when we start or enjoy a fun cocktail halfway through... why not?

Don’t look at Pinterest poses.
The light, the location and your love are not the same as that super posed adorable couple who’s flowing hair took more time and setup to capture than it looks like. However, this leads right into my next tip…

Do communicate if you have a strong vision for what you want.
I love it when couples not only choose a location with meaning but also have an idea of the kind of images they want out of their engagement photos. Are you an outgoing couple that want your photos to reflect a lot of movement and more candid action? Or are you most comfortable at home in a more private spot to allow you to be comfortable getting cuddly and close together while barefoot and quiet?

Don’t lose sight of why you’re doing this in the first place.
You met online… or at college… or at work… or at a bar during a night out with mutual friends. However the stars aligned, the fact is that they DID. Millions of tiny decisions, conversations and choices lead up to the moment you met and when you stop to think about it all, it’s pretty miraculous and deserves to be celebrated.

Do bring your dog!
I’ve captured the fastest moving hyper little pup and the sassiest 100lb. Great Danes. I was a boxer mom, we have 2 kids and I have plenty of experience and tricks up my sleeve. Besides, slobbery wet kisses make for the best expressions!

Don’t choose a location you’re not comfortable in or familiar with.
Meaning and good vibes are everything. Your location should hold both... and if you can’t think of the perfect spot, I’m happy to share my favorites that may resonate with you!

Do embrace your awkwardness.
At least for the first 10 minutes. It means you care and you’re doing it right... I promise. Remember your first date? Pretty sure those first 10 minutes were awkward too... and look how that ended up.

Don’t bring an audience.
Other than a friend or family member meeting us to help take the dog home if you bring yours, this is one situation that is best as a party of 3.