Engagement Pictures 101

Our engagement shoot was the first time in a long time that either of us had professional photos taken, we were nervous. Luckily, we got to play around in the woods and the Fox Chapel Yacht Club with some awesome photographers to subside the nervous / awkward feelings and we ended up having a blast!

Obviously I am not a photo shoot expert but I thought I would share some tips for making your day just a successful as ours.

Photographer
I knew who I wanted even before we were engaged - there was no question. Hot Metal Studio.

Picking a photographer is just as important (if not more) than the venue. These images are going to live for decades to come, so you better love them! Sometimes memories fail us so having a nice set of photographs that showcase exactly who you were as a couple is a nice thing to have. There are lots of photography styles out there so creep on lots of photographers web pages - you will know when you see something you like.

Outfits
You definitely don't need to get matchy matchy but picking a color scheme is helpful. I spend everyday in an environment where color is a huge focus, it could totally make or break a photo. Ever wonder how much thought goes into a table of sweaters at your local American Eagle Outfitters store? A ton!  The visual department of a retail brand spends quite a bit of time talking about color. I work side by side with a team who works to aesthetically please the customers eye by placing merchandise based on color, among a million other things! Placing a red sweater next to a neon green sweater would look awful, not as appealing to a customer or good in a photo hanging in your living room. Pick a few neutral colors as your base then add a some pops of color.

Like navy, gray and a bit of coral!

I started with these three colors in my mind then dug through our closets. Of course I had nothing to wear and headed to the mall immediately. Well, I picked boots, jeans and flats I already owned and Jake wore a few items he already owned but it was really an excuse for me to shop. I kept to items and fabrics we usually wear, you don't want pictures in a dress if you never wear dresses and feel awkward in them.

Here is where we landed - when I say 'we' I mean 'me', Jake would have worn a Notre Dame hoodie ...

You can't go wrong with stripes, polka dots and plaids - as long as you mix in some solids.

Backdrop
I wanted the background to be neutral nature. I love fall but didn't want pictures of us playing in piles of leaves. I love the idea of snowy backdrop, bundling up in a cute fuzzy hat and puffy winter coat but a winter wonderland was not the look I was going for, this time! We decided on an early September day, and it rained all day long! It would have been adorable to wear rain boots and hold an umbrella but that's also not the look we were going for - plus I don't think Jake understands the rain boot look.
We ended up getting them taken on a very grey, mild, September evening. They turned out amazing, apparently gray is good when it comes to photo sessions outside. Less glare and no eye squinting.

End use
Keep in mind the end use, it will help you pick the color palette, outfits and backdrop.
We wanted a few nice pictures of us together in regular clothes, not at a wedding or at our wedding. Don't get me wrong I am excited to have wedding pictures but we are not really interested in plastering the walls with tons of photos of us all dressed up.

The only pictures we have of us together are pretty much all taken on iPhones, we wanted some good quality photos of us looking like we do on an average day.

I have plans to use the photos on our save the date cards, Christmas cards / gifts, a shutterfly book and for a few other fun wedding ideas. So a winter scene photo session for a wedding in August was not in the plan.

Props
I love a prop. Our wedding theme is 'tie the knot' so we decided to get some thick brown rope at Home Depot - it was the first time I had bought bulk rope, and it was an interesting experience. Apparently the heated razor blade is used to cut synthetic rope... an employee found me burning natural fiber rope with the heated blade, the aisle was filled with smoke. He laughed when I said I need the rope for engagement pictures. Don't let less crafty people ruin your vision - go with it - you know what you want!
I found a how-to for tying knots in a Martha Weddings magazine, we spent a few minutes tying a knot and quite some time sawing the ends with a hand saw.

So, rope fiasco aside we brought a rope knot, an old chalkboard, thinner white rope and some numbers formed out of rope glued onto wood blocks. I saw the numbers on etsy and loved them so much my parents and I are going to make numbers 1-25 and use them as tables numbers for the reception. We love a do-it-yourself job, especially when it deals with wood - my dads speciality.

All said and done, props are not necessary but they really helped draw attention to our theme, along with the photographers excellent eye for detail - they spotted all sorts of cool rope elements on our e-shoot.

Faces
Serious is not a good look for me, I'll remember that on my wedding day. If you are aware of any looks or faces that make you look crazy... try to avoid them.

Here are some of our favorites...

40 Under 40

I blog a lot about Jake and what a great guy he is, you are probably sick of it by now, but his most recent achievement deserves a shout out. Drum roll...

Jake is one of Pittsburgh Magazine's 2012 40 under 40!

So what does that mean exactly? Pittsburgh Magazine gets 100's of nominations from all over the Pittsburgh region and they narrow it down to 40 leaders that posses energy and drive to effect positive changes around town. Check it out here!

On a daily basis Jake enters the lives of children, for a not-so-good reason. He instantly becomes part of their family, even if they don't need another family member - they have no choice by the time they meet him. Without getting into details and depressing all of you Jake pours every bit of his being into the role he plays in their lives.

I know first hand how hard he takes certain situations, how frustrated he gets, how many nights he doesn't sleep, how many nights I don't sleep due to 24/7 pages, how pumped he gets to see someone after 3 years in remission, and his excitement talking about how a kiddo loved his batman bow tie.
The good, the bad and the ugly, he tackles it all - with more grace than I even knew existed.

When I first meet Jake I thought "I will cry every day, there is no way I can date him, how can I live my life with a black cloud over my head every day?" I soon realized it should have nothing to do with my feelings, I'm not the one actually dealing with this. That was nothing but a selfish thought on my part. More importantly, I should think about the families and how they deal with one of their children having a life threatening disease. I learned this from Jake - not by him telling me but by his actions.

Camp -
Jake has spent parts of the last 8 years volunteering at summer camps for kids with serious illnesses. He got hooked during his residency at the University of Connecticut and has spent summers at camp ever since. After moving to Pittsburgh 6 years ago he started volunteering at Flying Horse Farms, located right outside of Columbus Ohio.  

Some info courtesy of their website:  Flying Horse Farms is a member of the SeriousFun Children’s Network.  Formerly the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps, it is an international family of camps that was founded in 1988 by actor, film director, and Ohio native Paul Newman. In Newman’s words, these camps are meant to give children the chance to “kick back, relax, raise a little hell, and just be kids.”

Jake spends the week at camp as one of the on-site doctor, wearing wigs in talent shows and going by the name 'Jakey Cakes'. This past Spring I had the pleasure of volunteering as a camp counselor at a family weekend camp. I had a blast but, more importantly, the kids just went bonkers and had the time of their lives. Literally, they told me it was the best weekend of their lives. This was not my first experience at a camp of this nature - a few years ago thanks to AE I had the opportunity to travel to California and be a camp counselor at the Ronald McDonald Camp for Good Times. Both experiences opened my eyes to how resilient kids are, how they know and don't know at the same time and how just a few days at camp can raise their spirits for a year.

There are so many people in this world that would not lift a finger for someone else in need, I am thankful for people like Jake and places like Flying Horse Farms.

Dr. Suess week at camp

Cure Rock -

Last May, Jake hosted a concert at Stage AE in Pittsburgh to raise money and awareness for the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology program at Children's Hospital. 4 local bands - Donora, New Victorians, Color Fleet and Meeting of Important People came out to play and support a good cause. He raised a good amount of money with the help of sponsors and friends. 

The AYA program at the hospital holds a ski trip every year to 7 Springs, meets at Dave and Busters and science-y things like fertility preservation, clinical research, and, um, treating cancer. Obviously, these things are not cheap, so events like Jake's concert really help out.

Jake and my dad, a sponsor.

Jake and his brother Mickey.
Mickey volunteers in a soup kitchen every Monday morning, good group of boys! 

AE girls came out to support

My friend Lisa and I won bing in the silent auction

If there is anyone that deserves to be recognized for doing good in his community, it's Jake. We spent Friday evening celebrating with the other 39 amazing winners. It makes me want to give back more than I currently do. Even though no one did their good works for awards, it was impressive to hear so many stories.  It's refreshing to know young people in town are so motivated to help others.