A Summer King Mansion Engagement Session | Chelsea + BJ
Every session I shoot is as special and different as the couples I shoot. There are many variables at play each time I go out with my camera in hand: the couple’s personalities, the underlying ambiance of the location and the weather are the three main factors that influence the end result and allow a session to take on a life of it’s own. It is this uncertainty and fluidity that I love so much about the creative side of what I do. I go into every session with a technical shooting plan in my head based on the location, what I know of the couple’s personalities, what I know of the couple’s wishes and the forecasted weather for that day. Then, from the moment they arrive, the session takes on a life of its own just like it did for Chelsea and BJ for their engagement session at King Mansion in Harrisburg.
Chelsea and BJ are getting married at King Manion in 4 weeks! We, like so many others, rescheduled their shoot due to COVID and then when it came time for their rescheduled date, Chelsea wasn’t feeling 100% so we made the cautious decision to postpone yet again to play it safe. To all our relief, she felt fine in a day or so and I was able to sneak them in knowing their wedding date was coming up so soon.
I had waffled back-and-forth a few times in my mind on whether or not to start shooting at the Mansion or across the street at the river and just when I decided on across the street, they started walking towards the Mansion….and I changed my mind deciding to trust the universe. Good thing too…moments after we started it started to rain buckets and we were lucky to be so close to the mansion for cover. Thankfully, Chelsea and BJ were adventurous enough to keep going, walk on wet grass and get rained on one more time in the process. It was their calm, go-with-the-flowness that allowed the rest of the session’s magnificence to emerge after a not-so-ideal start. After they were rained on the second time across the street, we hustled back for cover and, as we did, we saw a rainbow we wouldn’t have otherwise spotted that had formed behind the mansion. I was able to throw a wider lens on quickly and get a few stunning shots of them in front of their venue with the rainbow….magic.
If COVID never happened or Chelsea hadn’t been cautious to reschedule the second time, that shot would have never happened. THAT is the magic of what I do. And, THAT is what keeps me picking up my camera year after year. It’s an adventure to create WITH my clients. They are as much a part of the creative process as I am.
As quickly as the clouds and rain blew in, it moved on leaving us with a golden glow swirling around us with the mist that rose from the river in a way I have never seen before illuminating the sky with gold and pink tones you don’t normally see that time of day. We were able to shoot in that light for more than a half an hour….all due to chance and circumstance. Beautiful.
Chelsea and BJ, I am so grateful to you for your willingness to get a little wet, trust in me and your kindness through everything we have all been through in the past few months. Your wedding celebration is going to be one heck of a party! I can’t wait to meet your family and friends. Until then, I hope you enjoy this sample of my favorites from your wild weather engagement session. And, because I know how hard it is to wait, there are a few surprises in your inbox RIGHT NOW, so go check! XO - Megan
