Inniswood Metro Gardens Engagement | Colleen and John

There are many things I love about engagement photography sessions, but the aspect I enjoy most is the chance to get to know my couples more fully ahead of the wedding day.  As I explained in the article on reasons why you need an engagement shoot, not only does this give you and your fiancé a chance to practice posing and get comfortable in front of the camera, it also provides the opportunity for me to learn more about you, the way you like to communicate, the kinds of jokes you enjoy, and the types of images that feel natural given your personalities.  Better yet, I get to hear more of the story of how the two of you met, what you like to do together, and who you are as people.  

Throughout Colleen and John’s engagement shoot, I got a clear sense of how easygoing and kind hearted they are.  We’d agreed to meet at Inniswood Metro Gardens at 6:45 to take advantage of the golden hour light leading up to sunset.  I was initially worried about the forecast and asked them if they’d like to reschedule to a different day, but since there was only a slight chance of showers, they decided to stick with our original plan.  Thank God they did because we were treated to a gorgeous spring evening, one of the first of the year to truly feel like winter was coming to an end.  

As I normally do, I arrived early to scout the location, and shortly before our scheduled start time I got a call from Colleen.  She immediately apologized, stating that they were almost to Inniswood but had just realized that they’d forgotten her engagement ring back at their apartment.   We talked through a number of options for how to proceed, including potentially rescheduling for a different day, but Colleen and John decided to run back home, get the ring, and start their portrait session around 7:15 since this still left us with around 45 minutes of daytime before the sun set. 

This interaction told me a ton about the two of them.  In spite of the setback, there was no panic and no drama.  No fingers were pointed in blame, and when they arrived back at the park they were in great spirits and ready to enjoy the time together.  Thankfully, nature played along beautifully, and over the course of the next hour or so (we went a little past sunset since the rosy pink colors were too good to resist) we explored the gardens, got to know each other better, and had a blast celebrating their love for one another as well as the natural beauty surrounding us.