What happens when 2 complete strangers meet in front of my camera?
The mock Engagement Session
that ended with a first date.
It started with 2 complete strangers picked by us on the Internet. 1 handsome guy. 1 gorgeous girl. Scheduled to have a romantic Spring “Engagement” photoshoot together in the near future.
Wait. What?
Yes. You read that right.
But now you’re probably wondering- WHY!?
This was 100% a personal project for me (Raelani- your girl next door behind the camera!) I know what it is like to photograph 2 people in love. They’re excited about getting married during their Engagement session, or they’re celebrating JUST getting married at their wedding. They are emotionally connected. Yes, to get couples to totally relax in front of the camera and act natural or to get laid back lifestyle “poses” from couples can still be challenging, but I have my ways and tricks to make it easy. No big deal.
That made me wonder- could I do the same thing with 2 complete strangers? After that I honestly wanted to find out and test my skills. I wanted to challenge everything that I had gotten so comfortable with in photography-
Could I pull genuine emotion out of 2 complete strangers and get them to connect?
Let’s just say by the time we were done with our shoot at The Goodells County Park “strangers” wouldn’t be the word I would use to describe them together anymore.
Obviously…. I mean… just look…
The golden hour started to kick in, lighting up the forest with that soft warm glow and by that time I felt like a third wheel. They were laughing, chatting, and I was left, camera in hand, capturing this story just unfolding in front of me.
The images themselves were enough to prove to myself I had the techniques and personality to break down walls, not only between me and my clients, but between the clients themselves.
But what REALLY sealed the deal was the exchanging of numbers and the on going coffee dates these two went on after this shoot! At this point that means I’m not only capturing love stories, I’m helping write them, and that’s not something I expected to happen with this project.
That brings a whole new level of passion to what I do, realizing what happens between real couples during our shoots… they get to fall in love all over again!
For more love check out this Ann Arbor Engagement shoot full of history and architecture!
For more hipster love vibes check out this Engagement session shot right in Port Huron!
