The snow came down, and didn’t stop. The fluffy flakes turned Virginia into a winter wonderland the likes of which it may have never seen. Sure, other states deal with this kind of weather all the time… but Virginia is not one of them. So, in order to make it over to Fredericksburg for Kyle and Christie’s wedding, I knew I would have to leave the day before. Yesterday Matt and I packed up the car just as the flakes started falling in Harrisonburg and we had to make such a quick decision to drive over that we brought Lexi with us. We made it over without a problem, and prepared for the weather we’d face today, with stories of empty grocery stores and people preparing for the storm playing on the tv in the background. We laughed at first at these stories, although then we paused for a moment and wondered “was there something everyone knew that we didn’t?” Having lived in some serious snow country, we were comfortable with it’s presence, but we were in Virginia now and things were different.

Today was an adventure, to say the least. The wedding was still on, and I was in Fredericksburg, which I was thankful about, but even making it over to the church seemed treacherous. Without 4 wheel drive we didn’t make it up a small hill and were nearly stuck in the road another time before two friendly Jeep drivers offered to give us a push.  The drive into downtown – where we passed cars off the road and people traipsed through the street as if all the rules had changed – convinced us that we would be staying another night as well. We booked a room early to ensure we’d have a place to stay and headed off to our first meal for the day, tucking our car in a nearby parking garage. Hyperion Espresso was buzzing. Inside, a barista wore a “CNN severe weather team” hat that he was given from the CNN crew that had used the coffee shop as a staging ground for their outside broadcast. We filled up on lattes and scones before I was picked up by a friend of the wedding party to head over to the church.

It was still snowing, and the newlyweds stood in the middle of the road. With a plastic bag around my camera – my improvised weatherproofing – I captured the memorable scene. The day didn’t go as planned, but then again it did. Kyle and Christie were married, and I can’t wait to share the rest of their story with you.

I’ve wanted to use the moped in some photos for a while. It is fun to ride, and it might be even more fun to incorporate into photos. So, when Dawn and David came to Harrisonburg from the D.C area I knew it would be the perfect time to bring it out – just a little advantage of doing an esession where I’m at. It also helped take away the deer in the headlights feeling that most people get when stepping in front of the camera. We started downtown in a more urban setting and then went a few minutes away into the country so we ended up with a lot of variety that I’m excited to show you.

Time for some history on the moped. After the shoot, I posted one photo, and we realized that Andy who first bought the moped went to school and ran at Geneva with Dawn. I know Andy but didn’t connect the dots day of since I was too busy taking pictures – so thanks Andy for the great find!

Gorgeous light, gorgeous couple I serious love all of these photos and hope you do too. I went to school with Dawn’s twin sister Dana and ran with her in college, so for anyone else from Houghton who is wondering where they recognize Dawn from – that’s probably it. Actually I have to admit I felt like I knew Dawn since I knew Dana, and had to keep reminding myself that I really didn’t! I’m sorry Dawn. We finished off the session with something personal that both Dawn and David enjoy – running! I loved the idea of a few running photos and let’s be honest runners – how many good photos do you have? Either you have a crazy looking leg, look half dead during a race, or are beaming with a post-race sweat. Those are all important photos, but I wouldn’t mind having some normal looking ones as well – how about you?

I had a great time with you guys and can’t wait for your wedding! enjoy everyone and can’t wait to hear if you like these as much as I do.

It was the peak of autumn in Virginia when I met up with Christie and Kyle for their engagement session in Harrisonburg. With the days counting down to their December wedding, it was also the perfect time for me to get to know them a little and have them feel comfortable being in front of the camera. I had such a great time and I’m pretty sure they did too :) We started out at the JMU arboretum and I can’t even believe how gorgeous the colors where there – these photos only had minor enhancements, it really is natural!

The weeping willow in the arboretum was gorgeous from two different locations – with completely different feels as well.

After our second stop in downtown Harrisonburg, having fun with the textures of city walls and seeing some of Kyle’s favorite haunts from his days at JMU, we headed just a few miles out of the city for wide open spaces. Once again, it was incredibly scenic.

I love this last one! So, how do you like Harrisonburg – not bad for an engagement session, or a new hometown! There’s lots of interesting places to explore and I like the mix of city and country; it doesn’t take long to drive from one to the other. I can’t wait to bring you more from where I’m at as I continue to get established in Virginia so of course, stay tuned. Kyle and Christie I can’t wait for the wedding – see you soon!