Krista Photography Blog » Engagement

Engagement Session FAQs: What to Wear?

Krista Guenin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:54:08 +0000

Well, I am officially in the middle of Engagement Session season! Spring and early summer are always full of engagement sessions, and rescheduling engagement sessions due to rain, while I tend to have more weddings in late summer and the Fall. I get a ton of questions every year around this time, so I figured I should continue with my Engagement Session FAQ series!

Up next: What do I wear for my Engagement Session?!

Tip #1: BE COMFORTABLE!

Wear something you can breathe in, walk around, sit down, or jump around in. No matter what we end up doing for your engagement session, I can promise you we’ll be walking around. I wouldn’t put it past me to sit or lay you on the ground or on some random steps. If you want to do something active, dressing comfortably is doubly important. So, comfortable clothes and comfortable (or at least bearable) shoes are key! Nothing too tight, or itchy, or anything that will make you any more uncomfortable than having a camera in your face already does ;)

Tip #2: YOU’VE GOT TO LOVE IT

Wear something you love – something you know makes you look good! Every girl has that outfit that they totally love, they wear it all the time because it just makes them look and feel fabulous. That’s the one you want to wear! The outfit that makes you feel totally confident. No buttons are going to be popping open, you’re not going to tell me after the pictures come out that those jeans make you look fat, none of that! Look at yourself in the mirror and look for things that might drive you nuts in a photo later… if it drives you nuts, pick something else! If you’re super fair, avoid white. If you’ve got red hair, maybe skip red. If you need some tips watch a few episodes of What Not To Wear – or better yet, ask your fiance what he thinks makes you looks awesome! I’ve had too many brides pick out an outfit in a hurry and tell me later that they hate what they were wearing, which makes the photos way less fun, believe me. So, choose something that makes you feel GOOD!!

Tip #3: DRESS FOR THE OCCASION

No matter where we go, or what we end up doing, you should dress for the occasion! If you’re going downtown for some fun, urban shots – maybe dress up a bit. If you’re going for a hike in the woods… maybe skip the silk dress and the heels, and opt for jeans. If it’s November and snowing, you should plan on wearing your coat, so pick one you like. If it’s going to be 100 degrees and sunny, keep that in mind. If we’re going to be doing something messy, don’t wear anything toooo nice… You get the idea.

Tip #4: REMEMBER, THERE’S SOMEONE ELSE WITH YOU

You want to make sure you look good, but you also want to be sure you look good together, right? You should try to neither clash, nor be too matchy matchy. Patterns and colors are GREAT! Just make sure they look good side by side. And, you should aim to be at about the same level of dressyness or casualness. If he’s in jeans and a wifebeater and you’re in a hot dress and heels… you may have bigger issues than your photos ;) – either way, the photos will definitely look weird. Now, if you two are polar opposites on a lot of levels, including fashion, it could be fun to do some photos that mark the contrast. But most of them should be somewhere in the middle, finding your common ground and focusing on that.

Tip #5: GENTLEMEN

Gentlemen, let me encourage you with a few tips just for the guys…

I know most of you aren’t really into the whole engagement session thing in the first place. I promise, it’s going to be fun though!!! Even if you’re not super excited, put a little effort into it anyway. It’ll make your bride happy, and it will pay off in the end when you’ve got some awesome photos of the two of you. A little effort goes a long way and when I’ve tagged all these pics of you on facebook, you’ll be glad you made the effort to look your best :)
Ask your fiance what she thinks looks great on you – and wear it!
Wear clothes that fit! I’m begging you guys… enough with the saggy pants! Wear your least saggy pants, and a shirt is neither skin tight nor 4 sizes too big. I mean, if your girl is wearing the saggy pants too, then go for it. But if she’s dressing it up a bit, non-saggy pants will really kick your outfit up a notch ;)
Your shoes matter. There’s a pretty good chance I’m going to get your shoes in the photos… there may even be photos OF your shoes. So, keep the shoes in mind and don’t try pairing up Air Jordans with slacks, ok?
Get a haircut. And maybe even shave? You want to look like YOU, so don’t do anything crazy like grow a mustache that week ;)
Follow Tips 1-4 as well
HAVE FUN!!!!

You know I love you guys! Just trying to help you out :)

Tip #6: LADIES

Ladies, here are a few tips just for you too…

Hair… wear it however you like it best! You want to look like YOU, so I don’t recommend going too fancy. Your engagement session day is not the best day for a test run for your wedding hair. We’ll get pictures of that hair-do, plenty! We want the engagement photos to look a little more natural than that. Consider getting a blow-out at your salon if you want it to look extra nice. Just keep in mind what we’ll be doing together, and what the weather’s going to be like. I’ve got super curly hair, and if you’re like me, you do not want to try straightening your hair before a shoot on a super humid day!
Make-up… again, go fairly natural. That is, natural for you. If you like a lot of make-up, then go for it! Go all out! If you’re the girl who never wears make-up… maybe consider having it done or at least putting a little on yourself. A little cover-up, lipstick & mascara can go a really long way to make your features pop in photos!
You might want to do your nails – at least file them and make sure there’s no chipped paint on them (toes and fingers). Cleaning your ring might be a good touch as well. I focus a lot on hands…
Don’t bring your purse with you! You won’t need your purse, or your cell phone, or anything like that while we’re shooting – and if you do, we can always go back to the car for them. I shoot a lot while we’re walking, so if you’ve got a ton of stuff, it’s going to be in the pictures (or I’m going to end up carrying it along with all my gear ;)

Tip #7: WHAT TO BRING (and leave in the car)

A change of clothes, if you want to go for another look later in the shoot
A blanket if you don’t want to get your butt dirty if we need to sit in the grass or something
Bug spray & sunscreen or a scarf & gloves, depending on the time of year
A ponytail holder… you never know when you’ll want to pull your hair back. Right, guys? ;)
Props… if you want. A lot of folks are doing themed engagement sessions these days. I’m totally up for that, if you are. We can think up some stuff ahead of time.
Your sense of humor! Engagement Sessions are totally strange for most people, so be prepared to laugh and enjoy a little awkward quality time with your fiance ;)

Ok, those are my tips! I hope this helps!!! No matter what you wear, we’re going to get some great photos of you! These are just my suggestions for getting the best photos we can :)

Lauren & Andy’s Engagement Session – Boston Public Gardens

Krista Guenin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:30:21 +0000

My friend Lauren and I go way back. Well, not WAY back, but we’ve gone through a lot together in the last couple of years so it feels like I’ve known her a lot longer than I have. I met her at my sister’s house at Easter Dinner in 2008 – she was new to Boston and new to our church. We were really just acquaintances until about a year later when I happened to be there for a pretty big and difficult moment in her life. That’s when she and I really became friends. She joined my lifegroup, and we bonded over years of working as servers at Chili’s, and walks around Horn Pond. And wouldn’t you know it, about a year later (and a year ago), she met her best friend & the love of her life – Andy. I went out of town on vacation and came home to discover that she was in love! I guess you could say they knew right away!

I was totally thrilled to shoot their wedding – and I’ll tell you all about that soon enough. But first, we have to start with their engagement session! We met up downtown in the Public Gardens and spent the evening wandering around, hanging out, and laughing… a lot :)

Meet Lauren & Andy…

they’re cute

Haha, I love the cute little tourist off to the side!

I wasn’t kidding about the laughing… Andy seriously cracks Lauren up! I love it :)

Tulips!!

To wrap up the shoot, we had to go get some ice cream! Andy’s kind of addicted to ice cream, so it seemed fitting to go to Ben & Jerry’s! I didn’t get too many shots of that though because I was stuffing my face with Health Bar Crunch!!!

Lauren & Andy – I love you guys! Almost finished with the wedding pics & can’t wait to share those with you too! xoxo

To view more of my favorites from this shoot, check out the album on Facebook!

Engagement Session FAQs – Do we really need an engagement session?

Krista Guenin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:58:08 +0000

I get a ton of questions from brides and grooms every day, so I thought it might be helpful to start answering some of them in a series of blog posts. First up, Engagement Sessions…

Do we really need an engagement session?

Um, YES! Wedding coverage with Krista Photography always includes an engagement session. It is SO helpful on the wedding day for us to have worked together before, that I practically make them mandatory :) It’s such a great opportunity for us to get to know each other better – for you to see how I work and for me to see what you guys are like in front of the camera. It’s really awkward for most people to be photographed, I know that. So, it’s great to get all of the awkwardness out of the way before the wedding. The first 15 minutes, it’s weird and you don’t quite know what to do. And then we keep going, we laugh through the strangeness, and we find that you become much more able to be yourselves and enjoy it. And then on the wedding day, you’re like a couple of pros who don’t have to worry about it at all!

One bride wrote me after their engagement shoot to say:

“We had *so* much fun shooting with you … and on our drive back today we were talking about how it actually kind of felt like a (v. non-traditional) date! We’ve been kind of bogged down with work and wedding planning stuff … so it was a really refreshing and much-welcomed break. I can’t wait for the wedding!!”

Another great benefit to the engagement sessions is that you get to see what YOU will look like in my photos. So many people come in after seeing all these gorgeous people on my blog and say things like “oh, well we’re not that photogenic” or “hopefully you’ll be able to get some nice photos of us” and all sorts of crazy things like that! What they don’t realize, what you don’t realize, is that every couple on my blog is a real couple. I don’t do a lot of work with models, I work with real people. Real people have flaws. Real people feel weird with someone photographing their every move, sticking a camera in their face, and following them all over the place – in public no less! It’s not about having someone gorgeous to photograph, it’s about finding out what makes each couple beautiful and bringing that out! So, the engagement session really seems to encourage most brides. When the photos come out, they see how great they look in them, and they can finally really picture what their wedding photos will look like. And I think that makes brides even that much more excited for the wedding!

It also is a great opportunity for feedback. Most women are insecure or uncomfortable with something about themselves – be it their nose, chin, neck, arms, that one freckle, whatever! I only keep the photos of you that I think are awesome, and that I think you look beautiful in – but not every bride agrees with me on when they look beautiful. (In the same way I don’t think my friends are always right about what photos on facebook are “great’ of me ;) It’s helpful for me to know what you like and what you don’t like so I can make adjustments at the wedding!

I had a bride call me once after the engagement session, very upset because while she thought the photos were beautiful, she didn’t like how she looked in them. I happened to catch her in profile quite a bit (this happens when you’re looking at your fiance a lot, I must warn you), and she was self-conscious about her chin. The LAST thing I want is a bride calling me crying about her wedding photos! So, it was great to get the feedback after the engagement session. At the wedding I was able to focus on catching her from different angles, and helped her to pose in ways that were more flattering and accentuated what she liked over what she didn’t like. And she was way happier with the wedding photos than she would have been if we’d never done an engagement session!

Plus, I think it’s great for you to have some really awesome photos of the two of you in your natural environment. You’ll get some fabulous natural photos on your wedding day, of course, but that’s a fancy version of the two of you. This is the “real” thing! It’s nice to be able to show your engagement photos to your kids one day and say – this is what we were like before we were married, this is what our life was like. I love that!

So, all that to say, YES, you really do need an engagement session! They’re super fun, and helpful, so what have you got to lose?!

Danielle & Jon Engagement Session – Borderland State Park

Krista Guenin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:03:45 +0000

Since I’ve been so slack on blogging lately, I’m going to try posting a few shoots with fewer words… Words take me much longer to write ;) On that note, here are a few favorites from my engagement session with Danielle & Jon down at Borderland State Park!

We actually started at Jon’s family home nearby before going to the park…

Oh wow, look how pretty Autumn was…

I love how they make each other laugh :)

trees!

Danielle & Jon – thanks again for a fun afternoon, long ago though it may be! I’m super glad I had the chance to hang out and get to know you both a bit!!

Faith & Ryan’s Rockport Engagement Session

Krista Guenin — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:09:45 +0000

I’ve known Faith since she joined my small group at our church in Chicago, back in 2004! We became good friends, and I was sad to see her go when she moved to Boston a year or so later. As it turned out, God had plans for me in Boston as well, and I moved her just a year after Faith. And wouldn’t you know it? My first roommate here hosted a small group at our house on Friday nights and who was in it, but Faith?! It’s funny how things work out that way :)

Flash forward a few years, and here I am in Rockport, photographing Faith and her fiance Ryan for their engagement session! I’m so happy that Faith has found the love of her life, and I cannot wait to shoot their wedding in a couple of weeks!!! Until then though, here are a few of my favorites from their engagement session…

It was a chilly day, but they were brave and climbed out on the rocks for me!

Rockport is such a cute town!

Faith & Ryan are pretty cute too ;)

And just as we were leaving, a storm came along… talk about great timing!

Faith & Ryan – I’m so excited for you two! I can’t wait to celebrate with you in just a couple weeks!!! :D

Amy & Lawrence Boston Engagement Session

Krista Guenin — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:27:38 +0000

With Amy in Boston, and Lawrence in San Francisco, and them planning a wedding in just a matter of a couple months – we didn’t get a chance to do an engagement session very far before the wedding! In fact, we did it just 2 days before! In the midst of all of the final week of preparation, they took a little time out of their hectic schedule to spend some time letting me photograph them. It is so helpful on the day of the wedding for us to have all worked together before, that is really is important for us to do an engagement session. I’m so glad they agreed!

We met up in Boston and spent some time walking from the Public Gardens to the Harbor and back. It was a surprisingly warm Fall day and we ended up having a great time!

They’re so sweet together!

This tree is amazing!

Looking out across the harbor to where their wedding would be held just a couple days later!

Amy & Lawrence – thank you again for making time for this! It was great to spend the time with you and just get to know you both a bit, and I think it made the wedding day way more fun to feel like we’d gotten to be friends beforehand! :)

To view more of my favorites from this session, please check out the album on Facebook!

Katelyn & Evan’s Engagement Session – New York City

Krista Guenin — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:04:07 +0000

Until I moved here, I never realized just how close Boston is to New York City! It’s about as close as Indianapolis is to Chicago – and I used to make that trip a dozen times a year. I don’t seem to get to New York quite as often, but when I do get the chance, it’s always kind of exciting! I love road trips and visiting new places – so I try to check out a new part of the City each time I go. So, when Katelyn & Evan suggested we meet up in NYC for their engagement session, I was totally excited! And I was not disappointed – we had a great time, and I absolutely LOVE how the photos turned out!!

We started out in Central Park…

Love these next two!

As the sun was setting, we decided to walk towards Lincoln Center and get some images with more of the City feel. Love this one in front of Brooks Brothers!

Lincoln Center turned out to be the perfect spot for some night shots! They even had a little opera going on outside to keep us entertained!

Taking some inspiration from the boys at Avenna Studios – I decided to take a few big steps back… Love how they turned out!

After Lincoln Center, we walked over to the Apple Store. Dueling iPhones!

After that we just walked around town for a while

*love* this one!

Katelyn & Evan – thank you again for a fun afternoon in the City! It was so great getting to know you both a bit better, and seeing some new parts of town. And double thank you for the delicious dinner!! Next time I’m in NYC, or in Paris, I’ll be sure to go back :)

If you’d like to view more of my favorites from this shoot, please check out the album on Facebook!

Jane & Jason’s Engagement Session – Boston

Krista Guenin — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:21:10 +0000

Before it got cold and gloomy, I met Jane & Jason downtown for their engagement shoot. We walked through Beacon Hill, over to the Charles and back to the Boston Public Gardens. It was a lovely evening and so fun to just get to know them and enjoy hanging out with them a bit!

They’re so cute!

Hahaha!

One of the best parts was wandering through the alleys and finding some great doorsteps…

The Charles just before sunset… love it!

hot!

On the way back, we had to stop for some Starbucks!

Then it was back to the Public Gardens for the last bit of sunlight

Jane & Jason – thanks for such a fun evening – and for my chai! :) I totally can’t wait for the wedding in March…. just a few months away! Wahoo!!

Rahel & Yitzi’s Engagement Session – Boston, MA

Krista Guenin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:46:10 +0000

Last year I photographed the wedding of Shoshana & Andy and had such a fun time working with them and their family! Imagine my excitement when Shoshana’s mom called to tell me that Shoshana’s sister Rahel had just gotten engaged!! I am thrilled to be able to continue documenting this family, and to celebrate another marriage with them!

A few weeks ago I met up with Rahel and Yitzi to photograph their engagement session. These two met at MIT, so what better place to begin our shoot than on campus?

Being photographed can be totally awkward – but if you can just keep each other laughing, it helps a LOT!

After walking around campus a little bit, we decided to head over to the Charles River. The sunlight was just lovely!

I’m totally fascinated by the way people stand, and what they do with their hands & their feet. In case you were wondering why I always have random shots of people’s lower halves… :)

I love the sunlight this time of day!

Gosh, Rahel’s eyes are so beautiful!

At this point in the evening, we walked down to J.P. Lick’s for some delicious ice cream! (which is funny, since Shoshana & Andy took me there during their eSession as well) I don’t have photos to show you of this portion because I was a little busy stuffing my face ;) But after that we walked along the Esplanade for the sunset, and played in the park a bit.

I know the next 2 are a lot alike, but I couldn’t decide which processing I liked better!

See, laughter always helps!!

Our final view as we walked back across the bridge

Rahel & Yitzi – it was great to see you again – and great to meet you Yitzi! Thanks for a fun evening, and especially the awesome ice cream! ;) It was great getting to hang out with you both and get to know you a little better. I’m really looking forward to seeing you again in a few weeks for the wedding!! Hard to believe it’s coming up already, but it’s going to be a blast!!

To view more of my favorites from this shoot, check out the album on Facebook

Mary & Gerard’s Engagement Session – Brookline, MA

Krista Guenin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 16:44:54 +0000

Springtime and summer in New England can be a bit, um, rainy – as you saw in the last post. This can make scheduling engagement sessions a little tricky. Mary & Gerard were having the worst luck finding a time for their shoot and we ended up doing it just this past week. There are a bunch of shoots waiting in the queue, but I bumped this one up since they’re getting married one week from today! I like to make sure clients see their engagement images before the wedding so I can get feedback from them on what they like & what they don’t particularly love. Plus, if they love them (which clearly I hope they do!), they feel that much more comfortable on the wedding day! So, in light of that, here are a few of my favorites from Maria & Gerard’s session at Larz Anderson Park!

The sunlight was just perfect that evening!

It’s a beautiful park, and we only walked around a small part of it! I can’t wait to explore some more :)

You wouldn’t know that Gerard hates having his picture taken ;)

I was loving the checkered floor, and the columns, and the light coming in!

And then I looked up, and had to shoot the ceiling too! How cute are these two, by the way?!

feet :)

Mary & Gerard – thanks for a fun evening! It was great to see you, and to meet Gerard at last. I’m super excited for your wedding – 7 more days!! Have a GREAT week with your families and I’ll see you sooooon! :D

If you’d like to view more of my favorites from this shoot, please check out the album on Facebook!

Lori & Mark’s Engagement Session – Taunton, MA

Krista Guenin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:29:07 +0000

I was so excited to head down to Taunton a few weeks ago to meet Lori & Mark at last, and to get to know them through our photo shoot! As I made the drive down, the clouds got darker and bigger, and the rain began to fall. By the time I got to their place, there was little hope of shooting outside. We made the best of it though, and had a fun evening grilling out, playing with their adorable and humongous dog, and just hanging out at the house! I love it when engagement sessions can capture a day in the life of a couple – a real day – and that’s exactly what we got!

These burgers were DELICIOUS!

Happy Family :)

We went out in the yard for a bit, but even the dog didn’t want to stand in the rain!

They’re cute :)

Oh, this dog is well loved!!

Just like at my house, real life often involves just hanging out on the couch ;)

Lori & Mark – it was so great to meet you both!! Sorry I couldn’t get the sun to cooperate with us, but I had a blast hanging out with you, and those burgers really were awesome! I can’t wait for your wedding – I just know the sun will be shining! ;)

If you’d like to see a few more of my favorite images from this shoot, please check out the album on Facebook!

Angie & Matt’s eSession – Boston, MA

Krista Guenin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:49:56 +0000

Angie & Matt were in town a couple weeks ago for a weekend of wedding planning excitement, so we met up downtown for their engagement session. We had no idea if it was going to pour down rain or not, but we took a chance and it ended up being a great (and HOT) afternoon!

We started off at the Boston Harbor Hotel under the archway…

They’re pretty cute

A gnarly iron bridge seems like a perfect place for photos, if you ask me!

We hopped a cab over to Beacon Hill for a little more of a classic Boston feel

And then it started to rain, so we ducked into a little cafe. A crowded cafe with no air conditioning, I might add.

Then the rain stopped… it IS Boston after all. So we walked towards the river and found all sorts of great spots along the way!

This might be my favorite…

Turns out these two met at a sailing class here on the Charles River! We had to go revisit the scene :)

Angie & Matt – it was so great to finally meet you two! Thanks for a fun afternoon and for putting up with all the heat and rain to get some great photos. The wedding is going to be a blast, I’m totally looking forward to it! :)

If you’d like to see more of my favorites from this shoot, check out my Facebook Fan Page!

Sylvia and Ricky’s eSession – Black and White FILM

Krista Guenin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:45:39 +0000

When we were planning Sylvia & Ricky’s engagement session down in New York City, Sylvia ask me to help her surprise Ricky with a little treat. They’re both super excited about the black & white film we’re going to shoot at their wedding, so she decided to have some shot at their engagement session too! I, of course, loved the idea! So, here you go, Ricky! I hope you enjoy your surprise :)

The first two images were shot with my Widelux

This one’s my favorite :)

I shot this one with my Holga. For a toy camera, it sure gives me some of my favorite film images!

And this one was shot with my Nikon F100

Sylvia, I hope you guys love the film and I hope Ricky likes his surprise! :)

Sylvia & Ricky’s eSession – NYC

Krista Guenin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:11:01 +0000

Just before the holidays, I went down to New York City to photograph Sylvia & Ricky’s engagement session. I love the City, so it was totally a great excuse to go down for a quick trip! Plus, it was fun to shoot in a new place with such a different feel from the usual Boston-area eSession. Not to mention that Sylvia & Ricky are awesome, and totally fun to hang out with!

Sylvia wrote me right after the shoot… “I just wanted to write and say thank you so much for coming down to NYC to shoot our engagement session!!! We had *so* much fun shooting with you … and on our drive back today we were talking about how it actually kind of felt like a (v. non-traditional) date! We’ve been kind of bogged down with work and wedding planning stuff … so it was a really refreshing and much-welcomed break. I can’t wait for May 1!!”

I loved that! I hadn’t really thought of an engagement session as a date before, but it really is. A chance for us to hang out together and get to know each other, and a chance for the couple to hang out and focus more on each other than on the wedding, or on the busyness of life. These sessions are really fun for me, and for my couples. Not to mention how helpful it is on the wedding day to have shot together already. This is why I make engagement sessions “mandatory” for all my couples! ;)

The original plan for the day was to walk around their old neighborhood and hit up some of the locations that have been important to them in their relationship. Then we realized that we were just going to be hopping from one restaurant to another ;) After scouting out the area a bit more, we decided to start out at Milk & Cookies in the West Village and just walk around from there. It was a cute little bakery, and the cookies were DELICIOUS! However, I didn’t get a ton of photos there because I was stuffing my face ;)

After stuffing our faces with chocolatey goodness, we walked around the neighborhood and found some cool buildings to use as backdrops

Haha! These guys are so much fun!

After a little walk, we jumped in a cab (and no, it did NOT turn out to be Cash Cab), and headed over to the High Line. I was basically in love with the sunlight coming in over the tall grass. You can ask my friend Lauren who came down to assist, I was totally giddy!

I can’t totally put my finger on why I love this shot so much… It’s the light, and the color, the depth of field. But also the stoic, motionless feeling – even though they were walking away from me. There’s just something about it!

These guys were awesome! Two random older gentlemen sitting on a bench, painting in the sunset…

And now, back to our regularly scheduled engagement session…

We got off the High Line and walked around the Meat Packing District a bit. I’d never visited that area of New York before, but I totally liked it. If I had millions of dollars, I’m sure I’d shop around there all the time… haha!

haha! These guys crack me up!

So sweet!

Oh, I loooove my 50mm f/1.4!

Love is the answer, you know

It’s nice that when the sun went down, the buildings provided me with plenty of light :)

Sylvia & Ricky – thank you so much for taking me down to NYC, and for the yummy cookies, and for the fun afternoon! Lauren & I still talk about how much fun the whole day was :) It was wonderful getting to know you both better, and I am SO looking forward to the wedding this Spring!!!

To view more of my favorite images from this shoot, check out the album on Facebook or Flickr.

Katie & Joe’s eSession – Londonderry, NH

Krista Guenin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:48:19 +0000

I met Katie & Joe about a year ago, down in New York City. They lived there at the time, and I was in town for a conference, and it was just great timing. Now they live over in Pennsylvania, and their wedding is going to be in Boston…. so naturally we met up in New Hampshire for their engagement session! Ha! I love how many states are involved in that!

Katie worked at Mack’s Apples when she was in high school, so we decided it was the perfect spot to grab a few photos while they were in town. So we met there one morning before they opened, and had the place pretty much to ourselves!

They’re totally cute!

The apple orchards were down the road from where we met, so we shot with the pears instead :)

Great morning light!

Oh, I just loved the barn! Stacked floor to ceiling with empty crates, covered in 2 inches of dirt… it was the perfect place for photos!

And you know I love shooting people’s feet! Especially when they look as lovey-dovey as these feet do :)

Katie & Joe – thanks for a great morning at the orchard! My sister and her kids met me there after and we had the BEST time – and honestly, the Honeycrisp apples were AMAZING!

I can’t wait for your New Year’s wedding! It’s going to be so much fun!!

To view more of my favorites from Katie & Joe’s eSession, check out my Facebook Fan Page!

Sara & Steve – Rehearsal Dinner

Krista Guenin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:04:25 +0000

Like many of my couples this year, Sara & Steve don’t live in the Boston area. They live out in California, and we weren’t actually able to meet until the night before their wedding. I “require” all of my couples to have an engagement shoot before the wedding so we can spend some time getting to know each other in front of the camera – it just makes it SO much easier to get great portraits on the wedding day. Since we didn’t get a chance to meet earlier, we captured some portraits before their Rehearsal Dinner. I met up with them at their hotel in Portsmouth and we went for a walk…

Steve does NOT like to have his photo taken. He said that he didn’t think I could get a good photo of him – that I couldn’t get a natural smile from him. Haha! Don’t test me, people! ;)

After our portrait session, we drove up to Sara’s parents’ place on Gerrish Island for the Rehearsal Dinner. Driving down their street, I spotted this little guy out my window.

Steve’s Dad was walking along the shore behind the house, looking for rocks. Totally endearing :)

And some of the boys were throwing rocks. I loved how synchronized they were!

Steve & Sara spent the rest of the evening laughing and enjoying a some time with their friends and family. It was a fun and very relaxed party!

Stay tuned for the photos from their gorgeous (and soaking wet) wedding!

Elena & Dan’s eSession – Walden Pond

Krista Guenin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:36:11 +0000

I remember reading Walden in high school, and really liking it. Ever since I moved out to the Boston area, and realized how close I was to Walden Pond, I’ve been dying to go there. I have this little fantasy that I’ll go one day and walk around the pond and then sit on a blanket and read the book… but that hasn’t happened yet and probably won’t happen anytime soon. I did, however, go to Walden recently for Elena & Dan’s engagement session. I was totally excited to see it finally, and was equally excited to meet Dan and see Elena again! We met up just before sunset and had a chance to walk around the pond a bit, and spend some time letting them get used to me and my Nikon :)

This one is my FAVORITE!

They are totally cute!

Elena & Dan – it was great hanging out with you two and getting to know you both a little better! I’m really looking forward to the wedding next weekend – it’s going to be beautiful! Enjoy the last week of your engagement and I’ll see you soooon! :)

Pamela & Bryan’s eSession – Cambridge, MA

Krista Guenin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:37:50 +0000

Pamela & Bryan are getting married this Fall in Albany, NY, where they recently moved. Before they left the area, we spent the morning shooting some engagement photos at some of their favorite spots around town. We met up at their home in Somerville and went from there…

First we took the puppy for a walk to the park. We had to get some family photos!

The puppy was a little distracted by the tennis ball, but Pamela & Bryan were pretty well-focused ;)

Sometimes you find great spots in between locations. We saw these green church doors as we walked to the T, and I had to shoot them!

waiting for the train to Harvard Square

We walked down by the Charles River. I’m still amazed that we were able to get a shot that makes it looks like they were all alone out there (this path was so busy that day)!

On the steps of the Library at Harvard. I’ve shot in this spot at least 3 times now, so it’s always a fun challenge to get photos that are different from the ones before.

I love this little archway!

After a delicious lunch, we hopped back on the T towards Davis Square. This is one of my faves from underground.

Pamela & Bryan, it was so great hanging out with you guys and getting to know you both a little better! Thanks again for lunch, and especially for the ice cream :) I hope you’re adjusting to life and work in Albany. I’m totally looking forward to the big wedding weekend up there in a couple months!

Sarah & Peter’s eSession – Lexington, MA

Krista Guenin — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:05:02 +0000

I’ve taken portraits for Sarah’s family a couple of times – once even before I moved out to Boston. So, I was totally excited when she decided to have me photograph her wedding as well! But before I shot Sarah’s wedding, I had the chance to photograph her and Peter for their engagement session. We went over to The Great Meadow in Lexington and walked around a bit. I’ve wanted to shoot there for a while, so it was cool to finally get there and see what it’s like. Well, it’s more forest than meadow, but it was rather lovely!

Sarah & Peter tell me they were nervous, but I couldn’t tell at all. They were total naturals!

After we had been eaten by mosquitoes and almost gotten lost, we decided to head into Lexington center for some less nature-y shots. These two went to Yale, and have spent more time walking around New Haven than walking through the woods… so this was a bit more natural for them. We found this very cool rock wall that made for a nice backdrop and a bit of shade.

At that point, I thought we were done, and we went inside the building with the rock wall to find a restroom and some water. As it turns out, we were at the Library! Like I said, they went to Yale, so they’ve spent a lot of time in libraries. And the light in there was gorgeous. So, we had to stay a while and shoot among the books! These ended up being some of my and their favorite images of the day! I love it when that happens :)

My FAVORITE!

Oh yeah, the library was the best!

Sarah & Peter – It was great spending the morning with you two! Thank you for being good sports and having some fun with it – you made my job very easy. I hope you love the engagement images! Wedding images will be along in a few weeks – yay! :)

Anne & Sean’s eSession – Hingham, MA

Krista Guenin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:50:00 +0000

Anne & Sean are yet another of my couples who live in NYC but are getting married in the Boston area. Anne grew up in Hingham and they’re having the wedding there this September. It’s going to be a very cool day with lots of little colonial touches that will give the day a lot of character. For our engagement session, we decided to meet down at Anne’s parents’ house and take a tour of the town and see where everything will be on the wedding day. We basically ended up just going on a nice long walk and hanging out for the morning – it was great!

Anne & Sean had these neat little toy airplanes, and we had to test them out!

While we were hanging out at the house, playing with airplanes and frisbees, Anne’s Dad gets out this massive antique flag and lays it in the yard. It was so cool! We had to take a few shots with it :)

After that we walked into town and made lots of stops along the way…

The Old Ordinary

Walking in to town

We also walked through the Hingham Cemetery, just for kicks, and found this headstone. It was too appropriate not to take advantage! Creepy though it is, do you see what gorgeous eyes Anne has?!

After the cemetery, we ended up at the harbor

And my absolute favorite part was when they agreed to jump off the rocks onto the beach!

And then we walked back to the house. Pretty fun way to spend the day, if you ask me!

Anne & Sean – thanks so much for a fun afternoon – and for my exercise for the day :) I had a great time hanging out with you guys and totally can’t wait for the wedding!!

Meaghan & Steve’s Fishing Engagement Session – North Reading, MA

Krista Guenin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:30:00 +0000

When I first moved out to Boston, my sister insisted that I had to be friends with this girl named Meaghan. Kyla told me how hilarious and awesome this Meaghan was, and she wasn’t kidding. She’s got this dry sense of humor, and is just the kind of person that you can’t help but like. Meaghan was part of my LIFEgroup at GENESIS for almost 3 years and has become a very dear friend. When she & Steve started dating, it didn’t take any of us very long to realize that they were perfect for each other. I’m not sure if I’ve ever met two people better suited for one another. And what’s even better is how ridiculously happy they are together!! I was totally pumped when they asked me to shoot their wedding because I couldn’t wait to capture that joy :)

When planning their eSession, I told them (as I tell all of my clients) that we should do something that’s very “them.” I try to make the Engagement Session like a snapshot of the couple in real life. My hope is to capture them doing things they like to do together, and just being themselves. For Meg & Steve, I knew that we had to go fishing! These two go fishing all the time, and I find that so fascinating since I haven’t fished in like 20 years :) Steve thought that was the best idea ever, so a couple weeks ago we grabbed their rods and headed out to the pond…

Meaghan

and Steve :)

He had to show us his “big catch”

Honestly, this next photo says more about their relationship than I can express. The way they’re holding each other and still holding their own poles, the subtle smile on their lips as they kiss, every little detail speaks to who they are and what their life is like. I’m tearing up just looking at it – it’s just so THEM!

After we caught a few fish, they let me take a few portraits in the nice warm light.

They’re so cute :)

Meg & Steve, I love you guys! I’m so happy for you I could burst :D

Shoshana & Andy’s Engagement Session – Boston, MA

Krista Guenin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:02:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I photographed Shoshana & Andy’s engagement session. It was a dreary day and as I drove down to meet them, it started to rain. I was afraid we’d have to do the session inside, but it turns out Shoshana & Andy were totally up for shooting in the rain! So, I put a plastic bag over my camera and we drove over to the Arnold Arboretum. Lucky for us, right as we pulled up it stopped raining and the sun came through the clouds. It was perfect timing!

Big trees, tiny little people :]

I love a playful couple

These two laugh, a lot

sweet

We found this very cool tree, and I had to put them in it!

They were troopers and went down into the swampy field for me. I was very glad I wore my sneakers this time!

How awesome is it that Shoshana’s yellow shirt matched the flowers perfectly?!

Butterfly kisses

Amidst all the fun laughing shots, I really liked this quiet, subdued photo the best.

After we’d had our fill of trees and flowering fields, we headed over to JP Licks and filled up on some DELICIOUS ice cream! And just in time too, it started raining almost as soon as we got inside.

I realized as I was editing this that I’d shot yet another cow. Not sure what’s up with all the cows lately…

The hardest part is choosing a flavor!

It’s always nice to share :)

A perfect end to a fun afternoon

Shoshana & Andy – we had a great time hanging out with you two! I’m still amazed at our luck with the weather :) Thanks again for the yummy ice cream! Photos from the wedding will be coming soon…

Alli & Glenn’s eSession – Woodstock, CT

Krista Guenin — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:24:00 +0000

Alli & Glenn live in New York City, we met in Boston, their wedding will be in Newport, and we shot their engagement session in Woodstock, CT! Talk about a New England wedding, this one includes almost all of it!

Woodstock is such a cute town and there were so many options for their engagement photos. Unfortunately it was spitting rain through the whole shoot, but Alli & Glenn were good sports and didn’t mind getting a little wet :) We started out at Glenn’s parents’ home where they have some beautiful blossoming trees. (btw, this photo totally reminds me of my friend Amanda‘s logo!)

I love barns! I’m so glad they hadn’t painted this one yet.

After a little while at the house, we hopped in the car to see what we would find. Alli thought of this great little wooded area, and it turned out to be fabulous! Plus, it sheltered us from the rain.

They’re cute :]

I just love Alli’s gorgeous green eyes!

It was right about this point that I almost fell on my face running through the woods in my Birkenstocks so I could lay on the ground and get these shots. Mental note: don’t wear birks on engagement shoots anymore…

This is one of my favorites from the day!

Hey, look, we found another barn!

I saved the best for last… We stumbled across a field full of cows hanging out beside the road, and we just couldn’t resist taking a few photos with them. I mean, what’s an engagement session for a NYC couple without some cows and a farm?! ;)

I love how the cows were posing for the camera!

This one really wanted to be in the picture

It was definitely was one of the most entertaining eSessions I’ve ever shot!

Alli & Glenn, thanks for a great shoot! I don’t have many couples who would be up for having their engagement photos taken with cows, so thanks for being adventurous with me :) I’m totally excited for your Newport wedding in, woah, less than a month!

Elizabeth & Ryan’s eSession – Marion, MA

Krista Guenin — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:35:00 +0000

Elizabeth called me months ago about her wedding to Ryan this June. She lives in Chicago, which means I liked her right away ;), but we never got a chance to meet until a couple weeks ago at their engagement session down in Marion, MA near Buzzards Bay. We met up at the home where the wedding will be, and it’s such a gorgeous location – I am so excited for the wedding day! Elizabeth was just as pleasant to be around as she seemed on the phone, and Ryan is definitely her perfect match. It was very fun to finally meet them and we had a great time together taking photographs all over the property!

These two have such a great dynamic – they’re so fun and playful, they clearly love being around each other!

They’re also gorgeous!

Elizabeth is the kind of woman who greets you with a firm handshake and leaves you with a strong hug. She laughs HARD, with her whole body! You’ve got to love a woman like that!

It was totally worth walking through the mud to get these!

I have really learned to love shooting into the sun!

Coolest thing about this image is something Cynthia pointed out to me while she was editing the shoot… Even with all the light coming through, you can see Elizabeth’s eyelashes. I love little details like that!

Just trying something different with the edit on this one… what do you think?

This is what this scene looked like from the other side

love it!

We walked through this little archway into the neighbors’ yard from some images with a totally different feel.

there’s that laugh again!

Elizabeth & Ryan, it was SO great to finally meet you! I had such a great time getting to know you both. I can’t wait for your wedding – it’s going to be beautiful and so much fun!

If you’d like to see a few more of my favorites, you can check them out on my Facebook Fan Page :)

Kristopher & Erin’s eSession

Krista Guenin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:04:00 +0000

While I was in Indianapolis, I had the chance to take some engagement photos for my cousin, Kristopher and his fiance, Erin. Kris & Erin are getting married this summer, and I’m really excited to go home to photograph it! Kris is a filmmaker and they’re having their wedding at a theatre, which is just going to be so cool!

The weather didn’t really cooperate with us while we tried to combine a family gathering and an engagement session into one afternoon. So we stayed close to home and basically shot everything in my parents’ neighborhood. It turned out to be a pretty cool spot, and even though we were all FREEZING, we had a fun time!

Kris is a bit of a joker. Ok, that’s an understatement. He’s frikkin’ hilarious and always making me laugh! It was cool for me to see him with Erin – to see how funny they are together and how much they enjoy each other, and that she always laughs at his jokes ;)

This is totally my favorite! I love it when you can see people smiling even when they’re kissing :)

Per my Mom’s request, we shot a few photos by the berries ;)

I love to photograph people’s hands!

I also kinda like to photograph feet… is that weird?

They’re cute

Ok, so Erin’s pretty funny in her own way ;) You’ve got to love a girl who will pretend to pick her nose for a funny photo!

Maybe this one is my favorite?

I love the way she’s looking up at him!

more laughter…

And I think this is the perfect way to finish :)

Kris & Erin – I love you guys! I’m so looking forward to your wedding this summer!! :D