Meet Melanie and Keith.
We started off the shoot at the Denton square at Recycled — a local music and book store that Keith and Melanie frequent.
As if looking at these two beautiful people looking at records wasn’t enough, Jonathan Taylor Thomas also made some appearances in their photos. JTT. Always trying to steal the show.
After scoping out the record section we headed over to their favorite section of the store (and mine too!) — the photography book section!
Mellllllllllanie. Girl. Those CURLS are simply beautiful. Almost as beautiful as the way Keith is looking at you in this picture.
What ever it is, Melanie’s got it.
For the second portion of the shoot Keith grabbed his banjo and his guitar and we headed out for the fields.
Keith’s been learning the banjo for several months now, but what he’s really known for is his guitar playing . . .
I just can’t get over this shot. I love it, okay?
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd . . . wait for it . . .
. . . BANNERS!
Melanie and her friend Anne made a couple of banners out of burlap for us to work into the shoot. Nicely done, ladies. They look lovely!
Their second banner reads “God is good.”
When I asked Melanie about why this phrase for their second banner she explained to me that her and Keith’s relationship is what it is because of God’s goodness and Jesus’ salvation.
Their relationship points them to God’s goodness.
“Jesus dying on the cross is what saved us from our former selves,” Melanie said. “That is why God is good!”
Melanie and Keith, y’all were so great to work with — I can’t stress it enough. I’m beyond excited to shoot your wedding next March!
Gosh, everyone should meet Claudia and Doug in their lifetime.
We started out this lovely afternoon at the Fort Worth botanical gardens because Claudia has an affinity for this here magnolia tree.
Did I mention that they are both photography enthusiasts?! That makes ME enthusiastic!
(Too corny? Maybe?)
Their shoot was just entirely inspired and (my hope is) entirely them. They brought along some vintage cameras, glass vases and a blanket to customize the shoot. It. was. awesome.
Everything about the way Claudia and Doug treat each other communicates that they think the other is precious. I’m not talking “squeeze a baby’s little bitty toe” precious — I’m talking precious in the truest meaning of the word. The way they hold, look, and speak to each other tells me that they consider the other highly, highly valuable. The way they interact just screams that they cherish each other. They understand that they have found a rare find in the other.
It’s beautiful.
When I was first uploading these photos to my computer after the shoot I passed this one and it resonated with me — this (to me) is Claudia and Doug in photo form.
And THEN they bust out a polaroid. Work it, Doug.
The last time I took a polaroid was like 5th grade, so I’m pretty pleased with this shot if I do say so myself.
The essence of closeness is what calls to me in this above shot.
I wrote that above line and wondered if what I meant would be communicated, so I looked up the definition of “closeness” to try and better express myself. This was the top definition and it fit just perfectly:
“a feeling of being intimate and belonging together”
James happened to attend this session with me so that he could continue practice second-shooting. He took the above shot and a few others I used in this post. YAY JAMIE!
Also, be sure to notice the camera hanging from the tree branch. I was jut really excited about that.
GUYS, y’all are just so pretty!
And this magical shot above? James’.
Next we headed over to the nearby Fort Worth Public Market Building, built in 1930. For months I have passed this building and each time thought to myself, “I bet that would make a good place for pictures . . . ” So when Doug suggested it as a location they’d like to use in their shoot I was ecstatic! Finally I had an excuse to shoot there.
You are just beautiful, Claudia. And the way Doug looks at you says he agrees with me on that topic.
And THOSE SHOES!!
There are no words.
So. much. fierceness.
When Doug got out of the car he was holding some white cardboard in his hands.
Curious, I asked, “What’s that?”
He smiled coyly. “An equation.”
Eyebrows raised and forehead wrinkled I looked at him, waiting for further explanation.
“A love equation,” he finished.
EXCITEMENT!!!! GIDDY! WHAT? ORIGINAL! BAH! I LOVE IT! HOW? WHO THINKS OF THIS?! WHAT’S THAT FUNNY FEELING IN MY STOMACH?!
I believe that was my line of thought after I looked at this shot all set up.
Four days.
Four days until this couple is back in front of my camera.
Four days until the wedding day that joins this precious couple.
I. can’t. wait.
Meet Brittany and Michael.
We wanted their engagement photos to have a European-feel because Michael proposed to Brittany (for the second time) in Italy last summer. I couldn’t think of a better place for such an inspired shoot than Adriatica in McKinney.
They met in high school, which is when Michael first set his sights on Brittany. Before they even started dating, sophomore Michael flings himself at Brittany and tells her that if she wouldn’t marry him he would surely jump off of a cliff.
Freshman Brittany’s coy response was to walk out of the room.
They joke that this experience was why Michael was so gun shy to pop the question the next time. The real time. He had to build up six  more years worth of courage to try again.
Obviously, the second time he tried she didn’t walk out of the room.
I believe that this is where Brittany and Michael first introduced me to “the smolder.” From that point in the shoot on we referred to any poses with a more serious tone as “the smolder.”
However, with such a name, they could never hold it for too terribly long before cracking a smile. And that’s fine by me because that leads to getting shots like this one.
I love the combined narrative of these above three shots.
Bruciare senza fiamma. That’s Italian for ‘smolder.’
Staring contest in progress.
Staring contest in progress of breaking.
Annnnnnnnnd these shoes. Michael loves these shoes. In fact, Brittany got him these shoes. But I love this shot in which I told Brittany to express how she felt about the toe shoes.
Brittany, you are just killing me in this photo. So, so gorgeous. And that full-on, good-natured (and partially goofy) smile all the way across Michael’s face is so true to form.
(Sidenote: That building that they’re leaning up against in the reflection shot above is Zin Zen Wine Bar and Bistro, where husband James is currently displaying and selling some of his most recent series of paintings! Huzzah!)
When I texted James after the shoot that “the light was so beautiful I wanted to inject it into my veins,” this was the light I was referring to.
The way her blue eyes are staring up at him tells me that Michael won’t be forced to jump off a cliff anytime soon.
I already shared this next photo in their sneak peek, but I loved it so much I thought it’d be okay to put in the full-length post in black and white. You guys don’t mind, do you?
Brittany and Michael, it was a pleasure. Hope to see y’all’s smoldering faces again soon!
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