I met Taj and Jared for their engagement session this summer in the beautiful Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston as well as the Public Garden. I had a great time getting to know them a little bit while soaking up all the charm of arguably Massachusetts’s most expensive neighborhood. Cobblestone streets, brick mansions, black wrought iron fences and bright summer flowers created the perfect backdrop.

Sadly they are doing a destination wedding in the Caribbean so I can’t join them on their wedding day, but I do wish them the very best of luck. Congrats guys!

–Erik

Shortly after the shoot, they moved down to DC so that Margaret could pursue a new career opportunity, so it was important to them to have engagement photos that will help them reflect on their time here in Boston.

Best of luck guys!

–Erik

I love shooting at the Arboretum because it’s such a pretty spot and the light is always gorgeous as it filters through the foliage late in the afternoon. It’s also pretty convenient to most people since it’s right in Boston.

Congrats guys for making it a great shoot!

They were both a little uncomfortable at the beginning of the shoot, but that’s to be expected if you’re not used to being in front of the camera. My style is to be pretty unobtrusive and just let couples enjoy their time together, so they quickly forgot about me, which is just the way I like it!

They were married a few weeks ago so there will be lots more of them to come on the blog soon!

Congratulations guys!

A lot of couples ask me for advice when it comes to selecting a location for engagement photos. There is no right answer since they can be done just about anywhere, so I always suggest somewhere that has meaning for them such as where you got engaged or were married. The Public Garden is definitely one of the top spots for getting a distinctly Boston atmosphere in the photographs. The garden itself is beautifully manicured and the historic Beacon Hill neighborhood is just a across the street with its grand old mansions and narrow cobblestone alleyways.

Shaquanna and Deveraux are getting married a little later this year and chose a photo guestbook as a way to display their photos at the wedding and also have a nice keepsake. Best of luck to you guys!

–Erik

Congratulations guys and I can’t wait to shoot your wedding in October!

We did the pictures late in the day to get some really warm sunlight since it was a nice bright day. I really like using natural light as much as possible for engagement pictures and the setting of the Arboretum couldn’t have been prettier. Quite a few things were in bloom since it was late spring.

We wandered around the grounds a bit finding some nice spots that were a bit hidden which meant we could take as much time as possible without feeling rushed or getting in anyone’s way. After a couple of hours of walking and photographing, we were all getting tired and finished up with some great shots on our way back down the hill.

The happy couple is getting married this October. Congratulations guys!

–Erik

We did the obligatory posed shots in front of the mill itself, but I like to explore to see what else may be around. Behind the mill building is a small wooden building that looks like it was once used as a maintenance facility of some kind. It has a great vintage color and texture that was perfect for using as a backdrop.

Below are a few of my favorite photographs from the day. Congratulations guys!!

Brinda and Ramesh were having so much fun enjoying just being together that they were actually told by the security guard to watch the amount of public display of affection! Apparently such things aren’t permitted in the library. But it sure made it easy for me to get great pictures of them just relaxing and being themselves.

They are getting married later this year in my old stomping grounds of San Francisco. They moved out here to Boston for work, but with lots of friends and family in the South Bay they’ve elected to have the wedding back in California. I’m sure it will be great.

Best of luck to you both!

–Erik

When I do engagement photos, I tend to wander around. A lot. I bet we walked a couple of miles all around Boston during our session making sure to find the best light and backdrops. Here are a few shots from the North End and downtown.

They both love cannolis so much that they’re planning to have them at the wedding. After a quick bite of pizza I grabbed a few shots of them having fun with their favorite dessert…

A little more walking around and just spending time together. I love it when I can capture moments such as these when they’re happening naturally.

And finally the spot where Jayson proposed!

Congrats guys and best of luck to you!!

–Erik

So, as Tim Gunn of Project Runway fame like to say, we “made it work.” After chatting for a few minutes in the lobby of a nearby hotel to get warmed up, we walked over to the Prudential shopping center and eventually settled into shooting at the Marriott hotel in their lobby space as well as on an upper floor. Security came by to ask what we were doing, but quickly congratulated them when we told them we were doing their engagement session.

Shannon and WaiJe were great to work with. They quickly became comfortable with the camera and I could really feel the energy between them. It’s clear that they’re head over heels for each other. They’re getting married in October and I wish them nothing but the very best.

–Erik

I’m really looking forward to their wedding next summer. If it was as much fun as their engagement, it’s going to be quite the experience. Congrats to you guys!

I learned from chatting with her that she was getting married soon, but hadn’t yet started the process of looking for a wedding photographer. She mentioned that she was getting married in her hometown of Orlando, Florida and had several questions about wedding photography. After a few conversations about logistics, I’m happy to report that I’ll be photographing their wedding in Florida this March. For a peek at what they have planned, check out their wedding website.

In addition to having the wedding in Florida, she and JR are leaving Massachusetts to head back to Florida for good in just a few short weeks. So for their engagement session they wanted to do something with a distinctive Boston feel to it, so I thought what could be better than Beacon Hill and the Public Garden. We wandered around a bit looking for great backdrops with warm late afternoon light. Here’s what we found.

Enjoy!

She told me it was going to be a very small affair with just her closest friends/family and wasn’t even planning to have a photographer! But after a bit of convincing, she agreed that having a photographer would be a good idea so that she’ll have professional pictures from her wedding day.

The best part is that she’s hired me to do it! So I’m off to Germany in just a few days to spend a couple of days with them documenting their time with family and close friends. Mike is from Wisconsin originally and his family is coming over as well. I’m looking forward to meeting everybody and catching up with old friends after the wedding.

Julia is getting married at a venue overlooking vineyards, so it was only appropriate that we head down to the Greenvale Vineyards. They also got engaged here in Newport, so it really was the perfect spot for them. Here are a few pictures from their engagement session last weekend.

Here are just a few images from the day. Thanks to Lindsey and her boyfriend for putting up with the really chilly weather on the beach!

For more of their engagement pictures, have a look at their blog post.

“I love Erik! He is so friendly and easy to work with. He shot our engagement photos and we were so happy with the results. Working with him was a breeze and he is always upbeat and responsive to our questions. He knows what he is talking about and I trust him to do an amazing job at our wedding. Erik has great ideas, and it is so obvious that he loves what he is doing. I truly believe he wants my day to be as perfect as I do! I can’t wait for him to shoot our wedding. I know he will capture all of the wonderful moments. I would definitley recommend Erik to everyone planning a wedding!”

Jill Casey

I had the chance to meet them a few days ago to go over the schedule for their day as well as make a couple of quick engagement snaps while dodging rain drops. After our planning meeting we chatted over a pint (or two!) at a local place down on the water where I got a chance to know them a bit. They’re great fun and I’m really looking forward to the wedding.

I particularly like this out take because it shows their personalities quite well. They both have a great sense of humor and are very down to earth.

So we improvised. They hopped in my car and we drove down to the waterfront in Hull where we found the Paragon Carousel. It dates from 1928 and has been undergoing continuous restoration of the hand carved horses for several years. It’s also the last one in the Boston metro area.

While we were there, it was completely empty and the operators were just getting ready to close the doors for the day. They were kind enough to let us shoot for a few minutes.

After the carousel, we moved across the street over to Nantasket beach and found a covered picnic area. By that point it was raining so hard that the local Boston Fox affiliate had a news crew in the same sheltered area doing a report about how bad the weather was!

Not to be deterred, we made some cool silhouetted images of them against the gray skies. About the only thing that wasn’t wet at this point was my camera, so we called it a day and rescheduled for another time. That shoot happened just a couple of days ago on the abbey grounds and we got some great images that I’ll post soon.

Before heading out, Amanda asked if they could do some shots playing in the puddles. It sounded like a great idea.

They are both great to work with and I look forward to seeing them again in October when I shoot their wedding.