University of Pittsburgh Engagement Portraits

University of Pittsburgh Engagement Portraits

I’ve got to hand it to Cassie and Ted. They really put the time and thought into what they wanted out of their University of Pittsburgh engagement portraits. Our original plan was to do the shoot on Monday evening but mother nature had other ideas. Our backup date was Wednesday and you really couldn’t have asked for a nicer evening. One of the great things about these sessions is that unlike a wedding day you can be flexible and wait for a nice evening. Another great thing is that it gives us an opportunity to get to know each other better. This helps build channels of communication which are going to be a big benefit on the wedding day when time is going to be more limited.

A dark haired young man wearing a red sweater holds a blonde woman wearing a white jacket with the sunset shining through the trees behind them during their University of Pittsburgh engagement portraits.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden

We met up at Phipps and the plan was to walk over to Pitt. Phipps has some fall plantings out and Ted picked the perfect color sweater to go with them. I got there early and did a little scouting and to see where the light was nicest. We started out near the entrance where I had Cassie and Ted walk together. It’s an easy way to get folks comfortable in front of the camera and not worrying about what to do. It turns out that I really didn’t have to worry, these guys were very natural with each other.

A couple walk past some brightly colored plants arm in arm outside of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden. She's wearing a white jacket and he's wearing a dark red sweater.

A blond woman in a white jacket smiles at the camera as a young man seated next to her nuzzles her forehead and holds her hand outside of Phipps Conservatory during a University of Pittsburgh Engagement Portraits.

University of Pittsburgh

Both Cassie and Ted are Pitt grads – it’s where they met. So it’s a place that holds a lot of memories for them. Context is important and I always ask couples about places that have meaning to them when we discuss locations for portraits. After we’d done a bunch of photos in their casual outfits they changed into formal evening wear. The sun was down at this point but we kept on working in the twilight. I put a light behind them to help separate them from the dark background in this one.

A young couple dressed in evening wear embrace at the end of a path with a tree in the background near the Cathedral of Learning during their University of Pittsburgh engagement portraits session.

I had black and white in mind for this photo from the very beginning.

A young couple dances on a stone patio near the Cathedral of Learning while wearing formal outfits during their University of Pittsburgh engagement portraits session.

The deep blue sky at twilight was perfect for a silhouette.

Silhouette of a couple with deep blue sky behind them and a speck of light that is the moon on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh engagement portraits.

Cassie and Ted really wanted something dramatic in the gothic interior on the first floor of the Cathedral of Learning. So I set up a light with a grid so it would isolate them from the background. Perfect!

A couple embraces in the grand hall of the Cathedral of Learning during their University of Pittsburgh Engagement Portraits session.

 

Engagement portraits are fun! Here’s another one you’ll enjoy. Now that you’ve seen these I hope you’re thinking about one for yourselves. Give me a call and we’ll make it happen.

Filed under: University of Pittsburgh Engagement Portraits