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.
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.
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.
I had black and white in mind for this photo from the very beginning.
The deep blue sky at twilight was perfect for a silhouette.
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!
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