Engagement Session Downtown Ann Arbor - Alyssa + Ben

This engagement session downtown Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan blew. me. away.

This session was actually a combination of graduation + engagement because Alyssa and Ben are just overachievers like that. They both had just graduated from dental school, and Ben flew Alyssa (because he’s also a pilot.. like I said, overachievers) to Mackinac Island where he proposed to her before flying back to Ann Arbor. People who are planning to propose soon— are you taking notes??

Because this was prime graduation time, we had to get creative when finding a place for photos during golden hour if we didn’t want to elbow our way into a corner of the law quad (which we eventually did, but it was absolutely crawling with photographers and students in dresses, slacks, caps and gowns). We settled on this quiet little spot right behind UMMA. There’s a little patio type area with lots of room, some interesting circular benches, and the outside of the building makes for some really great architectural photos too! And there’s an ivy covered building right behind it that makes an excellent photo backdrop.

I’m giving away all these tips because gatekeeping is for haters and losers and I’m not either of those things.

This was the first picture I took of them. Like, are you serious? They said they had never had professional photos taken before. I guess some people really are just born with it!

One of the best parts about this session and engagement sessions in general is how happy the couple usually is. Alyssa and Ben’s happiness during this session was definitely amplified by the fact that they had also just graduated after years of hard work learning to become dentists— so fresh out the academic slammer, they were absolutely giddy with accomplishment, love, and the perfect late spring weather we were experiencing. It’s one of the reasons I love being a photographer so much— I feel like I’m soaking up everyone’s joy and taking it home with me. I’ve had jobs where I came home and was miserable and tired from a day where I felt defeated and like I didn’t accomplish anything that mattered. I definitely come home tired still, but’s the best kind. The kind where I get really good sleep at night because I feel like I made connections, created art, and did something that matters both to me and the people I get to make art with.

When I first started photographing people, I used to get really nervous before a session. I was so scared that I would freeze up in the middle and unwittingly reveal to the client that I’m a huge fraud who is bad at everything because every creative thought might suddenly leak out of my brain and I’d be standing there drooling while they ponder why they ever hired such an idiot. So I would try to walk through how I felt the session might go, think of poses and prompts and save pictures in my phone for inspiration. I don’t know if that really helped at all but it made me feel like I had at least prepped as much as I could.

Now that I’m more experienced, I still get nervous but I’ve done this enough times to be able to tell myself I’m being ridiculous and that everything will be fine. Because the best way to capture a couple authentically isn’t to plan things out ahead of time, but to observe and adapt to the way a subject presents themselves and photograph them in a way that will reflect who they really are.

Plus, sometimes your surroundings or lighting provide so much inspiration that you never could have planned anyway. So when you see a weird circular bench and say “hey, do you guys wanna like, get inside that or something?” they might say yes and you’ll get at least one good picture out of it.

Small but important note here: you absolutely do not have to take photos during golden hour, but I’d like to submit these photos of Alyssa and Ben in front of this blossoming tree as evidence that it’s never a bad idea! No one looks bad in light like this and it’s so magical to witness and capture (also just gonna say it— the photos are way easier to edit because they just look so perfect in camera there’s very little you can do to make them look better in post.)

There’s something about this image that I just really love. I feel like Alyssa and Ben’s outfits really compliment the colors going on in the background and the light was so perfect in this post after the sun dipped down below the taller buildings, shielding them from direct sunlight and bathing them in the perfect ambient light that cast a soft glow onto them.

When anyone books a session with me, I don’t really have a lot of parameters for time or outfit changes or anything. It’s really just however long it takes us to get a lot of good photos, get into a groove and explore all the best lighting the afternoon has to offer. I’m so glad they also chose some casual gear that reflects their next ventures in life (Harvard for Ben, Boston College for Alyssa) because these photos are some of my favorites. The end of sunset was approaching, so when we walked to our last location, the direct amber light we had was such a vibe, and Alyssa and Ben were so happy and relaxed by that time— I just felt like these pictures were extra special because of all these factors and I think all the time of how much I would miss out of if a session was cut short because of time constraints. It’s a big reason why mini sessions aren’t my favorite and I only really do them on special request.

Alyssa and Ben were so much fun to work with and I’m so thankful that they were able to relax and trust me to capture them and show themselves to me in such a beautiful way. Forever grateful for this job. <3