September is a perfect time to visit the Jersey Shore. The weather is pleasantly warm, and the summer crowds have died down. It was also the perfect time for a Save The Date photoshoot. This session was a bit special to me since I’ve known the bride-to-be, Sam, forever…my cousin’s cousin on the other side of the family that I consider my cousin. Although she is an adult now and an accomplished lawyer, I still see the tiny little girl that I used to play with at family parties. The little girl that I flipped around in circles until accidentally dislocating her arm out of the socket. Thankfully my father was a pediatrician and was able to correct it quickly, but she never let me forget it. Meeting Sam’s now fiancé, Nick, for the first time, I knew that this guy wasn’t going anywhere. Another lawyer, they met at work, Nick is an excellent compliment to Sam. I was fortunate enough to be at her engagement party and, of course, brought my camera. This led me to photographing them for their Save The Date Invites.
Nick’s family has a vacation home in Ocean City, NJ, so the couple wanted to incorporate the family home since it has so many memories. Selecting a location that has meaning to you is always a strategy I highly recommend. Photographers can make an alleyway look nice, so focusing on the connection to the location is always a nice layer to add when documenting your story.
We took a quick walk around the corner from the house to get some pics with their adorable pup, Teddy, at the beach entrance, which just happened to be a very pretty entrance.
Placement, lighting, and background are all key in making an entrance to the beach look more like an “exotic” (I use that term loosely.) location. Would you believe we had people with beach buggies, sandy bathing suits, and beach towels passing us frequently? When we first started the shoot, the sun kept peeking in and out from behind the clouds. That made the use of this little tree so helpful.
However, the sun started to shift and we were able to move around a bit more and could include these beautiful sand dunes and get Teddy walking around a bit more.
We left the dog at home and headed south to Corson’s Inlet, New Jersey. This little canopy has always made me happy and is a great place for a little snuggling
Finally we were getting closer to sunset, also known as the golden hour, where the light is so soft and pretty, making it very complimentary to everyone being photographed. Thankfully the beach was almost completely empty and I was able to snag some of these very sweet moments. Oh and don’t forget to check out that beautiful engagement ring.
Although the colors during the golden hour are spectacular, I couldn’t resist a few black and white images which really does ramp up the love between these two.
Congratulations Sam and Nick! You are a beautiful couple both inside and out. I can’t wait for your wedding and am so thankful to have preserved some memories your amazing journey. I love you two!
