Katie and Levi are adorable together and it was so much fun to get to know them better at their engagement session. Spending time with couples at their engagement sessions is always such good prep for the wedding day. Engagement sessions are generally very relaxed and fun. We spend time chatting and exploring our chosen location. A lot of times I’ll back way off and just let the couple talk and interact with each other while I steal some candid shots. A great way for them to figure out how I work, and for me to see how they interact before the big day!
The Faces of Senegal
After spending a few weeks in Senegal Africa, I’m excited to start sharing some photos with you all! I went to take photos for a non-profit called Andando – Andando’s goal is to alleviate poverty through micro development – meaning they are investing in rural villages in Senegal helping build community gardens, digging wells, setting up health clinics and many other programs.
The photos I took while there will hopefully help Andando get grants, support and just show off the amazing work they are doing – I was excited to get to be a part of it. In future weeks I’m planning on blogging about that side of the trip, talking more about the programs Andando is working on, and share more photos – some of the photos below may turn up again as I talk about people and projects.
But for now I wanted to start out by sharing about a personal project I was able to do while in Senegal. Because the area Andando works in is so remote and impoverished I knew that most people likely didn’t have many (or any!) printed photos of themselves or families. I wanted to be able to take some portraits and family photos and gift them to the local people. So I purchased a small printer that would run off batteries and packed it along with me.
While we were out and about in the villages I captured photos of people and groups and was able to print, put into small portfolios and pass them out. It was so much fun to see their excitement when they were given their photos. Traveling to remote locations and taking family photos is something I would love to spend more and more of my time doing – Stay tuned for how that goal plays out!
This first photo shows the printer hard at work, printing photos late at night by solar lamp. The rest are the ‘Faces of Senegal’ – some of the photos I took of the people I met – I’ll stop the commentary here and let the photos do the talking.
Zara & Clint’s engagement session
Zara, Clint and I spent some time at in Salem doing their engagement photos. I really enjoy getting to do engagement photos with couples. It gives us time to get to know each other before the wedding day. For me to see how they interact with each other and how they interact with the camera. Aside from getting awesome photos out of the deal, I also think it’s beneficial for the couple too. They spend a lot of time with me on their wedding day and it is a good chance for them to get comfortable with me and how I work. Zara and Clint had an amazing wedding at Yellow Gold Farm in Albany. Stay tuned…those photos are coming soon! But for now, enjoy their engagement photos:
