Michael & Kathryn: Engagement

Oh, you guys, this is bad ... this is so so bad. :) I have posted WAY too many pictures here because I couldn't pick out my favorites. I am going to have to get myself under control pretty soon, or I think Blogger might freak out. (The program, not the ... me.) Anyway, let's just get to it, shall we? We're already going to be here awhile. :) But trust me, these two were so totally cute that you will love every second.

Alright, so, it was a rainy and gray day, so we started out at the Indianapolis Arts Garden (you know, that big glass dome thing that goes over the road by the mall?), which seemed, you know ... like public property, since the Arts Garden is run by the city.

But we had just gotten started when a sound guy came over and told us that we had to have permission to take pictures there. And I don't know, that just seems totally bush given that the Arts Garden's mission is to promote the arts in Indianapolis. Yes, promote the arts while making me jump through hoops to--wait for it--create art! Great job, guys! (Sorry Amy, I know you worked there, but that made me mad.) Thankfully, though, we were still able to snag a couple of shots before heading out into the rest of the world.

Like this one! I love all the lines here. It just feels really dramatic to me.

We then made our way over to the canal, and the rain thankfully held off for awhile. Also, look at those shoes! Kathryn was a total trooper to walk as much as we did in those bad boys.

Michael is in school at Purdue and Kathryn is finishing up in Missouri, so while they see each other a lot given the distance, they don't spend a TON of time together and it just totally showed all day and in all the pictures how much they were just enjoying being around each other.

Plus, they are both gorgeous.

Also, their pre-wedding stuff has now spanned something like five cities, now including Indianapolis for engagement pictures! I love that. They were just like ... why not?

Kind of a moody shot, matches the weather.

Okay, now this? This totally reminds me of France. Why? I don't know. I don't speak French, never been to France, don't even have a huge interest in French culture (although I did love Amelie, along with the rest of the world). So where I got that idea ... no idea. But I'm standing by it. :)

See? Cute! They were so cute all afternoon! Also, can I point out how perfect this girl's face is? She had a makeup crisis before the shoot--she had gone to the mall to have her makeup done, and they said that since she was getting her picture taken they were going to do it more heavy than normal. Now, I never saw her with the mall makeup on because she went into Target and did damage control (that's where we met, the happiest place on earth), but she looked fantastic.

And, FYI, if you want to get your makeup done before your engagement pictures or whatever, don't let this scare you. Just make sure to tell them to make you look natural, because you're not going to be under harsh stage lights and it'll all be fine. I can take care of it with my samurai camera skills if necessary. :)

The rain couldn't hold off forever, so we then trotted over to the new (zillion dollar) library, which is SO COOL. The front part (which you see here) is still old, but the new part is totally modern and windows ... so neat. I definitely recommend it, and killer view of the skyline.

Alright, now this is a picture that I suspect maybe no one else will like. But I really did like it and I think that from an artistic standpoint, there is definitely a message here (that has nothing to do with the lovebirds, though they were excellent models). I really don't want to put you all through art school BS and interpretations, so I will just leave it at that--I like it as a piece of art. :)

See? I told you. Killer skyline view. Also love how the tops of the buildings were getting lost in fog--you don't really see that too much. And I know there's a reflection in the windows, but I did just pick up a polarizer, so next time it'll be all good! I don't know, though, I still think it gives it a little character.

This is a similar shot, but I basically pushed all the parameters as hard as they'd go in the Camera Raw dialog (for those of you who have any idea what that means). I love how blue the city looks, and just how dramatic the whole picture is. I really do love my high contrast shots when I can get them to work!

Oh, geez. Can I just tell you guys the weirdest, most embarassing story of this whole shoot? I can? Thanks. Here it comes.

So these pictures are a little out of order (because Blogger is stubborn like that), and this was taken at a coffee shop. Now, earlier, Michael had said something to Kathryn (I missed it), and she was like, "NO! My dad is going to want to see these!"

So later, I ask them how they feel about a big, sloppy coffee-breath kiss. Kathryn looks at me and says, "That's basically our signature move!" I'm like, "Awesome!" and they go for it. So I'm taking this picture and obviously, OBVIOUSLY, it is like the hottest kiss EVER (scroll back up and look at it if you must), and without really thinking, I just sort of said to myself, "We won't be showing that one to daddy!" And they kind of looked over at me and I put my camera down and shook my head and said, "Wow. That was so awkward. And that's basically MY signature move." It came out so much worse than I meant for it to, but, I don't know, I really laughed hard about it afterward, so hopefully they did too.


Back at the library in the old section ... I just love this part of the building so, so much. All the books, the history ... it's so perfect. And they just fit right into it, like someone put it there just for them to get their picture taken in. :)

Really? The last one already? Anyway, this one was also in the library and Kathryn was a fan of the light, so I made sure to get that in. We were giving Michael a hard time about "putting out the vibe" (any Dumb & Dumber fans out there?), which is why she's so entertained. But anyway, does the lamp look like a giant halo on her to anyone else? Because I totally think so.

Anyway, a few last thoughts about these two: I LOVE them. They're getting married in Missouri and have someone else doing their wedding, but I am SO excited to see the pictures. In the car on the way back to their car, I discovered that Kathryn and I are basically the same person. And THEN I discovered that we all share a love of sci-fi and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA! (I'm currently watching the third season via Netflix, by the way, and it's awesome.) So like, right there at the end we discovered that we have a ton of things in common. I was so excited about this that I came home and was telling Billy all about it really enthusiastically and he asked if we were going to be friends with them. That's when I had to tell him that they don't live close, or totally. But it was still REALLY fun.

Also, Nicole came with me on this shoot and that was so great for me to shoot with another photographer, because it let me see how someone else viewed the same scenes. She was fun and great to have along, so thanks Nicole! We spent the afternoon ooohing and aaahing over the cute couple. :)

Thanks for such a fun time, you guys!