Occasionally, we get a groom-to-be who is totally into the engagement session. He’s excited to have his photo taken with his sweetie and not at all wary of having to schmooze it up in front of two relative strangers. But, let’s be honest….that is not the norm.

Typically, the guys are gently persuaded by their sweeties that the experience will be fun and they’ll get some great photos together. “Come on,” she says, “We don’t have any great photos of us. It will be fun. You’ll see.” Reluctantly, the guy goes along with it. After all…if she’s happy, he’s happy.

I think it would be safe to say that this later scenario was more likely the case with our NYC hotties Ivy & Ben. Ivy is one of those sweet, adorable, infectiously bubbly people who instantly charms all she meets. She is fun, beautiful, and very comfortable when thrown into the spotlight. And Ben, despite his striking resemblance to one of my teenage heartthrobs, Jack Wagner, aka Frisco Jones of the daytime soap General Hospital, (oh, how I used to swoon over Frisco), Ben, was a bit shy about being photographed…at first. I think he would have been much happier hanging out, talking and getting to know each other over a drink, without the involvement of cameras.

But, oh, how things changed….as they so often do by the time we finish our couple shoots. By the end of our 2+ hours together, Ben was throwing out ideas and giving Ivy direction on how to drape herself on him or where to stand, saying things like, “How does this look?” and setting up a pretty cool shot! It was priceless!! Seeing that transition is the highest praise we can get, because if that’s where we end up, particularly with our guys, we know we’ve succeeded. Our couples now trust us, they feel comfortable with us and we’ve all had fun along the way. What more can we ask for as photographers?

We seriously have the best job ever!!!

We always start our sessions slowly, letting our couples find their comfort level with us. We don’t like to give a lot of specific direction. Usually, we just put our couples together in a cool setting and say, “Have a moment,” “Just play,” or the ridiculously impossible, “Pretend we’re not here.” Although, it’s a tougher sell at the start, by the end, we’re all laughing and having a fabulous time.

Ivy & Ben’s session typified the kind of experience we hope all of our couples have with us. The fear and inhibitions are shed and a bond is formed. The results are often exciting and confirming for us that we are doing exactly what we are meant to do.

See for yourself….

Sometimes it’s best to start somewhere with a little privacy. It’s hard to mack up on your honey with the world watching. An alley is often a great place to start!

I love this one….it’s like Ivy is coyly coaxing Ben to come out of his shell and go for it.

Our favorite photos always seem to be ones where we get real expressions of joy from our couples. This is a perfect example of what we LOVE to capture….

Our Little Miss Thang is working her strut in her oh so sexy six-inch Louboutins. Love it!!!! Seriously, could she be any cuter? I don’t think so!!

Another wonderful joyous shot…I love Ben’s big “Frisco” smile and the way Ivy is looking at him with such adoration! Getting to photograph people in this way is such a wonderful reminder to keep life simple and hold tightly to the things that matter most….namely the people we love!

This was a fun one…there’s a little Italian Restaurant on Main Street in Falmouth we like to go, La Cucina Sul Mare, and although they hadn’t yet opened, the manager was kind enough to let us pop in for a few moody shots. One of Ivy & Ben’s favorite things to do together is try new restaurants, so we thought this would be a fun setting for them. They knew how to work it!

Amore….

With those killer shoes, we just couldn’t resist this shot, especially with Ivy’s incredible legs! So fun!

When she was young, Ivy was picked to live in NYC and study dance at the School of American Ballet. (soooo cool!) We wanted to see her moves, so she showed us a couple and even had Ben join her in with his own plie’. We love you Ben!!

Seeing double…taking advantage of the late day sun and falling shadows Ben & Ivy share a kiss…or two.

After we thought we were done in town, we were driving out of the boatyard, heading for the beach, as we noticed this collection of colorful, rusted boat stands stored together in a corner of the parking lot and thought, “Hmmm…this could be cool.” And it was!!! We had such fun using the lines and colors of the stands and, of course, by this point Ivy & Ben were totally into anything and just had a blast with it! So fun!!!

I like the old time photo feel of this next one. It compliments the rusty background.

It was pretty cold and windy on the beach, so Ivy & Ben decided to run to keep warm! What a fun way to end our incredible session with these two wonderful people!!!

Ivy & Ben…you guys rocked it!!! We had SOOO much fun with you both and wished the sun hadn’t set so we could have kept shooting! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for trusting us so quickly and so completely! We loved being around you both and are so excited to be a part of this exciting time in your lives. We have no doubt that your wedding will be a joyous celebration of your beautiful love! Thank you for allowing us to bear witness to that!!! We love you guys!!! xoxoxo Christine & Andy