Lakeside Engagement Session | Madison + Zachary

Hello and Happy Monday! It’s been a while, I tell ya! I’ve got a new couple for all of you to meet SO please give Madison and Zach ALL your Hannah Barlow Photography love! They are on the blog RIGHT NOW! We photographed their mountain AND lakeside engagement session last Thursday and I’m here, as always, to tell you all about it! ENJOY!

My interactions with Madison have been very easy from the beginning. I’ve been able to be 100% “Hannah” and she’s embraced it instead of running the other way. I looked back on our initial emails prior to this session and literally said “WHOA”…I was all the words…all the squeals…all the details. You know, basically what you all expect out of me. It’s probably NOT how you’re supposed to sell yourself with a client but Madison and I just clicked. She SAYS she’s particular but I did not get that vibe at this session. Nonetheless, I think we think along the same lines. I also got along well with Zach too! I’ll be honest…sometimes the men intimidate me especially when I know they don’t love photos. Zach wasn’t that way…and just like Madison described him in the couple survey, he’s like a big teddy bear but a gentlemanly teddy bear I’d run to if I had a flat tire and we struck up good conversation right off the bat (like finding out he knows my dad through work)!

…but enough about that. I’m rambling, I know! You’re here for this session! My husband was keeping a close eye on the weather for me. He’s good to me like that! He told me there would be a small and quick storm coming. We were literally (and I mean literally) just a few test shots into this session when we heard something. And the best way I can describe it is the moment in Jurassic Park when they hear the rustling of the forest and they’re like, “what IS that….?”. Well, I heard it. They heard it. I said, “that can’t be rain, right?” and Zach looked over and said, “YEP! That’s rain…” So, we ran! It was SO loud and something I’ll never forget. Thankfully, it was a very short lived storm just like my husband promised and we got RIGHT down to it with outfit #1!

Sometimes when I’m extra comfy (and talking a lot), I take lots and lots of time (and photos). We ended up at this location for about an hour, I think (whoops) BUT we were having a good time. It was easy posing and conversation and great, laid back photos! I like photographing confident humans…and Madison and Zach or two of those kinds of people!

As a bold, color lover in photos, these black and whites still pop!

Madison wanted fall foliage…and you know ME! Ask and you shall receive. We left our other location and moved on to the lake. I kept my eyes peeled. I needed just ONE “volunteer tree” and I found it. I had to pull off the side of the road to get it…and these two just followed along with me!

TO THE LAKE!! AHHHHHH!!! The colors…THE COLORS! It’s got everything I love – water, a beautiful couple, pretty sky…and COLOR!

These two tell me they met clear back in 2015…that’s right!! So, next year when they tie the knot, they’ll have been together almost a decade!!! So crazy!

My very very very favorite part of every session is when a couple gets super comfy. These two were pretty darn comfy in front of my camera from the beginning BUT everyone loosens up more and more no matter what and so they DANCED! Then, more suggestions starting rolling in (on their end) and I swear if I hadn’t been the one taking photos…they wouldn’t have even needed me there!

Can you imagine their wedding photos!?

Okkkkkkkkk….this is a favorite of mine!

Ok…Ok…Ok! Maybe these are favorites of mine! Madison asked ME if it was ok to take her shoes off. She asked ME! Girlllllll…I am always 100% IN for any kind of ideas that will make a gallery positively “you”! So, let’s ditch the shoes!

Plot twist – We made Zach lose his shoes too!!! HA! It was Madison’s idea to go in the water. It was mine to get rid of his shoes. *high five*. He was probably thinking, “Lord…now there’s two of them!”

I don’t believe I’ve ever taken photos of a couple in the water like this in the almost ten years I’ve been doing this so you can imagine the squeals coming out of me right now!

I’d taken SO much time at this session the sun was starting to set so we called it on couple pictures and Madison put on her jacket.

Detail shots are always a must!! These two are having a wedding with hints of blues and purples (deep tones, I hear) SO…I tried to incorporate some pretty flowers (which Madison had to remind me to go back and get after I had set them down…we’re going to make an amazing wedding day team, I know it!).

…and that’s a wrap on this one! September is HERE! AND these two will be getting married next September in a little over a year! They’re going for barn vibes but with a modern wedding feel and I can NOT wait!! I hope you’re all having a wonderful start to your week! Thanks for reading!

AND P.S. Zach wants to wear cowboy boots. I vote for cowboy boots! Madison, don’t fire me!

BYE!