Fall Foliage in a Field | WV Wedding Photography

Hello, everyone!  Happy Wednesday!  Happy Halloween!

I’ve got a NEW Hannah Barlow Photography couple for you to meet!  They’re amazing!  I’m not just saying that (I know…I always say that…but for real…I can’t even).  My assistants are going to fight over this one!  You just wait!

Everyone…please give a BIG, warm, HBP welcome to Emily (Em) and Logan!

I mean…RIGHT OFF THE BAT…these two were so into each other and so into posing for me (and without ANY prompting).  Check it out!  These six photo below were taken back to back…multiple frames PER SECOND.  I didn’t even have to do anything but crab crawl on the ground like a crazy person to get the framing and light just right all while trying to keep up with these two!  Despite my best efforts to keep it cool and give them a chance to get used to me…I was squealing like I always do because I knew…JUST KNEW…what was to come!  I’m very thankful they didn’t get in the car and run thinking…”She’s lost her mind.” HA!  I couldn’t help it!  It was just too good to be true and just minutes into this session.

So, Emily (I call her “Em” with her permission) has been a total sweet heart from the beginning.  From the moment she hired me, I felt a connection with her (she doesn’t know this as I’ve never told her trying to remain a normal vendor…HA!).  She was even excited about the welcome pack I sent her and I’m ALWAYS excited when my brides are excited, of course!  This day was the first time I had met her in person though and the first time I had associated at all with her fiance, Logan.  I have, however, followed them on Instagram as I usually do and saw lots and lots of ooey, gooey, mushiness happening in her stories.  I’ll admit it…I always try and “judge” the couple based on their online presence and try and get a feel for them and get to know them so I know how to approach their session and how I can make beautiful memories for them.  Some people are more comfortable in front of the camera than others (John Barlow…I’m talking to YOU!).  There are all kinds of levels of comfort in front of the camera and I’m not ashamed to admit even I fall LOW on that scale.  It’s JUST WEIRD having someone snap photos of you.  I much prefer to be on the back side of the camera.  But anyway…Logan definitely came across as a “tough guy” to me but I also noticed he lets Em take lots of photos and videos with him AND allows her to post them so I was intrigued.  I couldn’t put a finger on him.  So, I went into this day thinking he was either going to be one of those guys I had to really schmooze to get loosened up or he was going to be the guy who didn’t exactly love the idea of this session but would suck it up and do what needed to be done to get the photos his girl REALLY wanted…and Emily made it VERY clear what she wanted for this session…so the pressure was on.  Well, I was pretty much wrong all the way around.  Logan is a gentleman.  He’s kind.  He pretty much matches Em perfectly and doesn’t mind having his photo taken not to mention he loves her A LOT… AND isn’t afraid to show it.  I mean…she’s gorgeous…so what guy wouldn’t want to show her off?!  I’m rambling now.  I know…I know…I’m just trying to get you all in the frame of mind where I was at this day.  I went in knowing they would take gorgeous photos but not knowing how much effort I’d have to put in on my end to make it happen.  There was NO effort on my end.  None.  Except for that light.  More on that later!

It was magical.  MAGICAL.  They were moving and grooving and displaying their love and laughter and kindness for me to see (and for you all to see).  It makes my job SO easy and it makes for photos JUST.LIKE.THIS.

I don’t know if you can tell from the photos, but this wasn’t posed.  This was just them doing their thing and me being the crazy photographer in a field – snap, snap…snapping away!

The one thing Emily really wanted was pretty light.  I told her a few times that I would cross my fingers but good, natural light is never a guarantee, of course.  Well, the stars (or clouds) literally aligned and this light was perfection!  She also wanted open fields.  So, HUGE shoutout and thank you goes out to the doctor who allowed us to use his property in Wheeling, WV for these!  A formal thank you will be going out soon too! 🙂

I don’t know why…but I really liked the “fall” feel to this little nook.  So, I stuck them there briefly!  I knew in my head what Emily wanted but I also wanted to put a HBP feel on the session too just so she could visualize something else!  It worked out perfectly if I do say so myself!

…but we didn’t take long there because the clouds parted again and the light was perfect in the field once more.  So, we (they) did some walking and snuggling and NAILED it.  I’d also like to note that I specifically tell all my couples to look at each other…not at me.  So, please note Logan being the best listener EVER and Emily gazing off into the clouds. HA!  I love when the guys give it their all!  I do believe he even reminded Emily where she was instructed to look! HA!

I knew Emily loved fall.  It’s funny though…it NEVER looks like fall in October anymore!  For the past couple of years, it looks more “fall” in November!  I found this lone, orange tree and decided we’d stand in the middle of the field, directly in front of this tree, and I’d make it look fall!  I mean…they do the best dang nuzzle EVER!  There was genuine laughter happening too…probably because you could hear me a mile away!  I just can’t help it when this stuff happens!

I mean…COME ON!  IT WAS PERFECT!  PERFECT! <— Those of you who have been in front of my camera know exactly what that sounds like in your head!

Ok.  So, I’ve rambled enough about the amazingness that was this session.  Now, let’s get to REALLY know this couple (and I’m just now pulling this information so we’ll all learn together).  I actually just told Emily today that I purposely do NOT look at their fun fact survey until after I’ve met them and started the blog.  That way, I can tell you all my genuine feelings on it all without any bias!

OooOo good grief!  I just read their answers and Emily said they were both excited about having their photo taken but were worried about “awkward poses”.  WHAT?!  WHATTTTTTT?!  Girl, you’re crazy!  There was nothing awkward about this session.  AND…if you remember…I actually had to tell you two to just “STOP IT!” for a second so I could change my settings! HA!  Too funny!  Seriously, everyone…they’re crazy.  I couldn’t get over the posing (or lack of posing) happening while I was shooting.  I didn’t have to be bossy Hannah at all!  They’re just natural together.  It makes for AMAZING photos and an amazing experience and I’m such a lucky gal.  I get to photograph their wedding next year too AND during October again! Weeeeeee!

So, I just learned these two were “friends” on social media for a good while.  Logan reached out via Snapchat (I giggled) and asked her out on a date.  They’ve pretty much been together every since; although, they “officially” started dating at a Dierks Bentley concert in 2016.  It just so happens that’s where Logan proposed this past summer, as well.  That’s right!  He pulled a little stunt during the opening act and had some people behind them snap a photo right before he got down on one knee.  Em says there are a lot of photos and videos of that proposal and now I’m wanting to know why the heck I haven’t seen any of them! HA!!! Don’t leave me hanging, girl!  COME ON!  You know all my loyal blog readers are going to need to see this evidence too!  We’re ALL suckers for some good, old, love stories!

Again, I can’t even believe she was worried about being awkward.  If anyone looked awkward, it was me.  You know…I crab crawled like a nut through this field and found these handy little, weeds to hide behind.  I always think back and wonder what my couples are thinking at the time when I’m down on my knees in a field…near a cow patty…hiding behind this sad, little, weedy, jagger bush.  HA!  I can only hope they have a lightbulb moment when they see their photos and realize I really do have a plan…most of the time!

I saw her necklace and had my own lightbulb moment.  I knew I needed to incorporate her “forever” necklace and her engagement ring and the feeling of “togetherness” in this photo!  It’s my favorite!  It’s also very fitting since Em said that Logan makes her feel safe both physically and emotionally and that she can’t wait to marry him and spend forever with him!  If you can’t feel it from the photos, trust my words.  There was definitely a strong connection flowing right out of these two!  Logan even said in the survey, “When we aren’t laughing our asses off together, she continually leaves a smile on my face with little compliments or actions.”  Yes…Yes…there was A LOT of laughter!  YESSSSSS!  Laughter is the best medicine for everything in life…love too!  These two make my heart sing!

Unconditional love makes for amazing photos!

They’re always laughing!  I was laughing!  At this point, the sun had set.  You can’t tell from the photos because I set up my flash and faked it.  I did, however, have to “yell” at them and tell them they needed to hold still because I was having to slow my shutter speed down to compensate for the lack of light.  You photographers know what I’m talking about and you iPhone users probably do too!  Slow shutter speeds need slow movement.  It was hard to put the brakes on these two!

So, we flipped around and took a fun landscape shot while they danced in the field.  I could have danced right along with them!  We’re going to need music in the future!

I definitely needed some fences in my life.  When you’re in a field, you need fences.  Funny story about these fences too.  I’m a country girl so I know what those metal wires on fences do…they carry electricity.  You can’t see the wire in this photo (below) because I photoshopped them out (metal wires aren’t pretty…you know me…the little details count).  Anyway, I asked if the fences were on and Emily assured me she did confirm they were off.  So, Logan decided to test the theory by touching one.  I screamed.  The cardiac nurse in me about died! HA!  That was right at the beginning of the session too!  Imagine!  Ironically, my dad and I just had this conversation the other day while he was wiring my new studio.  He asked, “How do you check to see if they’re off?”  I answered, “turn the breaker off…check with a meter”.  He said, “Yep.  And what’s the third way?  Touch them.”  Good grief.  It must be a man thing!

I’m giggling looking at this photo below.  Emily loves fall.  She loves it so much her and Logan had to drive separately because she brought two car loads full of props!  HA!  I saved these for last because I really really really wanted to take advantage of the light in the field while it was out since she had told me how important that was to her.  I knew I could light these with flash which is exactly what I did…fooled you, didn’t I?!  It was REALLY dark at this point!

She wasn’t sure about the “W”.  I insisted we take at least one photo since she brought it!

Ahhh!  The Red Sox!  They probably thought I was crazy but I immediately went into this rant.  My friend, Kat, will probably know EXACTLY where I’m going with this!  Her and I read this steamy, romance series about vampires (don’t you dare judge me…) and one of them is a HUGE Red Sox fan.  So, that’s immediately where my brain went when they put on these outfits.  These two could totally star in that series too!  I also love how this location gave us EVERYTHING we needed.  Baseball jerseys?!  SURE!  Brick building we can pretend is a dugout?!  SURE!

I mean…she brought a ball with their wedding date on it, ya’ll!  Yea.  We (ok…maybe just me) got a little carried away at this session.  We started one hour before sunset and passed sunset right up and just kept on shooting!  Thank goodness for flash skills, right?!

…and no engagement session blog is complete without a shot of the bling!  It’s good bling too!  Well done, Logan!  This ring SCREAMS “Emily!”

Well, that’s a wrap and the only real “fall” engagement session and photos I have this year!  I was booked solid with family sessions, weddings, engagement sessions, consultations…you name it.  This month was CRAZINESS!  Tomorrow is November.  We did it!  Whewww!  As always, I advise ANYONE who wants fall photos to get with me now.  I’m not kidding.  Get on the calendar for 2019.  It gets booked FAST!

A big, warm, Hannah hug goes out to Emily and Logan!  This session was amazing!  These two love birds will be tying the knot next year, of course!  Next October is going to ROCK just as much as this October when it comes to wedding and engagement photography.  They’re getting married in St. Mary’s church in St. Clairsville (we’ve been there!) and then celebrating at the Pine Room at Oglebay (we’ve been there too!).  YAY!  How’d I get so lucky?!  I’m so lucky!

One last note: You know…this time of year is always very stressful for photographers in this area.  It’s fall.  It’s the busiest time of year.  Many of us get burnt out.  I don’t know if I’m just such a sucker for weddings or if it’s because my couples are just so darn good to me, but even when I’m stressed out…editing these photos…reliving the day….blogging the goodness…I get all the warm feels.  It keeps me going.  Wedding photography is an AMAZING job, I tell ya!  I don’t care what anyone says…even the stressful moments are worth it to me!

2018 has been amazing…and it’s not over yet.  I have a sneaking suspicion 2019 is going to give 2018 a run for its money!

I can’t even wait!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  STAY DRY!