An Early Spring Engagement Session | Hannah Barlow Photography | WV Wedding Photography

I’m BACCCCKKKKKK!  Wow! It feels SO GOOD! SO SO SO GOOD! Granted, I really needed the downtime I had the last three months.  I got so much cruddy business stuff organized that I had no time to mess with during the busy fall and winter I had last year!  I also got to spend so much time with the family and my cameras got some much needed downtime, as well (..and I even added some gear to my arsenal)!  I know some of you have missed the blogs and I so appreciate all the kind words and messages!  So, here we go!! We’ve officially crossed into the beginning of a very busy year!  From here on out, I have just about every weekend booked until the end of December!! It’s MADNESS and I love it so much!  That’s also A LOT of blogs coming your way!  For someone like me who doesn’t love to sit still and loves to be with people (and loves to talk…let’s be honest here), I couldn’t have ever found a more perfect job!  So, all you loyal blog readers are going to have lots and lots of reading time at night for the rest of 2018!  Are you ready?!  Lets do it!

So, I’m so happy to finally have this couple in front of my camera again!  Do you recognize them?! You should!! This couple got engaged right in front of my camera and I was never so nervous in my life.  If you missed it somehow, click here to relive it all over again!  Jen was also a bridesmaid in a wedding I photographed last year (Hi, Amanda and Tom)!  She told me that day..”I will be next!”…and she was right!  I love getting to see familiar faces again!

Lets see some of my favorites, shall we?  Since these two were used to me already, I went right into the walking and snuggling and walking.  I let Ethan slide with that hand in his pocket! 😉 You all know how I feel about that! I actually made him do it again but they were laughing so hard at that point…those go in the outtakes! HA! 

Here are some good blacks and whites of when they stopped to snuggle!

2018 is going to be the year of chasing light…whether it be natural or artificial!  The light was definitely on our side this day (and it was at their proposal, as well).  Maybe the light chases them!  Who knows?! That’s totally ok with me though! I love it!  These two are so easy to photography and so natural! That combination makes for amazing portraits!

Then, I found this amazing little bridge I didn’t know existed so I took them out of the light for a minute! YAY!

…and I had them snuggle some more because I was just loving the light behind them!!

Jen and her family are VERY crafty!!  Look how stinkin’ cute!  I can’t wait to see what she does for her November wedding.  I’m the lucky gal they chose to photograph it and I’m pretty sure Ethan regrets that decision daily!  I’m working on him though! HA!  I can’t remember how he described me to this friends…”loud?”…”too much?”…Ethan, help me out!  I can’t remember! 😉  I do believe he told his guys they were “in trouble”!  It was funny!  I DO remember that much!  That’s what I love about him…he makes me giggle!  AND he puts up with me for pictures (more than my own husband does, let’s be real here…and my husband doesn’t read these so I’m safe!) 🙂 

So, I then pointed to the light that had fallen behind the hill we were near and told them to get in the car and follow me.  I literally chased the light and found this random spot.  My couples are the best!! There’s nothing like pulling up to the side of the parking lot and saying, “We’re taking them here.”  But you can’t tell, right?!  They are standing RIGHT on the edge of pavement!  That’s the beauty and magic of photography, I tell ya!  It also helps when you have a super fun and adorable couple!

So, I made them dance.  If I haven’t mentioned it already, Jen has the most infectious laugh!  I told her I wished I could record it and then hit “play” any time I was having an off day!  Maybe I’ll take some video at their wedding to prove it!  Ethan’s really good at making her laugh too so any time spent with this couple…we’re laughing!  Also, check her shoes out!! STILETTOS!  She’s a girl after my own heart and I can’t wait to get my hands on her wedding shoes!

After they danced, I said…”Quick!  Ethan!  Dip her!”…and he did…with the most serious expression on his face!  I’m telling you…the moment was hysterical (see Jen’s reaction).  Also, take a look at the pavement…my heart stopped for a minute.  I thought he was going to drop her (I think Jen thought he was going to drop her too).  It ended up being a really funny Facebook conversation after the fact to which Ethan requested some really “unique” photoshoppping on this photo.  Check back at the end of the year for the behind the scenes/outtakes for engagement sessions! HA!  It’s a keeper!

Then, I challenged them to go down over the hill you see above.  Remember, she had stilettos on and she still made it!! I was seriously impressed!  I then proceeded to lay on my belly in the dirty, wet grass (in a white puffy coat) to get some weeds in the frame and these ended up being some of my very favorites!! SO WORTH IT!  Now that I’m typing about it, I have realized I never did wash that coat! Oops!  Nevertheless, I didn’t even really have to pose these two!  They’re just natural and there was no stiffness or awkward moments.  It was just “them”…and, of course, me laying in the weeds (fighting with the weeds) while taking photos of them!

They get the best kiss award!  What do you think?!  There’s no weird face smushing.  No duck lips.  No eyes open (seriously…don’t do that, people…LOL).  I’m telling you it isn’t easy!  My husband and I don’t do a good kiss on camera.  It’s weird!  Seriously!  Don’t make me post one for proof!  Jen and Ethan, on the other hand, make it look natural!

I think I said “Let’s dance again,” to which they replied, “Yea…we’re not doing that again”.  They were standing in lots and lots of weeds and they were right…it would have been difficult!  BUT look how pretty!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!  They still figured it out and made it camera pretty!  Jen was laughing too, as you can see…that’s a WIN all the way around!! Great job, Ethan!

…and one last amazing kiss before we’re done plus a behind the scenes of where they were really standing in relation to me! 

Well, I hope you all enjoyed my first blog post since January!  Boy, it did feel good to gab again via my blog!! Thanks for reading and don’t you dare forget to come back and see this couple AGAIN!  They will be married this November!  I’ll be photographing their wedding in Ohio and it’s going to be AMAZING (and hopefully warm)!

Fun Fact:  This couple has AMAZING friends!  They’re all so close they have “photo viewing parties”.  I’m not kidding!  They get together and look at each other’s photos I take.  Isn’t that the coolest?!  It also makes me feel like a celebrity! HA!

Have a great day, everyone!! It’s almost the weekend! YAY!