Washington Pennsylvania Summer Engagement

Hello, everyone!  Happy Tuesday!  Things in my office are starting to feel “normal” again and I can’t really figure out why given the whole world seems to be in a panic again BUT I’m going to roll with it.  It’s couples like this that keep me going, I tell ya!  Even though I have to keep my distance these days and can’t move hair or position people, it’s OK with me as long as I get to BE with my couples.  I want you all to meet Noah and Grace and give them allllll your Hannah Barlow Photography love!  Aren’t they are beautiful couple?!  They are the most recent couple on my blog!  Enjoy!

OOo yes!! I need to you to meet Ranger and Charlie too!  They were two of the most CALM fur babies I’ve photographed to date.  No jumping.  No real excitement to meet me.  Heck, they were giving me the cold shoulder for many of the photos just checking out the surroundings.  I did find that the word “squirrel” got their attention (thanks Tik Tok…HA!).

I mean, we ALL know this is the reality of what was really happening and we had SUCH a great laugh over it!  Fur babies and real babies are SO difficult about photo time sometimes!  I love the little yawn too! HA!

So, I’ve chit chatted via email with Grace since she booked me last year.  She’s so sweet and it’s been fun getting to know her even more via Instagram!  I hadn’t met Noah yet though.  Grace hinted that Noah didn’t like photos all that much.  And that’s ok with me!  I actually looked back in our email conversations and had even told her I was used to it and it’s always my goal to get those grooms to hate it JUST a little less so I can get all the wedding photos come their wedding day!  Then, right before this session I told her I’d only need “30 minutes” tops for this and she told me that made Noah VERY happy.  So, I took deep breaths in my car and pumped myself up to not be “crazy excited Hannah” but also try to gain some trust and respect.  Well, Noah’s either a really good faker or they lied and he actually LOVES photos (it’s probably the first one but a photographer can dream).  I still can’t figure it out (how I got SUCH good photos with a guy who “claims” to not love them…HA)…so he’d have to tell me for sure because I became “crazy excited Hannah” without even realizing it because these two were just SO easy to pose and photograph and Noah was going with the flow and doing it ALL!!! AHHHHHH!!!  I mean, Grace even did the “shoulder sniff” without me even asking!! They both rocked this session!  So, she is either a secret, loyal blog reader or she just KNOWS how to pose!  I’m hoping Noah will just channel all this energy on the wedding day because he nuzzled her without me asking for that too!! AHHHH!  Photographer dreams coming true over here!

They even made walking easy!  When we were walking to this spot, Noah and I chatted about how awkward it can be in front of the camera.  I agreed.  I never know what to do with my hands and people always tell me my headshots don’t look like me (Oy).  He said he never knows how or when to smile.  Again? THE LIES HE’S TELLING ME! HA!  We all just smiled and carried on at this session!  It was a breeze…pun intended because it was breezy and we struggled with hair! HA!

So, these two met in 2016 but didn’t actually start dating until 2018.  Grace tells me they are “different in complimentary ways”.  She said Noah REALLY wanted to make sure the proposal was a surprise so he proposed on his birthday.  That’s right..on HIS birthday!  I sat here reading that and thought “Now that’s the most clever idea…EVER! No one would see that coming!”  Well done, Noah!  WELL DONE!  She said they were on the patio of their favorite restaurant with some close friends.  He asked to take a picture with her which surprised her (I don’t know…I still think MAYBE he’s not telling us the whole story).  But anyway, Grace had taken off her glasses because she’d had a headache and had to say, “Wait, like right now?!” when he got down on one knee!  EEEKKK!! After meeting these two, I can just picture it!  They’re amazing together!

See what I mean?  This session was so easy!  I did tell Grace that I spent all morning trying to figure out why the heck she was so red while editing these.  You all know I pride myself in being a whiz in photoshop so it really stumped me!! Turns out his pants were reflecting and I giggled in my office all by myself as I pulled the red back off her! HA!  She then said they hired me because they loved my editing and I was all…”SEE IT’S MEANT TO BE”…because you know I love to add stories like that!  I read that sentence back just now and realized I’m rambling.  I was rambling at this session too!! I’m just SO excited!!

I mean, it was a perfectly executed spin!  It’s been a while for me AND this was our first and only “take” on it!! YESSSSS!

Just a few more, I promise!  I will also tell you a bit about their wedding.  These two will be tying the knot this October (COVID or NOT…they said).  I’m going to get to party it up with Jonathan Mihellis of Finest Events and it’s going to be AMAZING!  She tells me they are planning an Oglebay wedding that is simplistic, fall and will have all of their close family and friends!  We also talked about how ironic it is that they are from Pennsylvania and live in Kentucky but decided to have a West Virginia wedding.  Our state seems to be the only one still able to have “normal” weddings…if we can even call them that!  No matter what, I’ve really been enjoying the weddings I have been able to do and I’m SO happy this one will be happening because their wedding photos are going to be gorgeous!! Noah, I’m sorry…but I’m coming for you!  You did this to yourself, you know?!  You should have put on a “grumpy groom” face so I’d steer clear on the wedding day! HA!  You’re getting ALL the groom photos…but I promise to make it snappy! <— No pun intended again!

OOo and a HUGE shoutout to Noah’s cousins for coming to help watch the fur babies!! I’m so glad Grace requested this photo!! I love taking “family” photos when extra people come along to the sessions!

That’s it!!  That’s a wrap on another 2020 engagement session!! I don’t get to go to Washington, Pennsylvania as much as I’d like so this was SUCH a nice change! Stay safe out there! Thanks for reading!