Melissa & Joe’s Stonewall Farm Engagement

When Melissa first called she told me that they were going to have a small wedding on their farm.  Well in Kentucky that could mean a LOT of different things.  I was unprepared for the GORGEOUS main house and state of the art barns that we would find on the property!  Of course I was pleasantly surprised also by just how sweet Melissa and Joe were together.  You can just tell when Joe looks at her that he absolutely ADORES Melissa and vice-versa.  It was a privilege to work with this fabulous couple and their families.  Bridal and Wedding sneak peeks coming soon!

Bethany & Drew’s Engagement Session (Keeneland, Waveland, Baseball Field and my FAVORITE field!)

So normally I can plan the light REALLY well and it seems that spring is going to impose it’s own set of challenges as far as lighting. Not to fear, this year Schmidt Studio is equipped with some AWESOME new lighting plans and equipment!  Look out world… he we come… off camera lighting and all!  I am really excited for our brides’ receptions this year:)  Stay tuned later in the post for photos with our new lighting… !!!

We met up with Bethany and Drew at Keeneland for their engagement session and started our session there.  WHY?  Is it ALWAYS so windy at Keeneland?  I will never know!   Right now in the middle of changing seasons it can be nice and warm elsewhere and on top of Keeneland’s hill it is 30!  Poor Bethany’s teeth were chattering at one point!

Lucky enough for me Bethany and Drew were good sports.  She fabulously chose some AWESOMELY coordinated outfits for this session.  I think that maybe my next “What to wear” post for engagement will be based on Bethany and Drew!  They rocked it!

I was totally smitten with her HOT boots and AMAZING necklace!

And then we happened upon Bethany’s “drop dead gorgeous, model / amazing” look…

See what I am talking about?!!

At any rate we wandered around collecting some stunning images at Keeneland but my favorite has to be THIS one:

To die for?  I think so! (New lighting should be dually noted here… )

After Keeneland we decided to change scenery and went over to Waveland (another of our favorite haunts!)  Although there was lots of MUD and it was getting dark QUITE fast… we still managed to get some stunning images.

Somewhere along the way Drew sprung it on me that he wanted Baseball pics!  Which we were totally up for, but this threw a curve ball at me (TOTAL pun intended) to be hearing it first during the session.  So I wracked my brain and quickly realized that we could stop off at a field on our way to my favorite field. I think these are by far my favorite images of the entire session!  I am so OCD… I like to have a plan and a backup and a backup of my backup but somehow I notice that my FAVORITE images of all time were not planned at all!  Maybe God is trying to tell me something!

I mean really it’s like “Real Housewives of Kentucky”!  I LOVE this!  Makes me want to get a group of my brides together and do an imitation shot!  (wheels turning… any brides interested shoot me a Facebook message!  .. must be a former or current SS&G bride… ps… I am TOTALLY being serious here! )

PS… Thanks Dunbar for lending us your field for a few photos!  (and here… new lighting again!)

Looks he’s multi-talented!  He can toss a baseball and look at his beautiful bride at the same time!!!!!!!!!  (took us a minute to figure out the logistics of this one!  LOL!)

Have you ever seen a dugout look so HOT!??  I think not … until now!  (definitely some smokin hot new lighting techniques here!)

And there was LIGHT!  Night time?  No problem for the old SS&G… new equipment = new ideas= more hours of fun photographing! (and OMWord… what about this?  Yes… it was pitch black outside and still… amazing pics… right!?)

The session was totally fun!  Bethany is of course the absolute CUTEST ever (Drew isn’t bad himself lol) and we cannot wait until their wedding day!  We know that it is going to be a truly amazing day and we are honored to be chosen to capture their wedding day memories!

SS&G’s guide to stylish attire for your engagement session- Part 2 (dos, deux, zwei, :) )

PART TWO, DOS, DEUX, ZWEI… whatever you want to call it today we are exploring more things to consider when choosing your attire for your engagement session. We, as wedding photographers, of course want you to look fabulous so that your images are stunning! There are things that you CAN do that make our job a lot easier!

To review yesterday our first three “rules” are:
1) Stay Seasonally appropriate.
2) Dress in Layers.
3) Throw Matching out the door! Complimentary is all the rage.

Today we have a few more!!

4) Consider your body type. Just because that chunky sweater, sleeveless dress or short skirt are cute on a size 0 mannequin … it doesn’t mean that they will look good on YOU. Also, just because an outfit is “cute” on you…doesn’t necessarily mean that it will photograph well! If you are paranoid of your upper arms… try a shawl, scarf, jacket or sweater. If you feel that you have thick legs… wear a longer skirt or pants. Now… every single bride I have ever had I consider to be beautiful. I am pretty sure that their husbands feel the same but let’s face it. We are women! There is always something to “work on” on our bodies!  Not every body is built for every outfit.  So too, are outfits, relational to portraits.  Not every outfit was made for every portrait!  Some prints and cuts just do not photograph as well as others.  Try to stay AWAY from loud prints, florals, colors that hurt the eye, LARGE stripes and plaids… these are all things that WILL date your images quickly.  For a style that is timeless, think J.Crew.  Most of what you will find in their catalog is monochromatic, sold or tiny print… they do this for a reason : longevity!  You know as well as I do that the classic pair of black pumps will stay on your shoe shelf a LOT longer than those laser yellow ones that you go clubbing in!  I am not saying be “boring” in your photos but when shopping, keep in mind, these are photos you will show to your children and THEIR children in years to come!

Reference this article for more information on body shapes and how to dress them: thechicfashionista

A few of my suggestions for various body types:

Rounded or Pear Shaped

When examining this look we see the PERFECT engagement photo look for a woman who loves to look “pretty” but does not care for the confines of a dress.  This look, of course, is close to my heart!  LOL  The long black pant provides an elongating effect to the body while slimming a lower half that you may not be proudest of.  The top is a fabulous “feature” piece to draw the eye upward and capture your audience with a fun, flirty look.  I also love that we stay with some pretty safe colors.  This is an outfit that you will likely look back on for many years to come and still be in love with!  For more information on this look visit: profashionelle.com

OR… if you embrace the dress here is another fabulous option:

Accessorized perfectly with the hot metallics of the season, this plum beauty accentuates the natural waist, has enough movement to hide a few flaws and would surely be a showstopper at your engagement session!  For more information on this outfit visit: INSTYLE

Hourglass shaped:

HOURGLASS IMAGES COURTESY: POLYVORE.COM

You can seldom go wrong with a dark denim wide leg trouser, some awesome accent jewelry pieces and a longer belted shirt to show off the hourglass figured woman’s impeccable waistline!  However my FAVORITE part of this outfit might well be the lime green shoes!  Perfect for an engagement shoot as they are flats but stylish enough to say… “Hey world!  Look at me!  I am getting MARRIED!” 

Yet another hourglass look.  A fun flirty colored top with puffy capped sleeve combined with a more neutral printed skirt SCREAMS style.  You can layer on a sweater later in the evening for a different look and be assured that your engagement photos will look stunning with your man by your side in his matching CAMEL jacket and dark jeans! Information on this look from:

A general way to wear a dress for all body shapes:

For more information visit wardrobe911.com

5) Be COMFORTABLE, casual but not frumpy! Yes… I encourage our couples to WEAR your jeans!  If you spend 99% of your life in them, then you should spend your engagement pics in them also.  If you FEEL like a duck out of water in high heels and a dress then you will LOOK like one in your photos.  Do what feels right you   If that is jeans… then so be it!  I have seen MANY a fabulous engagement photo with jean clad couples.  The best thing about jeans is that they are VERSATILE!  You can change your look many times and still keep the same pair of jeans on.  This makes for quick and easy changes in the car when we are on location.  Add a tank top underneath your shirt / sweater and you have an easy wardrobe that feels great and looks great too!  Do try to stay away from LARGE cable knits… unless you are 90 lbs soaking wet they cling to the body and creating unappealing lines.

and for him:

Visit denimology.com for more details!!

6) Accessorize you AND your honey. So, I have to admit, I have some of the most fabulously stylish brides in the world.  I have even seen a bride to be whip out her jewelry “closet” when she came to her engagement session and I was truly over the moon about that!  Accessories can go a long way to creating interest in your images without making them entire “dated”.  A funky pair of shoes, an awesome necklace, chunky bracelets… all of these things are great ideas for personalizing your wardrobe.  Let us NOT forget the man in your life.  It is ENTIRELY possible for men to accessorize also!  A cool pair of cufflinks, an awesome tie bar, scarf or hat even… think Neal Caffrey!

For you: Frugal Fashion Accessory Finds from Target

For him:

More details at: Men’s Fashion Deals