For this engagement session we went back to where it all began… And for Danielle and Bob that was downtown Albany, NY at the Smith Building where they both worked on the 20th floor. We took photos in a few locations in the area each one with a great back story and chosen for a specific reason, like the place they where they had their first date.
I can’t express how much I love that they chose to do their photos in such sentimental locations, rich with the history of their relationship. They met here (in this building below) in 2013 and are planning their wedding for the summer of 2018.
Scroll down to see their story unfold…
Conveniently, these two live right around the corner from the Smith Building so our time together was spent walking between locations, from Washington Park to the plaza, and enjoying the many beautiful backdrops that Albany has to offer for photographs. We had a great time exploring the tulip festival, dodging pigeons at the State Education Building, dancing in front of the Capital and walking their adorable dog Jasper through the plaza by the museum where they had their first date.
We began their engagement session at Washington Park and decided to head to the water and shoot at the playhouse first. I loved the playful colors and architecture! These two warmed up to the camera in no time, laughing hysterically and just being themselves in front of the lens.
Bob asked Danielle to marry him last year at Letchworth State Park, and boy did he pick out a beautiful ring! Knowing they are going to incorporate yellow into her wedding, she wanted some photos of her ring in the yellow tulips.
These tulips were part of the popular Tulip Festival on Mothers Day weekend in Albany. The festival is in the same park and was absolutely beautiful! The flowers added a splash of color to each image.
You can just see it in their eyes how in love they are, which is my favorite part of all of these images. The connection and love they share is so palpable and honest. This prompted me to ask Danielle how she knew Bob was “the one”…
… she told me, “It was really easy to know that he was the one when we started dating though. We just had so much fun together, and I was just so comfortable and happy whenever I was around him”.
After leaving the Tulip Festival grounds we began to walk to the State Education Building. Along the way I found this great cherry blossom tree on the side of the road and HAD to use it. Anyone who follows my work knows how much I love shooting in blossoming trees! 🙂
The education building was just as pretty as my tree though! Look at those columns!! {Swoon-worthy!}
One of the great things about the NY State Education Building (besides those beautiful columns!) is that is looks back on the Smith Building – the place these two first met! <3
Some of my favorite images are the ones below – at the NY State Capital Building. Danielle shared a few interesting history facts about this building. 1. It’s the only capital building without a dome! and 2. The reason it doesn’t have a dome is because the building itself is too heavy and was built on a hill. If they added a dome, the building would roll down the hill…. In fact it’s so heavy, they actually had to put this huge staircase on this side of the building to prevent the building from literally sliding down the hill even without the dome on it! Holy cow!
At this point in the evening, it started to look like it might rain so we ran back to their home and did an outfit change, got Jasper (their dog) on a leash and walked over to the museum where they had their first date to continue the session in more casual clothes.
Danielle told me that taking photos in front of the museum was important because of how sentimental it is to them. She said, “Looking back, we actually went on a quasi-first date there months before we started dating. Even if it wasn’t a real/ackowledged date at the time, when we look back we can both pinpoint that trip to the museum as one of the first times we both knew the other was someone we wanted to be around”.
Danielle and Bob had a collar custom made for Jasper by Bull in a Collar Shop for this session. It says “To love & to cherish” and is so incredibly special. Jasper was such a good boy and looked so handsome! <3
I’m really looking forward to their 2018 wedding in Western, NY and getting to continue to celebrate their love! This is such an amazing couple. Serious #relationshipgoals right here. Thank you for inviting me to your city, showing me around and introducing me to the best burritos around at Bombers! This was such a fantastic day!
