Samantha + Justin | Engaged | The Lange Farm

Couples, Destination, Engagement, Travel

July 21, 2017

Samantha & Justin | Engaged
The Lange Farm | Dade City, Florida
July 15th, 2017

I need to start this by telling you how excited I am to finally being able to catch up with work and share this blog. I absolutely adore these photos and this couple and I know that you all will too!

A while back, in April to be exact, I had the insane pleasure of putting together a styled bridal shoot and a re-envisioned wedding shoot with some good friends, family, and a team of phenomenal vendors at one of my favorite venues to date- The Lange Farms. Those shoots were both picked up for publications by some of the best publishers in our local area (in fact- the wedding couple’s images still haven’t been blogged here because they are currently being prepared for publication by Gulf Coast Bride and Southern Bride!) and because of those publications, Samantha saw my work and fell in love with it.

She and Justin reached out to me back at the beginning of the summer and ran into some family health issues so we put the planning on pause until we knew what was going on. Once things were back in swing, we had a Skype date (which I LOVE and HIGHLY recommend doing if you are unable to meet in person!) and instantly hit it off. I feel like I am probably going to be friends with these guys forever; Or at least a long time!

I was headed down to South Florida pretty quickly after they booked so we went ahead and planned for me to do their engagement session while I was in town. Let me tell you- these guys were troopers and I am convinced that Justin has some kind of modeling experience in his past because he was all about it! It was hot. I MEAN HOT. (I feel like everyone assumes hot just means warm. It doesn’t. It means- sticky, sweaty, humid, difficult to breathe, HOT.) and not once did they complain! Though, we did break for water and A/C a couple of times!

I talked with Samantha and Justin at the beginning of the shoot and explained to them that more than likely, I don’t actually want them looking at me. I want them to keep their eyes on each other and keep one point of contact at all times. Samantha was relieved after the first set of images we took because “the nerves and pressure fell off”! THAT IS EXACTLY HOW IT SHOULD BE!

I am so honored to work with amazing, beautiful, loving couples and it is my goal to ensure that they have a good time, have fun, and look good while doing it! We laughed for what seemed like hours. A few times we cried. But at the end of the session I told them my WHY.

WHY is it so important to me to not just POSE but CONNECT with my clients?
Well, here’s why:

I believe that it is my DUTY and HONOR to provide you with an EXPERIENCE not just a photo. Anyone can take a pretty photo. Anyone can pick up a camera and snap a button. SOME can even do that well! (hehe) But my job is to provide you with something that you will want to look back on and remember in 40+ years.

I want to know that when you receive your images, you don’t just critique how they look but you remember how you FELT in those moments. You remember the silly tickle fights and retelling your proposal story. You remember the words he said when he told you how proud he was of you and why. I want you to remember the words you spoke as you told each other what you meant to one another.

I want these images to not just be a memory to look back on in 40 years, either. I want them to be a tangible, daily, reminder of why you chose the person you chose. There will be days when that answer seems blurry and you have all but given up. It is my hope that you see one of these images and remember this moment in time and that it brings the strength to persevere so that you can make it to your 40th anniversary and celebrate the enduring love you share.