Sudha + Andrew: Philadelphia Engagement Shoot

Yesterday after we all got home from work, and it seemed that the predicted rain was not to be, I got a chance to take my housemate Sudha and her fiance Andrew out for a brief engagement shoot. Part of the reason that Ben and I get along so well with Sudha and Andrew that our personalities all seem to be foils of each other. Andrew and I have similar personalities and Sudha and Ben are more like each other. So while Andrew and I have had many in depth discussions about planning our respective weddings, Sudha (and sometimes Ben) like to pretend there is nothing to plan.


Sudha's first request for the engagement shoot was that she would like to not have to touch Andrew. We gently reminded her that despite her distaste for PDA, since it is an engagement shoot, some physical contact with Andrew may be necessary. In the end she came around and we got a few nice shots...including one of her (gasp!) kissing Andrew!

We started in a park that Sudha and Andrew had help rebuild. Here is Sudha's idea of the perfect engagement portrait: her in the front in focus, Andrew blurry in the background.

It look some coaxing to get Sudha to this point, but she finally admitted that she does like Andrew, and she gave in to relaxing a little and having some fun. Thank you Sudha!

Philadelphia Wedding Photography: Beth + Patrick

Beth & Patrick tied the knot last Saturday at the Japanese Tea House in Fairmount Park. Their whole day was simple and elegant, and it fit them perfectly. With just 10 wedding guests and a Quaker ceremony, it was definitely our most unique wedding of the year. Matt and I really enjoyed this opportunity.

One of our favorite things about Beth and Patrick is that they are our first Fairmount couple, so not only were we actually able to walk to this wedding, but they also share our love for this neighborhood with it's neat rowhomes, treelined streets and friendly atmosphere. Matt snagged this shot outside their house.

Matt had to scramble around the perimeter of the garden and through some trees for the next two shots, but I think it was totally worth it.

The grounds were so beautiful and we could not have asked for better weather. I'm pretty sure we could have spent the whole day taking photos.

Here's another shot by Matt. The Koi Pond is one of their favorite parts of the Tea House.

All 10 of their guests were transported to and from the wedding in a trolley. After the wedding, Beth and Patrick took their family on a quick tour of some of their favorite places in the city.

Goodbye summer

It feels like summer had hardly begun this year before it was declared "over." Heck, my dahlia plant, which is supposed to bloom in late summer, just got its first bud last week. So I'm going to insist that summer hang around at least through the end of September to ensure that we get our fair due of sunny days and warm weather. I'm not quite ready to let go...

Here are a few shots of my friends' son during our long weekend at their lake house in NY. This was the only sunny day of our trip, but it was still a pretty entertaining time.