Ruthie & Jonah's Snowy Canterbury Shaker Village Engagement Session

Imagine. You wake up, look out the window, and see white in every direction. The ground is covered in a fresh blanket of snow, the air is full of fluffy white snowflakes floating down to the ground, and the sky is completely covered with snow-filled clouds. The only sounds you hear are the soft pit pat of snowflakes landing on the roof and the humming kshhhh of plow trucks clearing the roads. This was the winter wonderland we woke up to on the day of Ruthie & Jonah’s Engagement session!

It was quite the opposite of the day he proposed! Jonah actually gave me the honor of being present to capture their surprise proposal in Camden, ME! Click here to check our their proposal blog post! 

The day of their engagement session was the perfect day! The air was crisp and quiet as the world snuggled under the covers of white fluffy snow. Although the temperature was brisk, my heart warmed right up as soon as Jonah & Ruthie rolled into the parking lot of Canterbury Shaker Village with big youthful grins and hardy spirits ready to brave the elements!

These two have that best friend kind of love. The sparkle that fills her eyes when her eyes meet his. The childish excitement in their voices as they talk about getting married. Their playful banter. The tenderness of his hand on her back. These are the little ways their love shines through. 

Congratulations again, Jonah & Ruthie! I can’t wait for your wedding in July!

Ruthie & Jonah's Camden, ME Proposal

Anticipation and the smell of salt water wafted through the air on the dock. Their families waited with baited breath to congratulate them. Suddenly in a moment of release, the sound of cheering filled the cove as the happy couple came into view. After exchanging hugs, a few tears, and many gawking gazes at her sparkling diamond, everyone boarded the Perwinkle and leisurely laughed their way through the ocean waves to celebrate the future Mr. & Mrs.

Ruthie grew up in Camden with her family before moving to NH. So, it was fitting that Jonah surprised her here, on the very beach where she used to take elementary school trips. She thought he was at work, but he was in Camden, waiting on a quaint, idyllic beach overlooking the cove, with a blanket inscribed with their names & the date, a few framed photos of them through the years, shaking hands, sweaty palms, a boyish grin, and a glistening diamond. While I, not so gracefully, hid behind a thorn bush to capture the moment when he dropped to one knee. :)

How they chose to celebrate their engagement tells you a lot about them. Since they are at the center of two close-knit families, they spent the evening cruising the coast and eating their way through Camden with their parents and siblings. They probably would have invited all their family & friends if they could have. Because that’s just who they are- kind & loyal friends.

Sarah & Brody's Elegant Forest Wedding

What started as a blind date in the middle of the woods for some mountain biking, turned into one of the most beautiful relationships I’ve ever seen. You could feel the love and admiration when their eyes met. The intimate vows they wrote for each other so perfectly encapsulated their relationship that I decided to craft their entire video around those words. You’ll have to watch through to the end to see my two favorite moments- the kind words of confidence Sarah’s dad had for his new son-in-law and their adorable first dance as husband and wife.

Ellie & Trevor's Fall Alton Bay Engagement Session

They say opposites attract, right? Ellie will soon take an oath to help and not harm, while Trevor has a license to kill! Don’t worry, he’s only after fish & game! They both love being outside taking in God’s creation, which fuels Trevor’s love for fishing, hunting, and anything else outdoors! Ellie has an interest in photography, so we decided that once they are married, she can become a wildlife photographer while going along on all Trevor’s hunting trips! Sounds like a perfect combo to me!!

Ellie would make the perfect Disney Princess with a kind nature, a quick wit, and a sense of grace to match. In fact, she reminded me a little of Kristen Bell, in the best way possible! Although I didn’t ask her to sing “Do You Wanna Build a Snowman” (all you Frozen lovers now just what I’m talking about), I’m hopeful maybe she’ll break it out at their wedding reception! 

We could’ve walked around Alton Bay talking all evening. They are both the kind of people who just love people and have a heart to help others! After our son was born, Kaelyn & I gained a MUCH greater appreciation for nurses (more on that when we share Cal’s birth story). And, Ellie definitely seems like the type of person you want in the room when things go south! Ellie, whether you decide on labor & delivery, surgery or another specialty, the world is going to be a better place with you serving in our health care system!

Trevor, likewise, has a heart for serving people. He is currently working in sales for his future father-in-law’s business, Chapell Tractor. What I loved about his perspective on sales, is that he sees it as a way to genuinely help people. He’s not in it for the commission and you won’t see him sliding into your DM’s with a “Hey bro, how’s life,” sales-baiting message. No, he’s focused on building relationships with people, and being ready to jump in when he’s needed!

If you didn’t already pick up on it from his stylish watch, Trevor is a classy dresser. Naturally, he & I bonded over our love for JCrew (after all, half my outfit that day was JCrew), and Ellie & I bonded over photography and all the shades of blue they will have at the wedding! I mean, if you know me, you know that my blood is basically blue, so a wedding with lots of blue is definitely right up my alley!

Ellie & Trevor, thanks so much for an incredible session! I can’t wait to serve you on your wedding day at Timber Hill Farm in June!

Emma's Concord Audubon Senior Session

This girl is going places!

When she first reached out about her session, she sent me some gorgeous ideas of her vision for the session. She was looking for very natural vibes- a big field with tall grass and wildflowers. Part of me immediately panicked because the session was scheduled for September and we don’t really have lots of wildflowers blooming here in NH during the Fall.

But thankfully, God reminded me of this field I had spotted one time after going for a hike with friends in Concord, NH. (Photographers who can’t do anything in life without noticing photo spots feel this one!) When I scoped it out a few days prior to her session, I was so relieved to see all the life and color! Aaaand not to mention some gorgeous golden hour glow! I hope these photos are everything you had envisioned, Emma!

Next Fall, Emma has plans to study Nursing & Psychology at Cedarville University. From the short time I’ve spent with her, I can tell Emma is going to make an amazing nurse! She is so sweet, caring, and smart! She will be such an attentive and competent nurse and I’m so excited for her! 

Ainsley & Lily's Portsmouth Senior Session

What’s even more amazing than these two senior girls is how big their smiles are considering they are on a sugar fast with their volleyball team! If you know me, you know I love volleyball. Like, I REALLY love volleyball. But I also love ice cream. So, anyone who makes me choose between volleyball and ice cream… that person is not my friend. 

Seriously though, I’m so excited to share this senior session with you guys, because it is the first time I’ve done a shared session for two seniors! This is a brand new offering this year called the “Senior Besties Session.” I know maybe that’s not the most ‘lit’ way all the Gen-Zers would say it, but hey, I’m a 28-year-old millennial dad, so I’m aloud to be a little lame.

Ainsley & Lily were the perfect girls to launch this new offering with! It was so fun to see each of them shine through different posing. One of my favorite poses I’ve been trying with senior girls is to have them walk towards the camera and work it like their own runway! This was definitely Ainsley’s specialty! She would give Tyra Banks a run for her money! This girl owned that runway! I could tell she really loved being on camera and the camera loved her, too! 

Lily on the other hand, expressed that she was a little nervous, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by scrolling through her photos! She was a natural! The pose that made her come alive on camera was when I had her run her fingers through her bangs and look down into her elbow. I know, it sounds so weird, but look how amazing it looks on camera!

I have to officially named these poses after them. The catwalk with forever be known as “The Ainsley,” and the look down into your elbow will be known as “The Lily.” Patents pending. 

Now, your challenge is to scroll through these images and find the ones where the girls are doing their signature pose! Also, I always love to take a photo of our seniors with their mama’s at the end of the session! But you’ll have to scroll through to find those, too!

Bri & Jason's Little White Church Lakes Region NH Wedding

I promised that I’d share more of Bri & Jason’s story, so here it is along with ALL my favorites from their wedding. (Disclaimer: there are a LOT of favorites, so you might want to stretch your scrolling finger before proceeding). But seriously, this wedding was a dream come true for so many reasons, so make sure to take scrolling breaks to find out why below!

Jason first spotted Bri when she was lifeguarding at the Alton Bay docks. He didn’t approach her then, but when she popped up as a friend suggestion on Facebook, he figured out what church she must go to because of their mutual friends. Then, all he had to do was conveniently shows up at her church, so they could meet. Bri remembers that he definitely caught her eye when she saw him from the platform as she sang with a group of friends. Fast forward to their engagement, they got engaged right by the same dock where Jason first spotted her lifeguarding! Click here to see their engagement photos and the very spot that he popped the question! Doesn’t God write the best love stories?

All of the locations for the day were a dream for this natural light photographer! Bri and her girls got ready at the top of this gorgeous ‘tower’ at Camp Maranatha in New Durham. The room had huge windows on all sides letting in floods of gorgeous light! It gave their photos the dreamiest bridal glow!

From there, we headed to the property of friends of the bride for some epic portraits on a rock formation with a view of the mountains behind them. Another nerdy dream come true for me was the perfect light layer of clouds perfectly diffusing the mid-day sunlight for the lightest and airiest photos!

Another amazing part of their wedding story was how they landed on a ceremony location. The mother of the bride recounts how she wished she and her husband could have gotten married at this cute little white church in New Durham way back when. It didn’t work out for them because their wedding was in November and the church wasn’t heated.

Bri had dreams of getting married in the same church, too, but COVID restrictions got in the way so she booked another location. Less than a week before the wedding, I got a message from Bri. With COVID restrictions starting to lift, the little white church was allowing them to get married there! So, they quickly made necessary changes and I’m SO glad it worked out! Check out this adorable space! It was so full of light, elegance, and my favorite- New England charm!

Then, there’s the get-a-way car! The bride’s cousin was able to secure this bad boy from his boss and then, he even fulfilled the roll of a dapper chauffeur!

Two things that are very special to the bride’s family are: Camp Maranatha and fresh flowers. Bri’s family has volunteered countless hours at this camp, so it was only fitting to hold the wedding reception here. Fresh flowers have been part of many special family traditions and this wedding was no exception. The Mother of the Bride (along with some other family helpers) ran all around New Hampshire to find these gorgeous blooms and arranged all the floral decorations, including Bri’s bouquet!

Also, you’ll see one shot here of Bri & Jason making ice cream sundaes for each other. They both love ice cream (obviously, one of the main reasons we connected with them!), so they did this in lieu of smashing wedding cake. I loved this personal touch and didn’t complain at all about ice cream sundaes!

We connected with Bri & Jason right away over our mutual love for ice cream, Alton Bay, NH and so many more things! When I first talked to Bri, she told me that she remembers Kaelyn & I from our time working at The Wilds of New England. I spent 4 summers working on staff there, and Bri happened to be a camper the summer after Kaelyn and I got married. She remembered seeing us walk around the campsite holding hands and it left an impression on her. I had no idea that little action would make an impact, never mind introduce us to such a sweet bride & groom someday. I’m so thankful how God works!