Latoya and Jonathan were referred to me by my friend, Johnny Jones of Zoe Pictures, who was working on switching to just videography rather than photography and videography at the same time. We met at my studio to show them my work, products (sample Albums, Guestbooks, Wooden USB drive, Canvases, Framed Photographs, Wooden Photographs, Save-The-date cards, Thank You Cards among other items) and pricing. We talked about different things and I realized that Jonathan was a Software Tester. I used to work as a Software Developer/Tester, so we related on that level. Latoya also mentioned that she grew up in a small farming town called Snowhill. She had this really calm demeanor. One of the things that I loved about them was how Latoya stayed snuggled on Jonathan for a large part of the time that we were together. 🙂 I loved the calm exuberance of their love!! Anyways, they immediately decided to go with me for the Wedding Photography. We signed the contract and we planned to set up a day for their Engagement Session.
I wanted their Engagement Session to be as soon as possible but Latoya did not like the idea of shooting in cold weather so she voted for next Spring instead of that Fall/Winter. 🙂 We went back and forth a bit on location and they ended up choosing the North Carolina JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh and then planned to head to Downtown Raleigh afterward. I hadn’t shot there yet, so I was excited and nervous at the same time. I was looking forward to shooting in a garden setting.
On that beautiful Spring afternoon, in March on the Engagement Session day, they arrived in their semi-casual attire looking beautiful and ready. We immediately started few feet away from the parking lot and took it from there. We walked around photographing as inspired. The flowers hadn’t bloomed yet like I had hoped but we made the best of it and created some beautiful shots! It was still a little too cold for Latoya but we made it work as Jonathan and I teased her about that. And hey, Jonathan was there for her with his warmth. 🙂 I loved their calm yet fun romantic love!! They had this serene intimacy about their love that I found amazingly fascinating!! At some point, rain started drizzling but we were ready with an umbrella. We incorporated it into the session creating some romantic shots. 🙂 After shooting for a while, we moved to Downtown Raleigh where they changed to their formal attire looking elegant. I usually recommend at least one causal (or semi casual) attire and one formal attire. We started at a spot that I had seen some time ago and told myself that I would photograph a couple there some day. Latoya and Jonathan were ready and we walked around Moore Square. We created some creative and beautiful images to last for generations to come!
Afterward, they ordered 100 Save-The-Date cards to their package. They chose a photo from their session and I designed and printed their magnetic Save-The-Date cards. I have a photo of what it looked like as the last photo below.
Looking forward to their Wedding in October at the Grand Marquis Ballroom in Raleigh/Garner as I hope you enjoy their love story below!!
Jonathan blowing some warmth to keep her warm in the cold. LOL
Gotta have a selfie! 🙂
And here is what their Save-the-Date card that I designed looked like:
