After months of planning, Alyssa and Cody were finally back in town and we got to meet up to take their engagement photos . . . and let me just say, I am SO excited for their wedding!
Alyssa and I were friends in elementary school and junior high, but once I transferred states to a different high school, we fell apart. Cody entered the picture once this happened and they've now been together for the past four years.
Since they've been together, they've lived in Ohio, Michigan, and now Mississippi. Eventually they would like to move back to the Cincinnati area to be closer to family, but for now they enjoy the new adventures each place brings.
For their session, we wanted to stay local and ended up visiting a few of my favorite locations. While it was bright and sunny at first, clouds soon moved in and we could tell that rain may be coming.
However, we got lucky and it held out on us! The overcast sky created such flawless natural lighting and we spent the afternoon dancing around having fun.
Before meeting up with these two, I joked that none of the locations I typically shoot at actually have an address. In these photos we were actually standing on the side of the road watching the cars flow past.
While we were taking this ring shot, someone just happened to beep at us and we ended up with a pretty fun shot of Cody looking slightly embarrassed and Alyssa laughing at the reality of our location choice. Obviously we had a lot of fun :)
Soon after we decided to switch outfits into something a little more formal. I mentioned that these two move around pretty often, but I didn't say why! Cody is actually in the Coast Guard and travels when he is needed somewhere new.
Beautiful location, beautiful people. These two together, taking on the world.
The longer you shoot, the more you get comfortable in front of the camera. You can tell that Cody and Alyssa started warming up to the idea of being models and their photos really started to capture the small giggles and sneaky kisses they shared.
I always say that my favorite part about being a photographer is being able to communicate and tell someone else's story. This time, I think these two did a great job telling their own story. Lots of warm & fuzzy and happy ever after.
Aside from watching them interact with each other in front of the camera, it was so much fun watching how they interacted with each other when my camera was off. They have so many memories and stories together and both of them are so excited to continue making even more in the future.
Because they currently live so far away from their families, Cody proposed to Alyssa in Nashville (about halfway between Ohio and Mississippi) so that both of their families could be there to celebrate. And let's all just take a second to appreciate her ring!
After finishing up at this location, we headed to the final destination. At this point, they had really warmed up in front of the camera and were so much more comfortable and natural. It also helps that Cody got to pick the last outfit, and he went with something super casual, and SUPER cute. I mean, look at them!!
They decided to rep Cody's favorite team, even down to the shoes.
We had SO much fun with these last few photos and it makes me so excited to shoot their wedding next September!
I had a blast seeing Alyssa again and finally being able to meet Cody. Their session was SO much fun and I'm so excited for them to be able to see the rest of their photos! The next year will fly by, and I can't wait to see them again on their big day!