This is the note that started it all– you won’t want to miss this romantic, small town engagement of these two Shippensburg high school sweethearts…

It was senior year and Cory had a crush on Darren.  He didn’t seem to notice the hints that she dropped, so she decided to take matters into her own hands.
She wrote him a note.  It basically stated that she’d like to go out sometime, but if he didn’t feel the same, she’d appreciate if he’d just pretend that the whole thing never happened.
Well the note worked and they did go out on that date, and many more.  I was so tickled that they brought the actual note to their engagement session– so cool!

Several years passed, and Darren wanted to ask Cory to be his wife.  He wanted to give a nod to the start of their relationship, so he wrote a note of his own!
He substituted “I like you” with “I love you” and “go out with me sometime” for “marry me sometime” and kept the part about “If you don’t (feel the same) just pretend it never happened.”
This has to be one of the sweetest ideas I have ever seen…

Darren and Cory live in the same small town as me, and have been following my work for years.  There were several things that they particularly liked about my style that they hoped to see in their engagement photos.
They are both “techies” and appreciate my use creative use of photography techniques like my use of different lenses and shutter speed.  They also like the way I artistically capture emotion.  Cory especially liked the idea of having engagement photos that have a soft, airy, almost fairy-tale feeling.
They also mentioned liking the eclectic mix of photos that I capture for my clients– some more artful, some more traditional.  Here is a traditional portrait where I used a wide-open aperture to capture the light filtering through the tree leaves creating smooth, buttery circles in the background.  In short it is a classic portrait with that soft, warm look that Cory enjoys…

In the month leading up to Cory and Darren’s engagement session I photographed couples in Annapolis, Philadelphia and DC, so having to travel less than one mile from my home to photograph their engagement was kind of amazing.
They chose Dykeman’s Spring for several reasons.  Cory  wanted a location with a natural, romantic, fairytale feeling and thought that the nature trail there would be perfect.  They also wanted to choose a location in their hometown that had some history.   What better place than the location of their pre-prom photos years before?
I really flexed my creative muscles for this next photo.  I like to use reflections because they convey a surreal, dream-like feeling, which is very much what it can feel like to be in love…

I also like shooting through elements that give the photo a more intimate feel like we are watching from afar.  In this case I climbed a bit of a hill and shot through a branch with young, Spring leaves against a vibrant leafy background.

Remember when?  As they walked under the railroad tracks they reminisced about the 48 hour Film Project that they had created there together years before.

I love to use creative exposures as well.  I like seeing their shadowy silhouettes in stark contrast to the natural world climbing about in the background.
I also like the contrast of their joyful expressions being in shadow and the light from the stream below creating dancing sunbeams on the curved tunnel overhead.

Cory and Darren like to get dressed up when they go out, so they embraced the chance to dress up for their engagement photography session with open arms.
I love the bright color of her dress and the flow of it when she twirls :).

Darren shared that most important to him beyond all of the cool photo techniques was capturing Cory in the way that he sees her.   Cory shared that Darren is her best friend.  The first person she thinks about when she wakes up and the last person she’s thinking about when she goes to sleep.  This next photo really captures that for me…

Darren said that her laugh is the best, that it is almost musical.  He loves that she is the kind of girl who owns “The Zombie Survival Guide” and isn’t afraid of bushwacking her way through the woods, but yet is feminine, charming and understands his sense of humor…

Darren and Cory both love adventure and fantasy.  Again I love the way a reflection can read other worldly….

Darren said that he considers Cory his partner in all things, adventures and hardships.  I like the way they hold each other’s hand:
They spent the entire session just walking though a little trail surrounding the spring, but I wanted to end with a bang!  We climbed up to the top of a hill just as the sun was setting.
I love the comfortable, relaxed feeling of this photograph.  You can sense it from the overgrown brush to the right and Cory & Darren’s body language to the left.
Darren & Cory, it has been such a pleasure to watch the two of you grow up in our community and I am so excited to be invited to attend that next big milestone with you– your wedding day!!!