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Creative Carlisle Engagement Photographers: Kim & Alex

You won’t want to miss this colorful, day out on the town with creative soulmates, Alex & Kim…
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Kim and Alex shared, “We chose you as a photographer because we could see the passion you have for photography in your work. You have a unique way of taking photos, you make the photos feel alive and capture the perfect moments.  Your work is more art than just snapping photos of a happy couple. Your photos are unique and you really take the time to know the couple and what would work best for them. You are a true artist and that was what made us want to choose you above anyone else.”
Thanks so much!  I knew that Kim and Alex love color and creativity and a downtown atmosphere.   Kim had also mentioned having this ‘thing’ for Europe, France in particular.  They were flexible on the engagement session location, and I really felt like downtown Carlisle would be the perfect fit for them.  There is colorful Pomfret Street, Helena’s Chocolate Cafe and Creperie, and Trattoria Piatto to mention a few.   They would have the colorful downtown vibe and architecture as well as a little European flare.
Shooting mid-day on a bright, sunny blue-sky day allowed me to access the vibrant colors, high contrast and shadows that you see in this set.  I love to play with perspective and color like I did with the opening photo showing one of the miniature carousel horses that grace the Pomfret Street shops. I love the interesting textures, shadows and lines in this next photograph…
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Kim shared, “Alex and I met in high school baking class! When I saw him I was immediately drawn to him and wanted to get to know him. He was (and still is) lively and confident. He is outgoing, kind and has a magnetic personality. What’s not to fall in love with there?”
She continued, “Alex is supportive, loving, and he’s always there for me when I need him. He allows me to be the person I’ve always wanted to be.  He is funny and I love to spend time with him.  Alex truly is my best friend.”
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Alex shared, “Kim was quiet and mysterious when we first met. She was definitely someone that I wanted to get to know more. We lost contact for almost a year after high school because I was a year ahead of her, but we connected on Facebook and started talking a little bit more. We went on our first date and she really opened up and was interesting and sweet. At the end of the date I literally asked her to be my girlfriend! We’ve been together since that day!”
I think this photo captures that more quiet, mysterious side of Kim and how much Alex loves her!
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Kim shared, “Alex has always been creative. From playing music to his doodles, he’s always had something artistic going on. As much as I feel I’m not artistic, I too have always veered towards the creative aspects of life. I respect Alex for what he does, I’m his biggest fan. He’s self-taught in playing guitar, bass, and keyboard, and he can also sing. It’s very rare that he shares his work, so I feel lucky that he always wants to share that with me. He’s also great with poems and songs. The best gift he’s given me was this past Christmas. He surprised me with a poem he wrote for me and it was fantastic. It actually made me cry!”
I thought that this Vintage movie theater marquee of the Carlisle Theater and the fact that it had classic American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash who is known for his gritty vocals and guitar was really perfect for these two.  Here they walk arm in arm towards Helena’s Chocolate Cafe and Creperie.
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Kim shared about her love of France.  “I have always wanted to go to France and studied French for six years.  I have always loved the beauty of vintage and antique styles from the late 1800’s early 1900’s, especially in architecture and art. I love vibrant colors and contrast, especially as seen in artwork of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. If I could choose one time in history to experience it would be Montmartre during that time period.  The next best thing would be visiting there now.”
I like the colorful trim and interesting shadows on the brick building below.
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I wanted to show a close up shot of the macaroons on the shelf and the happy couple enjoying them simultaneously.  When I showed them this shot on the back of my camera, they laughed out loud and thought I was just photographing the macaroons!  I love playing with silhouettes and pushing myself creatively.
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Kim shared about their proposal, “Before we got engaged, Alex had said that he would propose to me at the Eiffel Tower because he knows how much I would love that! With that, I wasn’t expecting to get engaged for a while, haha, because going to Paris is more of a dream vacation than a realistic one at this point in our lives.”
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Kim continued, “I came home one night and opened the door to find a completely romantic atmosphere– candles filled the room and Alex was standing there dressed nicely and looking nervous. He told me he was almost done cooking us a meal.  He took my hands and was talking about life together and how happy he was.”
She went on, “He asked me what was at the top of the Eiffel Tower painting… it was an engagement ring!  When I turned around I saw him down on one knee!”
Alex said, “I know I told you I’d propose to you at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, but this is the best I can do for now.  Kim shared, “His proposal was thoughtful, romantic, intimate and real– it really was perfect!”
For me this image captures the thoughtfulness and creativity of Alex’s proposal.  They are inside a cafe in Pennsylvania, but the reflection literally surrounding them shows a building that could easily be constructed in the late 1800’s and a streetlamp that could be in Montmartre  ;).
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We visited Trattoria Piatto and timed it to be when they were between lunch and dinner service.  The staff and owner were so welcoming!   The owner, Ross Morris, brought out a bottle of Prosecco, compliments of the house!  Piatto is one of my favorite local restaurants– perfect for date night! carlisle-york-harrisburg-central-pa-best-wedding-engagement-photographers-colorful-vibrant-artistic-creative-9
Kim explained, “I think what makes Alex and I work well together is that we constantly have fun together. We are complete opposites in every way, but we still manage to find ways to come together and share laughs.”
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I love the high-contrast, vibrant vintage Italian art gracing the red walls of Piatto.  I like to play with reflections and caught this one of the two of them and the bar here.
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I asked them what their secrets were to a long lasting relationship.  They said, “Mutual respect, never going to bed angry, always saying ‘I love you’ and cooking together.”
Kim shared, “One of my favorite things that Alex does is whenever I am about to say something, but forget what I was going to say, he responds with: ‘I love you, too.'”
My favorite booth!  I love everything about it from the framing to the vibrant pop of red and high contrast black and white accents to the candle-light in the foreground!
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Alex shared, “We have the kind of love that you just know is there.  You look into each other’s eyes and see it.  We can’t get enough of each other!”
Ah love!  Here I created this bubbly, sparkly look in camera to capture a mixture of the feeling of being in love with Prosecco, hehe!
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Thank you Kim and Alex for choosing to share your story with me and capture this time in your life with you! I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with you and hope that these are just the sort of creative, fun, colorful, unique images you were both looking for!
Thank you to Party of Four, owners for Helena’s Creperie and Tratioria Piatto for allowing us to explore and photograph your locations on a Monday afternoon and to Pomfret Street for always being so colorful, cute, interesting and walkable!
I’m looking forward to photographing Kim & Alex’s wedding at The Bond in York, Pennsylvania.

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