I’m a night owl, but boy do I love sunrise sessions! Once I’m up and on my way there, shooting at sunrise is always so inspiring – the light is beautiful, the atmosphere is typically pretty quiet and serene, and there’s an extra sense of excitement for how the shoot will go because the day hasn’t worn us down yet. That’s exactly how I felt going into this engagement session in Washington, DC with Kristen and Michael and we ended up having such a lovely time!

I was extra excited for this session because Kristen’s dress is so cute! I loved the unique floral design, the shape was very flattering on her, and it has a timeless silhouette/style. Paired with the chic nude heels and Michael’s neutral palette with his outfit, it was the perfect fit for an early summer engagement session.

Kristen and Michael spent most of their relationship living in the DC area and wanted to memorialize that through their engagement photos which I thought was so sweet, especially since they’re having their wedding back in her home state of Pennsylvania. Part of what makes a DC engagement session so fun is the variety of locations we have all within walking distance for an hour-long session! We started at the Tidal Basin, enjoying the golden sun spilling through the cherry trees and reflecting off the water. We worked our way north, stopping for photos along the way – the stone seating area by the MLK Memorial, the beautiful columns of the DC War Memorial (especially valuable now with the Jefferson Memorial undergoing renovations), a stunning grove of trees just beyond the Reflecting Pool where the golden light was pouring out behind Kristen and Michael, and finally the WWII Memorial with it’s perfect view of the Washington Monument in the background. Kristen and Michael are also history enthusiasts, so photos at the WWII Memorial was a fun little nod to their upcoming wedding day – it’s the anniversary of Victory in Europe Day marking the end of World War II.

Kristen is the childhood friend of a friend of mine, which is how we first connected. In fact, it’s very likely we were in the same room together at some point before this session, as our mutual friend has hosted a few sizable parties over the years. I love getting to connect with people in this way – it’s fun to make new friends and work with new clients who are connected to people I already love! It’s extra fun knowing that next time I go to a party hosted by our mutual friend (or in this case specifically, a wedding this fall if all goes well!) I’ll get to reconnect with a client that I enjoyed working with – which doesn’t happen very often otherwise. Regardless, I’m excited to see their wedding photos next spring!