Meet Melissa + Pete! 
These two met up with me in Ithaca, NY on a hot sunshiney day for their engagement session. It was one of those days where the sun was extra bright and the shadows extra deep. This can be an obstacle lighting course for a lot of photographers but I have to be honest, I LOVE IT. Working in the high sun creates that light, airy ambiance that I’m always chasing.
We started out walking down the creek. Poor Pete had to keep taking off his shoes and then putting them on and then taking them off and then putting them on. He never complained once though! I was just a tiny bit nervous walking through the water with my camera for fear that a snake might surprise me. (Let me make this clear, I am NOT afraid of snakes! I just don’t like when they see me before I see them.) There were no critters to surprise us though and the walk down the creek was definitely worth it! I love these shots of Melissa and Pete in the water! 
In fact, I loved pictures of them in the water SO much, I pretty much just kept them in there the majority of the time. Melissa and Pete were super adventurous! They didn’t turn down one idea and when I suggested we hike up into the gorges, they were all about it. 
I love this picture below. It looks like something out of a fairy tale!
Melissa + Pete wanted to find a good spot for a dip! By dip I mean the kind where you dance, not the kind where you swim. However! If Melissa and Pete had suggested jumping in the water for part of their engagement session, I absolutely would have been like “YUP!!” But the dancing dip was just as good.
Melissa ventured out first and she looked so beautiful in her prink dress set against the backdrop of a waterfall so I yelled out to her to spin. I love, love, love these pictures of Melissa!
The dip! This picture literally gave me goosebumps. I love the drama of a good dip but I wanted to try something different. I told Pete and Melissa to hold very still and I opened my shutter up. The result had my stomach bursting with butterflies! I couldn’t even contain myself. With my arms lit up with goosebumps, I showed Melissa + Pete as well. This is normally a “no, no” in photographer world but I make up my own rules! THEY HAD TO SEE RIGHT AWAY! lol This shot will go down in history as one of my most favorites. It’s pictures like this that give me complete confirmation that I am right where I need to be. Creating goes soul deep and this stuff just makes me SO stinkin’ happy!
Melissa + Pete brought along some champagne to celebrate! (Side note: We are all very eco friendly people and no littering was done in the park. All wrappers and corks were contained and disposed of properly!)
I knew that they wanted to celebrate with a bottle of champagne but had no idea they had brought along pretty champagne flutes as well. It was such a nice touch to the end of our session. 
Melissa + Pete are getting married at the Lakewatch Inn in Ithaca, NY this November. I am so excited to be the photographer for their special day!
