Kasia and Mat planned their Cooper Marsh engagement session for an evening in June because they wanted some warmth and sunshine in their photos. Pretty sound logic, right? After a spell of beautifully warm early-summer weather, their session ended up falling on the one evening that was so cold I wore a down vest so that I didn’t freeze. Fortunately, these two are so good at cuddling up that you’d never know it was freezing to look at the two of them in their photos. On the bright side, at least they didn’t have to contend with mosquitoes at the marsh. ;)
Kasia had done a great job of familiarising herself with my work before she and Mathieu booked me for their wedding. I’ve worked with members of Mat’s extended family on multiple occasions, both for weddings and family work, so there was a certain level of familiarity, even though we didn’t really know each other yet. When we got rolling with the session, I dove straight in because we had some pockets of dramatic light, so there was no “warm up” for these two. As a result, we were experimenting and trying to fit into little sun spots right from the start. At one point, when I was clinging to a willow branch for balance while hovering above them while they squished together onto a rock, we shared a laugh over the fact that the photos Kasia had seen didn’t always do justice to the awkwardness that goes into making them. :P
Cooper Marsh can be a challenge for engagement photos. The tall railing of the boardwalk can cut through pictures in unattractive ways and isn’t stable enough to support body weight in many places, so getting higher angles can be pretty tricky. The good news is that is has all kinds of tucked away spots that offer way more interesting options, and we spent our evening exploring those. I fell in love with the fern grove that we found, and some of my favourite photos of these two came from that spot.
One of the great things of working with these two, besides the way they playfully tease each other and the way that Mat’s arms wrap so perfectly around Kasia, is the crinkle that appears at the corners of Mat’s eyes when he laughs with Kasia. It’s endearing and genuine, and makes me smile every time I see it.
This session gave me a little hint at the magic that was to come from their August wedding – one of our favourite, moment-filled days from last year. Here’s a look at a few favourite frames.
I’m Ang – a Cornwall, Ontario-based photographer with a passion for capturing light and photographing the natural chemistry between couples. I love working in a natural environment and challenging myself to capture the scene in creative ways. Engagement sessions are a chance to go adventuring and they often include a starting point or idea and then we see where the evening takes us. Whether you’re looking for a Cooper Marsh engagement session like these two or wintry engagement photos, start here to see more examples of what can come from our time together.
