People in love before they put on wedding gear = win!

Aaron’s Picks:

I love weddings but engagements are by far my favorite group. Nothing beats photoshoots without limits and most weddings just don’t fit in that category. It’s also one of the hardest to narrow down. I could have easily done a top 100, but here’s 10.

#1.

Heather’s Picks:

I somehow managed to pluck 10 images out of nearly 800 sitting in our “Engagement favorites 2009” folder (true story). That deserves a reward!

Some highlights:

While the “gun” shot didn’t make it very high in the final ranking, I absolutely love to watch people’s reaction to this image! It totally captures the fact that we’ll do anything that’s personal for an e-session.

The cigar pic – UGH! I really regret that I couldn’t be there to shoot Alyson and Eric’s e-session. So jealous of this image!

I’m calling the Colorado picks a tie because they’re equally awesome. Travel e-sessions may be our true calling.

And topping the list: the only e-session we’ve ever shot at our house with two of the most fun-loving people on the planet. The backyard water games may not have been Rob and Stef’s idea, but they embraced it … and rocked it. Enough said.  

#1.

It’s been a few weeks since we closed the books on 2009, but it’s still fresh in our mind. We decided a few years ago to recap the closing year with a Best of series from everything we shot. It’s always and interesting and a much debated topic in the Hawes household. While Aaron and I agree on many things, our favorite images from a given year are not in that category. We’ll give you an overview of our thoughts for each category, but you want the real low down ask in person sometime.

Now to the good stuff! We’re bringing you around 10 of our favorite images in 8 categories: best of the rest, e-sessions, getting ready, ceremony, details, reception, wedding party and the couple.

So stay tuned!

Oh and feel free to leave comments agreeing with any of my picks. If you happen to agree with Aaron, feel free to keep that to yourself…

Aaron’s Picks:

I love “the rest” because it encapsulates well… everything besides our wedding couples. Getting outside weddings is a joy as I really love anything involving portraiture. Much like Heather I’ll have an order to the rest of this series but not today, how do you compare oranges to pears? Enjoy my favs, which much to Heather’s dismay, are waaaaaay better than hers. You know it and I know it… enough said.

Heather’s Picks:

Best of the rest is such a mixed bag: seniors, boudoir, models, lifestyle and <you> session shots. It’s not like we’re comparing apples to apples here. So my picks tended to be fall into what captures that type of session the best. So you’ll see that I think boudoir can be super sexy without showing a lot skin. You’ll see the some family moments are simple and priceless. And you’ll see that seniors are a strange combo of coolness and vulnerability. Also, unlike other categories, I’m not ranking these.

Our second to last wedding of 2009 found us driving through the night to St. Louis after a Kansas City wedding on Saturday. While we’ve sworn off ever doing that ever again, I have to say that it was totally worth it to be a part of Elliott and Elise’s wedding day.

They charmed us from the get go with the visions of a home spun affair, and they did not disappoint! The entire event was a clear labor of love that involved the whole family.  Elise planned every detail from the mismatched napkins, mason jars of wildflowers stacked on old books, delicious soup bar and hand-crafted programs.  Her family eagerly pitched in with homemade soups, desserts, ice cream from her parent’s ice cream shop, AND heartfelt statements during the ceremony.

And, of course, Elliott and Elise were a wonderful mix of sweetness and love. Shooting them on an unseasonably warm November Sunday was the perfect ending to a crazy wedding season. Enjoy!

Behind the camera: Aaron can shoot and walk at the same time! And I ruin a perfectly good “senior portrait picture” by sticking my tongue out.

I know the endless days of grey can be frustrating but I truely love the fog. So isolating and peaceful. Every year I set a resolution to shoot more for the fun of it so I started today. Enjoy.

By the way, I’ve been thinking about setting a gallery of limited run fine art prints. Any interest?

When we booked Nick and Gannet’s wedding, they were planning to travel from Washington, DC, to Gannet’s home in Columbia for Thanksgiving. We knew it was possibly the only chance we’d have to meet them in person and shoot engagement pictures before their June wedding. Thankfully they were up for just about anything and were unfazed at our suggestion to meet somewhere between KC and Columbia. We really didn’t have a defined plan, but whenever we drive to St. Louis we admire the beauty of the flats that sit next to the Missouri river (right before you get to Les Bourgeouis winery if you’re heading east). Not knowing exactly what we’d find, we set the shoot for exit 111.  The woodsy location, early morning light, and Nick and Gannet were all fantastic! Maybe we should rethink how we choose e-session locations… anyone up for a shoot at a random I-70 exit? Enjoy! 

Behind the camera: Aaron doing his thing.  

Matt and Katie love to laugh. They laughed through their ceremony as a family friend read excerpts they wrote about each other. They laughed on the way to Kauffman Garden in the back of our Jeep as we played chauffer folowing a minor snafu with the vintage rental car. They laughed when the rental car company arrived at the garden with three vintage cars for them to choose from for their ride to the reception. And, of course, they laughed through the heartfelt toasts given by many friends and relatives at the reception.

We loved capturing those laughs.

Church: Church of the Nativity

Flowers: Craig Sole Designs

Reception Venue: Leawood South Country Club

Cake: Dragonfly Bakery

Behind the camera: A broken down car doesn’t stop us for long. Is that a willow tree? Let’s shoot under it. It’s amazing how the right angle can leave out … whatever that metal thing is on the left.