Bruce Plotkin Photography

With the amazing weather we’ve had for the past week, it’s almost hard to remember the endless, cold, storm-filled days of this winter past. But it was in the midst of that dark and dreary February, in fact just a day before Valentine’s day, that Jordana and Brad payed me a visit for their engagement session. And troopers that they are it didn’t take much convincing to get them to go outside for a few, but very quick moments in the snow, some of which are pictured here. With their wedding now less than two weeks away I thought it was just the time to give you a glimpse of our short session together as well as to tell you the charming story of the wonderfully fun and very much in love Jordana and Brad, in her own words (all “smileys” attributed to the author):

“We both grew up in Trumbull but never went to school together because we were five years apart. I was living in Atlanta after college and he moved there for a job. We were each on “JDAte” and saw that we were both from Connecticut, so we got in touch and realized we were actually from the same town and figured we should meet up. I thought he was nice but too shy, so I didn’t pursue it again, and he took the hint, but a few months later we started “IM’ing” and met up for drinks-where I talked AT him for a couple hours and decided he is a great listener, I should date him. So we started dating at the same time that he got a transfer to the NYC office, and about 8 months after he moved I followed him back home.

I had already had my mom get the “dirt” on him before we went on our first date, so I spent the whole dinner pretending to randomly ask if he knew certain people from Trumbull, knowing fully well that he did, and then watching his surprised reaction as he discovered how many people we know in common”

I mean, how can you not love these guys? I know I do, and I can’t wait until their wedding on the 17th. Stay tuned!

We call them engagement sessions, or “e” sessions for short. But really, more than anything, they’re “get to know you” photo shoots. An opportunity for me to spend an hour or two (or sometimes a day) with our soon to be bride and groom, for me to see how they are on their end of the camera and for them to get a glimpse of my style and approach. I’ve really found that it contributes greatly to the more relaxed and casual relationship that I’ve established with the couple by their wedding day. Add to this the fact that we somehow manage to always come away with some wonderful pictures of the two of them, photos that can really capture a side of them and their story that they otherwise might not have a permanent record of, kind of a “day in the life of”.

On this Wednesday of blizzard conditions here in Connecticut, it’s hard to imagine that just this past Friday, with barely any snow on the ground and with just a touch of Spring in the air, I met Kristina and Jason in the historic little Bedford Village, New York and spent a couple of ours on their “e” photos. In their case, it was considerably more than a get to know you session, it was a “get to meet you” opportunity. You see, K&J live in Virginia (ok, talk about some “snow”!) and in between storms they managed to make it up this way to visit family and to meet for our shoot. And since Kristina spent much of her youth in Bedford, and since they’re getting married at one of the churches in the Village, it just seemed like a logical place to meet and use as a backdrop for our pictures.

Now I suppose sometimes this could be an awkward thing, meeting a couple for the first time and then immediately jumping into this photo session. But not for Kristina and Jason, and definitely not for me. Not only were they instantly relaxed in front of the camera and willing to try everything I threw at them, it took only minutes before I felt as if I’d known them forever. The sweetest couple, whose wedding in August will be nothing but a day of extraordinary fun for me to capture.

By the way, included in the collection of photographs from our day together are some great moments captured in the Bedford Village Library, truly a relic from the past but as quiet, peaceful, well-used and significant a spot as when Kristina used to hang there as a kid.

I hope you’ll enjoy the results of our efforts and continue to follow the story of Kristina and Jason this summer.