I absolutely love it when a couple is willing to try different things. When Hayley told me that they wanted to do their engagement session where they had their first date, I couldn't be more excited. I love to photograph people in places that mean something to them, that's not just pretty trees and an open field. So we headed downtown to Crank Arm Brewery and they sat at their table, two drinks in hand, and just talked about their day. I always ask couples to talk to each other in my sessions, to really interact, to make this time real, and they jumped right in. Next, we ventured outside and walked through the Warehouse district, and happened upon what you would think looks like a small French Villa. The variety of Raleigh architecture is so fun to discover. You might have seen that I have an obsession for cool walls, and I think we hit jackpot this time. We wandered down to none other than HQ Raleigh and snagged some photos in front of their famous blue Raleigh wall. If you guys know of any more Triangle murals, please let me know. I'm always on the hunt for my next wall.

As we were wrapping it up, the dark clouds inched closer. We had been experience on and off showers all day, but I wanted to capture some of that ominous sky against the struggling sun behind them. Sometimes, you just have to make is work where you are, and for us it happened to be in the middle of a parking lot. The light in those last shots was my favorite. The overcast light and the dark background brought out some rich colors and would you just look at these two? They're best friends and it's so clear.

I CANNOT wait until November to watch them seal the deal!

Thanks guys!

Joe and Hayley