shiprapanosian.com

I can’t say enough about how much of a pleasure it was to work with this sweet couple for their engagement shoot. It’s a marathon post but that’s because we shot it over an entire weekend and I just couldn’t pare down the selection any further. This is probably one of the most gracious and supportive couples I’ve ever worked with. They trusted me completely and were up for whatever i asked them to try. Thank you a million times over Liz and Rrrrramon for your care, enthusiasm, and commitment to making this session truly yours, and inviting me to be a part of it.

Here’s what Liz had to say about it…

“Where words fail, music speaks” – Hans Christian Anderson.

Our DIY e-session was such a thrill as every scene was filled with unique touches that are meaningful to me. Being surrounded by so many heirlooms is one of the things I loved most about our e-shoot.  Pictures celebrating Ramon and me, while still paying homage to the history of love that came before ours, made me feel like it wasn’t just the two of us in that field; it was a host of lovers and family. We were standing on the shoulders of giants.

The piano theme was especially sweet, as my fiancé and I first bonded over our love for music and playing the piano – it is still one of our favorite pastimes together. We found this little gem on Craigslist (for free!) and with a lot of strong help we were able to get it home. My FH, Dad, and brother had a week’s worth of “manly time” taking out each and every piece of the piano’s insides in order to make it a bit lighter in weight.  I then was able to take the ever-handy spray paint and coat it with a fun robin’s egg blue – one of our wedding colors.  Finally, my mom did a beautiful job shabby chic-ing it with the sander to give it that perfect, imperfect look. It turned out so lovely, and we are excited to incorporate this into the décor at the actual wedding, perhaps adorning it with photos of this e-shoot!  My younger sister even came up from college several hours away to help with my hair, makeup, flowers, fruit – you name it, they did it.

I am so grateful to my parents, as they came to the photo shoot and were running around the field getting each scene beautifully set up. Every prop we used for the shoot was something from my family’s home: heirlooms rich with meaning. The piano was draped with a lace tablecloth passed down from my great grandmother, the candelabra was an engagement gift given to my parents, who in kind gave to Ramon and me. A Bible, which belonged to my grandmother, is tucked into the corner of the piano shoot. Inside, the weathered bindings stretch to make room for all the love letters she put there from my grandfather – Ramon read those letters to me during the session. There were two gold pocket watches, one from my father’s side, one from my mother’s, both set to the date of our wedding 4:16 (4/16/2011). The pictures and picture frames, the picnic blanket, piano bench, crystal cake plate, down to the pearls around my neck, was all from family. Everything has a story and is part of our history.

The picnic scene itself came together at the last minute. Shipra, mom and I were sitting around chatting and daydreaming the night before the photo-shoot, talking about the “English Garden Tea Party” theme in our wedding. That’s when we decided to add a picnic scene with teacups and fun desserts. That scene, loaded with special touches, included colorful fruits and sweets that weren’t antique, but they sure tasted great after the photo-shoot (and during, since Ramon couldn’t keep his hands off of them!).

The entire shoot was such fun. Shipra is the most creative person in the world: she wove my themes and precious memories into everything. One of my favorite memories was the way she giggled with excitement every time she took that perfect shot. She kept us laughing and smiling.

Standing in a field of long, golden grass, being photographed with the man you love and plan to spend the rest of your life with, seems like a standard enough engagement shoot.  Ours, however, was anything but ordinary and I owe it in large part to all the people that came together and helped make it happen.  Without Shipra’s enthusiasm, encouragement, and tenacity, this shoot would not have been the same. It was her vision that took my idea of a piano in a field and turned it into a love story.

Now you know why I love this couple so much! They were fully involved and invested in making their engagemnt session absolutely amazing And now for the results…