Edward John Photography » Engagements

Elise and Grant Engagements – Oxford Michigan

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:14:39 +0000

I met Elise and Grant the other day for a quick engagement session and to meet their new dog Roxanne. I enjoyed our conversation and photo taking session and I am honored to have the opportunity to capture their wedding later this summer.

Lisa and Bryan Engagement Session – Rochester Michigan

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 04:46:15 +0000

It was a beautiful day in Rochester Michigan for the engagement shoot. The temperature lowered a bit, and the sun was out in all it’s glory. Just a couple weeks ago I met Lisa and Bryan to talk about their wedding, and in just two short months they will be wed. I had an amazing time getting to know them this evening and we took some great photos as well. We started at their favorite coffee place “The Bean and Leaf” and moved around the city ultimately ending up at Gus O’connors for some food and conversation.

Erin and Mike Engagement – Rochester Michigan

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:48:00 +0000

They were a perfect match for each other, and it was obvious the first time I met them. The way they smile at each other was what tipped me off at first. It’s a genuine smile that says “I found the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with.” Erin and Mike are why I photograph weddings. They have it. It’s indescribable, but you know it when you meet them. They are a perfect match and they have eharmony to thank for bringing them together for the first time, but I feel like it would have happened eventually.
Mike asked Erin to marry him in front of their soon to be house, and the other day we met at that very home (which they just took possession of) to begin their engagement session. We also captured a few group photos with their awesome dog Jake. We then went to some locations in downtown Rochester for some photographic goodness and conversation. I think dancing under the bridge was the highlight of the session for me. They forgot that I was there and just danced. It was truly beautiful.

Erin and Mike, I cannot wait to be behind the lens and watch you exchange rings later this year.

Jessica and Ben Engagement – Rochester Michigan

admin — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 17:20:48 +0000

Jessica and Ben met in high school. Now that college is over for these two they are tying the knot next May. We met in downtown Rochester Michigan last week for these engagement photos, and we had a great time walking, talking, and capturing some photos in the process. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Nikki and Paul Engaged – Lake Orion

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 02:49:10 +0000

The engagement began over banana pancakes and a simple question. “Will you marry me?” Nikki and Paul will be married later this year in Livonia Michigan. They both like to read and cook, so I asked them to meet me at the Lake Orion Library for the first photo. We then explored areas of Lake Orion and talked about their wedding day. It was a complete pleasure to get to know and learn about them yesterday. The weather all morning was rainy, but I had confidence that the clouds were go away and by the time we met the skies were blue and the sunset was beautiful. Nikki and Paul, I had a great time yesterday and am looking forward to your wedding later this year.

Nancy and Chris Engagement Slideshow

admin — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 22:35:14 +0000

Nancy and Chris will be married in Scotland next year. Here’s a slideshow from our engagement session in Ann Arbor.

Nancy and Chris Engagement from Edward Maurer on Vimeo.

Nancy and Chris will be married in Scotland in 2011 and I am very excited to be part of their wedding. We met in Ann Arbor for some fun engagement photos and to learn about their wedding day. Their two Australian Shephards joined us for the shoot too.

Engagement Sessions – Why Bother?

admin — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 19:43:43 +0000

Why bother with an engagement session? Why do I include an engagement session in every wedding package?

My family and friends already know me as a guy that has a camera and takes pictures. That relationship has already been established since it’s common to see me with the camera to my eye and a smile on my face. Actually, the camera has almost become a part of the family as well. I’m a member of this exclusive club of friends and family, and I know each person’s personality and how to capture it in the right way. I know that uncle Bob will be leaning against the wall with a scotch in his hand or cousin Joe will be dancing crazily on the dance floor after a few soda pops. It allows me to capture those candid moments that really tell the story of the day. Conversely, members of my family learn to expect that I have a camera and know when to pose for a non-candid shot if they want one.

When I meet a bride and groom, I’m not yet a member of this exclusive club of friends. The engagement session gives us an opportunity to become familiar with each other, and by the time the wedding comes I hope to have new friends that expect me to have a camera to my eye. I hope to be enough a part of the group to understand how to tell the story. That one or two hours of time that we have together gives the bride and groom the opportunity to become familiar with me, how I work, who I am, and who they are. I learn what angles work best for them, and what kinds of things to look for on the wedding day. The bride and groom learn how I work. They learn that I will give them a suggestion as to where to walk or stand and then I won’t talk to them for a few moments. It’s in those moments that they learn to ignore the camera and concentrate on each other. Those are the moments when the candid works of art happen. Sometimes during an engagement session I’ll give a bit more direction to help understand body position and composition. The whole session is a mixture of candid and posed shots that blend well together as a story.

So, why bother with an engagement session? I photograph weddings because I love to tell people’s story, and the engagement session helps us to understand how to tell it.

Every blog post needs some photos, so here are a few brides and grooms that I will have the honor of photographing their weddings this year. I look forward to being a part of their first day as husband and wife and telling that part of their life story.

Nancy and Chris Engagements

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:59:26 +0000

Nancy and Chris will be getting married next year in Scotland at the Eilean Donan Castle. It’s the most photographed castle in Scotland and I imagine that it will be just beautiful for their wedding day. For their engagement session they were open to have them taken anywhere as long as their dogs Bleu and Wyatt could join us. So I suggested a location that I would go to study when in college years ago, Gallop Park in Ann Arbor. The mix of the water, bridges, and trees were a great fit as long as the dogs didn’t try to chase after the ducks. Both dogs worked very well for the camera and we had a great time there.

Later we went downtown Ann Arbor for some shots near the Law Diag. Nancy and Chris were a pleasure to meet and I really had a great time learning about them and capturing them for this wonderful time in their lives.

One final note. I met Nancy the following day at the Oakland County Cross Fit where she has been working out with my wife. I gave the Cross Fit a try for the first time, and let me tell you that I have never worked harder in my life. I’ll be waiting for the next on-ramp class so that I can gradually work up to the amount of strength needed, because as I type this my arms are sore just from lifting my hands to the keyboard. I usually run, so using all of the muscles in my body is a foreign task for me. If you have a local Cross Fit, I highly recommend it. It will change your life.

Christy and Adam Engagements – Frankenmuth Michigan

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:00:10 +0000

I have a list of locations that I send to bride and grooms to help them decide on an engagement session location, and on that list has always been Frankenmuth Michigan. The city has a lot of character and a lot of great memories for me and I have had quite a few images stored in my memory bank that needed to be captured on camera. Thousands of photo opportunities awaited us today including a picture with the wait staff at the Bavarian Village. Even the lady that plays the accordion! Here’s a sneak peek of some of the awesomeness we were able to capture today. (That’s right, I said awesomeness, it’s a word, right?)

Culling and Editing Images Today

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:26:54 +0000

Today is a day of culling and editing for me. This is where I get to re-live last week’s engagement session with Katie and Rudy and pick my favorites. In two hours I captured about 1000 images. Culling is the process of going through those images and picking my favorites. I use Adobe Lightroom 2.0 for this process and it makes things so easy because I can quickly review each image and flag my favorites. We had such an awesome session that I flagged about 200 images.

The next stage of the process is to display just my favorites and begin editing each to make them look like something I would put on the wall. In fact, that’s what I ask myself “Would I want this framed and on the wall for display?” Here’s just one of the images that I have been working with today. Enjoy.