This is the first time I’ve had an opportunity to shoot engagement photos on campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor but I certainly hope it’s not the last! Engagement pictures are fun to shoot just about anywhere but on a campus as beautiful as UofM’s
the possibilities for pictures are basically endless, we could have spent another 2 hours just walking around finding random places to take pictures but in the end we decide to call it a day and go eat something instead ha ha! One thing that I think helped make
this engagement shoot so successful at UofM was the lack of a plan… ok correction, it wasn’t like we didn’t plan anything, we just planned NOT to have a set plan which is usually for the best when it comes to engagement photos and here’s why. When you are
shooting at a place for the first time or even a place you’re familiar with it’s almost impossible to know exactly what sort of light you’re going to have to work with and what might be a great location for a fun portrait in the morning could potentially not work
at all in the afternoon or vice versa. While any photographer worth their salt can make just about anything “work” you’re much better off if you can work WITH the light and either compliment it with your own light from a flash or a reflector or something like
that. The last resort is typically over powering the sun although that’s always an option if you bring along the right equipment. Personally speaking when I’m doing an engagement session I travel light, work with the light as much as possible and that worked
out great for these portraits in Ann Arbor!! When I met up with Alex and Jessica by the Union we decided we’d just go check out the campus and look for places with great light, the fact that they were so open to different possibilities meant we could focus on area’s with great light at that moment rather than trying to stick to a pre-determined schedule. In the end I think the engagement pictures turned out great and I can’t wait to go back to the campus at the University of Michigan for more engagement photos in the future! Congratulations to the amazing couple, Alex and Jessica, thanks for wandering around campus with me, I hope you love the pictures as much as I do!
by Ben
Drea - Beautiful shots! Which building on campus has that archway?