Alvin and Niki's Pre-Wedding Shoot

I hope the holidays have been good to everyone. 2011 was a great year -- made even better after completing my first, full year as a full-time freelancer after college!

I was requested to take photos of Alvin and Niki for their wedding that will take place next month. We shot on the last day of the year, on New Year's Eve, at the Dallas Arboretum, and the weather couldn't be more perfect. They wanted to display a large print at the reception, and decided for a couple's shoot.

We started in the middle of the walkway leading up to the frog fountains, and made these two photos:

As we made our way through the gardens, I had them pose for a back-lit photo filled by one of my off-camera flashes:

I wanted to go for a cleaner backdrop here, and just used a simple shadow:

A detail of Niki's ring. It's interesting to see how couple's change up their hand holding when you ask them:

We went down past the big hill and shot on the theater grounds, and I took these images:

Alvin suggested that they also liked candid photos -- here's one I took during the shoot:

We moved onto a wrapping stairwell, and took some formals, along with a kiss at the end:

Here's an great example of when you tell your client(s) "test shot," and you noticed how naturally relaxed they are:

 This was another great example of some of the poses that came natural to them towards the end of the shoot, after having done them earlier in the session. I didn't have to direct them for this one, and I enjoyed how that translated:

Alvin, Niki, thanks for bringing me along and being open and thorough with your ideas and suggestions! You guys were a pleasure to work with and modeling only came natural -- I can't wait until the wedding day!

Rasy Ran Photography