Melissa & Dan :: Engaged! :: Madison Engagement Portraits
Posted by: Red Gecko Studio | May 2nd, 2010 | Posted in: Modern Photographers
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It is Sunday night once again, and an end to a weekend filled with shoots. As the weather gets warmer, many of my couples are eager to enjoy their engagement session experience- and with good reason! The sun is bright, the air is warm, and Madison is once again becoming green and alive with leaves & flowers.
And with spring comes many fun Madison traditions, some with their not-so-fun consequences. Take Mifflin Street Block Party, for instance: many Madisonites enjoyed the celebration this past Saturday by parking themselves on their lawns with cool beverages and fun music…while others of us found full parking ramps standing in the way of our plans. 
Can you guess why I was ten minutes late meeting the lovely Melissa & Dan for this session? He he. Luckily, Melissa & Dan are sweet & laid-back people and they didn’t mind waiting for me a little longer than expected. These two don’t seem to be the hurried type. Even their special day has come about in a patient manner- they’ll be tying the knot on 10.09.10, on their 10th anniversary! How cool is that? 10 years together celebrated in the 10th month of 2010… I think that’s a set-up for one fun wedding day.
Around 9:10 am, I met these two lovebirds at the bottom of Bascom Hill. This location was chosen because it holds a special memory for them: it’s where Dan proposed!! It was so nice to meet them both in person, since all of our correspondence thus far has been on the phone or over the interwebs (as my hubby likes to call them) via email and Facebook. Mike Smith from The Visual Soundtrack came along at the last minute to shoot with me (I always love to have company), and I was so glad to have him there! Two heads (and four cameras) are better than one, I like to think, and Mike’s a very talented and creative extra head to have around.
We began our trek up the hill with some simple shots.
Often times I like to get down on the ground because I enjoy the straight-on perspective and the information about the scene that you get from the surrounding details. I even do this when the ground is wet because it rained the night before…I can handle soggy mulch chips!! I love this red door.
Bascom Hill offers a variety of buildings with all kinds of different & interesting architectural elements to play with. Like hide & seek! I love watching what happens to my couples when they have to spend half their session looking into one another’s eyes…it’s always odd at first to make so much eye contact, but after a while you can really sense a connection that’s being made.
This was the first time I shot at this tower on Observatory Drive, and it’s a lovely backdrop. Love the vines that crawl up the side!
See what a lovely background texture the leaves make? Aaaw, I love these shots.
Isn’t this tower fun? It seems like each side of it has its own lovely characteristics.
Aaaaah, kisses. They make me smile!
I think this side was possibly my favorite! And Melissa’s pink top just pops on this neutral background.
As a graduate with an art degree, I didn’t spend much of my UW time in the general academic buildings…like the math building providing the background I loved here. So, it’s nice to explore them now because they do offer quite a bit of fun visual material. I LOVED Melissa’s adorable dress for the last half of our session!
I really enjoy the contrast between the geometric pattern on the wall and the flowy, organic pattern on the dress.
I like this lovely little tender moment between them. And there I go, shootin’ through stuff again!
We knew we wanted to use this pretty garden in the shoot, but when we arrived there was barely anything blooming. But never fear, Mike & I took a quick jaunt around the garden and found a space with beautiful, glowy light. I’m so happy with these! Guys, you look great here. I think this next one is my favorite…
While not every session NEEDS a dip, they’re always fun!
Another wall of lovely ivy… We just had to stop! OK, well maybe it was just me. But Melissa & Dan humored me anyway. Thanks guys!
With a sky full of sun, the Bascom Hill lawn was buzzing with excitement…but we were able to grab some shots. Here’s my fave… Just adore how comfy Melissa looks in her future hubby’s arms!!
To Melissa & Dan: I had a wonderful time meeting & photographing the two of you! I really look forward to spending such a monumental day in your life together with you, and capturing more memories for you that I hope you will cherish for all of the rest of the decades of your lives. I’ll see you in October!
And to Mike, thanks again for coming along! It is always a pleasure shooting with you.
For details about hiring Red Gecko Studio as the photographer for your upcoming wedding, please use the Contact section of this blog! Red Gecko Studio proudly serves weddings and special events in Madison, Milwaukee, and southeastern Wisconsin. Travel to any other location in the world can always be arranged,so don’t hesitate to ask about your destination wedding! Thanks for visiting, and please take a moment to leave your thoughts as a comment!
