There are those couples, who, upon the first moment they met, even despite the circumstances and differences, knew that they would be in love for the rest of their lives. When Natallia (Nata) arrived in the U.S. from Belarus, she did not know much English. Rob was working as a regional medical director at the Kaplan Center where Nata would be taking English lessons and studying for her medical boards. When she first met him, though she couldn’t understand a word of what he was saying, she realized that he was special. Rob, too, felt a connection, and when the time was right, he immediately made his move. 6 months later, they were engaged, and at 9 months, they were married at the court house in Queens, NY. So while Nata and Rob did not have the big wedding that you typically see on my blog, photography was always important. Nata wanted to commemorate their love with an anniversary love session with me. I was all too happy for this commission, and their session fell on one of the most beautiful days in June.
We chose Beacon Hill because of how quintessentially it represented Boston – it’s definitely one of my favorite places to shoot. I love all the textures in the brick and the colored doors
Just a couple days prior, Rob had bought Nata this beautiful bouquet of roses, so of course I asked her to bring it along!
How chic does Nata look in that bright dress of hers?
Nata and Rob love the outdoors. I wanted the shoot to highlight the tight bond that they share
I can’t get over the light in this one! I’m super picky when it comes to backlighting photographs – I don’t backlight just for backlighting’s sake. I want the backlight to create a beautiful halo around the couple. I want it to represent a romantic, comfortable scene. I want the light to feel golden. I also wanted the couple to be properly exposed in the photograph. Executing all of this in the few short minutes where the sun is in the right place is a challenge I relish
Rob will probably be the first to admit that he doesn’t really care to be photographed, and we certainly worked together until he became comfortable with me – and I don’t just strive for comfortable – I made sure that Rob had fun! So through some miscommunication, Rob brought an umbrella even though there was not a single bit of forecast of rain for the session. No worries, we used the umbrella anyway!
The sun as it set near the Esplanade hit the umbrella just right for this cute kissing silhouette
Then out of nowhere, Rob pulls off this perfect dip! Dipping photos are another area where I’m super picky. I don’t like dipping photos where the lady sticks her leg straight out, her dress pulled into a triangular shape, as I don’t think that is flattering! When I execute a dipping photo, I want to see curves, angles, passion, emotion, romance, and it’s all here! Rob and Nata rocked it!
An enterprising little squirrel followed us for some photos (or so I like to think)
Thank you Nata and Rob so much for trusting me to document your love, and I’m glad to be the first to show you around the Esplanade as well!
Shang is a jetsetting wedding photographer based in San Francisco. She captures modern imagery that pops with color, personality, and energy.
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