Blog— 2023 —
Greeley Park Engagement Photos
Helen & Brandon
Greeley Park, Nashua, New Hampshire
June 11th, 2023
I pride myself on being a photographer who likes it when his clients are themselves. That's why I knew moments into meeting up with Helen and Brandon for their June engagement session at Greeley Park in Nashua, New Hampshire that we were in for a fun, albeit slightly unorthodox afternoon.
With a sheepish smile on his face, my soon-to-be groom Brandon asked if it was OK if he wore a skatepunk jersey that said "F**k The Population." Without missing a beat, I laughed and replied "They're your photos brother. Wear whatever you'd like."
And, with that, Brandon was at ease and we were well on our way to a comfortable and fun engagement session. Because, honestly, if you can't be yourself for engagement photos, why bother doing engagement photos?
Helen and Brandon are a 2024 couple of mine that I met at the Shriners Auditorium Bridal Expo back in January and, right away, we bonded over silliness and over the idea of not taking things too seriously. I was glad to see this extended to their engagement photos and within moments of us beginning their session, I knew this would be a mixed day of some ridiculous photos and some super cute and romantic ones.
In other words, it was my kind of shoot.
Helen and Brandon chose Greeley Park in Nashua, New Hampshire for their engagement photos and, I've got to be honest, it was a smaller place than I'm used to for a session like this. But that doesn't mean it was without it's beauty.
In fact, there were no shortage of cool spots with bountiful foliage for me to plop Helen and Brandon into and, to my surprise, a beautiful swingset that proved the perfect spot for our first outfit change of the day.
I mean, who can't appreciate a little retro Simpsons humor for a couple's matching outfits?
What I loved the most about Helen and Brandon were how at ease they were with one another. This is a couple that fell very hard, very fast for each other and it shows in the way they interact.
And, because they were so at ease, it wasn't tough for me to find ways to bring out their natural personalities regardless of where we went in the park ... even if we did occasionally have to pose around random folks fishing at the dock. Helen and Brandon were up for any ideas I had and that paid off handsomely with each and every location we chose.
I could have worked with Helen and Brandon for hours, which is great considering that's what we're planning to do on their wedding day in the spring, but I was completely content once we got to their third and final outfit of the day. I mean, who doesn't love oversized hockey jerseys on a couple? (Even if it's the Pittsburgh Penguins and we live in New England!)
The final outfit for Helen and Brandon proved to be the most fun and we capped our session with some silly last poses as the sun slowly wound down. By the time I headed to my car and made the long two hour drive back home, I couldn't help but be so grateful that I've always been a photographer who likes clients who are comfortable being themselves.
I never wanted to be that stuck up photographer who tells his couples what to do or how to be and sessions like Helen and Brandon are the reason why. Working with these two offbeat soon-to-be newlyweds was a wonderful time and I can't wait to do it all again next year. So thanks for being yourself Helen and Brandon and I look forward to seeing what silly surprises we come up with in 2024. :)
-Paul J. Spetrini
