Dave & Doug’s Engagement Photos on Park City’s Main Street

It feels like forever since I last photographed a gay couple engaged to be married. I guess I just don’t advertise my services enough.

I was thrilled when Dave & Doug asked me to photograph their upcoming wedding. At the time gay marriage was not legal in Utah. They were planning for a wedding in May and we photographed them for their engagements in October. Some couples get their photos way in advanced.

Engagement photos on Park City’s Main Street

At the end of December the amendment banning gay marriage was ruled unconstitutional and 1,300 couples were married in about a 2 week time period. Dave and Doug took the chance and did get married.

They were photographed before gay marriage became legal in Utah

I wasn’t able to photograph their quick marriage. They had traveled to Farmington to get married rather than wait in line at the Salt Lake City building. They decided they would still have a marriage ceremony in May to celebrate their wedding. I did photograph the wedding ceremony and I will be blogging that in a few days, woo hoo!

Holding Hands

So back to the story of their engagements. I always like to make a few suggestions for locations but I always want to find out the personality of the couple and see if they are more urban, wilderness, or other. You don’t want to stick people who love the city in the middle of a forest. Unless they like irony.

Creating candid shots. Yep, we try to create fake candid moments.

I also like to find areas that have a lot of variety in background and texture. Park City’s Main Street is one of those locations. It was October as I mentioned and the weather was feeling a little chilly. At times I have thought that if the client isn’t wearing a jacket I should join them and go without a jacket as a sign of sympathy or empathy. But then I realized, I can be empathetic and stay warm with a jacket and I am more effective when I am comfortable.

Capturing those couple moments

We keep pretty mobile when photographing. I bring one light stand with a softbox and a backpack or rolling bag. I don’t want to get in the way of other people—I don’t want to be the annoying photographer. It’s being a good citizen.

Park City’s Main Street is awesome for engagement or portrait photography.

For engagement photos I want my clients to feel comfortable on camera making out or being cuddly. Granted if the couple doesn’t have this personality then we don’t want to force them to be uncomfortable. But some PDA is more than welcome. Chit chat, glances, hugs, kiss are all welcome.

Engagement Photography in Park City

Changes of clothes are also a good idea. Sometimes you have to run back to the car to switch tops. Or you get creative and hope the police don’t notice. I never put a limit on how many outfit changes a couple can have. That seems like a stupid limit.

I love brick backgrounds for portraits

And I can’t resist amazing brick. It is pretty cliche but I like cliches. There is a reason they are popular—it looks good.

Finding different colored backgrounds for photography

This is an awesome fence we found on an earlier photo walk. If you are a photographer, you need to get off your butt and explore your city/town/neighborhood for the cool spots.

We don’t know how many skiers died to make this ski fence for the engaged couple

There are decorative pianos throughout Park City

There are decorative pianos throughout Park City

After Main Street we went over to an aspen grove to photograph. I did step in a hidden mud puddle. It went up to my knee, gross. But the light was disappearing quickly but we were still able to create some fun photographs. Even a few of them throwing leaves into the air.

Walking through an aspen grove for engagement photos

Aspen tress in autumn are awesome for engagements

Changing the lighting for the couple

Aspen tree grove and engagement photos

Aspen tree grove and engagement photos