Since I’m short on time, I’m also going to be short on words so I can get to the Professional Photographers of South Carolina convention on time! But let’s face it, what do I have to say that can compare with seeing two people wonderfully in love?

Here are Ken and Megan, two such people:

We love these guys and had a ton of fun at their wedding, but for now you’ll have to settle with this engagement-y taste. More to come next week!

Of course, the best way to start off any week is with coffee.

Like Wendy and me, Ben and Angel spent a good bit of their courtship hanging out at a coffee shop together. However, while Wendy and I stared adoringly at each other over cups of Cool Beans coffee, Ben and Angel were doing much the same across the river at Cafe Strudel. So, tip one is: Start your week at a local coffee house. You’ll definitely find good coffee and you might find love…

Ben and Angel didn’t actually meet at Cafe Strudel, though. They met at a show at New Brooklyn Tavern. You might have guessed from the photo that Ben is a musician and you’d be right. (Sorry, Angel, for the times I monopolized your future husband talking about music!)

So, even if your Monday doesn’t get off to the greatest start, you can take the edge off by following tip #2: Listen to music that makes you feel good. (For bonus points, add “local” to this tip as well.)

If even the sweetness of caffeine and the sweet balm of melody can’t get you ready to face the week, I’d suggest tip #3: Do something kind for someone else.

Getting them a diamond engagement ring may be overdoing it…a cup of coffee or a smile will likely suffice.

If you’ve followed along the plan this far and still find yourself in the doldrums, you may be forced to engage in tip #4: Go outside.

Ah yes, the sun, the fresh air, the need to take a Claritin…

Finally, if you’re outside with a delicious cup of hot, local coffee, listening to great music while reflecting on the many old ladies you helped cross the street and the idea of a full week of work is still getting you down, the only tip left I have left is #5: Give your beloved a big kiss.

Yeah, that makes everything better.

We hope these tips were helpful and that you have a fantastic week to come! Come back to visit on Thursday and please, kiss responsibly.

Now on to the photos!

We first met Brandon and Melissa a couple of years ago and, I’ll be perfectly honest here, started thinking about how to get them as clients. True, they weren’t engaged yet, but they were so cute together and so clearly in love that we were pretty sure which way they were headed. Turns out we were right!

The two of them drove down to Columbia on a beautiful and mercifully cool day in October and we got to hang out and photograph them. The clouds were gorgeous, so we tried to make the most of it, as you’ll see below.

We also decided to use the river as a backdrop for a bit, which was great, until a small fleet (fleetlet?) of brightly-colored kayaks came floating by. Well, most of them came floating by; one got stuck immediately behind Brandon and Melissa for a couple of minutes. I’ll spare you the photos.

A kiss to celebrate the kayaker getting un-stuck!

We decided one side of the river wasn’t enough, so we went to the other side.

The sky continued to cooperate nicely.

It was really hard choosing photos for this post because these two have so many wonderful expressions.

Like this laugh!

This next one is one of my favorite shots of the day. I think a bug  may have flown into Brandon’s mouth, but he handled it with aplomb.

So there you have it!

We’re looking forward to Melissa and Brandon’s wedding, as well as all our other 2011 weddings! In the meantime, though, we hope that you have a restful, thankful holiday surrounded by lots of delicious food (like sweet potato casserole with pecan, not marshmallow topping), and, of course, the ones you love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Now, I can’t imagine what it would be like to be away from your fiancee for more than a  month immediately before your wedding, but I think when you see the energy between these two, you’ll get some idea of how they feel about each other, and how much they are already looking forward to being reunited.

I swear at no point did we ask them to look like J. Crew models. They did that on their own.

Oh yeah, apparently looking spookily like Scarlett Johansson also comes naturally to Sarah.

Do you think they’ve gotten used to the camera? Maybe?

It’s always good, when shooting an engagement session, to elicit the occasional “Woo-hoo!” from passers-by.

Kyle and Sarah, it was great meeting you two, and we cannot wait to photograph your wedding!

P.S.- We’ve just added Facebook commenting to the blog, so feel free to tell Sarah and Kyle how attractive they are or just generally say nice things using the power of words.

Anyway, we put together a slide show of some of the photos we took. We hope you like it!

At one point, while I was either hogging Michael and Katie or looking over Lee’s shoulder, Wendy grabbed Megan, who also graciously agreed to pose for us that night, and got these glamorous shots…in the bathroom. Yup, for some reason that’s where they keep the really cool furniture at 701 Whaley.

Thanks to the PPofSC and to Lee for putting this together, to 701 Whaley for having us and providing a great backdrop and to our lovely models Katie, Michael, and Megan. You guys rock!

Amie and Chris were an absolute blast to work with. First off, a mutual friend told them about our pet allergies so Amie cleaned the apartment where we took Chubbs’s picture to the point that you’d never know an animal (let alone three) lived there…you know, apart from the animals that were there. Even then, she kept checking with us to make sure that we weren’t having any trouble. She is an absolute sweetie!

Chris is actually the one who, when we first met, let us know that the photograph he had to come away with was Chubbs in a tuxedo. Based on the way Chubbs did (almost) exactly what he said during the photo shoot, he’s clearly spent a lot of time with that dog and the affection runs both ways. (Amie seems to like him pretty well, too.)

After shooting Chubbs, we just went downtown and hung around with these two, who made photographing them wonderfully easy. There’s nothing, as far as I can tell, that makes for better engagement or wedding photographs than a couple who are seriously into one another and these two are seriously into one another. They flirt and play and smile and laugh and generally make getting adorable pictures of them a breeze.

I love this shot. Dancing in a parking lot?

No problem.

(I told you they’re fun.)

(I have no idea what Amie is thinking here but I like that Chris is apparently A-OK with it.)

We wrapped things up on USC’s Horseshoe, with the sun casting a gorgeous golden light…

*ahem*

…with the sun casting a gorgeous golden light…

(That’s better.)

…on this lovely couple.

Photographing Chris and Amie was way more fun than it ought to be and we can’t wait to shoot Amie’s bridals and their wedding!

We hope all our readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

(Is there really any need for more introduction than that?)

Because Chris and Amie’s wedding is outdoors, Chubbs won’t be able to be in attendance. We learned from them that due to pugs’ shortened breathing passages, they can’t really stand to be out in the heat for extended periods. So, since Chubbs couldn’t be a member of the wedding party, Amie and Chris dressed this precious pooch up in tails and a bow tie for his own pre-wedding portrait just before their engagement session.

Meet Sir Chubbs:

After a few casual poses on the pillow, Chubbs changed into his formal attire.

(Wendy’s mother said she thinks he looks like Winston Churchill in this picture.)

(Yup, his tail is sticking out from between his tails.)

(If they ever make an all-dog version of Oceans 11, Chubbs is a shoo-in.)

I have never seriously tried to photograph dogs before, figuring that it would be too hard to pose them and that the noise of the camera and the light from the flashes would spook them. Chubbs, though, was a real trooper, and Chris and Amie were terrific at keeping him where he should be and looking in the right direction. Still, after hundreds of shots and two different outfits, Chubbs had pretty much had it…

(Don’t feel too bad for him. That expression could be exhaustion or the look a dog gets when he has been stuffed to the brim with doggie treats.)

We actually did photograph Chris and Amie, but we figured Chubbs deserved his own post. Nonetheless, here’s Chubbs with his mom and dad, of whom you’ll be seeing more soon.

Remember, sharing is caring, so if you’d like to share Sir Chubbs II with your friends, you can do so easily by clicking on the links below for Facebook, Twitter, or the social whosamawhatsie of your choice. I’m not saying the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future are going to visit you if you don’t share, but why take the risk?

More to come!

Greg and Leah decided to have both their engagement photos and Leah’s bridal photos taken on the same day, and Leah was an absolute trooper posing for us for hours on end. She had a fantastic attitude toward it, though, and it shows in her pictures. (You’ll have to wait for the bridal portraits, but take my word for it, Greg, you’re going to be blown away!)

We started out with some photos on the Horseshoe at the University of South Carolina.

Leah hopped on Greg’s back in front of the McKissick Museum…

…Wendy and I both thought it was a great idea.

After a while, we moved down to the Vista and found this fantastic wall.

I like that Greg cracks Leah up.

I don’t recall the exact instructions we gave Greg and Leah here, but I think they involved the words, “like a model.” They nailed it.

Greg and Leah, thanks for a wonderful day. We’re looking forward to celebrating and capturing your wedding day.

Everybody else, it’s no TEN (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING, but there are adorable baby photos, some unofficial wedding photos, and possibly a Snuggie photo coming up in the next few days. Check back soon!

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