Trystan Photography: An Intimate Portrait.

“Comfortable.”

That word is the single most significant trait I see amongst truly happy couples. They are really “comfortable” with and around each other. At times, it almost seems as if they are not complete without the presence of their partner. Their personalities don’t shine as bright, they’re more tense, etc.

Cory and Tarynn are the exemplification of what it means to be “comfortable” in an engagement session. We met outside Union Station in downtown Denver, in a mind-melting heat, but this being Colorado, within minutes it was overcast and cool. The laughs came naturally and easily, the affection was obvious and free-flowing, and their photographs were a joy to capture and reflect that.

You can tell I, too, was “comfortable” with them!

Last weekend I met up with Renee and Josh at Laguna Beach, CA to take their engagement pictures… it was a blast! What a beautiful place! Neither of us had ever been there so we met up at a intersection and just started walking. We found so many fun little places and the pictures turned out great! I can’t wait for the wedding in August… I will be just as much fun, if not more!

With everything we have going on here at Trystan Photography I haven’t gotten to shoot a lot of engagement photos this year (insert happy and unhappy smiley face).  Tryg has gotten to have all the fun this year with all of our couples, and has been “hitting it out of the ballpark” with his photos.  So I was absolutely thrilled to get “in on the action”  and photograph Erika and Taylor’s (whom are one of our 2010 couples) engagement photos.  OMG, aren’t these guys HOT!!!  I love it when I don’t have to coax. In fact, I truly think they forgot I was there for a couple of these…hehe!!  Erika and Taylor you are an absolutely gorgeous couple and we here at Trystan Photography CAN”T wait for your big day!

Thank you to all of our clients for such great referrals and all the good word: 2009 is the best year ever for weddings at Trystan Photography!

We are absolutely honored by the demand for our work.

The Highlights:

All packages now include the wedding & engagement digital files on disc.

The engagement session now includes a custom photo book for guests to sign.

Graphistudio albums include Kodak Metallic pricing.

I met Derek and Mackenzie in a parking lot at DU and as we walked, I chatted with them about their story. (This isn’t simply to fill time, but because I wholeheartedly believe that to create a sense of intimacy with my clients helps to build trust which then helps to promote wonderfully honest and fun portraits.) I learned how they met (high school sweethearts). I learned about their first dates. I learned Derek took a long time to finish undergrad…

So I cracked a line from Tommy Boy, “‘A lot of people take that long to finish college’,'Yeah, they’re called doctors.” Derek smiled and said, “Nah. I built a house.”

He built a house. Sure, I thought. He left school for a year to work on some construction crew and built a house. Interesting choice… “So, you left for a year to work on a crew?”

“Nope. Just myself.”

Huh? Yep. You read that right. He left school for a year to build a house by himself, with help from his dad and his buddy. No crew. Just himself.

Turns out he’s an engineer or architect or something really technical like that, and building a house apparently was his version of a sabbatical.

Not many people have even worked on a crew, much less built a house by themselves. So needless to say I was impressed!

It’s also needless to say how much fun these two were. As you can see from the photos, they were really high energy and very affectionate. Whatever we’re doing to attract the kind of clients we’re getting, I glad it’s working because it’s so much easier to take fun, attractive portraits of extroverts who are authentically in love!

My favorite shot came at the end of the session, when I asked Mack and Derek if there were any more shots they could think of and Mackenzie asked if we could recreate their first kiss from back in high school. Back then, apparently Mackenzie was a little aggressive, and a little nervous but when she leaned forward to kiss Derek (eyes closed) she ended up making out with his nose. Obviously, this made quite an impression on them as we were re-creating it years later. Not only is the shot hilarious, and the back story even better, but I love the look on Derek’s face. To me it says: “Hmmmmmmmm. Am I grossed out or a little bit into this?”

Once again, I had a really awesome, really hardcore “I-don’t-care-how-cold-it-is-I-want-my-engagement-photos-done” couple.

Jennifer and Landon met me downtown Colorado Springs, really early one January morning, when downtown was literally a ghost town. I found that it’s actually the best time to shoot downtown because the streets and sidewalks are completely empty.

The quality of the sun was fantastic and warm, and if it wasn’t for the slightly rosey cheeks and winter coats, I think it looks like we were shooting on a warm Fall afternoon.

But regardless of the cold, Jennifer and Landon were fantastic. We really are hitting the jackpot this year with couples that look great together, and have a kick-ass, fun attitude to boot!

We roamed all over downtown, and even stopped into Starbucks for some hot Chai teas (my first Starbucks photo shoot).

My favorite shot of the session is the walking in the alley photo. I am absolutely enamored of this coat Jennifer was wearing. It swayed an flowed around her as she sauntered down the alley with Landon in a way I’ve rarely seen a coat move. It was almost like a sassy extension of Jennifer’s personality. I loved it.

Jennifer and Landon are getting married at The Pinery in Black Forest, CO. I can’t wait for the wedding!

On a brisk but sunny December morning, I met Mallory and Emek for a lovely little Fort Collins adventure.

It was cold enough that as I waked them into a secluded little alley in the shadows, I thought quietly to myself, “Will their lips stick to each other if they kiss…?”

I’m sure they were cold, but their warmth and flirtatious love radiates out from the photos.

At one point we were by the ice rink, and I begged and begged that they go ice skating together (that would be a “photography first” for me), but alas their view of ice skating is the same as mine: no way.

The first and only time I was ever on ice skates I wore cargo shorts (the ice: it looks so smooth), and I found out the really hard way that it’ll turn you to hamburger if you fall on it going a high rate of speed in shorts…

But I digress.

To me Mallory and Emek’s photos have this peculiar quality to them: it doesn’t look like we’re in a quiant little square in Fort Collins, CO, it looks kind of like we’re in a big city, almost like New York. It’s probably just the effect of such a beautiful couple…

I can’t for your wedding, you guys!

Ahhhh, Valentine’s Day.

The biggest day for proposals all year. It’s fitting that we’ve just finished our new sample gallery for engagements and couples, because that’s on a lot of people’s minds right now!

Like I said in the post about our new 2009 Senior gallery, this is the time of year we do a little spring cleaning and spruce up the website with our favorite photos from the past year. It’s a renewal, a new beginning, if you will, for our portfolio.

So if you find yourself about to propose, or being proposed to, and soon to begin planning a wedding… try us out with an engagement session. We’ll capture your real love as you flirt and kiss and adore each other… all in a fun, relaxing atmosphere.

But don’t worry, we do the standard boring formal Grandma likes, too.

I’m being sarcastic. Everybody knows it’s the grandmas of the world who love the butt grabbing shots and say things like, “That’s so cute. It’s just like your Grandfather and I were…” I’m telling you, don’t sell that generation short. They were horn-dogs. Why do you think there was a “baby boom” after WWII?

Hmmmmmm…

Kristen and David were the 2nd half of my “I-accidentally-laid-down-on-a-cactus-day” (see previous post). By the time I got to the downtown studio from Boulder to meet up with them, the cactus quills had, for the most part, burrowed their way completely into my side, so the good news was they didn’t hurt so bad anymore.

The bad news was I was feeling a little chilled and clammy, almost like I was in shock… but a Red Bull later, I was ready to ROCK, pain free.

Engagement sessions in downtown Denver are a blast, and are really inspiring creatively. From jaywalking to get dips in front of Union Station,and the amazing architecture of the Millennium Bridge, to the pure urban landscape and historic facades of LoDo, there is always something new to find and a dizzying array of possibilities every time I go down there with a couple. I think I could shoot downtown for my whole life and always stumble upon something new every time!

I know it sounds like gloating, but it’s true: a gorgeous location, and a loving couple with a great attitude makes my job not a job, but really, really rewarding and fun!

Amy and Daniel are getting married this summer and it will surely be a fabulous affair. I love engagement sessions because it’s the perfect time to really get to know your couple before you photograph them on thier big day. Amy and Daniel were really funny with each other. Daniel seems to be such a kid at heart and Amy is so patient with him. Well, for as long as she can stand it!

I love it when my couples goof around with each other. These guys seem like they have such a great time together and it truely reflects in the photographs. I’m so excited to photograph them on their wedding day!