after rain washed out our first couple attempts at michelle and patrick’s engagement session, we would have settled for almost anything — grey, cloudy.. as long as it was dry. instead, we were treated with an absolutely glorious day of radiant sunshine and color, and only slightly soggy ground.

michelle and patrick exude a warm sense of familiarity, which eileen and i recognized right away when they first dropped in to meet us at our home in athens, ga. they both attended the university here and developed an affection for our funky little college town, which most people who have spent any time here can understand. so it was the perfect fit for their engagement shoot together.

they mentioned a park where patrick used to live (well, he lived near the park; not in it) and ran frequently — a special place where they had spent some time together. i was thrilled when i realized which park they were referring to. we live just down the road from this little dot along the county’s “greenway” trails, and the entire park had just finished a big restoration project. most notably, perhaps, the park is home to an old railway trestle  made famous by hometown heroes R.E.M., who featured it on the cover of their first album, “murmur.” thanks to the band, the trestle has been preserved, and i had been itching to meet just the right couple who would want to make some history of their own at the spot.

one particularly memorable moment during their shoot occurred while we shot in front of the historic georgia theatre. as they stood waiting to cross the street, i was crouched on the opposite sidewalk focusing my lens to be ready when the light changed. suddenly, i heard a loud bang and the sound of scraping metal. i lowered my camera to see two vehicles idle on the road in front of me. i don’t know if it was the handsome young couple or my long lens that distracted him, but a cab driver actually swerved his van right in front of me, sheering off a good chunk of metal from the SUV beside him. we stood jaws open long enough to see that everyone was ok, then took our last shot and skid-addled.

so everything really went off with a bang. there is no one who could have made this long-awaited shoot more fun and carefree than michelle and patrick: stylish; adventurous (you should have seen them trudging up the mountain to the top of the trestle); and visibly in love. what a way to celebrate the end of a dark, wet week. thanks, you two. can’t wait to spend more time with you soon! till then, look both ways when you cross the street. 😉