Mike and Melissa had found me through a previous client who recommended me. They had reached out for their wedding for the summer of 2014. It was getting to be late fall, but with every wedding package, an engagement shoot is required! I do this because it helps me not only get to know a couple and what they like, but it helps me know what images are going to appeal to you the most. So with the last of the trees losing their leaves, we headed to Devil's Hopyard State Park. It was a stunning location that I had wanted to shoot at for quite some time. What was even more stunning, was how awesome Mike and Melissa are! I know I say great things about everybody on the site, but there is a reason I post these couples and families on the site. Every shoot I do, I end up with a unique and amazing bond with someone. And these two found their way right into my heart. They were nothing but fun to shoot. I look forward to a really great wedding season in 2014, and I am so happy that Mike and Melissa get to be a part of that!
If you happen to be flying on United Airlines, you can find a shoot from last year by J.Benson Photography. Below is the excerpt from the magazine as well some more photos from that shoot.
Book your architectural or commercial photoshoot at photosbyjbenson@gmail.com 
"Look for the red SUV covered in mud" I said, and Holly responded simply "Okay." See, we had agreed to meet at a Scantic River State Park. Now I had never been there, but I like to think that with any area, you can make great photos, just have to figure out how. Anyways, I had said to meet on such and such road, well I did not do my research because that road used to run through the park, so Nick and Holly were on one side of the park and I was on the other. So we figured that out and I drove to the nearest main road and told them to look for that muddy truck. I enjoy off roading, and I don't always get around to washing my truck afterwards! It was definitely surprising that her reaction was simply okay, but I quickly found out Nick was an off road enthusiast as well. It was love at first sight with these two, I knew we could definitely be friends. So we explored a little section of the park, and boy it was cold. Poor Holly was taking her jacket on and off for every photo, and I was cold in a coat! But they both were troopers and we got some great photos because of it. After Scantic, we went to a park that was my 2nd choice to shoot some photos at, but I couldn't find any info on it, so I decided to go to Scantic. So when Nick and Holly wanted some photos with their beautiful pups and they recommended that park, I got excited! And boy was it beautiful! We definitely could have done the whole shoot there. At the end of the day, I met two really awesome people, that I could definitely see hanging out with on the weekends! And not only that, BUT I get to shoot their wedding this fall! And that has me seriously excited! I can only hope that they hire a driver and drive in Nicks jeep instead of a limo!!!
I LOVE Steve and Karen. Like seriously, I cannot be happier to be shooting their wedding this summer. Steve and I played phone tag for about 3 weeks, but finally we were able to get on the phone together and book their engagement shoot before it got too cold. The leaves were off the trees, and it definitely wasn't warm, but these three made it warm! I really had a blast jumping in and out of waterfalls to get their shots. Now if you don't know Steve and Karen, you should, because they are too much fun. I have to admit, I couldn't use many of the photos I took because we were all laughing so hard. Either I was shaking the camera laughing, or I was looking up both of their noses as they rolled over laughing (there would have been milk shooting out of their noses if they were drinking it!). What a fantastic couple, seriously, they could not be more perfect for each other, and I cannot be more excited to share their special day!
Jose and Ianina are such a fun couple. Ianina is my mother in-laws boss, so anything other than perfect was not an option (well it never is, but this time even moreso!). Now I have hundreds of edited photos, seriously, narrowing it down to these was the hardest of any wedding so far. I have so many favorites! I might even post more, definitely going to make a separate post with their civil union and engagement shoot!
We got 30 minutes in a park in Barranco, Peru to do their formals. The reception was about 1 hour away from the church, so squeezing a shoot in on the way meant limited time and limited options. Barranco is a beautiful area, but it is all stairs. So we only got to take a few photos as it was too hard to walk up and down 5 flights of stairs to get other shots. I still think they came out great though! Keep your eyes peeled for their engagement and civil union shoot soon!
I met Sarah on her engagement shoot (that can be found here http://jbensonphotography.com/2014/02/17/jon-and-sarah-beach-engagement-shoot/ ). I absolutely loved the engagement shoot, and when Sarah reached out to me to photograph her for a modeling portfolio, I was eager to do it! From the moment the camera clicked on Jon and Sarah, I thought they should be models, looks like I was right! We shot a few photos in the studio, and then decided to head to Pachaug State Forest for sunset. All I can say is every one of the photos we created should be in a J.Crew catalog! Seriously, what a fantastic model, and what a tremendously fun shoot! Hope you agree too!
I am an extremely proud father. I love my kids, and I love photographing my kids. Unfortunately, after their first few shoots, they all seem to resist me photographing them! (Don't worry I still get photos of them!). Anyways, I wanted to share this newborn shoot I did with my most recent daughter Amelia. Its not the easiest to get parents to allow you to post photos of their newborns, so no better way than to post my own kids (plus I get to brag about how beautiful they are!!!!). Hope you like this pretty girl, who I shot in Lima, Peru (where my wife and kids reside for now), so I did not have the ability to use/build specific props for this shoot, hence the cardboard airplane! PROMOTION: Have a newborn in Connecticut? Expecting a new arrival soon? Well, we have a fantastic deal for you. As you can see we are lacking some newborns on our site, and we need to change that. So for an extreme discount, like such a great discount I can't even share the price online, I will shoot your newborn for the website. You
Jeff and Karla were so much fun to shoot, not only cause they are a great couple, but we also shot in my favorite places. I love trains, and being able to do an engagement shoot with trains was absolutely amazing. I couldn't have been happier, but then we went to another one of my favorite things, waterfalls! They not only looked great, but were shot at some of my favorite locations to shoot. It was an awesome shoot, I hope you like the results as much as I do!
I know I have said that I don't like to shoot at beaches, but seriously, this summer changed my mind about that. Jon and Sarah are so awesome. I really thought I was shooting models. They did most of the work for me. Just a few adjustments and some ideas on poses and their faces did the rest. Loved shooting these two. I couldn't decide which images to share because I loved them all so much. After much deliberation, I found a few of my favorites, and had to resist posting a few other favorites! Hope you love these!
To inquire about your engagement shoot, wedding, or any other shoot write photosbyjbenson@gmail.com
Kyle and Cara have been long time friends of mine (well Kyle since we were practically born), so when they approached me to do an engagement shoot in Rhode Island on the beach, I could not have been more excited. I love these guys, they are perfect for each other. Beach is usually not the route I take, I am more of a woods guy, especially when it comes to photography. I could not have been more pleased with their shoot though. Seriously, I started having the desire to shoot on the beach after them. Of course I am located closer to the woods, so thats where I still shoot most, and prefer to shoot, but the beach is no longer dreaded after these two. For the 2nd post, I really didn't want to overload you with the 100 photos that I loved from their session, so I tried, very hard, to narrow it down to some of my favorites. Hope you love these photos as much as I love them!
Stay tuned for their Wedding this summer.
To book your engagement shoot, wedding, or any other shoot, please email photosbyjbenson@gmail.com
