I loved my day as Carley and Garret’s Cincinnati Engagement photographer, capturing romantic and whimsical moments during their engagement session at Ault Park! 

I had the opportunity to experience something that not many photographers get to have with their couples. I was able to witness and capture the very start of Carley and Garret’s season of engagement when Garret proposed to Carley in the bottom of a wine cellar in January of 2022. Garret found and reached out to me two days before the proposal and since then, I have been by these two, guiding, serving, and building our friendship as they’ve begun to plan their wedding. 

Cincinnati has reserved a special place in both their hearts: this is where they first met and have started their lives together as they trek closer to their life as husband and wife. After speaking with them during their planning appointment over zoom, we knew we wanted to keep it local so we could tie in all the things that they held dear to their hearts. 

What better place for  romantic engagement photography than Ault Park in Cincinnati? The park has many beautiful features that makes it absolutely stunning to shoot at during the summer months. Full of lush, minty greenery, paved walking trails, the well-known park pavilion that overlooks the city, and large open grass areas for them to bring Rex (their cute dog!), it was the perfect place. 

We started their session on one of the paved pathways in the center of the garden. Five minutes into the session, the garden was filled with Carley and Garret’s laughter as they played some of my favorite games/prompts to warm up. A few minutes later they brought Rex into the frame to capture some portraits with their fur baby. 

We then moved further down the trail where a beautiful stone structure in the park sits with some benches, a perfect place for a little picnic. The sun was angled and shining perfectly through the trees, so we took advantage of this and captured some beautiful moments with A+ lighting. 

Forty five minutes in and after a quick outfit change, we made our way to the pavilion where the two laughed even louder after a piggy back ride and a good ole’ butt bumping contest. 

We ended the session with a beautiful view of Cincinnati and an amazing golden hour sunset by heading to the top of the pavilion. When the sunset hits its peak, I love to transition the mood into a more romantic, intimate setting to capture heart-warming emotions. Many photographers call themselves a candid style photographer, yet many just stop at making the couple laugh. I love to dig a little further and create an atmosphere where emotional connection on a deeper level can thrive so I can document pure memories worth a million words. 

After an hour and a half of  laughing non-stop, soaking up all the emotions while enjoying the amazing weather, we ended our night with some killer sushi downtown at Ichiban. 

In the last five months since this blog was published, I have had the opportunity to capture their proposal and their engagement. In ten months, I get to capture their wedding day and document their first moments as husband and wife. So thankful to have been Carley and Garret’s Cincinnati Engagement photographer and trusting me to capture their Romantic Engagement at Ault Park.