I met Tori and Tyler exclusively through Instagram and we connected by our mutual life circumstances through the military. They had booked for their wedding and weren’t planning on using their complimentary engagement session. After realising they would be in town, Tori and Tyler came to me and asked me to shoot their engagement pictures! With no plan or ideas for the concept, I JUMPED at the chance to design their shoot around their personalities.

Since the decision was last minute we had a very tight time frame. After posing several ideas for shoots and locations around Pensacola they fell in love with the idea of a bar themed shoot! Tori said that one of their comfort dates is going out and having a drink together and enjoying the atmosphere of a bar, so I wanted to capture this for them. Seville Quarter in downtown Pensacola was our stunning location and we scheduled the shoot for 2pm, when natural light would be flooding into the windows and the bar would be empty meaning maximum creativity with no disruptions. 

The shoot was a total dream and fully captured the personality of Tori and Tyler as a couple! We used beer and shots as props, we made toasts, they stood on the bar and the session flowed so naturally! I felt like a fly on the wall on one of their date nights. There were so many easy candid shots because they genuinely felt comfortable in the setting, acting like I wasn’t there.

The bar was the perfect location for the couple, but shooting in a dark location at midday can pose issues for me as a photographer. Getting the lighting just right accounting for the bright mid day sun in an otherwise dark and shadowy bar took some planning, especially since Tori loved the look of images shot with a flash. 

I used a flash with a diffuser, directly towards the couple. This allows for a softer but more wide usage of the flash. It helps capture all of the client without whiting out their skin tones and no harsh shadows. 

Despite my initial worry with the lighting it turned out amazing! Bright mid-day sun pouring through the windows, a dark and shadowy bar plus a flash= the perfect setting!

Tori left me the sweetest love letter! “Becca was AH-MAZING. She was able to work with us with short notice as we live in Virginia and were in the area. She made us feel comfortable and to be honest it feels like we’ve known her forever! We had our engagement pictures done at Seville Quarter and even though we’ve only received our sneak peek all I can say is we are OBSESSED!!!!! Even my husband loves the photos and he doesn’t like having his photo taken! We are so lucky to have found Becca and cannot wait for our wedding in March!!!”

If you’re wanting to do a shoot, but aren’t sure about the time or location, message me today and we can chat about how we can create the perfect shoot environment that captures your unique selves! LET’S DO THIS!