We are about to bring you some hotness on a cold December evening. We’re really excited to show you Liz and Scott’s engagement session tonight!  These two were troopers in the bitter November cold (even though Lisa had to borrow Scott’s gloves) especially since their initial engagement session was cancelled because of the freak October blizzard. Gotta love Albany sometimes. I think you will agree the pictures were definitely worth braving the cold. We have to give extra props to Scott (the groom, as I’m not talking about myself in the third person here ) because he had been up since 4 A.M. for work.

Liz and Scott met at the St. Patrick’s day parade in Albany and have spent almost every day together since then. It was only natural that they would consider getting engaged but they had a ten year plan. So, of course, Liz was completely surprised when one day at the waterfall in Thacher Park,  Scott got on one knee and proposed. I think we can all guess what her answer was! Naturally, when it came time for their engagement session we had to go back to the place where it all began!

Obviously, since it is a Scott Kretschmann Photography engagement session, there is a gorgeous couple, some pretty light, sprinkle in a little bit of Lipstick n’ Lashes magic and BOOM! One engagement session served up hot (on a very cold day). We hope you enjoy these photos as much as we enjoyed taking them and keep checking back for more to come! Also don’t forget to show your favorite photo some love by clicking the button below the photo!

You just have to get this shot when shooting at Thacher. Love the look Liz is giving Scott!

Albany making a guest appearance in the background.

You’re about to see some serious hotness in some AMAZING light!

I love this one, feels like we’re spying on them a little bit!

Oh yeah, this is how we roll.

Sometimes we really love a classic black and white.

The Facebook teaser, and our favorite picture. Make sure to like our Facebook page if you haven’t already to be the first to see their wedding photos!

These two are so cute together!

The leaves may have been gone already, but these two brought some gorgeousness to the scenery anyway!

Liz rocking the model look.

Oh yeah, there’s that killer light.

Had to try another killer black and white – it just looked awesome with the light.

Seriously, how cute are these two?

Off to Downtown Albany to bring the Scott Kretschmann Photography signature After Dark Session to an engagement session! It was so cold down there, but so worth it to get these awesome shots!

The lights, the cobblestone, the impending kiss….perfection.

We had to finish it off with the signature shot to show off the bling!

Liz and Scott, thanks so much for hanging out with us, braving the elements, and rocking it out for these photos. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do! We can’t wait for your wedding at the Canoe Island Lodge in Lake George this coming September!

Well folks, we’re finally almost caught up with our fall engagement session backlog – we had so many sessions in October and November, it was INSANE! We definitely won’t complain about being busy though, as we had some great sessions with some amazing couples. Fall in Upstate NY is always our most beautiful time of year, so it’s no surprise that it makes the perfect backdrop for engagement photos. Anyway, on to Kate and Kevin’s session!

Kate and Kevin are very in sync as a couple, which is something that just kind of happens when you have been dating since high school. Their first kiss story has to be the best one we’ve had yet. It was their one month anniversary, and Kevin said he really wanted to give her a kiss, so he opened her hand and placed a Hershey’s Kiss in it. Smooth huh? Suffice it to say he got his kiss shortly thereafter. That definitely tops the list of best first kiss stories! Like all good romance stories they kept in touch through the time and distance of college with Kevin making the long 5 hour trips from Rochester to White Plains every few weeks to see Kate.

After Kate graduated law school and passed the bar (this apparently a test and not a place to drink) they moved to Cortland. After living together for two years Kevin decided that it was time to seal the deal with a ring!  It started with a trip to a bed and breakfast in Ithaca where little did Kate know he was a man with a plan.  After asking for her parents for permission and having her mom try on the ring (how cute is that?) his plans were in place.  Kevin actually texted Kate’s parents throughout the proposal so they could be involved.  After a trip to the spa he took her to a great restaurant complete with roses and after getting back to the bed and breakfast, he got down on one knee and asked her if she would do him the honor of being his wife. I think you can guess what she said!

Which brings us to their engagement session in Albany. After much brainstorming and discussion we decided on a trip to downtown Albany and then a super secret spot where we love to shoot. Kate made a stop by Lipstick and Lashes (ladies, for your wedding hair and makeup, you want to use them, trust us!) to get her hair and makeup done then we were ready for an unforgettable engagement session. It was a little chilly, but the light was perfect and we still had a blast and got some awesome photos. Check them out and be sure to vote for your favorites by showing them a little “love”

Gentlemen, if you don’t know how to properly dip your brides and brides to be, you need to take lessons from Kevin. He rocked it. So smooth.

Oh yeah, there’s the light I was talking about.

We love reflections just a little bit.

How hot is this one? Seriously! That’s a model look right there.

Late fall in Albany, you HAVE to play in the leaves!

A little dancing…can you tell we were having fun?

These two were so goofy. We loved it.

In this next one, Kevin is practicing for his GQ cover shoot.

Kate wanted to be dipped again. Kevin obliged. The light was perfect. Need we say more?

Here are a couple of shots with the Cathedral of All Saints in the background. It’s a GORGEOUS church, and in case we forgot to mention it, it’s also where they will be getting married in July!

Golden awesomeness

Off to one of our favorite spots to shoot in Albany. The sunset light is always KILLER there!

This was our Facebook teaser. Make sure to like our page to be the first to see their wedding photos! It is also one of our favorite e-pics of the year, and I totally think when we redo our wall art in the studio this winter, this one is going up there.

These are SO perfect.

A nice one for mom and dad:

As there is a bunch of snow on the ground at our house right now, we are totally missing this gorgeous fall color.

We hope everyone enjoyed these, and make sure to click the love button under your favorites! Kate and Kevin, we are so excited for your wedding, and we can’t wait to show off all the joy and magic of that day right here! Thanks so much for braving the cold and spending the afternoon with us. We had such a great time, and we hope you love these images as much as we do!

We are so excited to post this session! When we met Michelle and Mike we hit it off right away. In fact our consult lasted until midnight, and you could tell we’d be really close pretty much instantly. Michelle has actually been helping us out as our assistant at our photo booth this fall as well! Lisa loves working with our brides to plan their engagement sessions, so she had been planning this one for a while. When Michelle mentioned wanting a fall session, Lisa automatically went into planning a very fall engagement session. We thought nothing would scream fall in Upstate NY more than a session at Indian Ladder Farms with its amazing apple orchard.

Michelle and Mike are doctoral students in sociology who met at UAlbany, so they are extremely busy and we are lucky that they managed to find some time to squeeze in a session. We think it was well worth it though for their day off and we managed to get just a peek of some pretty fall foliage. It was a holiday weekend so the place was crowded but we managed to shoot around it and you can’t even tell that the place was packed. Not only did we get to munch on some apples but we crawled in apple crates and drank apple cider. It doesn’t get much more fall than that! Lisa also decided they should do apple themed save the date pictures, which we absolutely love.

We are so excited to shoot Michelle and Mike’s wedding in May at Riverstone Manor. We can’t wait to meet all of their family and friends and be a part of their special day. Michelle and Mike, we hope you enjoy your pictures and that reflect the love you have for each other. Make sure to leave some love for the happy couple in the comments section!

Gonna start today off with our Facebook teaser for this session. Normally the first 30 minutes of a session, the couple is still getting used to us and being in front of the camera, but Michelle and Mike got right into it. It was awesome. Make sure to like our page to be the first to see their wedding photos!

So sweet:

How cute are these two? And the light….so perfect.

Even with the awesome light, we had to do some great black and whites too!

Nothing says fall around here like some fresh picked, ripe apples.

Then, we found the perfect spot, with the most perfect light ever:

Fresh pressed apple cider? Yes please!

We just had to have a little to drink while we were there:

You’re going to get not one, but TWO bling shots today!

This was Lisa’s idea. I love it.

That “Indian Ladder Farms Green” is so iconic in this area.

Yeah, here’s the bling again. Mike did well.

Just as we were finishing up, I saw the red tree. Just couldn’t pass it up!

I think they both picked pretty well!

Michelle and Mike, thank you so much for the AMAZING time, and we are so excited about your upcoming wedding! We had so much fun on this session, we know we’re going to have to go back to Indian Ladder again!

Sam and Nick booked us a couple of months ago for their Century House wedding. We immediately started planning for an engagement session and they were lucky enough to get one of the nicest days in October (and with our schedule in the fall, those are REALLY hard to come by). It was sunny, 80 degrees with radiant blue skies which we are now reminiscing about as winter begins! We hit up their apartment complex first to hang out with their two dogs and then we headed to Prospect Mountain in Lake George for some pretty fall foliage. Even though it was a little tough climbing around on rocks with our gear on the pictures were so worth it. The view from the mountain was unbelievable and it was great to shoot up there. Once we were done we headed down the mountain to shoot on the docks of Lake George. We love the light during sunset on the docks, and the view with the mountains and water in the background is always amazing.

We really enjoyed getting to hang out with Sam and Nick because they are so much fun, not to mention that they treated us to Ben and Jerry’s at the end of the session! We even got to hear about their Christmas time proposal at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. We can’t wait for their wedding in May, and more importantly we can’t wait to share it with you all. We hope you enjoy the pictures!

A little family portrait:

So cute:

Yeah, let’s just say he wouldn’t look at us. At all. This is the best we could get:

Off to prospect mountain. LOVED this light:

A little portrait for the parents:

LOVE this one:

The sun was really strong, so we decided to have some fun with silhouettes:

Time to go down to the lake!

How about a little dancing?

Sam really does have amazing eyes:

Our Facebook teaser is next. Be sure to like our page to be the first to see their wedding photos!

This next one really is one of my favorites:

Of course, we have to finish by showing off the bling:

We hope you all enjoyed these, and we can’t wait to show you their wedding pics!

Annnndddd we are back with the much anticipated second blog post of Abby and Jack’s awesome wedding. Abby and Jack had an energetic crowd and it showed during the cheers as they entered their reception. After some sweet dances and toasts it was time to steal Abby and Jack for a short sunset session. We took them outside where there was some sweet sunset prettiness for us to photograph. We love to take our couples out at sunset for about 10 minutes to get some relaxed pictures in the good light. Trust us, these are 10 minutes you won’t regret! Not only did they go out for sunset but Abby and Jack plopped right down in the grass. We love couples who are willing to do anything we ask and trust that we will get great pictures. I think you will agree these are definitely some gorgeous pictures.

After they returned to the tent the party was rockin’ late into the night and we were there to capture all the highlights. Our girl Michelle was rockin’ the photobooth and the guests definitely took advantage of it. The dance floor stayed packed and what can we say other than the pictures show what an awesome crowd we got to work with for their wedding.

Abby and Jack – You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for trusting us with your wedding and being such troopers in the mud and the muck. You rock!

These two are major wine lovers, so the entire reception was wine themed!

Do you guys remember this one from their e-shoot?

Well, they found a REALLY unique way to use it on their favors!

The sunset was so beautiful, we just had to go grab a few shots!

It made us so happy just being around these two. SO much love!

Abby was such a gorgeous bride, she needs a little of the spotlight herself (or sunlight here!)

Flowers by North Country Flowers. The bouquet matched the wedding perfectly:

Golden, perfect light, gorgeous bride, yeah, this was making our job easy.

We can’t forget about Jack!

The Facebook teaser. If you’d liked our page, you would have seen it first! This one totally belongs on a canvas.

Another one of Lisa’s close up, intimate shots. I always love these.

Off to the party again! A little dancing with dad.

Time for our signature After Dark session. These are always some of our favorite photos of the day.

This next one is epic. Can’t really say much more about it.

The moon was gorgeous and made for a nice backdrop!

After Abby and Jack cooled off a little bit during their After Dark session, they went right back to the party!

I went outside to cool off for a minute and grab this shot:

Then, I noticed that the bridesmaids were planking by the port-a-potty. I couldn’t NOT blog this.

Thanks so much to Michelle for rocking out photo booth for the evening! Everyone had so much fun in there, so we just have to post a couple of shots now:

Thanks so much for stopping by to check these out, and thank you again to Abby and Jack for being absolutely wonderful with us, and being so in love that it made out photos shine.

We think every couple who is considering marriage should renovate a house together. It is a test of your commitment, patience and ability to work together. Did we mention patience? Abby and Jack are a testimony that this is a true statement as they have been renovating their home together for four years. Their home, however, is not just any home, but a historic home in Johnsonville with a breathtaking view and amazing history. It was only right that the home that cemented their love was the venue for their wedding day. Their yard with its gorgeous hilltop views housed the ceremony that proclaimed them man and wife, while a backyard tent was the site of the biggest party that Johnsonville, NY has probably ever seen.

Although it was a rainy week it stopped that Saturday and the sun shone down to deliver a perfect day that couldn’t have been any more beautiful. We started with Abby and her girls getting ready upstairs while Jack and the boys grabbed drinks and got ready downstairs. It was off to a short and sweet little ceremony (with some amazing light I might add) and then picture time! With a fun bridal party in tow and a beautiful view we were off! We got some fun bridal party pictures and then it was time for Abby and Jack’s session. They really value photography so they made sure to give us ample time to create our magic. Trust me when I say that if you give us enough time, we will be able to get some incredible pictures. These couple portraits are some of our favorites and the best part is that they were game for a sunset and afterdark session where we got some more incredible pictures (check back for part 2 to see those!). You will absolutely fall in love with Abby and Jack after seeing their beautiful wedding day – you have been warned! We hope you enjoy these pictures and come back soon for another set of awesome pictures. Now, on to what you really came here for!

We just love this dress shot, it is set off perfectly by their yellow home. We like yellow a little bit, in case you hadn’t noticed:

Yeah, Lisa can rock a pumpkin, whatever that means

No boring shoe shots here!

Meanwhile, upstairs, Abby was helping her girls get ready:

Story time. Abby really loves antiques. Completely adores them. For years, whenever she visited her local antique shop, she would go directly for a gorgeous antique bottle and look at it. She coveted this bottle, but thought she could never afford it. Well, guess what Jack got her as her wedding gift? Abby knew what it was just by feeling it through the wrapping paper and the tears of joy came almost immediately. It was a great thing to witness:

Time for the dress!

Lisa grabbed a few amazing bridal portraits inside while they were waiting for the ceremony. Sometimes, all you need is a little window light and a beautiful bride:

Meanwhile, outside, Jack was waiting patiently, against the yellow wall. OK, so I asked him to stand there, so what?!?!

Check out the view from the ceremony site!

Nothing more beautiful than a beaming bride walking down the aisle:

I’m totally amazed by this shot that Lisa got during the ring exchange:

Man and Wife:

Going for a little stroll on the farm:

Sometimes I like a little sun flare:

Lisa asked the girls to get a little sassy. The ladies responded with “Like the Kardashians?” So yeah, here they are, just like the Kardashians:

There’s just something about old barn walls:

On to Abby and Jack’s couples session!

A perfect moment:

That look is why Lisa nicknamed her Ab-Fab:

Sometimes we just hang out by the silos. What, have a problem with that?

Happily Ever After:

On the way back to their reception, we went to go rock their front porch for a minute. Lisa caught this awesomely perfect reflection:

You know it’s the start of the fall wedding season when:

We hope everyone enjoyed those. Leave Abby and Jack some love in the comments below, and come back soon for part 2! You’re not going to believe the sunset and after dark photos we got of them. Trust me, you don’t wanna miss it.

Welcome back to the second half of Laurie and Joe’s engagement session! We have been hard at work getting their pictures done in time for their wedding next month. After our trip on the subway (as seen in Part 1) we moved on to the place where it all began – a wine bar called Winegasm in Astoria, Queens. The name sounds a little strange but it is seriously the cutest little bar in Astoria. It was here over glasses of wine that Laurie and Joe met and fell in love. E-sessions are so much better when the locations are important and really say something about the couple. It was so wonderful to get to visit the place where they fell in love and share a glass of wine. The staff was really wonderful and they let us take over the place for a little while.

After we finished at the wine bar, we raced to the west village to get some more shots before the oncoming rainstorm hit. It was looking pretty ominous on the radar image on the iPhone, but we decided to chance it. Turns out that the rain beat us. A quick run into the local Walgreens for an umbrella and we got right back to it!  I know that the golden light is beautiful but something about the rain is incredibly romantic. Laurie and Joe were so wonderful and adapted nicely to the change in weather. They got a little wet but it was totally worth it. There is too much to love about the pictures-the colors, the reflections, the romance. As Lisa would say..swoonworthy. The teaser pic from the pier got some rave reviews so we can’t wait to see what you think of the rest of the pictures. We are so happy that we had a couple who was so ready and willing to do anything we asked in order to get some great pictures.  Thank you for checking out the blog post and we hope you love these pictures as much as we do!

A little look back at the place they met:

I love this one. Makes me feel like we were peeking in at a genuine moment:

Yeah, the name of the place cracks me up, but I love it!

Then it was off back to Manhattan! We thought we might beat the rain, but we were wrong. Still, we found this pier in the west village – the wet wood made for the perfect reflecting surface and made for some killer images! This next one was our Facebook teaser. Go like our page and see these first!

This picture feels so vintage and romantic in black and white:

I just love how the wood became a mirror in the rain:

It was REALLY windy, and the umbrella turned inside out a couple of times, but I love how it added a little motion to the images. We didn’t even need a fan to give her that super model hair blowing look

Walking through the West Village, we came across one of NYC’s great cobblestone streets. The stones glistened in the rain, and we knew we had to stop and shoot.

This next one is totally one of my favorite images from the session. The kiss, the couple, the cobblestone, the rain, and the vintage black and white. It just came together so perfectly.

On our way back at the end of the day, we walked through the meatpacking district and got a couple of cool shots to finish off the session.

The taxi whizzing by at dusk on the wet streets. Love. We can’t get enough of shooting in NYC with scenes like this.

Thanks so such for checking out the blog, and we really hope you enjoyed the photos! Laurie and Joe, thank you so much for rolling with the punches, getting a little damp…or drenched….and showing us your world. We had a blast and can’t wait to come back downstate for your wedding next month!

Laurie and Joe came to us as a referral from another photographer friend of ours all the way out in California – totally a small world sometimes! They met with us during one of our days shooting down in New York City and we hit it off instantly. We knew right then that working with these two was going to be a blast.  What can we say about Laurie and Joe? They like Super Troopers and they met at a bar called Winegasm. We kid you not. Those two facts explain perfectly why they are our kind of couple. If you hang around us you will find out that we quote Super Troopers on a fairly regular basis so needless to say this turned out to be a fun engagement session. Laurie and Joe picked some great locations that were not only personal to them but had a little bit of a New York City flare. Add in a couple of funny people, some great movie quotes, and you have the makings of an amazing engagement session.

Laurie wanted to take some pictures on the subway so Lisa did a lot of research and found the coolest subway station ever. Seriously. It had a long brushed metal wall that just begged to be photographed. It was the perfect way to begin the session and we created some amazing shots. We moved into the subway and even though it was ridiculously hot, Laurie and Joe were still laughing and having a good time. We even managed to get an empty subway car for a few minutes to get some cool photos. We love those random, lucky moments that can only happen in NYC.

We hope you enjoy this first blog post from our time in New York City and that you have as much fun looking at them as we had taking them. Stay tuned for part two, when we head off to their home borough of Queens, coming soon! For now, enjoy part one!

Yeah, this wall by the subway station made the coolest backdrop. We totally need a wall like this.

We normally finish off a session with our signature shot. Today we feel like starting off with it! Never hurts to switch things up a bit and keep it fresh.

Laurie didn’t need much time to get warmed up to start working it for the camera.

Gotta love a classic and romantic black and white:

Is there anything not to love about the picture-the colors, the cool wall, the adorable couple?

Time to head down into the subway! I love combining the grittiness of the NYC subways with a hot couple.

We were lucky enough to find a completely empty subway car in the middle of the afternoon. Normally you need to be shooting in the early morning hours to find that!

This next one just screams NYC to me:

We hope you enjoyed part 1, be sure to come back tomorrow for Part 2, from Astoria, Queens and the West Village / Meatpacking District!

Welcome back! We hope you enjoyed the pictures yesterday of Erica and Kameron’s beautiful wedding ceremony at the gorgeous Inn at Erlowest in Lake George . Here is the thing about Erica and Kameron – they are a LOT of fun, and this shines through in all their pictures. Since we were in Lake George you know we had to take pictures on the dock (the Minne Ha-Ha even paid a visit) in the beautiful light before Erica and Kameron headed off to their reception.

What follows are some of our favorite couple portraits we have ever taken. They trusted us completely and in the end it paid off with some gorgeous pictures they will cherish for years to come. We can’t wait for them to see all of their pictures at their cocktail viewing in few weeks! We are definitely picking out our favorites for wall prints to hang in the studio and we can’t wait to show them off.

After an amazing portait session by the lake, we hopped on the Albany Aquaducks trolley and headed up to the reception. Soul session was there making some stupid noise (in the words of the amazing Garland Nelson) and getting the party going. There were some beautiful toasts, dances, and lots of joy. Of course, we had to take them out for the signature After Dark Session and get a little breather from the dance floor for a couple of minutes. It was such and amazing event and it was great being there to capture everything.

Now, on to the photos!

Yeah, Erica knows how to work it for the camera!

A little formal shot for Mom and Dad:

Did I mention she rocked it for the camera? Yeah:

Thanks to Erik for assisting us that day. This next shot was our favorite of his:

We love a little dip…or a big one!

Remember her killer heels from part 1?

A beaming bride by the lake. Too perfect.

We loved the gold on her shoes. Such an awesome touch!

Such a sweet, tender moment. Lisa always rocks these:

This next one is our favorite. It was even our facebook teaser. Didn’t see it yet? You should have liked our page earlier! Next canvas for our studio???

Thinking of a word…oh yeah that’s right-Swoonworthy!
Everything about this is PERFECTION!

And yes, a visit from the Minne-Ha-Ha!

Oh yeah, then the sun popped out from behind a cloud!

This one is so Lake George they should put it on a post card and sell it along Canada Street

A little extra decoration on the Aquaducks trolley. I love how much fun these two are!

On to the reception! The room looked absolutely gorgeous.

A little party after their entrance:

The first dance, Scott’s view:

And now, Lisa’s view:

Erica’s dad gave a touching speech before the father-daughter dance:

Garland and the amazingness that is Soul Session. They totally rocked the house.

Yep, even grandma was getting down on the dance floor. The party was THAT good.

And of course, we can’t forget our After Dark Session!

Erica and Kameron-Thank you so much for allowing us to capture your special day and be a small part of the beginning of your life together. We wish you many years of happiness.

You may remember Erica and Kameron’s very Saratoga engagement session from the track and Congress Park here and here. Erica caused quite a stir on the blog with the shoes she was rocking at their engagement session and she certainly didn’t disappoint on her wedding day either! She had beautiful shoes, an amazing detailed dress and a handsome groom to boot. Erica and Kameron love to laugh and that is pretty much what they did throughout their wedding day.

Erica and Kam got married at The Inn at Erlowest on a beautiful day that really could not have been more perfect. Their ceremony took place down by Lake George complete with pretty blue skies, fluffy white clouds and the occasional boater. Their ceremony was deeply personal and reflected their love of family and friends. After the ceremony, we walked over to the dock and took some amazing shots right by the water and even managed to get some with the Minnie Ha-Ha (for those of you who have been to Lake George, you will understand, the rest of you have to wait for part 2)! We hope you enjoy the pictures and come back soon to see Part 2.

There are few places that can match Erlowest for its lakeside beauty:

The ladies at Lily Saratoga hooked Erica up with this AMAZING dress! The detail down the back was just to die for.

And of course, the shoes. Erica can rock a pair of heels like no one else!

A great little moment between the bride and her mother:

The ladies from Lipstick N’ Lashes did such an amazing job with the girls!

Lisa had been picturing this shot in her head since found out we were shooting at Erlowest. Love the sense of motion and anticipation.

The girls:

Erica had the most diverse bridal party we’ve ever shot, with her mom as the Matron of Honor, two bridesmaids, three junior bridesmaids, and even two bridesmen!

And of course, the lovely Bride:

Now off to the guys! When we got there, Kam was busy writing down his vows for the ceremony:

The groomsmen, meanwhile, were having a lot of fun downstairs. Apparently I missed out on the Lamping trend, so they demonstrated:

The beautiful lakeside ceremony space:

Kam’s reaction to Erica walking down the aisle was great. I love that his brothers hand was on his shoulder. It’s always nice to have two photographers to be able to get stuff like this!

The ceremony was so full of joy and laughter:

The vows:

With this ring…

AND a little celebration as Man and Wife:

Can’t forget the bridal party in this celebration!

Hope everyone enjoyed part 1, be sure to come back for part 2 to check out their A-MA-ZING romantic session by the lake, as well as the great reception at the Inn!