I arrived at the park around 8:00 AM to scope out good places to shoot, popped off a couple of random “test” shots (I happen to like the fountain I found) and settled in for what was to be a fun morning.

Dr. Isaiah Marder, his wife Angelique, and children Sebastian and Nina met me almost an hour late at around 10AM and we quickly got to shooting. Sebastian is a little bundle of energy that was more than fun to be around while Nina had a bit of trouble keeping her eyes awake from the car ride.

We started the shoot with direction from dad….he had the great ideas of hanging from trees, playing hide-and-seek, and playinng on the rolling hills of the park - all of which turned into great pictures. The ultimate goal of the day way to get shots of Sebastian’s back to be hung in the Chiropractic Clinic and Wellness Center run by the family. I’ve had the idea of getting him to stand on a park bench for a couple weeks and I had honestly hoped I could find a fountain with a bench nearby, we ended up with some interesting (if not too busy) Dogwood trees as a backdrop. I was shooting at first with a EF 50mm f/1.8 and got the shots I like the best - but to anyone that argues good bokeh from this lens….you don’t know bokeh. Very harsh, but still very very cool pics.

After playing on the park benches, Sebastian and Isaiah took to the track and we called it a day. If you want to see any other pictures, you are free to click through any of the posted images to the full gallery or visit Atlanta Photographers for more information on shooting children and more about this shoot.

Engagement ring photo by Bella Sorrisa

When we arrived about 20 minutes early in Avon, NC to meet the couple we decided to explore the neigborhood a bit and came across a wonderful little broken down boathouse/seafood market on the water. For some reason, bright red paint chipping off a building and water both seem to talk to me. Immediately after arriving at April and Barrett’s house we went back to the boathouse for round 1 of the shoot.

Boathouse background April Jasinski and Barrett Bodiford

After getting to know the couple “in front of the lens” we jumped into my SUV and headed for the ferry to Ocracoke - just over an hour to the south. I’ve always thought ferries were cool for some reason - maybe because of the romantic happenings in countless movies that take place on them.  I simply just don’t know the real reason.  Well, as fate would have it we missed the ferry by about 30 seconds so rather than waste an hour waiting we decided to hit the beach and ended up climbing all over the Frisco Pier.

April Jasinski and Barrett Bodiford at the Frisco Pier

By the time we  finished the chilly 40min ferry ride I had watched the sun drop into it’s final hours and had so much fun that I had nearly exhausted all of my CF cards - if it weren’t for Svetlana enticing us from inside the warm(er) car I would’ve stayed out shooting April, Barrett, boats, and birds for the entire trip.

April Jasinski and Barrett Bodiford on the Ocracoke Ferry by Bella Sorrisa

When we drove off the ferry ramps we were left with only about 60min of sun-setting daylight, which turned out to work perfectly against the golden marsh grasses we played in until the last possible minute. At that “last possible minute” we decided to ride further out on the island and consequently spent sunset playing with shadows and silhouettes in the long narrow road that runs across the center of the long island. Actually, we parked right in the middle of the deserted road to get the shots.

April Jasinski and Barrett Bodiford in the Ocracoke marsh grasses by Bella Sorrisa

I have to say - If we ever have another engagement shoot this fun, it won’t be soon enough. We’re more than looking forward to another trip to Ocracoke for the ceremony… April and Barrett, may God bless your marriage and the relieve the stresses of preparing for it…