Sara + Tom's Bethlehem Engagement Shoot
For most of my wedding packages, I included a complimentary engagement shoot. It provides a great chance for me to meet with the couple and start getting to know them before their big day. It adds a bit of familiarity and makes the wedding day so much smoother. Sara and Tom are Bethlehem locals and really liked the idea of walking around Downtown Bethlehem and getting a few shots around our beautiful town. It was nearing the end of fall, so we had all the great fall aspects to choose from and the possibility of those wonderful autumn sunsets.
We spent a bit of time in God’s Acre to begin the shoot. I love having my couples just spend an intimate moment together and try to forget that I'm there. The sun was beginning to set so we took a stroll down to Main St. to get a few shots with what we were hoping to be a beautiful sunset.
At this point the golden hour light was incredible. I knew I wanted to have the iconic Hotel Bethlehem sign in these shots so after a little bit of creative framing we were able to get the light hitting Sara and Tom as well as the sign in the background. Great success!
Another great spot was right across the lawn from this location and we wanted to make the most of the golden hour light so we made our way over there as quickly as possible.
I see a lot of photographers in the area use the Central Moravian Church steps to shoot photos of their clients. I really wanted to find a different composition and I thought using the iron fence as a natural frame created a sense of intimacy between Sara and Tom. I really love how this shot came out.
The sun finally set but as you may or may not know, the best time for sunset color is after the sunset has gone below the horizon. I like to call this the After-burn. It’s usually that brief time between golden hour and blue hour and this is usually when the sky really lights up. I had them hop off the stairs and stand very still so I could try a portrait panorama. This is such a great technique that I ALWAYS for get to do, but not that day!
After that awesome sunset we took a stroll up Main Street to the Sun Inn. This is one of my favorite places to shoot at night. The small alley doesn’t have much through traffic and has some nice string lights strung up across the two buildings. It provides for a great spot to bring out some flashes without much interruption.
I love the warm look of these shots in the alleyway. The string lights really bring it alive at night so it’s totally worth breaking out the lighting and getting some weird looks from people walk by. No Bethlehem engagement shoot would be complete without at least one shot of the Bethlehem Steel Stacks! I’ve had this following shot in mind for a long time. I initially wanted to do it on the other side of the Steel Stacks but that parking lot was closed off. Being that I shoot there very often I was prepared to change up where we shot from.
You’d never expect that this shot was taken in a empty parking lot next to our cars. I’ve spent a lot of time over the years shooting around Bethlehem but never did an engagement shoot that hit almost all the most photographed places in town.
They’re such a great couple and I’m super excited to photograph Sara and Tom’s wedding this coming September! It’s going to be a great time!