Their Session: Asbury Park, NJ

These two literally blew my mind with how absolutely incredible they were from minute one of their session! They were SO affectionate and up for anything, which made everything flow so easily! Between Sarrah’s gorgeous yellow dress, the vibrant and colorful vibe of Asbury Park, and their love that radiated SO clearly, this session was just MAGICAL. June 13th was their original wedding date, but unfortunately, due to Covid-19, they had to rework their plans! They didn’t let that stop them from celebrating their love that weekend though, as they planned this playful and intimate beach session with me! We had so much fun laughing and telling stories, slowing down to really get to know each other, and spending some time to get really creative!

I definitely think you’ll want to scroll through all the way to the end of this post to see the unreal colorful sunset at the end! Not only were Sarrah and Ahmed stunning, but the sky was truly showing off for us, too!

Their Love Story

Sarrah met Ahmed at her sister’s dinner party in 2018. Ahmed was a friend of her brother-in-law and she says they hit it off INSTANTLY! Sarrah told me that, “I beat him badly at WII tennis and basically every game we played that night…and we were inseparable since that day.” Ahmed is from New Jersey and Sarrah is from Boston, so their long-distance relationship consisted of lots of FaceTime and hours upon hours of driving to one another over the years, but they know it was all worth it! I’m so freaking excited for them though, because Sarrah is moving to New Jersey in August and they’ll be tying the knot soon with close friends and family!

Sarrah says that their proposal was absolutely PERFECT! She told me, “My family was visiting his family, so he planned a game/riddle around his town for us. So we would go location to location solving riddles. The final location was his backyard (which is a beach!). He proposed at sunset, on the beach with candles and roses. The ring was in a seashell!” So cute!!

These two love trying new things! Whether it’s pottery or dance classes, going to a museum, or playing lots of games! I cannot wait to see what Sarrah and Ahmed do next once more places open up in New Jersey! I know they’re itching to get back out there! 🙂

Sarrah & Ahmed,

You two literally made my heart melt with how affectionate and sweet you are together. Your love for each other is SO tangible, and I feel extremely lucky to have been able to capture this milestone for you! I’m so happy that in spite of having to reschedule your wedding, you both are so optimistic and wanted to have this session with me to celebrate original wedding day! Lots of love and well wishes to you both on this exciting journey ahead! xo

Photography tip:

I started at this little secluded wall for a few reasons! Although it visually wasn’t AS exciting as the rest of Asbury, it was evenly lit and shaded AND it was secluded from tons of people. I chose it so that my lighting was EASY and I could focus on getting these two as comfortable as possible before really getting into more action-based poses. Being separated from the big groups of people helped them feel less nervous about getting all cutesy in front of crowds. It was the perfect spot to start both on my end and theirs!

When you’re starting your sessions, don’t add TOO many variables – when you’re so focused on messing with crazy lighting and your camera settings and trying to get your couple comfortable, usually, your camera settings take over. Make it easy for yourself and start simple, clean, and evenly lit, so you can pour your focus into creating a comfortable environment!

I just adore this shot so much! It’s so epic and I love how Sarrah’s dress POPs against the striking blue eyes! Can’t get over how colorful and vibrant Asbury was this day!!

Their smiles literally melt my freaking heart!!! I could have photographed them alllll day, this whole session had me pinching myself and thinking, “how is this my JOB?!”

Photography tip:

Although it’s bulky and extra weight in my camera bag, I always bring my 100mm macro lens for really tight detail ring shots! That’s about all I need it for, but it’s so worth it!