Winter Engagement Pictures at Squires Castle

"Very nervous and excited" This is what Erin told me when we met for their winter engagement pictures at Squire's Castle. Squire's Castle is a very popular spot for pictures in Chagrin Falls /Willoughby Hills. It is part of the North Chagrin Reservation. I recently documented a wedding ceremony there. I told Erin that I was glad that she told me that. I said, first, it means that she is normal. EVERYONE is nervous before a professional photo session. I was when I had MY engagement pictures taken back in 2012/13. And secondly, it means that she cares about her pictures. Like all of my awesome clients, Erin and Josh really care about their wedding photography. And that was the beginning of great engagement session. It was pretty cold but there was a cloud free sky with full sun. I LOVE using direct sunlight in my pictures. It DOES present challenges. It can cause squinting, which we usually don't want. It can create unwanted shadows. But used correctly, pictures in direct sunlight can make for some very dramatic images. And that is what we got. We started in the woods behind Squires Castle. There was a wedding party taking pictures in front of the Castle and we didn't want to get in their way. We did, eventually, make our way inside and we were lucky that there was some great beams of light that we could use. We ended up at Erin's house to get some images in front of her fireplace and piano (great ideas's, Erin!). Here are a few of my favorites from their winter engagement pictures at Squires Castle.