kind words, real names

We were going to skip engagement photos. Glad we didn't. The session was an hour and it cost less than dinner at a nice place and we have something that will outlive us both.

The portraits at the lakefront, my hijab in motion, the wind catching everything — I have never felt more myself in a photograph.

I cried when I got the gallery. I am not a crier. The photo of us laughing on the bench is going to be hanging in our first house someday.

Italian sunset, espresso bar in West Town, the whole vibe was effortless. Em gets light better than anyone I have hired.

Em did our session for free on the day of our nikah ceremony because we had only booked wedding day coverage. That generosity is who he is.

Em told us he'd shoot until the light went and not a minute earlier. We got golden hour. We got blue hour. We got 60 photos. We were there for 90 minutes total.

I was uncomfortable being directed in front of a camera and Em could tell. He stopped giving instructions and just let us walk and talk. Those are the photos we chose.

Em sent the gallery in eleven days, said two weeks. I am a deadline person and now I am also an Em person.

The portraits at our family bakery in Bridgeport — flour everywhere, my zio in the background — feel like a magazine spread we never paid for.

We did our session in November in a snow storm. Em made it work. The photos look like a Russian novel. I love them.

We did our engagement session at the spot Anthony proposed. Em recreated the angle without us even asking. The photo is now our save-the-date.

My mother in Warsaw cried when she saw the photos. That woman does not cry easily. Em earned that.

My fiancé is shy in front of cameras. By minute 20 he was making faces at me to make me laugh. By minute 40 he was the one suggesting poses.

I do not photograph well. Or I did not. Em changed my mind. I never want to take a photo without him again.

My fiancé hates having his photo taken. Em made him laugh four times and got the only good photo of his face that exists from 2024.

The black and white photo of me kissing his forehead — I send it to him on his bad days. It works every single time.

Em's direction is gentle. He doesn't over-pose. The photos look like us if we were slightly cooler versions of ourselves.

Em's suggestion to do the second location at the bar where we had our first date was perfect. I never would have thought of it. We have our actual story in pictures now.

We brought our dog to the session. Em treated her like the bride. The portrait of her sitting between us at sunset is the best thing in our apartment.

Two locations, one outfit change, ninety minutes. Em made it feel like a date instead of a photoshoot. Easiest hour of wedding planning.