Gillian and Michael - Engagement Session - Mystic, CT

Gillian and Michael met in College, Western Connecticut State University to be exact. If you really want details it was in Newbury Hall room 20 which was a friend's dorm room. It's been a little over 10 years ago, now they will marry their best friend. (Eachother)

We meet up at Mystic Aquarium for their engagement session. Michael is a huge fan of fish. A great fisherman and musician. I couldn't believe how he knew about so many species of fish. It was great to see how excited he was to see certain fish in the tanks. Here is a recap of the day. Don't forget to check out the slideshow with Gillian and Michael's song selection for their first dance.

Love the unintentional color scheme going on here.

Michael shared that he was apprehensive, shy and a little nervous about this photoshoot. Yeah right! Check these two out getting it on!

Looking forward to the wedding!

Shannon & Tim - Engagement Session - Lighthouse Point, New Haven, CT

He calls her "Angel", he rubs her feet, brushes her hair and makes her laugh.  She is funny and not afraid to be goofy and have fun with silliness.  She is also an incredible artist - she can find beauty in anything.  These are there words....Meet Tim and Shannon.

Who doesn't love a Love Story?  I am such a lucky girl with an incredible job!  Documenting such a beautiful thing...Chapter upon chapters of Love Stories.

I am over the moon about meeting Tim and Shannon.  Shannon truly is an incredible soul!  So free spirited and kind.  She wouldn't hurt a fly or an ant for that matter, I'm being serious here!

We headed out to Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven, CT for Tim and Shannon's engagement session.

I love the waves crashing into the rocks.  Make a little mental note to check out the out take I added to the slide show right after this shot ;-)

Enter beautiful light!

Gorgeous!

So we planned on getting some shots with the sun setting on the beach.  We literally chased the light and Shannon was so excited she ran like there was no tomorrow.  I love how whimsical this shot turned out although I shot it all in fun as I was running.  Doesn't she remind you of Laura Engles?  I call this "Chasing The Light".

Ummm, yeah love that!

Sunset ring shot; why, not?

Thanks Tim and Shannon!  Yes, we had fun!  Can't wait for your wedding day!  Be sure to click play and see the rest of Tim and Shannon's engagement session.  Along with the out take on the rocks.  See what happens when Shannon's free spirited personality kicks into high speed, grabs Tim's hands and yells, "SPIN!!!"

Patty and Tim-Married-Stamford, CT/New Rochelle, NY

It's no secret that I LOVE to shoot weddings.  I also love teaming up with other awesome photographers.  It's so fun to see and experience different shooting styles and techniques.  I had an amazing time shooting with my friends and the oh so talented duo, Candace and Josh Jeffery of Candace Jeffery Photography.  It was a great pleasure to meet Patty and Tim, their friends and family.  The day started out in Stamford, CT. with the girls.  I can't tell you how excited I was to see the fabulously talented Naomi Martinez working make-up on the girls.

Here Naomi is giving a final touch up to Patty's Lip Gloss.

What's a Val wedding post without a shoe shot.  Gotta have a fun shoe shot!  When I saw this safe in the room where the bride was getting ready; I saw this in my head.  I had to bring to life, especially with the way the light was coming in.

Patty as she's changing into her beautiful gown.

It was an emotional moment for Patty's grandmother and father to see her in her gown for the first time.  I love that her father is capturing the moment with a Canon :-)

Beautiful Bride, Patty.

Yep, chipmunk on crack excited about the flare and how it made her veil just glow.

The stone bridge at Binney Park in Greenwich and colors were beautiful of course I couldn't help but to "Valerize" this image.

The Fountain Head in New Rochelle, NY  was amazingly beautiful and the details amazing!

I loved the lightening by Jimmy Dee Productions.  I adjusted my settings, no flash to capture the moment.

More fun candids during the reception.

Father and daughter dance.  Yeah it brought tears to my eyes.

The shot above and below are the most powerful of the night.  Tragically Tim's family was killed in a horrific car accident.  Patty's mother danced the mother/son dance with Tim.  There was not a dry eye in the room.  Including mine. 

Thanks so much Candace and Josh for having me along it was a blast!  Thanks to Patty, Tim and family for welcoming me along as well.  

Be sure to check out Candace's documentation of this day part1, part2, part3 & part4

Alysia and Jeff - Engagement Session - Mystic, CT

"As cliche as it might sound, fate brought the two of us together. Jeff moved to Clearwater, Florida from Milford, CT to start a new job and a few months later I moved to Tampa, Florida from Philadelphia, PA to start a new job. Our paths crossed and we had our first date at Frenchy's on Clearwater beach in October of 2006. After a few Florida summers we decided that we wanted to make our way back north. We decided on Stamford, CT. We joke that we had to move to Florida to find each other!" - Alysia

Yes, fate did bring these two together. The chemistry between is incredible. In getting to know Alysia and Jeff the first thing I thought that would be perfect would be an Apple Picking session at Lymon Orchards but unfortunately Jeff was in Florida and we just missed apple picking season. No worries Alysia and Jeff also love visiting aquariums. Soooooo.....of course I had a mall is open and sale signs just went up in every window moment! MYSTIC!

First stop was the aquarium. It was a cloudy, misty day and we prayed that the rain would hold off. I'm sure glad it did because we had some fun outdoors after leaving the aquarium.

I love their reflections in this shot.

Super cool Jelly Fish!

Sidenote: trying to shoot a ring underwater with kids making the water wave makes for difficulty focusing. It took me about 5 minutes to get the shot but I was determined!

Hot!

Be sure to watch the slide show to see the surprise Jeff had purchased for our session. Also a little out take on what can happen when you blow dandelions into eachothers faces ;-)

Thanks Alysia and Jeff. I had fun hanging out with you two. Enjoy :-)

Melissa & Michael - Engagement Session - Thomas Hooker Beer Brewery, CT

I love, love, love really getting to know my clients.  It just makes for a super personal experience because after all documenting our lives is personal.  In getting to know Melissa and Michael; it was clear that they were huge beer fans.  When I say huge fans Michael had me speechless on how much he knew about beer.  Val McCormick - Speechless????  Yeah, that's HUGE!!!

As soon as I found out what fans they are, I made a call to the Thomas Hooker Beer Brewery.  I was delighted to be in touch with Curt Cameron not to be confused with Growing Pains "Kirk", lol.  Curt was kind enough to set up a day that Melissa, Michael and I would have the whole place to ourselves and never forget.  Along with tastings including Watermelon Ale ;-)  Check out the fun we had below and be sure to stop by the brewery's site to check out all the happenings.  

This mural behind the bar made for some fun images.

Love the bottles.

Wheat & Rock!!!

After our session we planned to go to a second location but REALLY dark gray skies were above.  We just started shooting right outside the brewery.

Then it literally became a torrential down pour.  Thankfully Melissa and Michael trusted me and we kept shooting.

LOVE this shot of them!

Thanks again to Curt Cameron of Thomas Hooker Beer you went above and beyond.  Also to Melissa and Michael.  You guys are SO AWESOME!!! I can't wait for your beer themed wedding!  SO FUN! Hugs to you both :-)

Want to see more?  No problem check out the slide show below.