And sometimes you get 70 degree days…in January. Nida + Clay share my distaste for bugs + heat, so we picked a beautiful 70-degree “winter” day and played in the woods for their engagement session last month.

More meaningfully, Nida + Clay decided to take pictures in Umstead Park, since that was the location of their first date (a nine-mile run!) after meeting at the Fullsteam Run Club. I didn’t make them run nine miles for this session, but we did get a workout walking the trails in the park.

Nida + Clay, thanks for being so laid-back and fun during your session! I loved the ideas you brought to the table and really enjoyed collaborating with you. Thanks for so eagerly embracing the concept of #brinsonbanksing, too, haha! I hope you love your photos!!

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Read the Q&A with Stacy + Jay, featured below, to learn more about their engagement session inspiration and photography experience! To view all of the photos from their session and order prints, please visit their gallery on my online print shop!

1. Tell me about you! (The floor is yours: How did you meet? What activities do you enjoy doing as a couple? Who is your celebrity couple doppelganger?)

We met through mutual friends and knew each other for a few years before we got together. Serendipity struck one night at Southern Rail; we had an amazing conversation getting to know each other better, and the rest is history! We love to cook (and eat!), hike, play with our dog Pepper, travel, and do crossword puzzles.

2. Why did you decide to book an engagement session? Was there anything in particular you wanted me to photograph (or avoid…)?

We knew we wanted engagement photos; what else would we have used as pictures for our save-the-dates and wedding invitations? We’re a pretty ridiculous couple, so we knew we wanted our pictures to reflect that. We didn’t want “typical” photos, though of course we wanted to look amazing in them. We hoped to avoid anything that seemed to cliche or staged…we wanted something that showed off how we interact in real life (while also making us look incredible).

3. What was your favorite moment from the engagement session? Favorite photos?

Jay: My favorite moment was really a collections of moments: trying to persuade our dog Pepper to do what we wanted her to do. She never complied. My favorite picture is of me, cross-eyed and Stacy wearing my glasses. I also love the on(s) under the Davie Poplar.

Stacy: My favorite moment was climbing out over the creek in the North Carolina Botanical Garden. We weren’t exactly wearing outdoor footwear but we made it work! It was great to be able to have Pepper in these photos. I think my favorite shots are by the Old Well. It brings back great memories of our time at UNC.

4. What do you plan to do with the engagement photos? (i.e. Wallpaper the hallway? Internet fame? Make a collage of your pup?)

Fairly typical stuff- use them in our official wedding correspondence, frame a few and give them to our parents, stun our friends with how great we look together, the usual. Now that we have them, I am sure we’ll come up with some ridiculous ideas like print them on wrapping paper or coffee mugs.

5. Anything else you’d like to add?

We had a great time! Courtney made the entire session fun and playful. I think we were a bit nervous going in…thinking that there was a “right” or “wrong” way to do engagement photos, but Courtney put all our fears to bed and helped us get over any anxieties we had so that we could have fun and let our true selves show.

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Stacy + Jay, thanks for being your fun, goofy selves throughout this shoot! I had so much fun romping through the trails at the North Carolina Botanical Garden with you and revisiting our Alma Mater and expressing our Tar Heel pride. I hope you love your pictures and even get some laughs out of some of these shots. Enjoy!

The post Stacy + Jay | UNC-Chapel Hill Engagement Session | Chapel Hill Engagement Photographer appeared first on Courtney Potter Studio.

Heidi + Patrick, thanks for being such enthusiastic collaborators with this shoot. You were up for any suggestions and contributed a lot of fun ideas- some of which I had never heard of before! I am excited to photograph your wedding next month and have more fun rollicking in downtown Durham with you. And a big thanks to my fab intern Katy Jones for assisting me with this shoot. You rocked the reflector like a boss.

I hope you enjoy these pictures!

The post Heidi + Patrick | Durham Engagement Session | Durham Wedding Photographer appeared first on Courtney Potter Studio.