We had the pleasure of shooting Kara and Drew’s engagement portraits this weekend and they were so much fun to cruise around Manitou Springs and Garden of the Gods with! I’m pretty sure Nic would have kept them there as his captive models all evening if I would have let him.

Drew wasn’t able to make it to our initial consult (something about a beautiful day and a bike ride sounding like more fun than interviewing photographers), so this was my first time meeting him. I knew he was going to be fun to spend time with, when I was telling Nic about Kara’s VERA WANG wedding dress (you read that right, people). I told Nic that it had been Drew who told Kara to try it on, and Drew said “Yeah! I mean, it’s a dress she’s going to be wearing for several hours.”

Tells his bride to get the Vera and has a sense of humor? That’s a good melon right there.

Okay…enough of the yammer (I’m a little doped up on Red Bull to keep me keeping on after this weekend’s photography mania). Time for pictures.

Could they be any cuter?! (Nic and I have been fighting over who took that one. It’s a new favorite.)

I loved their outfits–such great bold colors for Manitou Springs, and such beautiful earth tones for Garden of the Gods.

We had an unusually drab and dull day, which was a bummer for the backlit Garden of the Gods shots that I think are so gorgeous, BUT it meant that we were able to get some pictures in Manitou that have never worked out as well in the sun. Here’s one I’ve had in my head forever, but has never had the ideal light:

I’ve been wanting to photograph another couple at a cafe since shooting pictures of Carolyn and Jack enjoying a Denver cafe, and the overcast day was perfect for it:

I really hate it when I pick the pose and the setting and then Nic takes better pictures than mine. This is one of those times:

We do this pose a lot in the reverse, so I thought it was time to mix things up and have the girl be the seducer:

And one of the last shots of the day:

A big thanks to Kara and Drew for being so great at their shoot! We can’t wait for your wedding!