Shane & Mary | West Virginia Grasslands Engagement

Press “play” to get lost in the moment….


I spent the months leading up this engagement session bursting with excitement. Though I’d only met Shane a few times and had yet to meet Mary in person, their reputation was enough to make any photographer (and just anyone in general) excited to spend an evening with them. I’m happy to say their reputation was on par and they’re two of the most genuinely sweet and fun people I have the joy of knowing.

When we met up for the shoot, I warned them of the muddy ground and said that if it’s too bad, we can go somewhere else. Of course we didn’t go somewhere else--they simply laced their shoes up tighter and trudged on, laughing when the mud would stick them to ground or they would need to hold onto each other to keep from stumbling. The mild winter weather made for a soft and timeless canvas on which they painted their story.

I like to think that the footprints left behind to sink into the mud told their story to the earth, who in turn got to feel the happiness and love left in their wake.

To start us off, Shane loosened everyone up by twirling his bride-to-be around whilst serenading her with an exaggerated rendition of White Christmas. Their ear-to-ear grins spoke the telltale joy of a young man and woman in love. I’ve never shot an engagement session so full of laughter, dancing, and the sweetest of kisses. Love truly is “the greatest of these.” As humans we tend to mess up love by mistaking it for what it’s not. But, sometimes, a few get it right. I think Shane and Mary are on the right track and I’m thankful for the tiny part I played in capturing these moments for them.