This is Part II of Bizzy & Michael’s DC engagement photo session – check out Part I!  We had the chance to meet in DC where the couple works and decided a Metrorail station would be our rendezvous point for this photo shoot.  It’s always nice to walk away with some fun shots inside a Metro tunnel!

Bizzy & Michael have an awesome wedding planned this year and I’m honored to be their photographer for their big day.   We met in DC over the weekend for their pre-wedding photo shoot, a.k.a. Engagement Session.  We braved the DC crowds at the peak of the Cherry Blossoms to capture some special moments.

Check out the slideshow set to music, then enjoy some medium-rez still favorites from the flash gallery below.

View some still photo favorites from the engagement shoot.

Click on the shopping cart to see the entire proofing gallery.

My clients are looking forward to their weddings this year, but they are excited about their engagement photo sessions as well! These are fun and relaxed photo shoots that help the couple get comfortable with being photographed and for us to get to know one another better. Most shoots are only an hour or so, but it’s time well spent.

I usually recommend couples to wear comfortable clothing in solid colors. Just be themselves while I provide some direction, but mostly just setting them up for a shot or a moment is all I need. Every couple is nervous before the photo shoot, but after about 10 minutes they realize how fun and easy it really is. I like to keep them moving and smiling, makes for some great photos they can enjoy for a long, long time.

I created a video last year to give couples a sense of how these are done and what to expect.  My friend Natalie joined me just for fun and shot along side of me. Enjoy it!

Some of my clients purchase Signature Guest Books for their guests to sign at the reception.  But there’s more than signing going on because each book is custom designed with space for writing anything they want.  Clients can enjoy reading what their family, friends, and guests wrote after the wedding day is over.

I’m excited to share some great news about my recognition by my awesome clients and WeddingWire. Thanks to all my clients for making this happen!

Here is the announcement from WeddingWire…

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that Armin DeFiesta has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Award™ for photography.

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

The ARMIN | photographer brand is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that ARMIN is among the very best photographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. I would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating me for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

As a photographer I am always willing to help other photographers. I get a lot of questions about what gear I use or would recommend. One way to help answer these questions is to provide a Recommended Gear section to help others get started in choosing the right equipment whether a hobbyist or professional. I hope you find my Amazon store helpful!

Hiring a wedding photographer can be a very personal decision. Business is usually generated by referrals, word-of-mouth, and viral marketing. Brides typically trust their friends’ opinions first when choosing a wedding vendor as opposed to any advertising or sales pitch out there. Evan of MyDeeJay.com has a very informative blog post to help guide clients in choosing the right photographer for them. In it you’ll find me and a handful of my friends in the wedding photography industry offering their advice on hiring a wedding photographer. Feel free to contact me anytime or leave a comment if you have any questions for me!

CLICK HERE TO READ EVAN’S ARTICLE ON MYDEEJAY.COM, “HIRING A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER.”

Just a sneak peek from this week’s amazing workshop by celebrity wedding photographers Bob & Dawn Davis. More to come!

MORE BEHIND THE SCENES ACTION COMING SOON!

My friend and stellar wedding coordinator Laura of Wish Special Events connected me with one of my favorite couples this year, Stacey & Todd. I had the best time getting to know them better during the photo shoot, which is one of the great things about an engagement session. After all, I’ll be spending up to 10 hours with them on their wedding day and it helps to feel comfortable around one another! E-sessions are meant to be relaxed, fun, and all about the couple.

Stacey & Todd brought me into their beautiful home in Falls Church as well as a few other places like Cheesetique and their first-date spot, Taqueria Poblano, in Alexandria, VA. It was a total blast, I cannot wait to shoot their DC wedding! Here are some of my favorites from the shoot.

A few friends & I were goofing off at the Liriodendron in Bel Air, MD, a popular wedding venue. It’s also the perfect place to enhance our lighting skills and just have fun doing it!

My site now has a simple, clean layout that’s easy to navigate and aligns with my brand & client experience. Be sure to check it out in FULL SCREEN, it’s amazing (little button on the bottom right corner of my website)!

Visitors can still get to know me behind the scenes by watching the videos in the Portfolio area… you heard right, VIDEO inside the flash site. Thanks BigFolio for helping me revamp my Washington DC & Destination Wedding Photographer website!

Washington DC wedding photographer | Destination wedding photographer | Virginia wedding photographer | Maryland wedding photographer