Zhenyu first e-mailed us all the way back in May to set up engagement photos for him and his fiancee Shiyi. They joined us all the way from China! Zhenyu’s a Duke University alumni and it holds a very special place in his heart, so he wanted to return and take the photos on the campus. Him and Shiyi have their own business outside of Bejing, but they travel to the U.S. quite often for work, and we were so happy to have the opportunity to work with them for the short time they were here! They are a super happy, fun couple who didn’t mind following our crazy directions while running from building to building in the pouring rain. :) We are so happy to have gotten the chance to work with them and wish them all the best for their wedding in China!
Min and Clemann like Legos, math, science, museums, eating, baking, and movies. I’m particularly bad at math and science, but have a deep appreciation for eating as well as Legos and movies. Plus, Geoff makes up for it all with a solid understanding of science and math that I completely lack, so we were able to have some good conversations with Min and Clemann despite them being a lot smarter than us. :)
These guys are originally from Singapore and met during orientation for their engineering-related Masters at Duke, where they were 2 out of 3 Singaporeans that year. :) Turns out that they also live only a few minutes away from each other in Singapore, which Geoff and I thought an adorable coincidence, but it turns out that the whole island is only really 30 minutes across, so it’s not that big of a coincidence after all. ;) Min’s background is biomedical engineering, but she switched to medicine and just completed her 4-week elective at Duke Hospital (she hopes to go into pediatric medicine). Clemann’s background is aeronautical engineering where he worked for Singapore Airlines, but he has since switched to building offshore rigs where he gets a lot of satisfaction seeing his work result in a tangible structure.
They loved their graduate time and experience at Duke, so while Clemann’s been living back in Singapore for the last three years, he flew back to Durham to get some pre-wedding photos taken with Min on Duke’s campus and some special places for them around the city. Afterward, they were doing some traveling to Seattle and San Francisco, and then will both return to Singapore where they’ll get married in June. :) We had a great time seeing these two adorable, fun-loving people spend some time on their favorite campus and revisit some old spots. We wish them all the best with their wedding and lives in Singapore!
Gwen and Nick! What a good time it was to see both of them again and finnaallyy get to photograph their engagement pictures! We all knew it was coming soon. :) Gwen was a teaching buddy of mine when I taught elementary school and we have very thankfully kept in touch over the years. She did some modeling for me back when I got my very first softbox and was practicing off-camera lighting. ;) After I stopped teaching, a few of the girls and I kept in touch, and I attended a party at one of their houses. I was informed that Gwen would be late because she was “out with Nick.” Nick? Who’s Nick? :)
When Gwen arrived later (with Nick), I could immediately see how enamored the both of them were with each other and what a genuinely sweet person he is. I liked him immediately and found them to be a perfect match (both very kind, even-tempered people who would do anything for you). Over time, it was great to see them share so many moments together and even greater when they got engaged. I’m thankful for their friendship and so excited to be photographing their December wedding… not just because I adore them, but also because they’re having a cheesecake bar and a Cheerwine toast. ;)
Here’s a few highlights from their engagement session on the evening that Hurricane Irene rolled into the Triangle. Taken at West Point on the Eno and downtown Durham.
Congratulations, Gwen and Nick! Geoff and I are definitely looking forward to sharing your wedding with you in December. :)