I actually met Chris and Rodman for the very first time on the island of Bohol in the Philippines. Chris was performing surgeries as part of a medical mission, and her fiance Rodman was documenting things with his trusty camera, and just being an all-around awesomely supportive guy. I had joined this medical team to document all their incredible charity work for the local people, and photographing surgery after surgery was an incredible (and humbling) experience. I grew to adore Chris and Rodman, so when they called from Boston to ask if I might be available to shoot their wedding later this year in Santa Cruz — and even offered up a selection of possible dates to make sure I was available — I of course was beyond flattered, and so excited.<\/p>\n
When it came time for their engagement session, this busy couple asked if I might be out their way anytime soon. I (sadly) replied no, but mentioned that I would soon be in New Orleans to speak at a conference, and asked if they might be interested in flying down. It took just a few minutes for this adventurous couple to say yes, so we met up in the French Quarter for a great afternoon of shooting. Talented Irish photographer Liam Kidney<\/a> assisted and also did some wonderful second shooting (a huge thank you to Liam, who you can see in the lower right-hand image — couldn’t have done it without you), and we capped off our hours of shooting with an incredible dinner at Cochon<\/a>, which was nominated for the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2007, and named by the New York Times as “one of the top three restaurants that count.” This was definitely one of the most inspired meals I’ve ever had, and it probably didn’t hurt that our waiter chose all our dishes (because Rodman wisely asked him to just choose what was best). We all shared one shot of vanilla nutmeg moonshine as the last tiny taste of joy at the end of our New Orleans journey, and if vanilla nutmeg moonshine won’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what will.<\/p>\n Can’t wait to photograph this fabulous couple’s wedding in August. A huge thank you to the kind folks at the House of Blues<\/a> in New Orleans, who graciously let us shoot on their property and in the Foundation Room. Truly, their hospitality will never be forgotten. I don’t always have time to post engagement sessions, but this one was too fun not to share. Chris and Rodman, huge hugs, and see you soon. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/misc\/DWF2012\/ChrisRodmanNO_01.jpg\" "\\"ChrisRodmanNO_01.jpg\\"")
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