Introduction:

It turns out that newly engaged couple Lynn and Matt live just down the road from us in Sarasota, Florida. It was great to connect with them for these Ringling Art Museum engagement photos and get to know some of our new neighbors and wedding clients

We sent them a questionnaire early on in our communication to find out a little about them and the kind of engagement session they were interested in doing, as well as how comfortable they were in front of the camera. While Matt outlined that he wasn’t that comfortable being photographed, Lynn was feeling particularly shy. So it was my goal during this Ringling Art Museum engagement session to make her as relaxed as possible and get some experience in front of the camera before her wedding day.

The Engagement Session:

We began the afternoon in a garden near New College, just to the north of The Ringling Art Museum. We captured warm moments between the couple as they embraced and looked lovingly into each other’s eyes, and could see that Lynn was gradually relaxing little by little. I really loved the formal look that Lynn and Matt had opted for, with her in an elegant cocktail dress and him in a plum-colored shirt that worked in perfectly with the garden setting.

We then headed over to The Ringling Art Museum itself and took some portraits within Mable’s rose garden which was dedicated to one of the estate’s former owners. There’s an ornate gazebo there that is ideal for romantic e-sessions and helps to frame couples within the portrait.

Lynn and Matt had also requested to incorporate the gorgeous banyan trees which are found within The Ringling Art Museum complex and their vertical aerial roots which create a curtain-like natural setting. I captured both light-filled portraits of them against this captivating backdrop, as well as some dramatically-illuminated shots as they were literally enveloped by the roots.

The Ringling Art Museum also has some gorgeous architecture to work with, including the Ca’ d’Zan mansion where John and Mable Ringling once lived. We staged some portraits of the couple dancing on a walkway in front of this elegant building, as well as on the Ca’ d’Zan Terrace, overlooking the ocean, during a creatively-lit nighttime portrait.

In Summary:

Despite both feeling initially quite shy in front of the camera, we felt like Lynn and Matt brought a lot of love and energy to these Ringling Art Museum engagement photos and know they will be pros when their wedding day rolls around. I want to thank them for selecting us as their Florida engagement photographers and am looking forward to reconnecting again soon.

Lynn and Matt embrace during their engagement session near Ringling art museum in Sarasota, Florida.

The newly engaged couple kiss beneath an ornate gazebo within The Ringling Art Museum’s rose garden.

A creative silhouette portrait of the couple embracing, surrounded by the aerial roots of one of The Ringling’s banyan trees.

: A dramatically-lit portrait of Lynn and Matt embracing within the aerial roots of a banyan tree at The Ringling Art Museum.

The engagement shoot at Ringling Art Museum. The session was in Sarasota, Florida. The couple was Lynn Wysiekierski's and Matt Mele.

Lynn and Matt look into each other’s eyes during their casual engagement session at The Ringling in Sarasota.

Lynn and Matt dance beneath the banyan trees during their nature-themed engagement shoot at The Ringling Art Museum

An intimate embrace between the newly married couple during their garden engagement shoot in Sarasota.

The banyan trees at The Ringling Art Museum in Sarasota were the inspiration behind the couple’s nature-themed engagment shoot.

A black and white portrait of the couple dancing on one of the walkways outside Ca’d Zan at The Ringling Art Museum.

Capturing a passionate moment between Lynn and Matt within Mable’s Rose Garden at The Ringling Art Museum.

Capturing a tender moment between Lynn and Matt during their sarasota e-session at The Ringling Art Museum.

Matt kisses Lynn’s hand affectionately during their art gallery engagement session in Sarasota.

Capturing a passionate moment between Lynn and Matt within Mable’s Rose Garden at The Ringling Art Museum.

A black and white portrait of Lynn and Matt looking into each other’s eyes during their engagement session at The Ringling Art Museum.