Sunday afternoon I headed up to the Northampton Airport to meet Diana and Jay for their engagement session. I met Diana awhile ago, and at first had to say no to photographing her wedding because I thought I would be out of the country. Then Diana and Jay changed their wedding date, and just like that, I was back in as photographer :) Diana has been so sweet from the start, and I got to meet Jay briefly when they both attended a wedding I photographed last summer. I can't believe their wedding is this summer, in one of my favorite places in the world- Wellfleet! I grew up going to Wellfleet every summer for a few days with my dad and stepmom and her family, so it's going to be nice to photograph a wedding there.

We were originally going to just do this engagement session in the country, by some fields and barns near me, but recently I was driving on the highway past Northampton Airport around sunset, and I couldn't help thinking how beautiful it looked, and how peaceful. I asked Diana if she wanted to do part of the session there, and she agreed. What I wasn't anticipating was my complete anxiety being on an open airstrip. Let me explain: see, I'm one of those people who shouldn't watch the news, ever. I see a news story on deadly mosquitos and suddenly my arm is itching with West Nile. I read about someone who's parachute didn't open and just like that, skydiving gets crossed off my bucket list. I definitely do not think I'm any sort of hypochondriac, but it's a scary world! And I read article upon article about that poor model in Texas who got off a small plane and walked right into the plane's propellor, losing an arm and an eye. Morbid things to be talking about on my blog? Yup. Even more morbid things to be talking about to a bride and groom, right before their engagement session, AS WE STAND SURROUNDED BY SMALL PLANES WITH BIG PROPELLORS? You bet. I got there a little early to check in at the office, and get the low-down where we could and couldn't go. I mentioned my fear of walking into a propellor to the guy at the office, expecting him to laugh and say that would never happen, but instead he said "It happened two years ago, a pilot got killed." HORRIFIED. I asked him where we could go to avoid that happening. He said just make sure to keep your eyes and ears open. So granted, good advice, but I was still horrified that I would get distracted while walking around (like I often do while I am photographing), and walk into a propellor. So when Jay and Diana arrive, this is one of the first things I tell them... that we have to be extremely careful and listen for propellors and watch where we're walking. I told them about the girl in Texas, again hoping they would dissuade my fears and tell me this would never happen here, but they looked more terrified than me lol. SORRY GUYS. Anyways, all this to say that we escaped the engagement session without harm, and I had a great time shooting at the airport. Despite the fact that it gave me a nightmare Sunday night. I am apparently very, very scared of propellors now.

And now that I have gone completely Debbie Downer on my blog, I give you Diana and Jay :) These two made the Northampton Airport look damn good!