Allison Marie Photography Blog by Allison Roen, Des Moines area wedding photographer »

One of my favorite things about being a wedding photographer is that I get to hear the coolest stories about how couples met. Ben & Carissa have a very unique story: they met during boxing practice! They both went to Iowa State, and Ben was on the boxing team. Carissa went to practice with the group and introduced herself to Ben. Each week, she talked to him a little more, and Ben told me that after practice one week, as he pulled off his boxing gloves, he thought, “Ok, back to real life here…I think she likes me!” And the rest is history!

I thought long and hard about a location for their engagement session that would fit them as a couple. One of my friends had her wedding reception at the West End Architectural Salvage, and it ended up to be the perfect location for Carissa & Ben! Have you been to this place? It’s a new favorite of mine; this place is a treasure chest! It’s a 4-story brick building downtown Des Moines filled with all sorts of unique refurbished furniture and architectural findings. I could easily spend a few hours (and a few thousands) there in one afternoon! They’ve got a great coffee shop with a full menu of drinks and baked goods, and a large room for parties that holds well over 500 guests. Don, the owner, told me they have all sorts of parties there, from wedding receptions to birthday & Christmas parties. If you haven’t been there, go check it out!We began their session in my favorite room in the whole building: the room of mirrors! I’ve never seen so many eclectic mirrors! The photo opportunities here were endless. Here are a couple of my favorites:Carissa has incredible eyes! She’s so beautiful!There’s something about these yellow chairs that draws me to them…not sure what…but I really like them!One challenge about being a photographer is that the sweetest/silliest moments happen right when I finish one shot and put my camera down. That’s when my second photographer at weddings comes in handy! I was able to capture some of their cute moments of silliness:This was my first full indoor session this season, and I found lighting to be quite the challenge. It definitely stretched my thinking as a photographer, as I had to really hunt for flattering light. There were many times when I pictured exactly how I wanted a shot to turn out, but there was no way to create that kind of light with what was available to me. This was an extra push to invest in some quality off-camera lighting.

For this next image, I was searching for the best angle to place Ben & Carissa to capture the best light. It amazes me how shots at the exact same location, but taken from different angles, can be totally different. When I took this next image, I looked at the LCD on my camera, and didn’t love what I saw, so I didn’t take any more shots from this angle. But once I saw it on my computer, I wish I would have worked with this light a little more; I love the dramatic/romantic  feel that the window light from the side created here: This next image was taken in the same spot, I just moved so that my back was to the camera, which lit Ben & Carissa uniformly from the front. Certainly a beautiful quality of light, but not nearly as enticing as what was captured in the image above. Carissa does the best serious look of anyone I  know!The fourth floor of the building is filled with all sorts of headboards/posts/wooden doors. It is truly a treasure chests for the artsy types - endless creative possibilities here! I love all directional lines in this next image:Before we wrapped up this part of the session, I just couldn’t resist getting one more shot with the mirrors! I absolutely love this eclectic,  green metal-framed mirror. The only thing that would make it better is if it were decorated in a big SOLD sign with my name on it! Ha! I would need a bigger home to house that gorgeous piece of art!For our last few photos, Ben & Carissa pulled out their boxing gear! Yea! It was fun to see them “in their element”, doing what they love to do! Carissa told me the story of the time they were practicing, and Ben hit her in the face…and what was his response? He laughed! Poor Carissa! I guess it must not’ve been too painful, as she still enjoys boxing with him! =)When we first started exploring the building, I quickly learned that Ben has a sweet spot for stained glass windows. I love the contrast of the boxing gear with Carissa’s incredible eyes and the beautiful stained glass behind her:The Architectural Salvage is complete with a t-shirt shop! I loved the light streaming in from the window here:Ben & Carissa, thanks for a fun afternoon! I can’t wait for your wedding; it’s going to be a great celebration!

And a special thank you to Don: Thank you for allowing us to take photos in your beautiful place! It was a joy to meet you and you can be sure to see me again soon! Who knows, maybe you’ll even see my name on one of those mirrors… =)

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