Aimee & Devin: A Record Store Romance
After months of conspiring with Devin, I was finally able to photograph him and his fiance Aimee for their engagement photos. We had been chatting since November of 2025 about me potentially photographing their proposal. Once we convened for the engagement photos, however, they both informed me that if Aimee had noticed me at all for their proposal, she would definitely have known what was going on, as she had mentioned to Devin about wanting me to take their photos. To keep the surprise, Devin proposed privately, but we got to celebrate during Valentine’s Day weekend by taking their engagement photos.
This theatre space was absolutely a delight to play in. Clean and spacious and full of an antique style!
With the chill of winter engulfing us, the couple asked for an inside session. In all my engagement sessions I will work with couples to decide if there are special spots they would like their photos to be taken. Do they frequent a coffee shop together that they love? What about the place they had their first date? Do they find connection best in the home they’ve created together? This exploration with the couple will determine the location of their photography session. After this discussion with Aimee and Devin, we came to the conclusion that a record store would be a great backdrop for their photos, as music is a big part of what brings the two together.
Our first location fell through, but I think this led to something even better than we could have anticipated. Aimee remembered seeing a new book store open up in The Allen Theatre in Annville, Pennsylvania and reached out to them to see if we could do the session there. Enter Salamander Books in The Allen Theatre. Immediately upon entering the shop you could feel all the love that was poured into it, which made the perfect backdrop for an engagement session. Featuring books, records, musical instruments, CDs and more, this cozy space connected to a theatre was an inviting playground for us to create loving memories and beautiful engagement photos. Personally, it was a bit hard to not get distracted by the old cameras and the Ouija board, but I had to stay on task.
We started the day by playing in the 282-seat theatre where live events take place. I had them cuddle up in the seats together, connecting with each other like they were little kids again. As a theatre maker and lover, asking them to dance up on the stage in front of the brilliant red curtain resulted in some of my favorite photographs from this session. I actually know Aimee through doing local theatre together, so this was also a special treat for us both. They also got absolutely silly with it, which I always encourage in my photo sessions. Play is vital to life and a good photograph!
Then we ventured into the bookstore where I had them mostly just exist how they would if they were on a date together in the store. Every now and then I would direct them into a specific spot or pose, but this was mostly hands-off. I like letting people just exist as themselves sometimes while I memorialize it and engagement sessions where you get to experience something you love together is always a good place to implement this process. This was such a cool location to do this in and I am so thankful to the owner of Salamander Books for letting us in and hanging out while we worked.
I am thankful for the honor of photographing Aimee and Devin at this point in their lives. I look forward to watching their journey continue on as they grow together and create more stories to share.
Photographing engagement sessions is such a special privilege that I relish in. Being able to be there for the start of a new adventure on your lifelong journey together is something I cannot take for granted. If you’re interested in booking your engagement session, reach out today.
