Jeanne is from New Orleans. Next spring she and Tyler will go back there to get married. But before the wedding, she wanted to document the life they’ve built here: their Springfield neighborhood, Jags game days, and the downtown bars where their friends gather after the final whistle.
That’s what I love about this session. Some places you’re born into. Others you choose. Jacksonville is the place they chose.
A night at their spot
Jeanne reached out and told me upfront that she didn’t want a traditional engagement session. She wanted something that felt like them. So we planned it together. I scouted a few downtown bars with very different moods, and she picked Dos Gatos right away. It’s their spot, the place they end up with friends after games, and it already held a lot of their story.
We met on a quiet weekday evening and had the bar almost to ourselves. They ordered drinks, settled into the booths, and slowly forgot I was there. Jeanne was up for anything I suggested, and Tyler happily followed her lead. What I keep coming back to is how they looked at each other all night.
Why I chase the mood
I’m always drawn to mood lighting because it tells half the story before anyone moves. Dos Gatos gave me everything: red light washing over leather booths, a big frosted window pouring soft light into a dark corner, exposed brick, and walls covered in retro pop art and pin-up prints. The back hallway, lined with bold comic-style murals and glowing red, is where they snuck away to make out a little.
It was dark in there, so I combined flash with the available light. That mix keeps the bar’s atmosphere while letting them stand out from it. It’s moody without being muddy, and it feels like a real night out.
Into the city
When we stepped outside, the sky was heavy with clouds and the wind was blowing Jeanne’s hair everywhere. We didn’t plan a route. We let downtown hand us backdrops: a glowing theater marquee, a bus stop, and a concrete stairwell in a parking garage. The skyline went dark behind them as the night went on.
It wasn’t picture-perfect weather, and it didn’t need to be. It was their city on an ordinary night, documented just as it is, before they head home to say their vows.
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