Last Saturday I had the pleasure of photographing Nicole and Patrick's Engagement Safari at Piedmont Park and San Francisco Coffee. The weather report predicted a 30 percent chance of showers and Nicole was concerned about the session. We had planned to photograph in Piedmont Park and maybe another park or two, but I decided we needed a backup plan. Nicole suggested San Francisco Coffee or Murphy's in Virginia Highlands. I called ahead to San Francisco Coffee for permission and they were kind enough to agree to a photo shoot that evening. (I didn't try Murphy's since it's a restaurant and I was pretty sure it would be swamped on a Saturday night.) She and Patrick later told me that the Virginia Highlands area reminds them of the part of town they lived in when they met in Cleveland, Ohio. So they really feel at home there. I asked Nicole to describe what she would be wearing, so I could buy an umbrella that would harmonize in color with her clothing, just in case rain was still falling during our shoot. Of course I ended up preferring the black-and-white photos, but that's just the old school photojournalist in me.

Here are a few of my favorites: