Every once in a while, someone comes along who wants to do something out of the ordinary for their engagement photos. They might hike to the summit of a mountain, shoot in a rainstorm, or even do scuba diving portraits. And while I’m hesitant to hurl myself out of a plane with my camera for skydiving portraits, I do absolutely love this sort of thing. In the case of Sam and Chris, they both had a very clear idea of what they wanted to do for their engagement session. Both are avid gamers, cosplayers, and festival lovers, and one of their favorite cross sections of those things is DC’s regional MAGFest (Music & Games Festival), which in 2020 was taking place at the DC National Harbor. Being quite a fan of all those things myself, I would never turn down such a unique shooting opportunity – plus, a free 3-day pass is always nice!
We met early on the first day of the festival, before crowds had fully enveloped all of the spaces. Sam and Chris had some friends working the event who let us into the arcade before it opened to the public, where we got to spend some time taking photos and playing games. I think we got some really nice stuff, but since this was my first trip to MAGFest, given the chance to do it again, I think there are some things I’d do a little differently. I would try to take better advantage of some of the iconic situations and maybe emphasize certain things differently. (So, you know, if you’re reading this and getting married, maybe hit me up!)
