Thinking back to the first day of middle school as a nerdy 6th grader/budding saxophonist/avid Magic: The Gathering tournament goer, we remember upperclassmen, especially of 8th grade and popular variety, being equal parts cool and terrifying. You wanted to be like them, but you dare not attract their gaze unless you were really into feeling uncool. You could spot the cool kids from a mile away, impeccably dressed with a cooly disconnected air of knowing they were rad but didn’t care they were.

Spotting Elsie and Prince from across the courtyard in front of San Jose City Hall brought about those same cool-kid feelings. There was something in their strut, their manner, that signaled a powerful confidence that might have terrified my younger self. The parallels to middle school life ended there though, because these were just about as gracious and genuinely grateful as you could hope; huge bonus points that they were incredible on camera (especially because, you know, engagement session ;-) ).

Elsie said that she imagined clean, modern, and dramatic for the shoot and was appropriately dressed the part in a great black full length gown. Prince matched her perfectly and provided a nice punch of color in a smartly fitted maroon button down. Their outfits looked great against the stone, metal and glass of San Jose City Hall, striking the exact notes Elsie was going for. As great as it was for them to play cool, it was really fun to see them let loose a little and show their sweeter sides. They were incredibly well rounded, and it was obvious how they were meant to be together by the way they so naturally fell into each other in any scenario I asked them. The connection between them was powerful \ even in photos where they weren’t next to each other; somehow they managed to put on a subtle expression or turn of their body to connect with the other across the frame.

After a quick wardrobe change, Elsie stunned in red number that matched perfectly with Prince’s shoes (so we obviously had to do something with that ;-) ). Their more casual look was great againstDowntown San Jose where we ended the night. Hanging out with them that evening was like hanging with old friends, and we have to thank them for being the most down to earth, wonderful, considerate people for which you could ever hope. We got them for the evening, and hope to have them again! Big thanks to Elsie and Prince for helping us avoid middle school PTSD for being an example of cool that is also kind!