I can’t speak for other photographers, but whenever I get new equipment the first thing I want to do it try it out. My family is very much over me taking photos of them, plus it’s nice to get some new faces in front of my camera. So I posted a model call on social media looking for couples to pose for engagement photos. If you don’t know a model call is, it’s when a photographer asks for new subjects to pose for them. Usually the model receives some sort of incentive in return like free or deeply discounted photos. For Brandon and Claire’s Detroit urbex engagement session, I gave them the images for being so patient while I tried out new tricks. It is a win-win for everyone.
Detroit Urbex Engagement
Brandon and Claire love to go urban exploring or urbexing together. We decided that was what we would do for their engagement session. Another photographer friend of mine volunteered to go with us as she knew of a cool location in Detroit. St. John Berchmans Catholic Church and Servite Catholic High School had originally closed in 1986, but it reopened in 1996 until it closed for good in 2010. The neighbors across the street are very protective of the place, and understandably so. They stopped us on our way in to make sure we weren’t looters. I’m glad too, it’s so sad to see such historic places get torn apart.
Family History
The four of us walked into the large open auditorium. Huge windows let in gorgeous pools of light and a broken piano lay in the middle of the room. I felt the magic that the old building held. I couldn’t wait to get started. Part of my new equipment consisted of wireless light triggers and I made fast work of setting them up. I played around in that room for a while before venturing off to our next spot. Eventually we made our way upstairs to find so many unique rooms. Every room we walked by was a new discovery some were filled with books strewn about, broken glass shattered into a million tiny pieces, and dilapidated desks. It was like ever room had its own backdrop and photo setup.
A few days after their Detroit urbex engagement session, Claire reached out to me. She had talked to her grandmother and it turns out she had gone to that school as a child! Even though it was unknown at the time, such a cool story to tell future generations.
For another incredible Detroit engagement session check out the couples below:
So many beautiful bold backgrounds! That’s so neat that her grandmother went to that school! It’s hard to imagine that it’s been abandoned!