Cribbage & Couture: Marni and Nick’s Cinematic Engagement
Sometimes you meet a couple at a wedding show, and instead of a polite introduction, you get an immediate reunion. That is exactly what happened when Marni and Nick walked up to our booth. We got to talking, and the world suddenly shrank—it turned out Nick and I had graduated from the exact same high school, separated only by a few years, and we had both poured our hearts into the very same theatre programs. With Marni and Nick both having extensive backgrounds in performance, primarily working in film as actors and filmmakers, the creative electricity was instant. Before we even realized what was happening, the conversation bypassed the usual vendor-client pleasantries and dove straight into, “Well, when we shoot our engagement images let’s go here,” and “For the wedding I have these ideas, what do you think, Dave?” I gave them the standard advice to keep looking around at other photographers just to be absolutely sure, but honestly, we all already knew. We were going to create something amazing together.
When it came time to plan their engagement session, I wanted to lean into my favorite approach: featuring the authentic, quiet activities that actually bring a couple together. For Marni and Nick, that meant joyful days spent out boating with their beloved pup, or leaning over a table for fiercely competitive card games on the days the lake wasn’t an option. We made a conscious choice to step away from the massive, production-heavy filmmaking work they are known for, and instead anchor the shoot in the quiet moments they live and breathe every single day.
But, as any good storyteller knows, you have to take a simple idea and flip it on its head to see how your characters will react. Marni and Nick both confessed that they really wanted to dress up and “be fancy” for a portion of their images, chasing a sophisticated, James Bond-esque atmosphere. That is when the vision clicked into place. I told them we absolutely needed to do a high-fashion, editorial-style shoot, but we were going to juxtapose that sleek, 007 elegance with a cutthroat game of cribbage.
The result was one of the most delightfully immersive shoots I have ever had the pleasure of photographing. Because of their backgrounds in film, I truly got to direct them on set, painting cinematic scenes around the simple, joyful activities they cherish the most. Seeing them dressed to the nines, exchanging knowing, competitive glances over a pegboard and dealing cards with absolute precision, perfectly captured the magic of who they are: incredibly talented, effortlessly stylish, and deeply in love with the simple life they share.
