Olivia and Steven’s Engagement Shoot at The Metropolitan at The 9

Olivia and Steven planned their engagement session around their trip to Cleveland from out of town. The main spot they chose for the shoot was Vault at The Metropolitan at The 9. I was excited to hear about this choice because it’s one of my favorite places in Cleveland to shoot. I’ve photographed several weddings/engagement sessions at The 9, and it’s always an adventure.

If you’re not familiar with Vault, it’s appropriately named because the space was originally a bank that has since been renovated into one of Cleveland’s most posh venues. The original bank vault is still there and remains one of the most prominent features of the space.

The style Olivia and Steven were going for is right in my wheelhouse. It requires creative lighting, stylish posing, and a real integration of the uniqueness of the space. The venue is dark, with certain features highlighted through strategic lighting. The colors are rich, regal, and warm, and the overall aesthetic feels like something from long ago, with lots of leather and brass.

As I was setting up, I was keeping my fingers crossed that Olivia and Steven wouldn’t show up in jeans and T-shirts. The vibe of the space calls for something more sophisticated. Fortunately, they were on the same page. While this was an engagement shoot, they wanted it to have a wedding feel. Olivia wore a white dress that a bride might change into at the reception. Steven wore a black suit with a white button-down shirt, skipping the tie. It was perfect.

Shooting in a very dark space requires a strong understanding of lighting and a bit of planning. Most of the time, one light won’t cut it. Although the venue is dark overall, it features many fully exposed Edison bulbs. While they don’t give off a lot of light, they create a warm glow and add a ton of visual interest, especially when they’re in the background and out of focus.

Olivia and Steven were very confident posers. The overall mood of the space and the shoot was romantic and intimate. The posing needed to be very close, and they had to sell the mood, which they absolutely nailed. We moved from space to space, taking advantage of the variety the different rooms offered. We also came across a few highly reflective surfaces on walls and tables, which we used for some creative reflection shots.

Olivia and Steven didn’t want everything to feel dark and moody, so we headed over to Voinovich Bicentennial Park (behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) for some outdoor photos with a completely different vibe. These shots were much more lighthearted and playful. For some of the photos, Olivia wore a veil, while Steven switched his dress shoes for Nike Air Force 1s in the Safety Orange colorway—a shout-out to the Cleveland Browns. Olivia added orange heart-shaped sunglasses to match, which was a fun touch with the stadium in the background.

It was a great shoot, and I had a blast photographing it. Here are a few photos.