A surreal, film-inspired couple session at Bartender’s Handshake and the Western Gateway capturing Leah and Tom somewhere between downtown romance and a late-night daydream.

Not all Des Moines engagement sessions start with a card game on the patio, move to cocktails at Bartender's Handshake, and end in beautiful chaos through the Western Gateway — but this one did, and every frame was better for it. Leah and Tom got dressed up, dealt a hand, ordered drinks, and let the evening unfold from there. Sequins, soft motion blur on film, moody flash-inspired portraits, and the sweeping glass and concrete facades of the Krause Gateway Center — a building Tom's own firm helped design — gave the session a personal layer that made leaning into negative space feel like the most natural thing in the world.

For couples searching for editorial engagement photographers in Des Moines, film engagement sessions, or unconventional couple sessions that feel genuinely alive — this is exactly that kind of work. Engagement photos don't have to feel traditional to feel timeless, and Leah and Tom's session proves it.