FOUR FAST AND EASY TIPS TO PREPARE FOR YOUR ENGAGEMENT SESSION

Congratulations You are Engaged!!!

Wedding planning can be a daunting task, and sometimes engagement photos can seem like just another thing on the to-do list. They are actually an important aspect leading up to your big day for a couple reasons.

As a professional photographer, I might have some bias toward capturing your moments, but engagement photos are important, that time allows you to get really comfortable in front of the camera before your Big Day!! Sometimes your Engagement Photographer is the same photographer that will be capturing your wedding. You will get to interact with each other, learning different quirks, preferred “sides”, and also learn some of the posing! If you are using a completely different photographer for your Engagement photos that is ok. This session will get you ready either way.

In this blog post I am going to give you four fast and easy tips to prepare for your engagement or portrait session while minimizing stress and enjoying the experience. After booking your photographer, you’re excited about the idea of having updated photos or for some of you, Your Very First Photo Session, but uneasy about getting prepared for your session. This is where I come in. I will be here to guide you every step of the way. Here are four easy tips to help you have the photo session of your dreams! 

WARDROBE

If you are buying new outfits, make sure everything fits, wrinkle free and you are COMFORTABLE in it well before your session. If you feel uncomfortable or awkward in your clothes you won’t enjoy the experience nearly as much. Have outfits laid out and ready to go on session day so you can be sure you have everything. Use an amazing tool like Style & Select (https://styleandselect.com) for picking outfits that coordinate instead of match. Coordinating your outfits gives your photos so much more depth and feeling. It allows people’s personalities to shine through. If everyone matches the photos can often look bland. 

If you simply have no idea and need help reach out to your photographer. Many Photographers are great at Styling their clients. They can tell you what will photograph well for different locations, etc.  Pinterest can be a great tool for this. You can create a Pinterest board with ideas and share it with your photographer. Try to avoid anything too trendy. This will ensure that your photos stay timeless. If you are doing two different looks choose one that is a dressier look and one that is more casual. Things to consider: pick something you’ll be comfortable in, if you choose a flowy skirt, wear a more fitted top. Your photographer will have you moving around a lot, so ensure you can stand, sit, lay, and maybe even dance! Weather might also impact on your outfit choice depending on where you live. I always advice my clients to bring comfortable shoes for locations with lots of walking. Most of the time the ladies will want to wear heels and it can get uncomfortable very fast. Accessories like hats an scarfs always look great. Have fun with it but also think about where you will want to put your photos so make sure you pick colors that will coordinate with your decor.

LOCATION

If you have a location that means a lot to you and your fiancé, that is amazing. If you don’t that’s ok too! Your photographer should be able to choose a location(s) with a beautiful setting and amazing light! Sunrise and sunset sessions typically provide the best light, but your photographer will be really helpful in choosing an ideal time based on your location. Locations will vary by where you are living, but there are SO many possibilities! I suggest going on Pinterest, asking your photographer, maybe ask friends and family or google some key areas in your town to shoot. A few ideas and advice on finding a location for your engagement shoot are:

• If traveling try to give yourself enough time before booking so you can plan a weekend getaway and make a fun trip out of your photoshoot! Nothing says a fun time like going somewhere new and doing something fun that you and your other half have never experienced before. Make sure to do your research!!!
• Consider looking at popular venues, parks, recreational places, maybe where you and your fiancé first met, places with cool colors, backgrounds, patterns, murals, etc.

PREP + PLAN

Believe it or not, there are a few things that go into planning a photoshoot. It’s not as simple as booking, photographing, and waiting on your photos to come back. Theres a lot more that goes into making your photos look as fabulous as you dream of them to be, but don’t worry, I am here to take a lot of the stress off of you. Here are a few things you may want to do before you come to your engagement session:

• Schedule your photoshoot no less than one month in advance, this way you have time to book your photographer, plan the location, talk about lighting (avoid lunch time sunlight), have the best attire, and give yourself time to gather props and look over ideas.
• Make a checklist of everything you want to bring to your session. That way the night before your photoshoot, you can gather everything you will need and nothing will be forgotten! Items to bring are water, extra shoes, outfits, brush, hairspray, bobby pins, and lipstick.
• Consider having your roots dyed, hair cut, extensions put in, or any dramatic changes roughly 1-3 weeks prior to your session just incase you decide to change it closer to time or any kind of mishaps take place.
• Make it a girls day and get a manicure no more than 4 days before your photo session so your nails are looking top notch. There will be ring shots, you want your hands to look their best!
• Also, shine up your pretty diamond before your photoshoot so it’s sparkling at it’s best the day of.
• Consider drinking lots of water and eating healthy meals a week before your shoot, this will help keep any bloating down and help you look/feel your best. Nothing kills a good photo vibe like a bloated belly

HAVE FUN

1. We naturally want you to love your photos. If you have a preferred “side”, specific angles you don’t like, any specific insecurities, TELL us! Do you hate a certain tooth? Don’t like your ankles? Insecure about a hairline? Whatever the concern is make sure to tell your photographer. We have tips, tricks, and poses that we can use to take the focus away from these features to focus on your best and favorite attributes instead. I have never shot photos of anyone I didn’t consider to be beautiful, so go easy on yourself! Prior to the session, communicate with your significant other about the importance of the photos to you. Show them examples of photos you really love, and mention that they don’t have to take forever. I do everything in my power to make sure everyone is having fun, and that the session moves quickly to get all the photos you want so that everyone is happy. I’ve asked couples to do some pretty odd (but safe) prompts, and they always end up loving the outcomes. I am constantly looking for locations and angles that will produce beautiful images. I find myself saying “feels odd, looks amazing” A LOT during sessions, and those photos often turn out to be the favorites in your gallery. Know that you are going to crush it!! During my sessions we dance, jog, walk and show lots of PDA. After all these are engagement photos. We will showcase your love for one another in a classy, tasteful manner. Please let me know if there are any poses that you'd prefer not to do. I want you to be comfortable during your session. When I have you in front of the camera, I want you to have fun! I want you to enjoy this time with your most important person. If we have fun during the session, the memories you have when looking at your photos will be fond ones. Below are some examples of the fun poses my couples have done.