Tips for preparing for your upcoming engagement session
You’re getting married! Congrats!
I heard someone needs a photoshoot fairy 👀. Well, say no more as I’m about to lay out a short and effective guide to help you enjoy one of the sweetest days in your life!
Get your nails done
This shoot is all about you and your partner (treat yourself!). Aside from making this a perfect excuse to celebrate the moment your partner put a ring on it, your ring itself will be in the spotlight so you’ll want those extra details taken care of. You can get creative and talk with your trusted nail technician to get the best design that will match your personality, outfit, and of course, YOUR RING (You might want to get it cleaned too so it’s extra sparky!)
Send me your inspo!
Use Pinterest (our favorite go-to inspiration platform), screenshots, or whatever images you like, and would love for your session to be inspired by or feel like! Friendly reminder that you can always save as much inspo as you like, but your best photos will come out if you let me see the real you as a couple! Choose inspo that is closest to your personality, so you can show the raw emotions and expressions—posing THROUGH the camera, instead of posing FOR the camera as we like to call it.
On that note, I made a specific Pinterest board for Engagement Sessions I’ve had that might be helpful for you!
Dress code
Get on the same page as your partner—don’t go formal and jeans. Both should be at the same level whatever you choose. Not only that, consider an outfit change as well! I typically leave enough time for you to get a formal/semi-formal set and a more casual set. You don’t always see yourself in formal so it’s great to do that for fancy fun photos but also get the two of you in a more regular setting.
In addition to the dress code – NEUTRAL, SOLID COLOURS ARE BEST, they bring out YOU. Please stay away from bright colours and big logos. If you have any questions about wardrobe, please ask me, I’m happy to help.
Location
Tell me what you’re looking for and I can typically guide you to find a spot, or if you have a spot in mind, I’d love to explore that with you! It could be a coffee shop you met at, in a beautiful nature setting, or even at home, let’s brainstorm a plan together! There are lots of locations I can recommend, but the best spot is still the place that means something special to both of you 🙂.
Bonus tip: to make sure that your shoot will go as smoothly as possible, call ahead of time to inquire if your chosen location needs to have permits or reservations.
Time of day
Here’s a not-so-secret tip: LIGHTING IS EVERYTHING! Late afternoon/evening/golden hour type of time will give you the best most even light (hope for a beautiful sunset if you are outdoors). I am also happy to do sunrise—there’s just a WHOLE VIBE with sunrises that we do not get in the evening. It’s soft and quiet and more intimate with the two of you.
Don’t worry about posing! Be comfortable with your photographer
I know it seems like a challenge to have to pose for the camera but you won’t have to worry about that with a good photographer. It is our job to allow you to feel at ease and to help you be you during our sessions.
For me, I think one of the best compliments I receive is my “superpower” to make people feel comfortable in front of the camera, even if they’ve never done a shoot before in their lives!
Here’s a quick tip for helping you get comfortable in front of the camera:
Don’t worry about posing! While you can certainly practice beforehand together in front of the mirror, the best candid moments will likely come naturally through a mix of prompts or simply interacting with each other.
And as I mentioned earlier, feel free to send your photographer a Pinterest board of your favorite inspo photos.
We want your raw emotions to shine through so think of the session as a fun date—don’t overthink it and trust your photographer!
Hire a professional!
I cannot stress this enough. I want to save you from a bad experience and help you get the best photos for your engagement session. It’s important that you do a lot of research on whom to trust in documenting your precious moments.
Still looking for your wedding photographer? Check out this quick blog on how to choose your wedding photographer!
