Your engagement can be an joyful and nerve wrecking time. There’s so much fun and excitement going on but at the same time, there are A LOT of things to plan and think about. Maybe you have your list of to-dos already growing or perhaps you’ve just begun. Hopefully, these tips will help you on your path toward feeling excited and comfortable about your upcoming engagement photography session.
This may sound easy, but this can be a stressful and busy time in your lives as a couple. Take the engagement session as a break away from that. This session is all about celebrating you as a couple. We want to show who you are, and your unique love story. Relax and have fun. All you have to concentrate on is your other half. Don’t worry, we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves to keep the laughter coming 🙂
Some will say that it’s always about the location. However, a great photographer can make any location amazing. Long story short, your photographer is a resource and will know the best locations but will be able to make any location work to your advantage. However, if you have a favorite spot in mind, or somewhere that is important to tell your love story, let us know. We’ll work with you to make sure that you have the best location for your special session. One thing to keep in mind is the mood that you are looking for and how you plan to share the images from this session. Nature or Urban is usually the biggest decision that you have to make, and we can do the rest.
TIP #3 – What to Wear
Be comfortable & Reflect your personality
What you choose to wear is truly an expression of you and can set the tone for your images. Are you casual, are you formal or are you a blend of both? Typically, we recommend choosing a range of both However, make sure what you choose reflects your personality and style. Our sessions are typically 1-2 hours and we recommend changing your outfit once roughly every 30 minutes if you choose to have multiple outfits. At March81 Photography, we love to create dramatic, story-packed images for our clients, and we would love to create that for you. The wardrobe plays such a large role in this. Think dramatic, flowing dress in the breeze with a backdrop of fall foliage or up against your favorite downtown location. But also, be comfortable in what you’re wearing this helps reflect a sense of confidence and you can focus on the moment not how you feel in your clothes.
TIP #4 – Time of Day
Everyone dreams about golden hour for their session.
We know that everyone is busy and scheduling might not be the easiest. However, there are times during the day that are much better than others. Of course, as those are the best, they are the most sought after. These times are sunrise and sunset. The light that the photographer has to work with is amazing at those times and can really help with creating dramatic and cinematic images. However, as nature proves, golden hour isn’t always as “golden” as you might think. But don’t worry, we have tricks with flash that can help create that same effect no matter the time of day. So much so you wouldn’t even know that there wasn’t a perfect sunset happening at that moment!
Your engagement is a time to celebrate and enjoy. While the wedding may over shadow this period because you’re looking forward with so much anticipation, take a moment to enjoy these days. So what will you do with the photos from this engagement session? These are photos that you will be wearing outfits that match your typical style not all dressed up in a wedding dress and tux, so for many couples these are photos they love having around their house. Will you create a piece of wall art for over your bed? Or how about taking your favorite images and having an album or book designed. One of our couples most favorite ways to celebrate these photos is in what we call the engagement guest book. This does away with the boring ruled line book. Why not consider an engagement guestbook? a book that combines your top 20 or so images from your engagement session and leaves open space around them for your guests to write you a note of encouragement or celebration.
Engagement sessions are a great way for you to get to know your photographer. Learning how they work, getting comfortable in front of the camera and letting them know a bit more about you and your style. The relationship you build with your photographer at this shoot helps them be able to capture your big day, exactly how you would like to remember it. So the more you let them know how you feel and if something makes you feel uncomfortable the better your overall experience will be!
Hopefully, these tips have helped you prepare a little for your engagement session. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to reach out to us. We would love to answer any questions you may have!
