Oh me, oh my! Your left hand has been getting in a workout ever since your fiancé put that beautiful rock on it, and you are oozing with excitement at the thought of wedding planning! Sound at all like you? If it does, congrats girlfriend!

Now let’s take some beautiful, casual pictures to celebrate!

Your engagement photos are a celebration of your love for each other, taken in a safe place without lots of pressure.

I think engagement sessions are such an important part of wedding photography, and I’ve written this article to ensure you have the perfect engagement session with your love!

for those beautiful engagement images...

Vision

When you think of your engagement session, what do you visualize? An open field? Urban brick? A weeping willow tree? What is it that you feel suits the two of you? Are there any special locations that might be ideal for your engagement shoot? If not, don’t fret, darling! It’s not about where you are but who you are with. A lot of my brides leave the location up to me - which means I get to scope out spots ahead of time! The way I shoot, the focus is on the two of you and your beautiful faces, not the background. However, if there is a place that’s uniquely special to the two of you, or you’d like to include a family heirloom, a pet, or something else that’s meaningful, I am here to help you incorporate it into your images!

Fashion

Don’t feel like you need to go on a mega shopping spree for your session (but if you can, more power to ya, girlfriend!) I want you to be comfortable - I want you to connect with your images - so if you are a jeans and tee kinda gal, then rock it with a fun color! My couples bring an outfit change to their session. Most choose for a dressier option (i.e. flowy maxi dress) and a casual option (i.e. jeans and a fun shirt). I made a little Pinterest board for inspiration for you kids, but I am always open to chat wardrobe (hello, I am a girl who loves to shop!). Don’t feel like you have to go for plain classics the entire time. Have fun with color, texture, and prints! This is to remember this special time in your lives, so don’t limit yourself!

Hair + Makeup

I cannot stress this enough, girls! Really! Professional hair and makeup make a world of a difference. As a photographer, it excites me to know my gals are spending a day getting pampered before their session. It allows you to relax, feel beautiful, and confident! Nothing like a set of lashes to bring out your inner model. Consider using this time as a test run with your makeup artist and use your session as a time to evaluate your wedding day look and how it photographs. Ladies, if you can swing it, please consider getting your hair & makeup done for your session! I promise you it will make a world of a difference and you will look and feel absolutely glamorous. Oh, and I’m right here if you need any recommendations!

Timing

Timing is everything for your session. As a natural light photographer, I plan my engagement sessions around the lighting of the day. I usually begin them an hour and a half prior to sunset, which will allow for an outfit change and a location change while shooting during the golden hour. Being on time ensures that we do not cut into your session time, so showing up on time and ready will help yield great results! Once the sun goes down, there isn’t much we can do, so staying on track with timing and lighting is the best way to ensure gorgeous images. This also means that at times we may have to reschedule due to weather. You only get to do this once, so ensuring the environment is perfect will give you beautifully lit images!

Trust Me

This is the whole reason you chose your photographer, right? Because they know the best lighting, the best poses, and the best techniques to make you two look and feel like supermodels. Now it’s time for you to take a deep breath and trust the person you chose to do their best work with you. The more trust you place in them, the more free they will be to create the types of images that you’ll love the most. You’re going to feel uncomfortable, awkward, and alllllll the things! But in-between those little moments of awkwardness come total gems of authentic interactions that can only happen when two people are in love. Relinquish the control, give trust out freely, and let go of your expectations!

Have Fun

This is such an exciting time in your lives. I know that engagement sessions can seem nerve wrecking but it’s important to go in with an open mind and the ability to laugh. I want you two to flirt your brains out, love each other, and just have fun. We will laugh a lot, I will help pose you. Your only job is to snuggle in close, bat your eye lashes, and laugh until your belly aches. It’s going to be fun, we might finish the session with a bottle of wine, and I promise you that you will love seeing these beautiful images of the two of you for years to come. Engagement sessions are the perfect time to hang out with your photographer, get comfortable in front of the camera, and flirt with your soon-to-be spouse! What more could a girl ask for?