THIS IS IT.
The moment you and your other half have been waiting for your entire lives.
Today is your engagement photo session!
(Oops, you probably thought I was talking about your wedding day)
How to prepare? What to do? What to wear? Will I like the photographer? Will they like me? Do I care? Question mark???
The questions can start to swirl around in your head. All you have ever wanted is to have wonderful photographs showing the love between you and your partner, so of course there can be some pressure to make them as great as possible! Well, fear not! The purpose of this blog post is to get you feeling confident, prepared, and most of all EXCITED for your engagement session.
1. WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
- First of all, whatever you wear should absolutely be comfortable. If you wear that super cute but never-worn-before skirt there is a good chance you will not be as comfortable and that will reflect in the photos. Choose clothes that you feel awesome in and if you do want to buy something new just give it a test run before the shoot.
- Guys (and gals) – make sure to iron the clothes ahead of time, wrinkles don’t look good on anyone.
- Don’t worry too much about matching perfectly, just make sure your outfits don’t clash horribly 🙂
- Avoid clothes with large branding on them, those brands will go away eventually and you want these photos to be timeless.
- Wear shoes that fit the location and are comfortable, stilettos may not work great if we are trekking through a state park.
2. WHAT CAN I DO TO PREPARE FOR THE SESSION?
- My biggest advice is to plan to arrive early, or at least get to the general area early (grab a cup of coffee nearby!). Have you ever been running late for an event and it has caused a bit of tension between you and your significant other? Me too! It can be hard to relax after rushing to arrive and you really want to be relaxed and having fun when having your engagement photos taken.
- Spend a few minutes talking with your other half and make sure you both are on the same page with the types of photos that are going to be taken. Take a look at some engagement photos online for inspiration and to mentally prepare.
- If you find a couple poses you REALLY want, let your photographer know! It would absolutely help me prepare better and I would really appreciate the advanced notice.
- Ask your photographer for a contact phone number in case something causes you to run late. I would hate to have you be running a little bit late and also be concerned that I’m going to leave before you arrive (I wouldn’t!) because I think you won’t show up.
3. I’M AT THE SESSION, WHAT DO I NEED TO DO NOW?
- Relax, have fun, and be in love. That’s pretty much it, your photographer will take care of the rest. It’s really important to me that you are having a good time and able to enjoy yourselves. If you can have a good time while we are working together, I promise the photos are going to show it. You aren’t here to get glamour shots, you are here for me to capture the love between you and your partner – focus on them! I will ask for a few shots looking nice at the camera but the best photos are the ones where you are interacting directly with your true love.
4. WHEN SHOULD I ARRIVE?
- Going back to a previous answer, arriving (at least nearby) early can be incredibly helpful. If you do end up running a couple minutes late, just make sure to contact your photographer. I would much prefer you to be a couple minutes late vs. being 30 minutes late due to getting a speeding ticket (plus that DEFINITELY wouldn’t help you relax!).
5. THAT’S ALL GREAT, ANY SECRET AWESOME EXTRA TIPS?
- If you are having a makeup and/or hair trial done it may be fun to get those done for your engagement shoot to add an extra pop to the photos
- Tilt your head in slightly to your partner, it makes it look like you like each other 😉
That’s all, folks! If you are looking for a photographer for your engagement session and/or wedding I would love to talk with you and would be honored to be considered for one of the most important roles of your wedding day.