Engagement Photos Should Tell Your Story

Just recently I booked a couple that told me about an engagement photo experience with another photographer…basically the cliff note version was that the photographer wanted to pose them in their set poses and didn’t want feedback from the couple about what they wanted from their images. Now this makes me sad. I believe that the photos for your engagement session and your wedding should represent who you are as people and as a couple!! That is not to say that a little guidance on posing or where to stand is not good–it is absolutely necessary to get the best images. But my philosophy is that we are creating images TOGETHER and the images should reflect YOU! Here is some helpful thoughts on your engagement sessions coupled with some engagement sessions I shot and a little footnote about them.

WHY: Engagement photos are an excellent opportunity to document your feelings for each other outside of your wedding day.  It is also a great opportunity for you to see your photographer in action and build a relationship before your wedding and another bonus: a trial run of your makeup/hairstylist that you are planning to use for your wedding day!

HOW: It is really important to convey to your photographer what kind of images you would like to have from your engagement shoot. A great way to do this is to think of three to five adjectives that describe the way you want your images to look and feel. For example, are you looking for sexy, fun and natural images OR elegant, classy and urban. Share these adjectives with your photographer and it will certainly open up a dialogue for you to discuss your vision about your engagement session images.

What to wear? Embrace your personalities! It is better to be coordinated than “matchy-matchy.” What does this mean… instead of  both of you wearing jeans and white shirts, maybe your bracelet compliments his tie or your sweater is the same color as a stripe in his shirt. Also, consider the style of your outfit choices, an cocktail dress and tattered jeans may not be the best coupling. Keep in mind though, the most important thing is you both feel good/comfortable and the choices reflect who you are as individuals and who you are as a couple!

Props?  Sure. Don’t be afraid to incorporate props that have significance to you or the location.

WHERE: You should select locations that are meaningful to you (like the place you met)…or that best describe you as a couple or maybe a location represents your hobbies, or an activity you like to do together. Let your photographer know as soon as you can about your location choices because there may be equipment limitations.  And if you don’t have any ideas about a location, your photographer should be able to offer up some options for you that suit your personalities and style of images that you want to create.

WHEN: The ‘Golden Hours’ are the best for outdoor shots, which is the early to mid-morning and late afternoon. These times offer some of the best lighting, and of course these times vary depending on the season. You can research online to find the sunset time for the season and plan at least an hour and half before that time. You can still take photos at other times of the day; however, it gets a little trickier for getting the best light.

What’s not to love about this…bring your dog, your pig or cat…if they have place in your life, they certainly deserve to be in pictures

This is a fantastic example of color coordinating! Nicely done…and of course, she wanted to have this sign for their save the dates (props)…and oh yeah, let’s throw in a cute dog again. 

This couple choose a location that was significant to them…Fells Point. One of their favorite places to be

Wine, laughs, wind in your hair AND another cute dog!! No really, this dock is on the bay in Sandbridge and the bride’s parents home- so again, somewhere signifiant to the couple.

These two were so fun! He played and sang to her…We actually did an engagement fusion piece for this engagement you can view it here

These two shared a love of comic books! 

He proposed at the ice cream shop! The ring is hanging close to where the event took place:)

The location was important to these two- Founder’s Park. But also, the hat. They met online and it was what sealed the deal for her while viewing his profile picture!

Oh my gosh, these two were so much fun. Laughed the whole way through…I picked the location, but it was important to them to be outside in a beautiful location. Side note: love the photobomber on this ring shot!