We love engagements! They are so fun. You get to dance and roll around on the ground and do cartwheels. JK, but maybe not JK…But in all reality, we’ll have lots of fun.
It’s a perfect chance to get to know us, learn how we shoot, and to get comfortable in front of the camera. Think of your engagement shoot as a rehearsal for your wedding day. We’re just exploring a cool location and having fun while toting around a camera. You’ll learn that the photo session isn’t scary. It’s just fun and cuddles. We learn who you are as a couple, how you interact with each other, and what you are comfortable with – we want to capture YOU. And you get to learn all about us and our shooting ways. Then you won’t be so surprised when we ask you to do a handstand in your wedding dress. 
We pinky promise an engagement session is the best. When we get to your wedding day portrait session, you’ll be pros, and you’ll be able to relax. Ultimately this “prep session” is the best way of insuring relaxed, fun, and intimate photos on your wedding day.
Not to mention (but mentioning anyways) that a nice professional photo will look fabulous on your wedding invitation.
How to prepare:
- Relax. Make this a whole day thing. Go to lunch, grab a coffee, cuddle for like 3 hours. Set aside plenty of time to get ready and travel to the spot. You’re going to have a hard time being yourself if you came straight from the office or if you’re stressed about traffic. Let this shoot be a celebration of your adorable love story, not another item on your to-do list.
- Have a good meal. You might think you’ll look better with an empty stomach, but no one wants a hangry photo shoot. I promise we’ll all be happier if you feel full.
- Open up. We’re going to ask you to be 100% yourself. We don’t want any fake smiles or cheesy poses. We want to see your relationship in its rawest form. We’ll guide you through, but you gotta promise to not hold anything back!
- Dress as you. What do you wear running errands? Out to dinner? Hanging with friends? Wear that! Even if it’s worn out shoes, an over-sized hoodie, and a pony tail. If it’s you, wear it! Also, browse our website to check out some outfit ideas.
- Leave it in the car. That means your phone, your purse, your extra stuff. Minimalism is the way to go. We catch the in between moments, so we want to make sure there’s not extra stuff in the way. We also want to move easily from one spot to the next. Note: phones in pockets don’t look great in photos. Please please please leave it in your car!
- Go with the flow. We’re embracing all the spontaneity. Dirt and wet and rocks. Your relationship isn’t a perfectly directed film, is it? So why should this photo shoot? We do weird here.
What to expect:
We’ll meet up at the chosen spot and chat for a few minutes. We’ll make sure you’re feeling good and are ready to go. We’ll probably start out with some ice breakers. Walk back and forth, spin in circles, get the wiggles out. Some fun stuff to make you feel comfortable.
I will guide you through some various poses that capture you and your relationship. I’ll have you hug and kiss and dance. There will be lots of roaming around and changing backgrounds. I want you to have a variety of poses and backdrops to choose from. I’ll ask you if there are any specific photos you want, and we’ll make sure to capture those.
As far as lighting goes, I’ll usually have your back to the sun or have all of us in the shade. Since our shoots are in golden hour, we want to capture that awesome light streaming through the lens and not into your eyes.
Here and there, I’ll put the camera down and give you a break. Then before you know it, the sun will be down, and we’ll be heading back to the car! It really is that easy. There’s nothing too crazy about it.
I always have so much fun and get home talking about how much I love my job and how I get to meet the coolest people. Seriously, I have the best job!
FAQ:
- When do we get our photos?
- I work so hard to get your photos done within two weeks. Hopefully earlier. 🙂
- How many photos will we get?
- I promise 50 photos, but it’s usually more. I pinky swear if there’s a photo you want, it’ll be in your gallery.
- What happened to that photo where we were __________?
- Sometimes photos just don’t turn out. I can’t guarantee any specific shot of pose will make it through the final cut. I’m bummed too, but there are so many factors that go into a good photo!
- Can we bring our dog?
- Hell yeah. Bring some bribes and someone to hold onto the dog when they’re not in the photo.
- Can we bring our moms?
- NOPE. You’re definitely not going to open up and be all sorts of cuddly if your mom is watching. Please just bring yourselves.
- Will our photos be on your Instagram and website?
- Probably eventually when I get around to posting new photos haha! So don’t be offended if you don’t see your photos. It’s me, not you.
- I have this shot list from Pinterest. Can we recreate all these photos?
- Honestly a great question. While we love having a little inspiration to know what kind of poses/compositions you like, we definitely need our creative freedom. We’ll keep your shot list in mind, but we won’t recreate any photos.
