Here again for some tips and tricks!

 

Since it’s engagement season, and you’re going to want engagement photos to go with that ring…Let’s talk about how to make them the best they can be! I’m not going to lie, engagements are some of my favorite photos to take. They’re so fun, relaxed, and easy to make personal to you! There’s freedom to create, no real restrictions on locations or ideas, and we don’t have to worry about getting anyones clothes THAT dirty. 😉

 

 

I

Plan Them on a Slow Day

You don’t want to make it one more thing on your checklist and stress when things don’t go right beforehand. That is just setting a poor tone for your session and I definitely don’t want you in a poor mood when you come to your session. I tell pretty much all my clients “if you’re uncomfortable, it shows,” and that’s 100% true. If you’re angry, stressed, or uncomfortable, it will show in your photos. Schedule your session on a day you know you won’t have a ton to do.

 

II

Go Shopping

Pick out new (or add some pieces to your already existing wardrobe) that will coordinate, but NOT match! Time for some honesty, if you are wearing plaid on plaid on plaid, you’re going to look like two lumberjacks frolicking through the fields. Let’s try to avoid that. I suggest neutrals with pops of color! Whether you’re working with me or with another photographer, neutrals assure that the edits will be consistent and you won’t have weird colors cast onto your skin. Which brings me to neon colors. NEVER. WEAR. NEON. Ever. There is never a good time for neon unless you’re running a marathon in the dark. Just no.

 

III

Get to Know Your Photographer

There’s nothing more awkward than showing up to your engagements and not even knowing what your photographer (or clients) look like. Make some phone calls or FaceTime, meet in person, text, whatever you’re comfortable with! Would you rather hang out for 2 hours with a friend or a random stranger that will be taking a ton of pictures of you? To me, this is really important, and maybe it should be the first bullet. You need to know each other before you even book your wedding photographer to make sure you mesh. Sometimes after talking, you can realize that you really don’t fit well together and that can really make things awkward. Take that extra time to chat, it’s worth it. I promise.

 

IV

Plan a Date!

Plan a dinner or just fun date after your session! It’s a nice little reward after “working hard” for those photos 😉 It gives you something to look forward to after, and if you’re like me, food makes you happy. Ha!

 

V

    Listen to Some Good Jams

Music gets me excited for life! Just ask the guy next to me at the stoplight when Bohemian Rhapsody comes on. Sorry, not sorry. Get down before, during, and after your session!

VI

Trust Your Photographer

 

We (usually) know what we’re doing and we are pretty good at reading our couples. As a photographer, it’s my job to read your relationship and try to show that in your images. Sometimes it’s harder than others, but I really love getting to know my couples and figuring out how they work together. It’s honestly one of the best parts of the job. I love to capture moments where you’re messing around with each other, whispering sweet nothings (or weird nothings), and even those traditional poses. I have a million ideas floating around in my head that I’m SO excited to put to use, so please, trust me with them. That’s not to say if you have an idea I don’t want to hear it, I do, but I don’t want to be flooded with a laundry list of things you NEED from Pinterest. Shoot me a few shots or poses you’d like and we can for sure make that happen, but please don’t put your photographer into that “Pinterest box” because it’s so restricting and stressful for us. We don’t want to just copy someone else’s work, we want to CREATE ART that’s specifically for you.

 

VII

Sit Back and Enjoy Yourself

Don’t stress about how you look or what your fiancé is doing with their face. Enjoy the moment. Play around, sing some songs, say some weird stuff, and forget pictures are even happening. I like to capture those natural reactions and emotions, so you’re going to play around a lot more than you will pose. I mean, yeah, you’ll get those traditional photos to put on your save the dates, but I want to capture your relationship…not just some snapshots. And we photographers are literally here to make you look good, so back to bullet six, trust us. We’ve got your back.

 

 

 

Well, I hope this has been helpful and you have the best time at your engagements! That’s all I can think of for now, so until next time! Signing off..

-Lauren B.