Engagement sessions can be overwhelming and a little stressful if you don’t know what you are getting into. The engagement session should be fun, stress-free and filled with joy. In this post you will learn all you need to know about how to prepare for a fun and stress-free engagement session. Today’s blog will focus on the process leading up to the session. Everything you need to know before the day of the session.
Before the session: preparing for photo day
- You have your photographer all lined up, you love their work, but you aren’t sure what you need to do next. First up on the list is to talk about the location and the date of the session. Location is so important because it sets the vibe of the entire shoot. Are you hoping for calm serene photos on the banks of a river? Or maybe a fast paced urban cityscape? What type of location speaks to you as a couple? If you have a picturesque location that is meaningful to you as a couple, I always suggest that as the place to capture your session. The reason behind this is that you already have a connection and you feel comfortable and happy in this location. It could be a historic property that you had a picnic at early in your relationship, the place one of you grew up, or even something as outrageous as a bowling alley where you celebrated your first year of dating. Then on the other hand if you don’t have a location with an emotion connection, don’t worry the gorgeous place you pick will become a special place for the two of you. Parks, farms, historic properties, cityscapes, lakes, riverwalks, mountain tops, the options are endless. Ask your photographer for recommendations on places to capture your engagement session. They are your absolute best resource for this.
- Pick the date and time of your photo session. Select the season that you would love to have the session captured. If you are going to use your photos as part of your save the dates, make sure you have at least 2 months from the session to the date you want to send them out, to make sure that the photographer has time to get the images processed and you have time to get the save the dates in. Every season has it’s beauty, pick what you love and plan it out. Timing is very important with it comes to your photos. What type of light will the photographer be working with. Mornings and evenings are usually the best times for day for session. Morning light is crisp, fresh and beautiful. Evening light is golden, glowing and just gorgeous. You can shoot anytime of day depending on your location. If you are in a lush forest with shade or in the shadows of a skyscraper even mid-afternoon light is nice. Ask your photographer for recommendations on the lighting at the location you select. Again, they are your go to guru on all things photography!
- Choosing your outfits. This one is huge!! and the first and most important thing for you to know is whatever you wear, you should feel beautiful/handsome and comfortable. If you don’t feel great in your outfit then you aren’t going to feel comfortable in the photos. You should feel like yourself, whether you are wearing a floor length flowing gown and a suit or you are wearing jeans and a t-shirt. you MUST feel great about how you look! it 100% reflects in the photos. When picking outfits for each of you, think about coordinating and not matching. Select a color palette and work from there. Make sure that color palette works with your completions and doesn’t wash you out. some go to colors are Navy, Grey, Blues, these colors work for everyone. But don’t be afraid to add some color to your outfit. Make it unique to you. To give you an idea of how to coordinate and not match, here is a great example: White and blues. There is so much you can do with this palette. this photo is just one idea.
- Address any personal concerns upfront. If there are some things you are self conscious about, be very upfront about them. Bringing these concerns up with your photographer before the session will not only let you feel from relaxed but your photographer will know exactly what will please you when it comes to any personal or body concerns. This also goes the opposite way too. If you have have absolute favorite expressions, want to focus on certain features or even one particular size of your face, let them know. The more you talk about all your desires and potential concerns then happier and smoother your engagement session session experience will be. Don’t be timid or shy about this. These photos are very special and make such a wonderful time in your life.
Stay tuned for the next blog…
How to Prepare for your Engagement Session: Part TWO (during the session)
<3 Stephanie
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