Engagement sessions are supposed to be fun! They are a great way for clients to get to know their photographer but they most commonly serve a purpose. A lot of couples use their engagement images for Save the Date cards, upload them to their wedding websites, or create photo guest books or frame them, creating a simple display on their wedding day! Depending on what your engagement photo needs are, planning these sessions could be stressful and difficult. Here are some great tips that could help you in while planning your day and while enjoying your photo session!

Be comfortable!

This is, hands down, the most important thing that I can tell any couple getting ready for your session! What you wear and how you feel in your outfits will affect everything abut your shoot. Your photographer will, ideally, want to direct you, pose you into some serious and some fun ways, allow you to express yourself but also help you be as comfortable as possible with a camera looking down your nose. If you dress in something that you don't feel "you" in, in something that bothers you or is just plain uncomfortable, THAT will be the focus of the shoot. If you're tugging at your blouse or worse yet, unable to breathe in that pair of slacks, you will be so annoyed that focusing on getting good photos will take a back seat.

Choose a versatile location

A super exciting part of getting engaged is that you get to take engagement photos! Some couples would just like to spend time relaxing and having fun with this idea so a location doesn't really matter to them. Obviously you (and I, as your photographer) would like to get something that is visually appealing, something that photographs well but choosing a versatile location is just as important. When you are at the shoot, it is important to use your time wisely so that we can get a lot of images. If you choose a place that has many "looks" we can travel only a little and still get a lot! It is popular to do an outfit change during a shoot also, lets stay one formal fit and one that is more casual. If you choose an environment that could cater to both, we have not only saved ourselves a cab ride across town but we also get a few extra minutes of shooting!

Incorporate yourselves into the images' "story"

How can you make the session a little more "special"? Some couples like to recreate a simple story board of their early or even current romance into the session. They take the time to revisit special locations to them--the proposal location, the special bar they used to visit, the college they met in... you get the idea! Choosing a special location could be important to you now but years down the road, you may appreciate the time capsule you created of your 'early years.'

Relax!

At the end of the day, an engagement session is designed for you to have fun! Bring a bottle of champagne to take the nerves out of the day, bring a snack to nibble on during "relaxing" time, and basically do anything you need to when making the day your own and special to you. Trust me, I can incorporate a bottle of wine or champagne into a photo shoot as another fun prop, so feel free to bring whatever you need to make sure that you feel your best!