Over all the years I’ve been shooting photos, I have had engagement sessions that were sweet and beautiful (I mean, two people who just decided to get married taking photos together? That is always going to be wonderful), and I have had ones that were absolutely, hands-down, on-fire incredible…
Here are the 10 things that I have consistently noticed help engagement photo sessions be the best they can be.
1) A plan.
2) Neutral, coordinating clothing.
3) Two to three outfit changes - each!
4) Extra clothing to keep you warm/cool if your photographed outfits won’t cut it.
5) A pretty blanket to sit on.
6) A fresh manicure (mostly for whoever’s wearing the ring, ha).
7) Accessories - watch/jacket/hat/scarf/great earrings!
8) Hairbrush, lip gloss, mints.
9) Water bottles for both of you.
10) Snacks.
I won’t be cheesy and add “a great attitude!” as the last one, but truly- the ability and confidence to relax and enjoy yourself and the session? Well then creativity happens without feeling the need to pose or smile a certain way- that absolutely makes a perfect photo shoot. The best images I achieve often come with the engaged couple telling me afterward "it felt like we were on a date, and you were just a fun friend in the background.”
A plan: Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love a good adventure and going off the beaten path or changing things up is my absolute favorite. HOWEVER, all the best engagement sessions I have done are absolutely the ones where we had a plan. We knew where we were going, we knew where we were going if where we were originally going didn’t work out, we knew what to wear at what location and most importantly; the bride, groom, and myself all knew exactly how we wanted it to feel. Do you want upscale classy images where are you are dressed to the nines? Do you want fun beachy photos where you end up making out in the water? Library? Coffee shop? Bar? Done, done, and done- all of it, but have a plan.
Neutral coordinated clothing: At the end of the day what people want to see most and what you want to remember isn’t your outfit, it’s a love in your eyes, the sticky hand clasped fingers, the tenderness in your faces. Neutral clothing really supports seeing YOU in the photos. And neutral doesn’t have to be boring, it just means simple solid pieces or very small prints that stay away from logos, bold colors, and distracting graphics. Matchy-matchy? Let’s not, leave the 90s where they belong, but be thinking as you choose outfits about keeping your clothing in the same family of warm tones, cool tones, similar seasons, etc.
Two or three outfit changes: Bring at least two outfit changes, one that is a bit more dressed up and another that is casual. If you can’t decide on what to bring, bring more, not less. We can always leave it in the car and it’s nice to have options. A note on dressing up, stay away from articles of clothing that are super tight or super short. A snug dress come look amazing but it limits you and how you move. I can’t tell you how many fantastic photo shoots have been dampened a little by complicated posing brought on by clothing that was hard to move in.
Other clothing to keep you warm/cool: Being cold is THE WORST. It’s hard to be fun when you are overly cold or overly hot. At one desert engagement session that I did recently, we completely forgot to prepare for with warm clothes for the morning and it was a whole new level of cold. My fingers were so cold that the touch screen on my camera would not function. Cold. Learn from my mistakes.
A pretty blanket: to sit on, to lay on, to wrap up and snuggle in – a light weight blanket or throw that coordinates with your outfit is always a must.
The rest is pretty self-explanatory: new bling is more fun to show off with clean and tidy nails, we all need to stay hydrated, a hangry fiancé is not a happy fiancé, etc, etc.
Now go forth into the world feeling confident and well planned… and make your photographer the happiest person on the block.
