Coming Soon!

This page will discuss how I approach an engagement photo session and will include some suggestions for how to get the most out of your engagement photo session. This page is still a rough draft, and a work in progress.

   I enjoy engagement photo shoots. This is my first opportunity to get to know a couple as people I will be photographing. This is when we begin to develop our collaboration. The best images take time and trust. I am not going to ask you to be a model, and I am not going to ask you to act. What I am going to ask is that you share your feelings for each other with me. I know that is a big request, I am asking you to be vulnerable in front of me, and my camera. That is why I invest time in engagement sessions. We can't build that trust on your wedding day. On the wedding day, we need to already feel comfortable with one another, so you can focus on all the other things happening on your wedding day.

Where should we go?

    Typically outdoor settings are great for engagement sessions. If you have a location you like, lets go there. I have a number of parks I can suggest, and several locations I am eager to try out. If there is a location that is special to you we can work with that, a favorite restaurant, a coffee shop, bookstore, a gym, whatever represents you. We can also shoot engagement photos at your planned wedding or reception venue.

  Everything about your wedding is about you, and your choices. If you have an idea, please share it with me, and we can figure out how to make it happen. If you don't have an idea, I can offer suggestions. 

What do we wear?

   These photos are all about who you are, so you want to wear clothes that feel like you. You want to dress nicely, but not in a way that isn't comfortable or that doesn't match who you are. Don't buy nice clothes for your engagement photos, unless you are someone who regularly buys new clothes for events. If she  doesn't wear heels, this isn't the time to start. If he can't tie a tie, don't wear one. You want to look good, but not uncomfortable and not out of character. 

   You can change it up during the shoot. Outer layers and accessories that you can swap out easily can be fun. We don't want to be hauling your entire wardrobe around a park, but it is good to be able to change it up a little as we go. 

-Avoid matching outfits

-Avoid t-shirts with text

How do we pose?

  This question generates so much anxiety, and it doesn't have to. Don't think of it as posing. This isn't your junior prom, and I am not that kind of photographer. I won't position you in detail, and I won't ask you to hold a pose. Our session will be a conversation. It should flow, and feel natural. I will ask you to stand or sit somewhere, and suggest that you look at each other, look at me, look at the wild animals over there, and I will ask you questions. I won't "pose" you, but I will "prompt" you. I might ask you to walk towards me, and act like it's raining. I may ask you to pretend your fiancé  has ketchup on their face and wipe it off. If you have any ideas, I will ask you to go ahead and "try that". I want you to be yourself, in a way that I can capture with my camera.

The Big Picture

How does this fit into the rest of the wedding photography process? This is usually the first opportunity I have to start telling your story. After this I will want to get a few shots that show off the other parts of the wedding process. The dress fitting, and the cake tasting are great opportunities. I also want to continue to get to know you. I would like to spend a little time with you, without a camera. Maybe we can get ice cream cones together, or do a wine tasting. 

  Once I upload your engagement photos, your feedback helps. If you can tell me that this photo really feels right, or you mom loves that photo,  those are good feedback, so you can get more of what you like as we proceed. 

  If you only hired me for engagement photos, and later decide to go with a full wedding package, the cost of your engagement session will be credited to the cost of your wedding package, or we can do another session if you would like. Engagement photos are a great low risk way to try out a photographer.