10 Tips To Get Great Engagement Photos
You’re engaged! That’s a big deal. Now you’re getting ready for your engagement photos but may not know where to start. That can feel super overwhelming. This is where we come in to help. We’ve photographed over 200 engaged couples and have learned the best ways of making sure your engagement pictures are a success. Here are our 10 tips for having the best engagement photos.
1. Wear Complimentary Clothing:
Wearing outfits that compliment each other will help make your photos look cohesive. Wondering which outfits look good together? We’ve prepared a Pinterest board that has tons of engagement outfit inspiration. Click here: Pinterest Engagement Clothing Inspiration
2. Bring Two Outfits:
We recommend that most couples have one or two outfits during their engagement sessions. Typically this means both of you having a formal as well as a casual look. Having two different outfits in two different locations can make it feel like you have more photos to share.
3. Celebrate and Make it a Date!
Engagement photos are such a fun chance to celebrate together before your wedding day, and celebrating the love you have is so important. You’re going to be dressed up from your beautiful engagement pictures with the love of your life. We recommend taking the day or evening to be together, going for a wine tasting or dinner after the photoshoot to keep the celebration going! This is a special time in your lives and if you go into the day knowing it’s a date day you’re going to treasure it that much more.
4. Take Your Photos at Sunrise or Sunset:
We usually aim to start engagement sessions in the early evening. This way those beautiful golden hour colours will be captured in your photos. If you don’t know what golden hour is, it’s when the sun is setting and it makes every photo look like a shot from a Nicholas Sparks movie. Knowing how to work with natural light is one of the most important parts of our work.
On that note, engagement sessions are so important to us. So if the weather isn’t looking great, we can always reschedule to another evening to make sure you are getting the best photos possible.
5. Find A Photographer You Trust:
Your wedding photographer is someone who is an expert on photographing love and making you two feel comfortable in front of a camera. If you go into it knowing that they care about you and your engagement photos it will help you feel more comfortable and relaxed throughout the photo shoot.
6. Meet your photographers:
You should try to meet your photographer at least once before your engagement session, even if that is over the phone or a video call. This will give you a good sense of what they are like to work with before you hire them. You want to hire a photographer who is going to make you feel comfortable so you can focus on having a great time while your photographer is taking beautiful engagement photos.
7. Take Your Engagement Photos in a Place that You Love.
We encourage couples to go to places they love. This could be the place where you first met, a cafe or brewery, or perhaps in your own home. Your story is unique, and your photos should reflect that. This is the perfect opportunity to visit a place or two that might be hard to visit on your wedding day. Maybe there is a hiking trail or park in your area you’d like to have your photos taken by. This is the perfect opportunity to capture memories there. If you don’t know where to go, don’t worry. We know plenty of beautiful locations that look amazing in photos.
8. Bring Props
Props can add so much to your engagement pictures. It can be as simple as bringing champagne and getting photos of popping the bottle. We’ve also seen couples bring everything they need for a picnic or charcuterie board. In this case, we photograph the setup, details, and you two having your picnic. What can start out as a simple prop can make for a great activity for your engagement photos.
9. Make it Special
Your relationship with your fiancee is unique. If there’s anything special about your relationship that you can bring into your engagement pictures then do it! This could be the location of where you had your first date, a memento from a special trip, the props you bring, or even the outfits you two wear could be from the day you got engaged. Whatever it is, let your photographer know what is special to you so they can help make it a part of your session! You’ll be so glad you did.
10. Plan How You’re Going to Use Your Photos
After your session, we go back to our studio and curate your photos to make sure you get the very best of all of the photos. The next step is to edit the session, simply to make sure the colours pop so they have the Morning Light look that we’ve perfected. After that, we deliver the photos in high-resolution files as well as files optimized for social media, through an online downloadable gallery. Engagement sessions look amazing as albums, prints, or canvases that can be used as a guestbook at your wedding. You will want some kind of print of your engagement photos to show your friends and relatives when they come to visit! Read our blog post on 5 ways to use your photos so you can choose the way to use your photos that best works for your needs.
If you’re ready to meet with a photographer that will make you look and feel amazing in photos you send us a message by clicking here: Book A Meeting. If you want to know the questions that you need to ask before hiring a photographer: click here (it also has a free downloadable checklist).
