Hello hello! I am so excited to be offering all the tips and tricks for the newly engaged couples out there 🙂 my vision with this is to offer you legitimate, practical tips to help you in your wedding planning, and to help prepare you for your time in front of the camera – even if that’s not with me!
And this blog post will actually help with just that! Here are:
5 Tips To Know Before Taking Your Engagement Photos
Tip #1: Don’t Overthink It
I totally understand that not all of us are constantly getting our picture taken by professional photographers. So I also totally understand that there could be some apprehension in regards to what being in front of the camera will entail. But don’t overthink it! I know that’s easier said then done, but I mean it!
One of the biggest questions we photographers get is: “What do I do with my hands??” And guess what?? Most of the time, it truly doesn’t matter what you do with your hands, as long as they are somehow connected to your love. Now don’t get me wrong, I will 100% make sure that you look (and feel!) natural, but your hands are a very small part of it. The reason why I say that is because your photographer should be directing you to naturally fall into each other’s arms. If he’s snuggling up against your neck like the photo above, I don’t think many people’s natural inclination is to just stand there and let their hands fall to their sides, I think most people would want to hug their partner back when they show them affection right? And that’s exactly how I direct you guys to think and feel during our time together. What would you naturally do in response to your best friend kissing you on the cheek? Or on your lips? When you guys are walking down the street, do you hold each other’s hands with your thumb on the inside or outside?
Okay… maybe that last one is a little extreme 😉 but anyone else have to have their thumb on the inside? Cuz that’s me hahaha
#2: Trust Your Photographer
I know this might seem obvious, and I think every couple would naturally agree that this is important to do, but you’d be surprised how many times we photographers have to work with couples who are not necessarily responsive to our promptings! Now I totally get it, not all of us are the super cuddly-lovey-dovey type, and I definitely understand that. But at the same time, I’m pretty sure you’re not complaining when you’re asked to kiss the love of your life or have fun with them right?
Instead of approaching the shoot with the mindset of “I need to do this” or “It should be like this” etc etc. go into it with the mindset of, this is an opportunity to spend time with my favorite person in the world. This opportunity gives us a chance to slow down and enjoy each other’s company for a little while. And ultimately, this is an opportunity to have FUN with your best friend! Don’t get me wrong I love a good editorial & moody shot that could be in a Vogue magazine, but most of the time I want you guys to just have fun with each other! Be silly. Let loose. And if that means you bring a bottle of wine to help in that process, I encourage that! Especially if you both love wine or beer or….. fill in the blank!
#3: Be Down For Anything
This is kinda a sub point to the tip above, but be down to try anything (as long as it’s not putting you in immediate danger/harm) that your photographer asks you – even if in your mind you might be thinking “Uhhhh…. okay? I don’t get this.” Just do it! The more we are able to work together, and maybe try some new things, the more creative the photos will turn out. There are some directions I give that work splendidly for some couples and others it just doesn’t fit them as well, and that’s TOTALLY fine. But allow your photographer to figure out what works best for you both! This is a time to experiment with what will look best for you guys to feel comfortable, beautiful and have BOMB images, and sometimes that means trial and error with what we photographers direct you with!
I am CONSTANTLY reading my couples and examining the situation. I am very observant for when something may not be working or when it’s time to switch things up and go somewhere we haven’t shot yet. I think it’s so important to make sure I am in tune with my couples because that is ultimately what is going to help in creating MAGIC.
#4: Focus On Your Love
I totally get it. There’s a big black object taking your image as well a human behind that object (me!) but 9 times out of 10, we don’t want you to focus on that fact. The only time we usually do is when we are making sure we still get that smiling photo of you both looking at the camera!
But my best advice is to focus on your love. Don’t be surprised if your photographer asks you to whisper what your 3 favorite things about the other person are in their ear. Or to tell the story of how you met and how the proposal went down. Or other, more personal but still sweet facts about yourselves! Saying those things out loud to the other person is what helps draw out the emotion which will help you feel relaxed and forget that there is a camera nearby!
I usually always try and end engagement sessions with the couple dancing to their first dance song. Sometimes this happens other times we are on more of a time crunch, but my goal with that is to help bring the focus at the end of the shoot back to where it needs to be – you both! Your love. And why we’re all here in the first place which is to celebrate the fact that you two have chosen to spend the rest of your lives together!
#5: Have Fun!
But most importantly – don’t forget to HAVE FUN! This is a unique opportunity to have 1-2 hours with just you and your best friend (and me, but I’m kinda invisible) leave all your wedding planning at home, don’t talk about wedding planning on the way to the shoot, enjoy each other’s company, and don’t take yourselves too seriously! I will be there with you to direct and help of course, but I want you to drive home from your shoot thinking “Wow I love you so much” (to your fiance of course haha) and “Wow, that was so much fun!!”
I hope these tips have helped you in regards to preparing for your engagement session! If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment on this post and I am happy to respond to ya!
Have a fabulous rest of your day 🙂
Kate
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