My Top Five Tips For Amazing Engagement Photos

One of the first things you will do after booking your wedding photographer will be doing an engagement session! Engagement sessions are a perfect way to bond with your photographer and get comfortable in front of the camera before your wedding day.

So how do you plan for a perfect engagement session?

PICK A TIME OF YEAR YOU LOVE

Decide what season you want your photos to be in! If you envision your engagement photos in and around water, choose a summer session! If you love the beautiful fall colours, choose a fall session! You can also go with a different season than the one your wedding day falls in, this way, you will have a variety of beautiful and professional photos in different seasons!

CHOOSE A MEANINGFUL LOCATION

Sometimes location is the hardest thing to decide on when it comes to your engagement photos. I always suggest to my couples, if they can, to choose a meaningful location...maybe where you had your first date, or where you got engaged! Maybe there's somewhere you have some incredible memories together, or an activity you both love to do that you can incorporate! If nothing comes to mind, do not worry! There are so many beautiful locations to choose from - conservation areas, parks, water fronts, and cities all make amazing locations!

WHAT TO WEAR

This is one of my frequently asked questions - WHAT DO WE WEAR?! My answer is always quite simple... wear something you feel comfortable in! If you don't like wearing fancy cocktail dresses, don't feel like you need to wear one for your engagement session! I also tell all my couples to go on Pinterest (it’s amazing!) and look for 'Engagement Session Outfit Ideas'. You will see some great outfits ideas that go nicely together and photograph well, and you're bound to see something that suits your personal style!

SHOOT AT GOLDEN HOUR (If you can!)

When planning an engagement session, I always shoot about 2 hours before sunset if possible! This is what most photographers refer to as golden hour, and it will give you the most beautiful lighting possible! At the end of the day, lighting is what makes or breaks a photo - so if you can plan your photos during the best light of the day, aka Golden Hour, then they will surely be beautiful! BONUS TIP: Make sure you make some room in your wedding day timeline to pop out during golden hour for a few portraits with your new spouse! They will be totally worth it and your guests won’t even notice if you leave during dinner for 15 minutes!

PROMPT BASED POSING

Most people are a little nervous to be in front of the camera, which is why doing an engagement session before your wedding day is such a great idea! It allows you to get comfortable with your wedding photographer and to get used to being in front of the camera. Something that makes being in front of the camera a lot easier (and results in awesome, candid photos) is prompt based posing! This allows you to focus on doing fun activities with your fiancé, instead of stressing about how you are standing and appearing on camera. Prompts make photo sessions FUN! When meeting potential wedding photographers, be sure to ask how they pose and interact with couples during a session!