Engagement Sessions.
Thanks for visiting our website and congratulations on you’re engagement!!!
An engagement session is a portrait session for you and your future spouse that could be done in our specious studio or in your favorite outdoor location. Most of our clients choose to do an engagement session for the purpose of using the photos for Save the Date cards, photo invitations or printed portrait enlargement that they can showcase at their reception venue. The engagement period is a very sweet time in your relationship, and it's lovely to commemorate that with pictures of you both together.
We usually start the process with picking out the location and date. Most of our sessions are done outdoors, but we also offer a studio photo sessions if you prefer more intimate setting. Our sessions usually last up to 2 hours for the outdoor sessions and up to an hour for the studio sessions. When choosing a date, make sure you choose a day that is more flexible so you can concentrate on the session and enjoy the quality time with your future spouse. Do make it a date night! You’re already dressed up and have your makeup done. Make plans for a dinner out—just the two of you. So often wedding planning can be stressful, and this can be a great opportunity to set aside quality time.
During your session we will do a series of different poses, close ups and details in different settings. We may take a walk through a park stopping along the way to take photos. What we look for is beautiful lighting and an interesting background that we can use for your photos. Although we will put you in a pose we would work with you to get you relaxed and have you interact with each other to get the most spontaneous emotions.
How to choose a location for your session?
We usually like our couples to choose their own location that is special to them. It could be your favorite park, school playground or favorite spot in the city. Choosing a location that is meaningful to you will give your engagement photos even more impact. If you're not sure which location to choose we will be more than happy to give you a list of our favorite places in the city or the suburbs.
What time do we usually do the sessions?
To get the best lighting conditions, we usually like to schedule the sessions late afternoon about 2 hours before the sunset and work our way into the evening hours . This is the time of the day when lighting is the best and within relatively short period of time we can take advantage of changing lighting situation and potentially a beautiful sunset.
Engagement sessions are available during the week only. Due to very heavy wedding schedule, engagement sessions are not available on the weekends.
What to wear for the engagement session?
Wear clothes that make you feel comfortable and be yourself. If you prefer casual outfit then jeans and shirt will work. If your style is more formal, then cocktail dress with high heels will work. I recommend staying away from bright whites, heavily visible logos, or crazy mismatched patterns. Less is more when it comes to selecting the perfect engagement-photo outfit. Generally soft, subtle, and neutral colors are recommended for a classic, timeless look. Avoid deeply saturated or bright colors like a vibrant red or orange; those colors will reflect back on your face, especially in the sun. Look for colors that compliment each other or are in the same color family. You will also want to make sure your outfits are harmonious. If you're wearing an evening gown, you will want to make sure your future spouse is wearing something that goes with it.
While it may be tempting to wear a brand-new outfit, comfort should be your first priority—but that doesn’t mean yoga pants and baggy sweatshirts. You can still buy a fun new outfit, but don’t have your engagement-shoot day be the first day you wear it. Wear it to dinner, get a few iPhone photos in it, and see if you truly like how it looks. Nothing’s worse than realizing during the shoot that your shirt wrinkles, your pants stretch out, or you just don’t like how it looks.
If you're working with a hair and makeup artist for your wedding day, now might be great time for a trial. While professional hair and makeup are not a must, it can help boost your confidence and ease the getting ready process on the day of the shoot. It’s great to see how makeup looks in professional photographs. What feels like a lot of makeup often doesn’t show up as dramatically on camera as it does in the mirror. It’s helpful to be able to make any makeup tweaks after the engagement session. That way your big day will be flawless!
Can we bring our dog?
If you have pets please feel free to include them in your session. It’s so challenging to try to find a simple way to incorporate your dog into your engagement session during the middle of your session! So, we recommend incorporating your dog either right at the beginning or right at the end of the shoot. This way, you can relax before or after your pet has been with you and you don’t have to find something for them to do for the other parts of the session! If you're going to bring pets, you're also going to need to bring someone else to handle them. To avoid your dog sitting in the car throughout your entire engagement session, we recommend asking a parent or friend to come hang out with your dog instead. Better yet, some of our couples have their friend or parent drop the dog off at the shoot and take him or her back home when that portion of the shoot is done. This means our couples don’t have to worry about what their dog is doing and can just focus on one another!
We never had a professional session done. How would we know what to do?
Honestly, I think it’s the photographer’s job to make the couples look and feel comfortable. As a photographer, we are doing this regularly, while our clients are not. So it’s really up to us to get you in a comfortable state and photograph you in a way that is generally you. With that said, we do have rules to share. Be yourself! From wearing what you feel confident in, to choosing a location that makes you feel empowered! Smile!!! We definitely love a dramatic moment, but you can never go wrong with a smile for a few shots as well.
You're having your engagement session to document the love that you have for your future spouse. If you concentrate on that and focus on your upcoming marriage, you're going to be just fine.
What happens if it rains?
If it looks like rain, we'll connect a few days in advance to discuss a game plan. Most of the time that involves picking a new date and moving the session to that new date. Sometimes clients would rather wait until the morning of the session to see if it really will rain. We're totally fine with doing that, but if we start the session and it gets rained out, there will be a fee to reschedule.
