So you've probably picked your wedding date, booked your venue, and chosen your wedding photographer. Your wedding is starting to come together. Wedding planning is a huge task, planning each detail can take a huge amount of time and mind space. Your engagement session is a good time to pause and celebrate the milestones of planning and most importantly remember to whole reason you are getting married in the first place, you love being with your best friend and future spouse.
I recommend to all of my couples to have an engagement session because it is not only the most fun you will have together while planning your wedding but it is also the best thing you can do to get better wedding pictures. That's right! Your engagement session is the prefect time for us to get to know each other. You will learn how I work and I will learn how you interact with each other so that on your wedding day we both already know what to expect.
Nervous about being in front of the camera? That is normal, engagement pictures are often the first time my clients have worked with a professional photographer. There is no reason to be nervous. My sessions are intended to be laid back. I typically give my couples instructions or a pose to go into. I encourage them to interact or give them prompts to help illicit laughs, emotions, and those gorgeous candid moments that make beautiful images.
When
I recommend my couples book their session at least 3 to 6 months before their wedding. This allow time between the engagement session and the wedding date so they are not too close and it does not cause added stress. You also want to have your images well in advance so that you have time to create save the dates and/or add them to your wedding website.
Time
The time of day is super important in getting the quality images that are consistent with my portfolio. The best times to shoot are at sunset or sunrise. These times can change based on the time of year we are shooting. I can always advise on the best time to shoot based location, sunset and sunrise.
Location
I can recommend locations that I have worked at before and I know of the good spots and times of day that work best for pictures. However, the best locations are the ones that mean something to you as a couple. I am always will to try new locations and go on adventures.