How To Prepare For Your Engagement Session

You’ve finally got your main things checked off your checklist, now here comes the fun part - the engagement photos!

I get plenty of questions from my couples, the most common is “Is there any advice you could give us for our engagement session?” Well luckily for you, there is! These are simple little tips but so so useful for your engagement shoot.

Helpful tips on how to prepare for your engagement photos:

1. Bring a few outfits

Trying to decide what outfit to wear can be tricky so why not bring a few so you can experiment with what works the best. The one thing you should definitely NEVER do though is match. I would strongly suggest you pick contrasting colours and keep the colour palette simple. Any bright or vibrant colours can be very distracting in your photos and they also cast a not so nice colour over your skin (not a good a look). Avoid wearing any distracting patterns too, think simple, clean, and elegant - you can’t go wrong.

2. Find a location with meaning

A great way to ease those engagement shoot nerves is to pick somewhere that is both meaningful and memorable to you and your partner. If you are in a place that’s familiar to you, chances are you’ll feel a lot more relaxed in front of the camera. Plus you’ll be able to hint to your photographer any great places you’d recommend for your portraits.

3. Relax

I say this to all my couples and it really is the difference between average and incredible photos (no pressure…). If you’re relaxed you will just have a much more natural feel to your photos. These are intimate photos and yes it can be a strange experience if you’re not used to having your photo taken but hopefully your photographer will make you feel comfortable and give you some great prompts to help.

4. Research other engagement photos you love

In the modern era we now find ourselves in, you can find inspiration with a few clicks. If you’re unsure what sort of photos you’re looking for then I really recommend researching on Pinterest and Instagram. Here you can find what other couples have done and see whether there is anything that’s especially ‘you’. If there are photos you like, be sure to share them with your photographer so they can help recreate them with you. Remember they shouldn’t just be beautiful photos you’re recreating but actual experiences or photos that resonate with you both. 

For somewhere to start, take a look at these couples who totally nailed their engagement photos!

5. Keep the mood light

It may seem strange at first being in a constant state of nostalgia in order to get your engagement photos looking nice. It shouldn’t feel like this, trust me. The best advice I can give is to keep the mood light. Have some conversations with each other, try and make each other laugh, and tell some jokes. I have plenty of topics and prompts to get that natural flow going with my couples but if your photographer is standing there silently snapping away, just make go with the flow and try yourself.

I hope these tips help you with your engagement session. If you’re looking for an engagement session or a relaxed wedding photographer, please do say hello, I’d love to hear all about you.