Tips to Make Your Engagement Photos Perfect
Hey there! Congrats on your Engagement!
Regardless of who you hire to photograph your engagement session, these tips and tricks will help you prep for your shoot.
Why do an Engagement Session?
I like to think of it as “practice” for the wedding day. Most people have never been photographed professionally, aside from maybe your senior portraits, and definitely not with your Groom or Bride-to-Be! Learning a few simple posing techniques will ensure that you look comfortable together, elevate your strengths, minimize any flaws, and bring out your personalities. The most important thing to remember is to have fun!
“I for sure thought we’d be the most awkward couple in the universe once a camera was pointed our way but Jewels made us feel comfortable, made us laugh, and gave great instruction on posing. Our photos turned out phenomenally!” – Julia Deitsch
What to Expect
We will direct and photograph you candidly in a handful of settings and we want to see your personality! We’ll direct you into doing a few different things to see what looks best. Some couples can pull off serious expressions, and for others, it’s just not “them”.
We also want to know if you’re going for a certain aesthetic! If you want to do “model poses” or something more high-fashion, please let us know! We have experience in a lot of different styles and are happy to try and accommodate your requests!
The best images come from when you guys are being yourselves and interacting with each other… we want to see how you snuggle, laugh, play, and goof around with each other.
We hate the word “posing” and like to think of our approach as more of a “director”. We’ll make sure to tell you if your arm needs to move a certain way or otherwise, but we want you to be as authentic as possible.
If you’re nervous – that’s okay – totally normal! Don’t worry, we do this all the time and will make your experience as stress-free and easy as possible. We start out easy to get warmed up and just get to know each other along the way. It’s all about feeling comfortable in front of the camera …I gotchu!
Engagement sessions are so much fun, and important too! Think of it as “practice” for your wedding day. After you do an engagement session together, you’ll become more comfortable in front of the camera and we’ll get to know what you like, don’t like, your good side, and more! So when the big wedding day finally arrives, it’ll be like we’re already old friends and this will make your images better!
We can also address any issues there may be such as height differences, non-reflective glasses, blinking, and a multitude of other things (like the Groom “not wanting to have his picture taken”). We have studied how to direct people and have photographed couples of all shapes and sizes. We do our best to help you feel comfortable and look your best on camera!
We make the process fun, and pretty much just goof around while getting to know each other, and take photos along the way.
Where to Shoot?
if you don’t have any idea of where you want to do your shoot – we can help! We have several suggestions to help you come up with a great location for your session. Here are some ideas to help get your brain storming…
- Do the opposite of your wedding. Getting married in the city? Shoot your engagements in the mountains or a nature setting.
- Where did you meet or have your first date?
- Where did you get engaged?
- What do you like to do together? Perhaps there’s a prop such as an old car or motorcycle?
- Is there a place that is special to you (ie. Red Rocks, a restaurant or hang out spot)?
- Date night – let’s grab a drink and do something fun!
- Choose an aesthetic:
- urban modern – clean lines & tones
- urban gritty – murals, cool textures, art district
- mountain – trees, grasses, rocks, views
- rustic – fields, barn
- wooded – trees, paths, grasses, creek/water
- among the aspens
- in the snow
- Choose a theme: such as “vintage”, camping, or playing in the snow…
Wherever you choose, you will get variety in your collection and have a lot to choose from!
When to Shoot?
We recommend doing your shoot no sooner than 6 months before your wedding. This ensures that you’ll have plenty of time to choose your favorites, and allow for the processing, printing, and shipping of your products.
If you’re choosing a popular location such as Garden of the Gods, or another “touristy” place, you’ll want to avoid the weekends. These can be a pain when it comes to parking, fighting crowds, etc. If you want to shoot at Red Rocks, make sure to check the concert schedule as they do not allow un-ticketed guests in the park after 3:00 on a show day.
We try to schedule portrait sessions during the week so that our weekends are reserved for weddings and time with our families.
A photographer’s favorite time of day to shoot is usually “golden hour” – the hour or two just before sunset. Of course, different times of year means this time slot can vary. Otherwise, a good photographer will know how to utilize and manipulate light to make you look amazing no matter what time of day it is!
*Always keep in mind drive time, parking, etc. – if you’re late, that just cuts into your session.
What to Wear?
This is a special occasion and maybe the first experience celebrating your upcoming wedding! Since you will most likely have time for a couple of outfits, think about doing something special!
We recommend starting with something casual/dressy – think jeans with heels, and then ending with something dressy like you’re going to a cocktail party or friend’s wedding.
Make sure your outfits are well thought out complete with accessories, props (if doing a theme), from your head to your feet! You wouldn’t want to have a nice outfit with old ratty shoes, right? Be comfortable – be you – but be polished.
- Choose pieces that are form fitting (not tight) that compliment your body type – loose clothes make you look larger than you really are in photographs.
- Wearing the same color as each other is not a good idea, but wearing clothes that are complimentary to each other are.
- Avoid white or neon colors!
- Also something to keep in mind – on camera, light colors make you look larger than you are and dark colors make you look smaller.
- Consider renting if you’re going for something more dressy or formal. We have had great success with Rent The Runway!
Hair, Skin, & Nails
Drink lots of water in the days leading up to the shoot – it will keep you hydrated and your skin looking great.
Ladies: Make sure you look “well put together”. Hair & makeup should be fresh, as should your manicure and pedicure (if you choose open-toed shoes).
Consider hiring a professional hair & makeup artist to make you look your best on and off camera.
Guys: Get that neck/beard/etc. cleaned up and get the dirt out from underneath your fingernails!
Props
Feel free to bring anything you want to include into your shoot such as signage, a blanket, or anything that will compliment your shoot. Think about who you guys are as a couple or what you guys like to do together! We are happy to help brainstorm some ideas if you need help.
Dogs / Animals
We LOVE it when you bring your dogs! #yesplease
Dogs are the best people ever, but not necessarily the easiest subject to photograph. If you plan to incorporate your fur babies into the session then we need extra help. Please bring someone with you that can be in charge of them, armed with treats and/or squeaky toys for bribery. We will start the shoot with them and then send them away with our helper so that you guys can focus on each other and not be distracted or worried about your precious baby/babies.
FAQ
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE WEATHER IS BAD?
In the event of inclement weather, or any other acts of God, we reserve the exclusive right and sole discretion to reschedule any portrait session (engagement, etc.) at any time for a later date. For example, if it’s a little breezy we should be okay. BUT, if it’s super windy/gusty and cold, chances are we are not doing the shoot. This is because we don’t want you to be uncomfortable because then you will look uncomfortable in your images and not have a good experience. Trust us to know when conditions are not ideal and be flexible.
HOW LONG IS THE SHOOT?
We book out two hours for your shoot. Typically, we can get it done in about 60-90 minutes unless we are walking around to multiple locations.
HOW FAST IST HE TURN AROUND TIME?
We process your images immediately and have them ready in two weeks or less! After your shoot we’ll get a Preview Session scheduled, done in person at our studio in RiNo so you can see your proofs, pick out your favorites, and order prints, albums, etc.
HOW MUCH DO PRINTS AND DIGITALS COST?
That just depends on what you want to do with your images! We have packages put together based on what the most popular items are with our couples, which give you the best value. We also have each item listed on an A La Carte menu if you choose to go that route. We also offer a discount on A La Carte items if you order them at your Preview.
On average, our couples spend around $800 on their images. Some spend more, some spend less, and we have no minimum order.
IS THERE A TRAVEL FEE?
Not usually, but if we are traveling outside of metro Denver, we’ll ask for a small fee to cover our time and gas to get there and back.
“Jewels is so much fun to work with. Her innovative vision and artistic talent is second to none. She CAPTURED wonderful memories that will last a lifetime.” – Sheila McConnaghey
