HOW TO PREPARE FOR AND TOTALLY ROCK YOUR ENGAGEMENT SESSION

Hey, everyone! Want to know exactly how your engagement session will go from start to finish? I actually have a guidebook that I send to clients/potential clients but I figured why not put it all right here in a blog post?! This was written specifically for engagement sessions but can easily work for family sessions as well. If you’re wanting to book a session, give this a read for the process and tips and tricks to help make your session the best it can be!

choosing a date & time

I typically book shoots about a month or two in advance! Saturdays are normally reserved for weddings but I will definitely let you know if I have a Saturday free. Weekdays are always the best for me but if they’re not for you, I have weekends available! Fridays and Sundays are great. If you’re also planning a wedding, we’ll probably be booking your engagement shoot at least 6 months in advance. Your engagement photos should be done in time to get them ready to save the dates and/or invitations! So 6-12 months would be ideal to schedule your engagement session. Keep in mind that it will take me three weeks after the shoot to get all of the images back to you.

I like shooting at sunset but we can shoot at any time you would like! Sunset is the best for light (so is sunrise but getting up that early kinda blows, let’s be real.) Sessions typically last 45 minutes to an hour! If we hike to a location though it will definitely be longer. But the actual shooting will never be over an hour! If sessions lasted longer than an hour you would probably end up with 1500 photos because I’m ridiculous. 

getting to know each other

Mostly everything is done online these days. You found me online, you reached out online, and I responded online. I am totally fine with everything being virtual up until shooting but if you want to meet up for a drink beforehand or even just facetime or give me a call, I would love to! 

And always before shooting we will chat for a bit so you don’t immediately have a camera shoved in your face. No one wants that. 

picking a location

This is the tough part. I have plenty of recommendations for locations but I want to know where you feel your best! Do you love the beach? The woods? The mountains? Or maybe even just your own home! Some of my favorite spots for photos are Cannon Beach, the Olympic National Forest, Hurricane Ridge, Latourell Falls, Rattlesnake Lake, and basically anywhere with trees and water. So it’s very convenient to live in the PNW!

Keep in mind too that a location doesn’t necessarily have to be outdoors! We can go to your favorite brewery or coffee shop! Typically there will be a cute outdoorsy area for more photos somewhere nearby. And if you don’t want to travel that far for photos, there is always a pretty spot close to you! These photos are more about you than the location!

choosing what to wear

There are a ton of factors that go into choosing what to wear, and I know it can be tough to decide which outfit will suit your photos best!

WHAT YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE IN

Wear what you know, what you feel good in. I have suggestions for clothes but I want you to look for these things in your own closet! And if you are buying something new for this shoot, wear it out a few times beforehand. Go on a date night in it, go to the store in it, wear it in the comfort of your home. I don’t want you to show up uncomfortable! 

ALLOW FOR MOVEMENT

I ask you to do some pretty silly things. It’s how we get those cute candid in-the-moment photos. So wear clothes that will allow you to move around a lot! If you can’t raise your arms (we all have those jackets) then don’t wear them! Or do, but you’ll inevitably have to take it off for some of the more active shots. 

CONSIDER THE LOCATION

Heels don’t make sense on the beach! Go barefoot! If it’s cold, wear a jacket. No dresses in the snow haha. This may sound like common sense but people want to dress up for photos and it’s important to match the environment. Both with colors (which I’ll mention later) and with the pieces of clothing you wear. 

COLORS

Earthy tones and natural tones typically photograph better than bright, rich colors. My favorite colors for photos are beige, olive green, mustard, white, black, and burgundy. And this is very specific but I really dig jean jackets. I’ll probably mention that multiple times in this section!

CONSIDER THE LOCATION AND SEASON

It’s important to wear colors that compliment the environment. If we’re going to the forest, a pink dress will look kind of silly. Wear something a little more muted and earthy to better match the location. Like beiges and olive greens or black! If we’re on the beach, think sandy tones or even like a white tee and a denim jacket!

PATTERNS

I would encourage you to stay away from patterns, but if you do wear something with patterns just make sure it’s minimal. Solid colors work best in photos!

COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER

Match but don’t MATCH. I can totally help with clothing options too. Bring a few things!  But you want colors that look good together. 

AVOID DISTRACTIONS

Logos, graphic tees, super-bright colors, crazy clashing patterns. I want to see YOU. But for real about the bright colors. It’ll be all you can see in the photo and we don’t want that!

ACCESSORIES

If you wear hats, bring a hat! If you love bold jewelry, put it on! Jackets are encouraged. Blankets are welcome.

BRING LOTS OF OPTIONS

Not entirely sure what will look best together in photos? Let me help! Bring a few different options and I can help what you and your partner will wear. Plus I’m always down for outfit changes. Outfit changes basically turns one session into two.

HAIR AND MAKEUP

Professional hair and makeup or au natural?

If you typically don’t wear makeup, don’t wear it just for photos! These photos represent who you and your partner are and when people view them, they’re just going to see how happy you two are, not fake lashes! If you normally glam up a little bit and want to get your makeup done, then do it! Do what feels right. That goes for hair too!

PROPS

So I’ll be real with you. I don’t love props. Props tend to make images, and ultimately the session itself, feel staged. Bringing a sign out ruins the rhythm of a session and it makes it hard to get back in the groove of things. The props I do like though! I love bouquets and for indoor sessions, things like coffee cups or beers. Or even beers for outdoor sessions! But really all you need for a session is you and your best friend. 

Extra Shoes: Extra shoes aren’t always neceessary. I would only recommend bringing extra shoes if we’re hiking somewhere!

Touch-Up Kit: It’s easier to fix smudged makeup than to photoshop it later!

Backpack: For possible extra clothes, shoes, jackets you may take off, etc. etc. 

Bevvies: If you don’t bring beers, I will. Don’t worry.

MINDSET

Treat your session like a date. Go out to eat before or after, (or as pictured above, during!) give yourself plenty of time to get ready, and have fun! You’re already dressed up so make a whole day of it! I think it’s important to do something other than driving to the shoot, taking photos, and then going home. Go grab tacos, grab a drink, have a good time! I do the same thing! 

WEATHER

Rain or shine, baby! Rain or shine. 

But for real, we live in the PNW and it rains a lot here and I’m not afraid of it. My camera can withstand some harsh weather and if you feel like you can too, then let’s do it! Rain gives images a cool hazy look that you can’t achieve any other way! Except maybe with fog. It wasn’t raining in the photo to the right but by the end of the shoot we were soaked because of the mist from the waterfall! But we still had a great time and got some killer shots. 

If however there’s rain in the forecast and you don’t want rainy day photos, we can totally reschedule! I don’t have a rescheduling fee and I’m happy to work with you to find another date that will work best for us both. Just send me a text or message!

what to expect

Alright, I know you’re nervous. I get nervous before photos too. 

My style of photography keeps things fun. I won’t ask you to gaze longingly at each other or ask you to tilt your head this way and move your hand to that spot. I come up with prompts and directions that will keep you moving so the session will feel (at least a little) natural.

We’ll start off the session with a quick walk to the location. Typically I meet couples in a parking lot and we have to walk to the pretty spots so it’ll give you some time to loosen up a bit instead of just jumping right into standing in front of the camera. Once we get to the location I’ll start out with something simple like holding hands and walking towards me while looking at each other rather than the camera. And then we’ll go into more fun stuff! If you don’t know what a raspberry is, google that right now because I WILL ask you to blow a raspberry at some point during the session.

My main goal is to have couples leave a session thinking “wow, that was actually fun” and I have yet to have a couple that hasn’t said that.

after the session

You did it! Now the hard part, waiting. I’ll send you a sneak peek of a couple of photos from the session within 3 days after shooting. I’ll send them to you just over facebook or text so you can have them right away (and post them right away!) The full gallery will be finished and sent in two weeks! You’ll receive a link to open up your gallery via email and from there you can download high-res photos, get prints, and even share the gallery with your friends and family! 

While you wait for your images, I am totally here for anything you may need! Shoot me a text or DM and let me know if there’s something I can do to help!