TIPS AND TRICKS
How to Maximize Your Engagement or Couples Session
Thinking about booking OR already booked a couples or engagement session? Here are a few tips when prepping for it. This guide is designed to help reduce stress and get you PUMPED for your engagement or couples session. I created this content to help you prepare so you can focus on what is the most important part of your session, YOU AND YOUR PARTNER!
How to prepare for your session
Are you a procrastinator or a planner? The last thing you want to do to yourself is scramble and choose the look and feel of your session the night before. The more you prepare ahead of time, the more confident you will be and feel relaxed leading up to your session.
Pre-session tension and stress can, strangely enough, show up in your photos so here are some things you should consider doing before your session:
If you tan or get a spray tan done on a normal basis, do these both 5-7 days before in case of an accidental burn or the color of spray tan wasn’t what you were going for.
If you choose to get your hair colored or cut, schedule your appointment 1-2 weeks beforehand.
Get your nails done! There will be multiple engagement ring photos as well as close-ups of you holding hands, hugging, etc so you want your nails and hands to look their best!
Plan your session outfits ahead of time. Pinterest is an amazing place to get inspiration or ask your photographer for help when choosing.
The day before or go take your engagement ring to be cleaned. Most jewelry stores will do it for free and normally online takes 10-15 minutes.
Worried about hair and makeup? This is the perfect time for your hair and make-up trial! Make sure to have a buffer of a few hours between being done at the salon and your session’s start time. You don’t want to be rushed and late to your engagement session. Don’t miss that perfect light!
The night before, set out your outfits!
Eat a light meal or snack before your session and maybe bring snacks too! I get hungry and no one wants to be hungry during a session. In my sessions, I do a lot of walking, skipping, jumping, and movement, so having energy is key!
The number one thing you should do is, clear your day or night! This is exciting. You are getting a beautiful and romantic gallery of you and your boo. These are memories! I tell my couples to plan date day/night. Get ready together, have a glass of wine or beer (trust me it helps with nerves haha), have a boom time at your session, and have reservations at your favorite dinner spot made, enjoy dinner and RELAX!
Location Location Location
The spot(s) you choose will set the scene for your images and there are endless places so how do you choose? Think of places that mean something to both of you! Whether the place is popular and gorgeous or simple and memory-filled, the session will mean more when it means something to you both. Here are some ideas that my past clients have done or that may spark some ideas:
Your favorite beach
Shelling
Surfing
Fishing
Local brewery
Your favorite coffee shop
A park you spent a lot of time together
Carnival/amusement park
Baking or cooking in your home
Lifestyle/inside your home
Downtown
The farmers market
Vacation (destination)
Ice cream shop
Drive-in movies
Pizza
A picnic
A fire and s’mores
The list goes on, but you can see how simple but fun and meaningful your session can be! It’s like an elevated date day/night where you get to do the things you both love doing and connecting over. If you are happy and feeling good, then no matter if your session is downtown in a quiet town or in the mountains of Yosemite, the session will be fun and perfect for you and your partner!
Note: for state and national parks be sure to call ahead of time to ensure you have the right permits and permissions
Outfits
After the location is picked it’s time to talk about the fit! The goal is to match the vibe/energy/mood of the location and what you would normally wear. This might be the most exciting thing about preparing for your session. As you shop for your outfit keep in mind these four things:
Comfort–The most important thing is to feel comfortable and true to how you would typically dress. Practically speaking, if you are wearing nice shoes or you will be getting dirty/wet, bring a change of clothes and shoes to wear before and after. If you don’t feel comfortable in tight-fitting clothes, avoid them.
Coordination–You and your partner’s outfits should complement one another. Dressing in the same color family will help the photos feel balanced as opposed to wearing the same colors.
Colors & Patterns–Choosing patterns and colors that don’t fight with what is around you, is important. You don’t want to be wearing colors in the green and yellow family and be photographed in a field/trees. Stick to light and neutral colors avoiding white. Blush, short blues, light grays, & cream are great starting points. Inside of patterns uses textures. Flowy dresses, oversized jean jackets, chunky cardigans, leather, and layers. Don’t be afraid to add small splashes of colors too!
Compliment Eachother–If one shows up in a t-shirt and jeans and the other dressed up, it will stand out majorly and not in a positive way. Aim to look as if you are both are going to the same place. Match the levels of dressiness and casualness, while also considering your location (if you are starting at a coffee shop you likely wouldn’t wear a cocktail dress rather jeans and a cute tee or a casual dress).
Hire a Professional
If you want the best photos, go with a professional! Avoid a bad experience and get it right the first time! For engaged couples, book your engagement session with your wedding photographer. It is a perfect time to get to connect with your photographer and get comfortable with their camera before the wedding day. If you are documenting a couples session, it’s a great way to get to know a photographer that could potentially be the one you use year after year to document life.
Timing is Everything
I’m sure you’ve heard ALL about golden hour, but when choosing a time to photograph light is EVERYTHING. It visually creates the scenic mood with colors and warmth that you want to feel when you look back at your photos. If you hired a professional, they have got you covered. The early afternoon may sound great schedule-wise, but the lighting during that time will be harsher than the late evening sun since the sun is overhead and casts blue light. Early morning sessions are just as dreamy. If scheduling conflicts are what is causing stress, consider a sunrise start time!
Feeling Awkward
I don’t know if I’ve had a couple that said they didn’t feel awkward in front of the camera so don’t be hard on yourself! It can be easy to feel like the whole session needs to flow perfectly and not have anything out of place. The number one thing you can do is to be yourself! Your partner loves you for YOU and you want your photos to reflect that. Don’t overthink it. Be in the moment with your loved one and the rest will fall into place! Your professional photographer will know the angles and light to photograph you in, so trust them. Hopefully, you picked a photographer that doesn’t make you do a thing! My couples are just required to show up, be excited, and trust me. <3 I have prompts, poses, and directions to give, so their personalities shine through and they feel relaxed and comfortable with me. I play music and just make the whole thing a fun hangout/date session! If the nerves are not going away, be patient with each other leading up to the session, and sip your favorite drink before your shoot or bring a shot and we’ll start off the session with that! When overly nervous and in doubt, just kiss or laugh! HAVE FUN!
Notes
Get silly. Play with one another during the shoot. You can for sure take liberties! If you want to kiss your partner then KISS them, if you want to grab their butt do it. It’s all part of what makes your relationship unique to you!
Think of the session as a date, and I promise it will seem more fun!
Don’t overthink your session! Look at your SO if you feel nervous. That’s your rock, lean on each other!
Refer back to this article as much as you need while you are preparing for your session.
Now you’ve got all the detes! If you want to book your couple’s or engagement session click below!