Engagement photos have a reputation for being a little awkward.
You show up, stand in a field, hold hands, look at each other, laugh on command, and suddenly you’re wondering if you’ve ever naturally touched another human being before.
But your engagement photos don’t have to feel like that.
I think of engagement sessions less as a formal photoshoot and more as an opportunity to document this weird, exciting, temporary chapter of your lives together.
You’re engaged. You’re planning a wedding. Life probably feels a little chaotic.
Let’s remember what it felt like, too.
Don’t Pick a Location Just Because It’s Pretty
One of the first questions you’ll probably ask when planning your engagement session is:
Where should we take our photos?
And while the location matters, I don’t think you necessarily need the most beautiful overlook, garden or perfectly manicured field.
Choose somewhere that gives us a story.
Maybe that’s your apartment.
The bar where you had your first date.
A tiny diner.
The beach you spend every summer at.
The streets around your neighborhood.
A hotel.
A record store.
Your favorite coffee shop.
Or maybe we grab a bottle of wine, drive somewhere beautiful and make something up entirely.
Your engagement photos don’t have to document a meaningful location to feel meaningful. Sometimes we just need an environment that allows the two of you to forget you’re taking photographs.
Plan a Date, Not a Photoshoot
This is probably my favorite engagement session advice.
Give yourselves something to do.
Go get ice cream.
Make pancakes at home.
Have a picnic.
Get dressed up and drink martinis.
Rent bikes.
Go bowling.
Walk your dog.
Buy flowers.
Take a drive.
Make pizza.
Run into the ocean.
Have a two-person dance party in a parking garage.
Activities create movement, and movement creates moments.
Instead of constantly wondering where your hands should go, you’re interacting with each other naturally — and I’m photographing what happens in between.
You Don’t Need to Know How to Pose
Almost every couple tells me they’re awkward in front of the camera.
That’s completely fine.
I’m not expecting you to arrive knowing what to do.
I’ll guide you throughout the session, but my approach is less about putting you into perfectly constructed poses and more about creating situations where something genuine can happen.
I’ll tell you where to stand when you need it.
I’ll fix your hair.
I’ll tell you what to do with your hands.
And then I’ll probably ask you to move, walk, dance, run, whisper something ridiculous or completely ignore me.
Some of my favorite photographs happen about three seconds after the “pose” is over.
That’s when you relax.
That’s when you look at each other.
That’s when it becomes yours.
Wear Something That Feels Like You
You do not need to completely reinvent yourself for your engagement photos.
If you never wear neutrals, you don’t suddenly have to show up in beige because an engagement session Pinterest board told you to.
Wear something you feel incredible in.
Think about texture, movement, shape and how your outfits work together rather than trying to perfectly match.
A flowy dress can create beautiful movement.
An oversized jacket can photograph incredibly.
A suit can turn a simple location into something editorial.
Jeans and a T-shirt can be perfect for an at-home session.
Your clothing helps establish the world we’re creating, so think about how you want the photographs to feel, not just what looks “nice.”
And if you’re torn between two completely different looks?
Bring both.
Make It Personal
The easiest way to make your engagement photos different from everyone else’s is to stop worrying about what everyone else is doing.
What would actually feel fun to you?
Maybe that’s running around barefoot on the beach.
Maybe it’s eating takeout on your kitchen floor.
Maybe it’s dressing like you’re going to a movie premiere and taking flash photos outside a dive bar.
Maybe it’s your truck, your motorcycle, your dog, your favorite records, your grandmother’s house or the little coffee shop you go to every Sunday.
The more pieces of yourselves you bring into the session, the less it feels like we’re trying to create somebody else’s engagement photos.
Let Things Be Imperfect
Not every photograph needs to be tack sharp.
Your hair doesn’t always need to be perfectly in place.
You don’t need to look at the camera.
Your clothes might get dirty.
The wind might be insane.
It might rain.
You might laugh so hard that the photograph isn’t exactly flattering.
Keep it anyway.
I want some of your engagement photos to feel polished and intentional.
And I want others to feel like someone found an old box of photographs documenting a night the two of you never wanted to forget.
A little grain.
A little blur.
Movement.
Flash.
Messiness.
Those things can make a photograph feel alive.
Consider Adding Film
Film is one of my favorite ways to photograph engagement sessions because there’s something inherently nostalgic about it.
It slows everything down.
Film isn’t perfectly clean or predictable, and that’s exactly why I love mixing it with digital photography.
The grain, softness, colors and occasional imperfections give the photographs a completely different feeling.
Sometimes an image doesn’t just look like it was taken yesterday.
It looks like a memory you’ve had for years.
Don’t Be Afraid to Make It Cinematic
Your engagement session can also be an opportunity to create something a little more conceptual.
Think about your favorite movies.
Music.
Fashion.
Decades.
Places you’ve traveled.
Colors you’re drawn to.
Maybe your session feels like a 1960s road trip.
An old French film.
A summer night in Italy.
A rainy afternoon in New York.
A grainy home movie.
A glamorous night out.
We don’t have to recreate a movie scene exactly. Instead, we can pull inspiration from its lighting, colors, movement, styling and emotion.
Then we build your own story around it.
Forget About the Save-the-Date for a Minute
Yes, engagement photographs are useful.
You can put them on your save-the-dates, wedding website, invitations and around your wedding.
But that’s not the only reason to take them.
Your engagement session might be one of the only times during your wedding experience when there isn’t somewhere you need to be next.
There’s no ceremony starting.
No guests waiting.
No timeline we’re trying to stay on.
It’s just the two of you.
That freedom gives us room to experiment.
To slow down.
To make something weird.
To make something beautiful.
And to create photographs simply because you want them.
Make Photos You’ll Want to Find Again Someday
Imagine finding these photographs twenty years from now.
I don’t think you’re going to care whether every hair was perfectly in place.
You’ll notice how young you looked.
The clothes you forgot you owned.
The way your partner looked at you.
The apartment you lived in.
The car you drove.
The dog that followed you everywhere.
You’ll remember what life felt like before the wedding and before everything that came afterward.
That’s what I want your engagement photographs to hold.
Not just what you looked like.
Not just proof that you were engaged.
But a tiny piece of your life together that you’ll eventually get to look back on and say:
I remember us like this.
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