Planning Guides

Julie Hamilton – You’ve worked hard to find the right photographer and you’ve booked the date. So what comes next? The engagement session, commonly known as an e-session. Having an engagement session is very important, as it is most likely the first chance that you will have to get to know your photographer behind the camera and also their first opportunity to observe and capture you through the lens. Surprisingly, some of the most important elements of having a successful engagement session come before the session actually begins. A little planning and forethought goes a long way in ensuring that your e-session goes as smoothly as possible and that the images are as fantastic as they can be!

One of the first things to consider about the portrait session is location. Brainstorm about creative places to take images that truly reflect who you and your fiancé are as a couple. Think about the places you love to go, what you like to do together, your hobbies, special points of interests, or even the theme of your wedding. We will often go to a couples favorite winery or do something that they enjoy doing together to start our e-session. These are great ways to create images that will be meaningful to you through the years. Also, consider looking for locations that are full of color or texture. Look for walls in unusual colors or patterns. Check out old brick or rock buildings that might make a great textural backdrop for your pictures. These two elements will make for stellar backgrounds and unique images!

Secondly, consider having your hair and make-up professionally done. Remember, this kind of portrait session hopefully only happens once in a lifetime, so it’s worth spending a little extra time and money to make sure that these portraits are ones that you are proud of. You, your kids, and your grandkids are going to be looking at these portraits forever and you will want to look your very best. As always, try to avoid cutting your hair or tanning immediately before your session, as these two situations can spell disaster for portraiture!

Clothing is also an important element of your e-session. We encourage our clients to bring clothing that is color coordinated, but not too “matchy-matchy.” In other words, it’s not always a good idea to try to match each other exactly unless there is a specific reason. Think about what you are both wearing and how it will look together in your pictures. Be sure to choose colors that are complimentary to both you and your fiancé’s complexion and hair/eye color. Again, because you will have these pictures to treasure forever, try to wear clothing that is flattering to your body type and fits you properly. Clothing that fits well translates into more flattering images, which is the ultimate goal.

Many couples are unsure about what clothing or how much to bring to an e-session. Of course, that will depend somewhat on the photographer that you have chosen and how they orchestrate their e-sessions, but we like to encourage couples to bring at least two changes of clothing. First, a more casual set of clothing such as jeans and coordinating shirts and secondly, a more formal set of clothing. This could be something that you might wear on a nice evening out, maybe a flirty dress for her and nice pants and a button up shirt for him. If you’re not sure what to wear and you can do it, bring along as many options as you can! Once you get to the location and have a feel for the type of images that will be created there, you will have a better idea of what colors and what type of clothing to wear. It’s always a good idea to have your clothes prepared (cleaned, pressed, hung up, etc) ahead of time, but if you can’t, bringing along a spray bottle of Wrinkle Releaser or another smoothing agent is a great idea.

Lastly, the most important key to having a successful engagement session is that you be yourself. For the majority of people, it can be a little tough to relax in front of the camera, but remember you are there getting to spend time with the one you love, so have fun! Do things that you normally do with them. If you usually hold hands, go ahead and do it! If you always sit in his lap, what a cute image! If you normally kiss her on the cheek, it will be a great memory captured forever. If you love to dance, go for it! Being yourselves together will help you be more comfortable and you will have images that help you re-live those small sweet moments of your love.