Ten things worth thinking about before your engagement session.
If you’ve never had professional photos taken before, you’re in good company.
One of the first things almost every couple says to us is, “We’re awkward.” Usually followed closely by, “We have absolutely no idea what we’re doing.”
Perfect.
Seriously.
You don’t need modeling experience. You don’t need to know your “good side.” You don’t even need to enjoy having your picture taken. Our job is to create photographs that feel natural—not because you’re naturally photogenic, but because you’re comfortable enough to simply be yourselves.
Think of your engagement session as less of a photoshoot and more of a really nice date that happens to have photographers tagging along. You’ll spend a couple of hours walking, talking, laughing, maybe grabbing a drink afterward, and somewhere along the way you’ll forget the camera is even there. That’s usually when our favorite photographs happen.
Over the years we’ve learned a few things that consistently help couples enjoy the experience a little more. None of these are rules. They’re simply ideas worth considering before your session.
1. Choose a place that feels like you.
One of the first questions we hear is, “Where should we take our engagement photos?”
It’s a fair question. There are beautiful parks, city skylines, beaches, gardens, rooftops, waterfronts, and enough “Top 20 Engagement Photo Locations” articles on Google to keep you busy until next Tuesday.
But here’s something we’ve noticed.
The location rarely ends up being what people remember.
Instead, think about places that already have meaning. Maybe it’s where you walk your dog every evening. The neighborhood where you first lived together. A favorite coffee shop. The little bookstore you wander into on rainy Saturdays. Those places already belong to your story, which means the photographs immediately feel more personal.
And if nothing meaningful comes to mind, don’t stress. Not every couple has “their place.” Sometimes the right answer is simply choosing somewhere that matches your personalities. Cozy, elegant, playful, urban, outdoorsy—it doesn’t matter nearly as much as whether it feels authentic to the two of you.
2. Think about the feeling before the location.
This might sound backwards, but choosing a vibe is often easier than choosing a place.
When couples tell us they want their photos to feel relaxed, romantic, playful, editorial, cozy, or adventurous, we suddenly have a much better starting point than simply hearing, “We were thinking maybe Central Park?”
The feeling you’re after influences almost every decision we make together—from where we shoot to what time of day we schedule your session.
Some couples want architecture and city energy. Others want quiet trails where they can wander without another person in sight. Some want cocktails at sunset. Others want sneakers and pizza afterward.
None of those choices are better than the others.
The goal isn’t finding the “best” location. It’s finding the location that helps tell your story in the way you’d like it remembered.
3. Trust us when it comes to timing.
Photographers become strangely obsessed with light.
You’ll hear us use phrases like “golden hour” and “soft light” with an enthusiasm that’s probably a little concerning.
There’s a reason for it.
Light changes everything.
The exact same location can look completely different depending on whether we photograph it at 7:00 in the morning, 2:00 in the afternoon, or just before sunset. A crowded park suddenly feels peaceful. Busy streets become warm and cinematic. Even a simple sidewalk can look incredible when the light cooperates.
We know it can sometimes feel inconvenient to schedule around the sun, especially during the summer when sunset happens later. But we’ve never had a couple look through their gallery and say, “I wish we had done this at noon.”
4. Wear clothes that make you feel like yourselves.
You don’t need to reinvent your wardrobe for engagement photos.
In fact, we’d rather you didn’t.
When you’re wearing something that feels comfortable and familiar, it shows. You move differently. You smile differently. You’re thinking about each other instead of wondering whether your shoes are slowly destroying your feet.
Choose outfits you’d be excited to wear on a really nice date.
Coordinate instead of matching. Think complementary colors rather than identical outfits. Solid colors tend to age well, while subtle textures can add depth without becoming distracting.
Most importantly, if you put something on and immediately think, “This doesn’t really feel like me,” trust that instinct. Your future selves will appreciate photographs that still feel timeless twenty years from now.
5. You do not have to know how to pose.
Let’s clear something up.
Nobody wakes up naturally knowing what to do with their hands.
Not one person.
The reason engagement sessions often look effortless isn’t because the couple are secretly professional models. It’s because they’re responding to prompts, conversations, little moments, and genuine interactions instead of trying to memorize poses.
Our approach is pretty simple.
We’ll guide you when you need guidance. We’ll give you space when you don’t. Sometimes we’ll make you walk. Sometimes we’ll ask you to tell each other a terrible joke. Sometimes we’ll just let you have a quiet moment together.
Our favorite photographs almost never happen because someone held a pose perfectly.
They happen because someone forgot they were being photographed.
6. Build the session around an experience.
Some of our favorite engagement sessions have included coffee, tacos, bookstores, rooftop cocktails, ice cream, boardwalk fries, vintage record shops, ferry rides, and one extremely enthusiastic golden retriever.
The activity itself isn’t what matters.
It’s what happens while you’re doing it.
When you have something to interact with, conversation becomes easier. You naturally laugh more. You stop wondering where to put your hands because, well… they’re holding coffee.
Engagement photos don’t have to be one long series of portraits.
Sometimes the little in-between moments—the walk to the next location, sharing dessert, arguing over who gets the last french fry – end up becoming everyone’s favorite images.
7. Don’t panic if the weather changes.
Clouds are not bad weather.
They’re photographer weather.
Overcast skies create beautifully soft light that’s flattering on just about everyone. A little wind adds movement. Even light rain can create incredibly romantic photographs if everyone is willing to embrace it.
Of course, safety always comes first. If the forecast truly looks miserable, we’ll happily reschedule.
But we’ve learned not to judge a session by the weather app alone.
Some of our favorite galleries have come from days that looked terrible on paper.
The weather doesn’t have to be perfect for the day to be memorable.
8. Don’t try to recreate someone else’s photos.
Pinterest is wonderful.
Pinterest is also slightly dangerous.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of collecting hundreds of beautiful engagement photos and then subconsciously expecting your session to look exactly like all of them combined.
The problem is those photos belonged to somebody else’s relationship.
Your session should feel like yours.
We absolutely love seeing inspiration. It helps us understand your taste. But we’d much rather create photographs inspired by your personalities than spend the afternoon recreating someone else’s poses.
The goal isn’t to make photos that look familiar.
It’s to make photographs your friends couldn’t imagine belonging to anyone else.
9. Make the session part of your day—not your entire day.
Try not to squeeze your engagement session between a dentist appointment, grocery shopping, and dinner with your parents.
Give yourselves a little breathing room.
Arrive early. Grab coffee beforehand. Plan dinner afterward. Make an evening out of it.
When couples treat the session like a fun date instead of another item on their to-do list, everything feels different. They’re more relaxed. They aren’t watching the clock. They’re actually present with one another.
That’s a pretty wonderful mindset to bring into any photograph.
10. Remember what you’re actually celebrating.
The engagement season goes by faster than people expect.
One day you’re calling your parents to tell them the news. The next you’re debating chair covers, seating charts, and whether cousin Kevin really needs a plus-one.
Somewhere in the middle, it’s easy to forget why you’re doing all of this.
Your engagement session is one of the few opportunities to simply pause.
No timeline.
No guests.
No expectations.
Just the two of you, exactly as your lives look right now.
Years from now, you probably won’t remember what shoes you wore or whether the sunset happened five minutes later than expected.
You’ll remember how exciting this season felt.
You’ll remember laughing together.
You’ll remember that before you became husband and wife, you got to spend an evening celebrating the simple fact that you had found your person.
And honestly, we think that’s worth photographing.
