Tips for Amazing Engagement Photos
The thought of creating amazing engagement photos can be daunting at the best of times, particularly for people who have never had any experience in front of the camera. We want to provide you with some tips for your engagement photos in this blog and assure you that you have nothing to be worried about at all! As Calgary wedding photographers, we’ve been doing this for over a decade and we are happy to share our advice with you.
The Benefits of Engagement Photos
We have a lot of couples who book from out of province or even out of country and we meet physically in person for the first time on their wedding day and they still have gorgeous photos. However, engagement photos definitely don’t have any drawbacks when it comes to getting comfortable.
Your wedding photographer is someone you’re going to be spending a lot of time with on one of the most important days of your life – so you definitely want to get comfortable with them! The engagement photos are a wonderful way to hang out together without the stress of the wedding day. You’re able to learn each other’s communication styles and learn what it’s like to be in front of the camera. Perhaps you might find that you are sillier than you thought, or that you prefer to have a more posed and editorial look. This can be though of as a trial run before your big day ensuring that once it arrives, you’ll be ready!
If you’re relaxed on your wedding day it’s going to make your wedding photographer’s job that much easier as they won’t have to spend as much time getting you to feel comfortable in front of the camera which in turn means that all of those special moments will be captured without you looking and feeling like a ball of stress!
Engagement photos are also a wonderful opportunity to announce to the world that you’re engaged! They can be used on your save the dates, invitations or even for your wedding as decor on your singing tables or entrance areas. They are also a wonderful addition to a slideshow presentation or guest book.
What to Wear
Your engagement photos should be a reflection of who you are – but slightly elevated. We like to remind our couples that this is a special time in your lives. This event is only going to happen once, so you want to take the time to select something that makes you feel really good.
Our first step is to ask couples to lay our items that they already have. If they’d like to go shopping for something new we suggest they email or text us ideas or keep the tags on until they’ve decided. We want the wardrobe to not only reflect your style and personalities – but to be cohesive and mesh well with the environment or location you’ve chosen for your engagement photos. We recommend Pinterest boards to get the creative juices flowing.
You want to feel amazing in whatever you choose – so we treat this like a trial run of the wedding but on a mini-scale. w
Try on items ahead of time and iron everything!
Whatever you decide to wear – wear it ahead of time for a bit and really “feel” if you are into it. Break your shoes in to avoid discomfort later on and make sure everything is cleaned and ironed or steamed ahead of time because no – wrinkles aren’t always easy to edit out and may cost you extra editing time later on.
Hair and Makeup
Another pro tip is that we always recommend professional hair and makeup (preferably by your chosen wedding day artists!) for your engagement photo session. We encourage people to save their wedding day hairstyle for the actual wedding day as this can be “too much” for your engagement session. You also don’t want the same look twice!
Having your hair and makeup done allows yourself to be pampered and really feel your best during your session. If you feel confident in your own skills then go for it! We do recommend though that you not place expectations on yourself and just be “you!” Photos typically require a bit of makeup as your features can get washed out. So even if you prefer a natural look, remember that can be achieved with minimal makeup but you’d still need some eye-liner and mascara.
If you feel confident in your hair and makeup skills, you can skip on down to the next tip. However, if you’ve never done makeup for photos or you aren’t really sure what to do with your hair, you may want to hit up the salon before your engagement shoot.
Photos require slightly more saturated makeup than your every day look so that you don’t become washed out. Haven’t done your hair and makeup consultation with your wedding day stylist yet? It can be a smart move to schedule that consult the morning before your session to knock out two birds with one makeup brush! (P.S. You can search for hair and makeup stylists in your area right here)
Have a Day Date!
We love encouraging couples to take the day off of work. This allows you to enjoy being together and have a fun activity prior to your session. This really gets you relaxed for your photos but also excited! You don’t want to be rushing from work or dinner to your session as you want to be in the right mindset. Some ideas include having breakfast or brunch together and planning your favourite activity for the day time to celebrate your engagement before you head off to get ready. Finish off your engagement photos by having a special dinner together as well. Why not! You’re all dressed up! Check out this recent engagement session in Calgary that happened after a day date.
Locations
As mentioned above your location can be anyplace that’s special to you or beautiful. Your photographer should help you plan this ahead of time in tandem with planning your wardrobe for a cohesive look and feel. They will be more than happy to give you a lot of tips and pointers. Think about amazing places that are important to you or some places you’re interested in checking out. If you like to hike the mountains might be perfect. If you prefer wine-bars and architecture then perhaps a cityscape with an urban feel is more your vibe. Maybe you’re really a homebody – hey we feel that too! When you look back on your photos, you want to see your personalities and who you both really are.
Lighting lighting lighting!
If you want the most amazing engagement photos – you want golden hour. This varies depending on your location, altitude and time of year. Your photographer can help you plan this. You want to have the last hour and half before the sun sets to create the most even-lighting and romantic tones. This also gives you a little leeway time in case of walking from spot to spot or traffic hang ups. Earlier in the day you will find harsh sun and shadows because the sun is higher in the sky. An alternative to evening is early morning. Be prepared because depending on your location and time of year you may have a wakeup time of 3 am!
Go with a Pro!
The wedding photography market is saturated. We are positive you’ve already been overwhelmed by Google searches! While it may be tempting to hire an amateur or less experienced photographer because of pricing, you may compromise in the final quality or the overall experience. Another tip: You want your wedding day to be an extension of your engagement photos experience and you deserve nothing but the best, professional care.
Trust your photographer
Last but not least – don’t let your nerves about being in front of the camera get the best of you! When you hire a consummate professional you will be in very good hands. Professional photographers know how to pose in a way that’s natural and understand the communication and “people” side of the business. This means that you won’t be staring like a deer in headlights. Your experienced photographer will be guiding you naturally. This will bring out your emotions and personality while capturing beautiful candid moments together.
We hope you found these engagement photo tips informative and helpful. Happy engagement photo planning!
